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Best sword manufacturers

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Mike Carlson
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Best sword manufacturers

Postby Mike Carlson » Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:20 am

Hi..

I've been interested in western martial arts for a long time now, and only now am starting to take it seriously.

I'm joining clubs etc. and looking at purchasing some historically accurate swords.

My main concern is the accuracy of the sword.

Can anyone advise me on the best manufacturer to look for? I hear balance is important as much as weight.

I would like to get a historically accurate sword collection going.

Thanks!!
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Allen Johnson
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Postby Allen Johnson » Mon Dec 11, 2006 2:56 am

You are going to be asked to register with your real name.
In the meantime, check out Albion Armorers.
"Why is there a picture of a man with a sword in his head on your desk?" -friends inquiry
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Shane Smith
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Postby Shane Smith » Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:36 am

Sign out and sign back in with your real, full name per forum rules please. I second Albion.
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LafayetteCCurtis
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Postby LafayetteCCurtis » Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:30 pm

I third the motion that you should register with the real name. And the one about Albion, too!
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Mike Carlson
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Postby Mike Carlson » Mon Dec 11, 2006 8:44 pm

No worries..

Thanks for the info and thanks to the owners of this site. The historical resources available is to be commended!

Glad I found you guys.
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Axel Pettersson
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Postby Axel Pettersson » Tue Dec 12, 2006 7:51 am

I also want to recommend Albion and am glad to direct you to www.myarmoury.com, where there are alot of reviews on, amongst others, Albion swords, aswell as a forum for buying and selling, perhaps you could find a nice piece there for a good price aswell!
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Mike Carlson
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Postby Mike Carlson » Tue Dec 12, 2006 8:45 pm

Thank you again for that information. I have found some nice pieces of interest there!

Much appreciated.
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Jeremiah Backhaus
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Postby Jeremiah Backhaus » Wed Dec 20, 2006 12:37 pm

What about Dr. Jim Hrisoulas? How does he rank?
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Allen Johnson
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Postby Allen Johnson » Thu Dec 21, 2006 2:39 am

never heard of him. Does he have a website or some sort of display or listing of his pieces?

There are always cutoms smiths that can make much better weapons than some bigger companies. But they also are MUCH more expensive.

Never mind- I found him.

Owner of Salamander Armories. Alot of pattern welded stuff. The problem is that those things are usually so expensive that no one is going to buy one and beat the snot out of it.
"Why is there a picture of a man with a sword in his head on your desk?" -friends inquiry
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Jeremiah Backhaus
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Postby Jeremiah Backhaus » Thu Dec 21, 2006 2:51 am

Dr. Jim Hrisoulas can be found at www.atar.com. He specializes in pattern welded blades. He is the author of "The Complete Bladesmith" series. The prices seem to be comparable with Albion. He only does Historical pieces, focusing mostly on Europe, but he has done some Middle Eastern style pieces before. I believe that he made a sword for the king of Norway (but I could be mistaken). As an apprentice smith myself, his stuff has always fascinated me so I have wanted one for years, and then I heard of Albion and became torn. Especially since I want to get involved with ARMA I want a good historical sword and both seem good now. So give him a look and let us know.
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J. F. McBrayer
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Arms and Armor

Postby J. F. McBrayer » Thu Dec 21, 2006 3:01 am

I agree with everyone that Albion is an excellent company, but think we need to add Arms and Armor to the list. There are also quite a few other companies and individuals producing functional swords, of course, but those are the two big names for production swords that are both functional and historically accurate in detail.
Liberté, egalité, fraternité!
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LafayetteCCurtis
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Postby LafayetteCCurtis » Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:16 am

Actually, I'd prefer Albion for medieval blades and A&A for Renaissance ones. Albion is better at producing hollow-ground blades while the A&A complex hilts are hard to beat without going to custom manufacturers.
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Brian Hunt
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Postby Brian Hunt » Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:33 am

Ok,

I am going to go out on a limb here. Dr. Jim Hrisoulas makes beautiful pattern welded blades. He is a really good knife smith, but I do not like how his swords handle. They just do not have the feel of a historical piece yet alone the feel of an Albion blade. If you want to pay a smith for a really nice pattern welded sword that handles well, I would reccomend Kevin Cashen over Dr. Jim Hrisoulas any day of the year.

This is of course my personal opinion.

Brian Hunt
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Tuus matar hamsterius est, et tuus pater buca sabucorum fundor!

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Lance Chan
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Postby Lance Chan » Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:48 pm

I had an opportunity to handle Jim's Irish ring pommel single handed sword recently and I wasn't impressed. It was not pattern welded though. It was made in mono steel. It has a very slight distal taper, making the sword feeling very tip heavy. It looked almost like a piece of steel without any stock removal in terms of the thickness. The lines were quite wavy along the length. For the price my friend obtained the sword I would have get something better from other makers. I've yet to handle his pattern welded pieces though, so I can't comment about that.

Brian Hunt wrote:Ok,

I am going to go out on a limb here. Dr. Jim Hrisoulas makes beautiful pattern welded blades. He is a really good knife smith, but I do not like how his swords handle. They just do not have the feel of a historical piece yet alone the feel of an Albion blade. If you want to pay a smith for a really nice pattern welded sword that handles well, I would reccomend Kevin Cashen over Dr. Jim Hrisoulas any day of the year.

This is of course my personal opinion.

Brian Hunt
GFS
Realistic Sparring Weapons
http://www.rsw.com.hk
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Mars Healey
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Postby Mars Healey » Fri Dec 22, 2006 4:12 am

This summer, I had a chance to watch a Steel on Steel competition at the Ren Faire in Hebron, CT. 75% of the contestants were using this blade from Silvermane: Practice Hand and a Half Sword. For the money, $150, you can't go wrong. I own an unsharpened, older version of the blade and love it. The newer blades have thicker tangs. These swords were taking a beating in the competition and held up great. So, if you're looking for a 'working' blade, it's something to consider.

Disclaimer: No, I'm not a company shill for Silvermane.
"Practice knighthood, and learn the Art that dignifies you."
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