Who to buy from?

[Jack]

I'm new to this newsgroup, so please excuse me if this has already been
asked and answered ...

I'm in the market for very nicely made (and functional) medieval gear.
Simply put, I want to avoid getting ripped off by paying premium prices for
mediocre stuff. I've been looking at a catalog from Museum Replicas
(Windlass Steelcrafts), which says their goods are made much better than
their competitors. Not surprisingly, I see that claim from others as well.

I don't expect to ever use these weapons in combat, but I don't want to be
embarrassed if I should ever show them to someone who really knows, either.

So, trust with the dealer is a really big deal to me. To whom would you
recommend I give my business?

[David Neevel]

We're mainly modern competitive fencers here, with a few classical and
historical fencing folks thrown in the mix. You'd find more information on a
forum dedicated to Historical Western Martial Arts-- www.swordforum.com would
be one good starting place for both relevant forums and links. A little time
spent reading back through those forums and following links to other sites
should give you a general idea of which makers and dealers have a good
reputation, and what you could expect at a given price. As for a dealer, MRL is
probably best avoided for swords-- they used to be a dealer for Del Tin swords
(a well respected maker of reproduction weapons from Italy), but several years
ago were purchased by Windlass Steelcraft of India. Windlass' products are
generally not considered to be anywhere near the standard of Del Tin or other
good mid-range makers. Albion Armorers (www.albionarmorers.com) is a pretty
well respected maker and vendor for a variety of reproduction arms and armor--
their own, Del Tin, and others. Arms and Armor (www.armor.com) is another good
maker of mid-range reproductions. Angus Trim makes solid, functional (i.e.,
intended to be used for actual cutting) swords that are sold by a number of
vendors, some of whom do their own fittings which are fancier than the clean,
simple hilts that Gus does on his own. Expect to pay between $300-600 for a
good mid-range reproduction sword.

-Dave

Jack wrote:

> I'm new to this newsgroup, so please excuse me if this has already been
> asked and answered ...
>
> I'm in the market for very nicely made (and functional) medieval gear.
> Simply put, I want to avoid getting ripped off by paying premium prices for
> mediocre stuff. I've been looking at a catalog from Museum Replicas
> (Windlass Steelcrafts), which says their goods are made much better than
> their competitors. Not surprisingly, I see that claim from others as well.
>
> I don't expect to ever use these weapons in combat, but I don't want to be
> embarrassed if I should ever show them to someone who really knows, either.
>
> So, trust with the dealer is a really big deal to me. To whom would you
> recommend I give my business?

[Zebee Johnstone]

In rec.sport.fencing on Sun, 5 Oct 2003 19:10:25 -0500
Jack <jackhart@charter.net> wrote:
> I'm new to this newsgroup, so please excuse me if this has already been
> asked and answered ...
>
> I'm in the market for very nicely made (and functional) medieval gear.
> Simply put, I want to avoid getting ripped off by paying premium prices for
> mediocre stuff. I've been looking at a catalog from Museum Replicas
> (Windlass Steelcrafts), which says their goods are made much better than
> their competitors. Not surprisingly, I see that claim from others as well.
>
> I don't expect to ever use these weapons in combat, but I don't want to be
> embarrassed if I should ever show them to someone who really knows, either.

Which gear, and for what, and what's your price range?

If you are looking for reasonably made swords that aren't great but have
a reasonable rep, then the Hanwei/Chen stuff is worth a go. Their
practical rapier is way too heavy in the furniture and a bit too
flexible to be really good, but it's usable. Their backsword is a lot
nicer, and their longsword is surprisingly good.

About the best you'll get easily is Del Tin, pretty well anything of
theirs is worth having, but be prepared to pay! (I can't comment on
Cold Steel, although the one knife of theirs I have is nice, I haven't
seen their long weapons)

http://www.darkwoodarmory.com/ is worth a look, as is
http://therionarms.com/ you'll get good advice from either.

Be very sure to tell them exactly what you want to do with the things
you buy, if you ever plan to spar with them for example, or if you will
be wearing them, or hanging them on the wall or using them in theatrical
combat, or what.

Zebee