Rapiers

[Matthew_Anderson]

OK, here we go again. I know we've beat this topic up several times before, but I want to bring it up again as I'm shopping around. What kind of practice rapier are you using? I like the wooden simulators for their stiffness, and the fiberglass ones seem to work pretty well, but what about a blunt/foiled steel weapon? Are the Darkwood Armory blades useable? If so, what's the one to get, the "practice" blade, or the "bated rapier"? I've tried the Hanwei "practical" blades, and they are just too flexible and floppy for my taste. I'm looking for something to use for free-play and drills, nothing fancy, just durable and fairly stiff.

[Rod-Thornton]

Matt:

Apparently, MRL just this past season came out with a new line of blunted sparring weapons, including a couple of rapiers. Now before everyone beats 'em up, I'm gonna say that I have at least 1 (one) MRL bastard sword (Arbedo) that IMHO performs just fine alongside the repetoire of Albions. Although past models have been criticized as whippy, I wonder if the new ones are anything truly new or just a rhetoric spin on their old blunts now with foiled tips. Other than that, I do not know of any other blunt steel ones we ain't already flogged to death. Anyone try one of these yet? -They claim in the description that they are too wide and "stiff" for sport fencing. If so, maybe they will work for our activities...

http://www.museumreplicas.com/museumrep ... spx?ID=706

OK, here we go again. I know we've beat this topic up several times before, but I want to bring it up again as I'm shopping around. What kind of practice rapier are you using? I like the wooden simulators for their stiffness, and the fiberglass ones seem to work pretty well, but what about a blunt/foiled steel weapon? Are the Darkwood Armory blades useable? If so, what's the one to get, the "practice" blade, or the "bated rapier"? I've tried the Hanwei "practical" blades, and they are just too flexible and floppy for my taste. I'm looking for something to use for free-play and drills, nothing fancy, just durable and fairly stiff.

[Matthew_Anderson]

Matt:

Apparently, MRL just this past season came out with a new line of blunted sparring weapons, including a couple of rapiers. Now before everyone beats 'em up, I'm gonna say that I have at least 1 (one) MRL bastard sword (Arbedo) that IMHO performs just fine alongside the repetoire of Albions. Although past models have been criticized as whippy, I wonder if the new ones are anything truly new or just a rhetoric spin on their old blunts now with foiled tips. Other than that, I do not know of any other blunt steel ones we ain't already flogged to death. Anyone try one of these yet? -They claim in the description that they are too wide and "stiff" for sport fencing. If so, maybe they will work for our activities...

http://www.museumreplicas.com/museumrep ... spx?ID=706

OK, here we go again. I know we've beat this topic up several times before, but I want to bring it up again as I'm shopping around. What kind of practice rapier are you using? I like the wooden simulators for their stiffness, and the fiberglass ones seem to work pretty well, but what about a blunt/foiled steel weapon? Are the Darkwood Armory blades useable? If so, what's the one to get, the "practice" blade, or the "bated rapier"? I've tried the Hanwei "practical" blades, and they are just too flexible and floppy for my taste. I'm looking for something to use for free-play and drills, nothing fancy, just durable and fairly stiff.

I see two problems with that MRL rapier:

1. It's too short. I'd really like something about 46" overall.

2. I don't trust anything from MRL without handling it first. All their stuff looks good in the catalog, but often fails to live up to the description.

[Richard Gaskill]

I would say stick with Darkwood, or A&A if you want to spend a bit more.

[Shane Smith]

I see two problems with that MRL rapier:

1. It's too short. I'd really like something about 46" overall.

2. I don't trust anything from MRL without handling it first. All their stuff looks good in the catalog, but often fails to live up to the description.

I don't see a foiled tip in the way of a button on the MRL rapier. I've been hit hard enough with wooden ones before, that I believe a similar blow with that weapon may well penetrate.

[Matthew_Anderson]

I see two problems with that MRL rapier:

1. It's too short. I'd really like something about 46" overall.

2. I don't trust anything from MRL without handling it first. All their stuff looks good in the catalog, but often fails to live up to the description.

I don't see a foiled tip in the way of a button on the MRL rapier. I've been hit hard enough with wooden ones before, that I believe a similar blow with that weapon may well penetrate.

If you make sure the tip in flat/rounded and cover it with a rubber tip, secured with tape, it's pretty safe.

[David Kite]

I could be wrong, as I haven't looked myself, but I was under the impression that Darkwood Armoury used Del Tin rapier blades (?).

As for myself, as much as I would love to have a rapier blunt, I'm going to hold out for Albion to release theirs. I asked after them at the Gathering and was told probably "at least a year", which is a long way away, but will most definitely be worth the wait. I don't want to waste hundreds of dollars on a so-so blunt now just to satisfy my urge when the money will be better spent with just a little patience (difficult I know).

Personally, I'm not even considering A&A's rapier blunt until I have the opportunity to handle it myself, since their pic on their site demonstrates quite a bit of flex.

$.02

David Kite
GFS, ARMA in IN