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Is this a good selection/deal

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Sir Patrick:
I've always felt a Del Tin is a good entry level sword. Full-tang and peaned so they don't rattle and the blades have good flex without being floppy. The ones I've owned have all handled and cut well. My 5140 was my first sword, and after nearly 20 years is still one of my favorites.

Sir Ulrich:
Ah well for starters theres no such thing as a "crusader sword" there are such a things as Oakeshott classification. http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_oakeshott.html
It's a bit of a read but it's well worth it. Most of Europe used similar stuff and I would suggest getting a type X as they're rather good for early medieval which could portray anywhere from the first to the third crusade well into the early 14th century. Would be one sword that could span you a few eras.
Yeah I would second on the Del Tin option, you'll pay a bit cause you gotta commission a scabbard but I have handled one in person and rather liked it. Best to not spend money on the cheapies like I have, the only thing I can really do now is help others buy the best stuff now.
http://www.kultofathena.com/deltin.asp
I also know where to get good riveted maille for low prices and gambesons as well as good shoes and helms if you're interested.

Timothy:
Thank you Sirs Patrick and Ulrich,

I have looked over Del Tin type X  and the 12th Century Medieval Sword. I like them both and I think either one will do very nicely.

Thank you for the reference to Oakeshott I will certainly use it.

Tim

Sir James A:
SwordBuyersGuide.com is your best friend for the $200-$400 functional swords range

Sir Edward:
In the <$500 price range, here are some thoughts on different manufacturers:

Del Tin makes some nice historical designs. They really only have two main "flaws", one of which is fairly subjective. They're a little on the blade-heavy side, but not completely "out of spec" either. They just favor the more heavier end of the spectrum. The other is that they are unsharpened. They will take an edge, but due to export restrictions in Italy, they can't sharpen them in advance. Otherwise, these are a fantastic starting point, since they know their history.

Darksword Armory has a few models that are more fantasy-ish, but they also have some nice swords that are well made for the price. You just have to know what you're looking for.

The Hanwei line has some decent offerings. The Tinker Pearce models are reasonable for the price. Some of these lack some of the historical subtleties, but that's just going to be the case in this price range.

Windlass can be real hit-or-miss. Every once in a while they have a decent offering, but others will be more disappointing. Some are historically inspired without being truly historical, if you know what I mean.

Generation 2 makes some OK swords. Like the Hanwei offerings, they're going to miss out on subtle details, but will be OK for the price. Some of their models are more fantasy.

Armor Class is probably similar to Hanwei, and Gen2, but I don't know them well.

If historical accuracy matters, stay away from anything from United Cutlery, Knight's Edge (ritter steel), Depeeka. A lot of these are what we call an SLO (sword-like object).

Cold Steel is "meh", as the accuracy and handling isn't great, but not stupidly bad either.

If you're willing to go up in price some, Lutel makes some decent stuff.

And if price doesn't matter as much, then I would point you to just about anything made by A&A (armor.com) and Albion Swords. These two are the top sword makers here in the US, IMHO. For the last 5 years or so, they're the only ones I've been buying from, aside from a Del Tin.

Disclaimer: This is off the top of my head. I haven't bought from most of these companies in several years, and these impressions come from the models I've had, and browsing through their catalogs a while back. Things may have changed, or I may have confused some details. YMMV.

You'll find a lot of these on KoA:

http://www.kultofathena.com/swords-medieval.asp

KoA has very good prices, and customer service.

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