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Buying a Sword

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Sir Ancelyn:
I am looking at several sources for swords at the moment. What do you know about Paul Chen, Windlass, and Arms of Valor? Any old sword can look good on the wall if it is presented right. I want one which they didn't skimp on the materials used or the length of the tang.

Thanks,
Adam

Sir Matthew:
Windlass make a few quality blades for practice, carrying and stage, but most are decorative wall hangers.  Paul Chen makes some very attractive pieces suitable for practice, stabe combat and carrying to faires/reenactment activities.  As such, these pieces also make very nice wall decorations, although they are typically more expensive than the Windlass wall hangers.  I don't know anything about the other company so maybe someone else here can chime in on them.  Going to you local Ren Faire or reenacting event can often get you some very nice handmade weapons at reasonable prices.  I know that LaForge at PaRF makes some very nice stuff for both use and decoration/faire carrying and they sell them at pretty reasonable cost.

Das Bill:
Well, you'll have to ask yourself a few questions.

1) What do you want out of your sword? (Historical accuracy? A beautiful decoration? Something that functions just like the real thing would have? Something for historical European martial arts usage? Something for stage combat? A combination of any of the above answers?)
2) What's your price point?

For example: If you want a sword for serious stage combat, the vendors you've mentioned above are close to worthless. You'll want a purpose built stage combat sword, and none of them offer such. If you want something for Western Martial Arts, Hanwei has a few models (mainly the "Practical" series) that are decent [for the price], though you can expect them to wear out faster than more expensive swords. If you're interested in swords that look and handle like real swords, both Hanwei and Windlass have some reasonable swords [for the price] that generally have a decent look and feel, and I view them as good "intro" swords to the modern collector. They have some major flaws, but so will anything under the $500 range. Are you looking for fantasy swords? Windlass has some decent ones [for the price]. You'll note how I keep saying [for the price]; That's because you really need to go back and ask yourself those questions above. For myself, I used to own more inexpensive swords, but as time has gone on and I've studied these more and more, I've sold those off to finance nicer and nicer swords, to the point where I'm now buying antiques because so many modern reproductions just aren't good enough for me.

My personal favorite modern makers are Arms and Armor (www.armor.com) and Albion Swords (www.albion-swords.com) because they have a very high level of detail and historical accuracy, and their swords really handle just like the antiques. The drawback is that they are far more expensive, and so they aren't going to be for everybody (I do this for a living, so they're worth every penny to me, but your mileage may vary). So the first thing to do is narrow down your focus, and then do your research. And have fun! Its a very addictive hobby! :)

Sir Edward:
What Bill said. :)

I started out buying mostly Windlass and Hanwei swords, with some from various RenFaire sword makers as well. Over time, I came to the conclusion that I'd rather have a smaller number of high quality reproductions than lots and lots of average or poor quality ones, and have since sold many of them to help make room for the nicer pieces. I still own most though. :)

I still own pieces from Windlass, Hanwei, Marto, Art Gladius, and Cold Steel. I still have most of the "renfaire" swords I've bought over the years, such as Highland Steele, Starfire, LaForge, Baltimore Knife & Sword, and Dagger Dan Heinecke. They contribute to my collection in different ways, since many of these are very non-historical, and some are pretty klunky by today's standards.

It's almost impossible to go wrong buying an A&A or Albion piece, but since they are much more expensive, you'll need to decide how they will fit into your collection and what really want/need in a sword. Personally I've been spoiled on them and would find it hard to go back and buy something less, especially since I still own a lot of non-authentic swords from my prior collecting that I don't wish to part with.

I will say, I have never met an Albion I didn't like. I like some considerably less than others, mostly because they're not my era/type of interest, but they're all made with exacting standards and enough historical accuracy that I can appreciate every single one of them. There are some examples, that once placed in my hand, elicit a single word from my brain--- "YES". :)

Das Bill:

--- Quote from: Sir Edward on 2010-05-13, 14:08:09 --- There are some examples, that once placed in my hand, elicit a single word from my brain--- "YES". :)
--- End quote ---

Heh, that about sums it up for me as well. :)

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