Buying a Sword

[Sir Brian]

Very nice! How does it feel?

[Sir Ancelyn]

It is very light, just a few pounds.  My living room ceiling now has a scratch on it . . . oops. :-D

It is more comfortable with two hands than one.  It seems to balance about 6 or 7 inches down from the hilt (is that right for a 39 inch long blade?).  The hilt itself is as, I mentioned, rather long.  Given the shape, it is more comfortable holding it with my hands apart than together.

All in all, I m happy.

[Sir Matthew]

I think that in the end the most important thing is are you happy with you weapon.  I currently carry a Windlass for my Faire blade, and I really like it alot.  It's an early version of the sidesword and I got it from the pirate ship at PaRF for something ridiculous like $30 during one of their pirate auctions.  It's definitely a waster, but let's face it, for Faire do you really want to drag out a $1000 sword every weekend?  The one I carry is pretty accurate for the period and looks awesome, at Faire I think that is really the point.  And most of all, I like the sword!

[Dragonlover]

The important thing Ancelyn, is that the sword feel comfortable for you. A point of balance is a nice reference, but it all comes down to individuality. A sword that Bill likes may be too long or whippy for me, and vice versa. We aren't playing with it, you are. As a martial artist, anything you utilize should feel as an extension so only you will know what sort of speed or power you can generate. Enjoy and go buy a tin of spackle!

[Sir Edward]

Probably not the most historically acurate blade I could get, but for the price I'm happy.  This makes sword #1. :-D

Congrats!.

I have one of these as well, but I got the earlier version. I'm assuming yours is the newer version, where they fixed the problems with the pommel. The older version, like mine, has a balance point about 8 or 9" in front of the guard, because the pommel is hollow and the wood grip core extends all the way back to the pommel's peen. Not only does this result in a very forward-heavy feel, but the pommels had a tendency to break.

The newer version has a solid pommel, and fixes both issues, bringing the balance point to around 5 or 6" from the guard / blade base.

I think the blade is actually extremely good for the price-point. It's not whippy, but I was still able to flex it 90 degrees (!!!!!) without any problem, and have it spring true.

[Sir Ancelyn]

I love this sword!

The pommel appears solid, aside from the tang of the blade going through it.  The join of the tang to the pommel is not prety, but it looks very solid.

Your perception of the balance point matches my observations nicely.

However, I have not tried to flex the blade more than an inch or two lest I sever it in twain. Inexperience holds me back from trying some things.

Dad suggested I purchase a baldrick for the scabard to allow me to mount it to a wall or my belt.  Surely there must be peasants which are less smelly I could hire to hold my sword for me. ;-)

[Sir Brian]

Surely there must be peasants which are less smelly I could hire to hold my sword for me.

Not in these modern times I regret to say, the blighters are unionized now!