A good, affordable (less than $300) sword?

[Vincent D. Pisano]

I’ve recently moved into a new house which has a tremendous amount of bamboo overgrowth next to it, and have been considering buying an affordable (under $300) and durable longsword to drill with and do some much needed pruning. I’ve had too many problems with MRL’s hilt construction on two-handers to seriously consider them. I’ve been looking into Darksword Armory’s “Gothic Two-Hander” and Gen 2’s “Lucerne” longsword. I fully realize that these are heavier than their historical counterparts, and are not as accurate as Albion’s line (which is unfortunately out of my price range for a while), especially in regards to hilt construction. Does anyone have any experience with either of these, and if so, do you recommend them? I know that they’re good beaters, but how do they handle with drilling and cut-testing (I can get the Darksword sharpened). Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Benjamin Smith]

Well, there really aren't any really many good swords at that price range. There are plenty of durable ones, but if you want a really good sword you're going to have to go quite a bit higher like $600-800. Sometimes you can find a really good $300 sword, but it's completely hit or miss, you have to handle the piece itself. There are a lot of important things to know when buying a sword. Is the design correct (historical, proper cross-sections, distal and profile taper, balance, pivot points), is the hilt and tang properly constructed, and is the blade properly heat treated.

If all you want is light training and bamboo cutting you can do a lot with a less expensive sword from Del Tin or Cold Steel, but if you want a weapon that behaves like a sword should, cuts properly, cuts and thrusts properly, and will stand up to proper strains, you'll need to fork out more than $300.

[Brent Lambell]

I was in a similar boat for a time, but then after reading reviews for what seemed like forever, I dont know if I will ever buy anything short of an Albion at this point. I purchased the Liechtenauer training piece and I am most thoroughly impressed, I will buy anything they make now. I saved for several months and got the piece I wanted and I am glad I did so. Wait it out and get something worth keeping.

[Carey Vaughn]

You guys are right in that you'll never regret an Albion purchase, but I think where Vincent is coming from is a little different than what you're describing. Correct me if I'm wrong, Vincent, but by the sound of it you just want something to help familiarize yourself with swords, and to cut some bamboo. A $30 machete would stand up to that perfectly well, so a fully-tempered hand-forged Darksword Armory or Gen2 blade should be fine for that purpose.

Those swords tend to be a little heavier than their historical counterparts, and their fittings are adequate but would likely require work with heavy use. They're of course nothing in the ballpark of Albion or a more expensive brand, but for what they're worth they are quite good. They are hand-forged from proper steel, and tempered. Handling characteristics won't be as dreamy as something with more R&D put into it, but definitely good enough to be helpful as you're learning.
I'm sure you've seen the destructive testing reviews the blades have been put through by various people, so for a learning/introduction piece, they should be perfectly satisfactory. You can always move up to Albion or similar as you go.

[Grant Hall]

Albion has some swords for around $300 in the Squire Line.

The Viking Sword is $389 and can be sharpened for an extra $25.
The 13th Century Knightly Sword is also $389 & can also be sharpened for an extra $25.

There is also an Albion Squire Line "Late 13th Century Great Sword" for $444, tho I am not sure if they sharpen it or not and if so how much it will cost.

Note, these swords are labeled as perfect for the Beginner and Period Reenactor, and I am not sure how they will hold up to sparring or test cutting, perhaps someone else could be of use in enlightening us.

There are also swords in the Maestro line that are intended for sparring but they are all blunted. However they only cost around $400.

I'm afraid that that's the best I can advise, I am in a similar boat as you, in search of a good sword but unable to put for $1000+ in order to get it.

[Vincent D. Pisano]

Thanks to everyone for their advice so far, but maybe I should clarify my intentions and experience. I’ve handled Albions before and have cut-tested quite a few times with Albion’s “Regent” sword, which is a great piece, and worth every dollar. I’m familiar with the feel and dimensions of historically accurate pieces. I own a Del Tin great sword, but the tang bent almost 90 degrees on its first day cut-testing while trying to cut a soda bottle (!), and though their blades are decent, I will not trust them with any handles longer than a single-hand sword. I believe this has also made me wary of spending a lot of money on a sword and having the same thing happen.

I would prefer to have an Albion, as historical accuracy is important to me. However, with money the way it is, it’s difficult to justify such a large purchase when I still need to install the hardwood floors in my new house. Meanwhile, the summer days are drifting by, I’m empty handed, and I probably won’t be able to afford one for a very long while. Also, sometimes you just want to cut the [expletive] out of something and have little worry as to the blade or hilt being damaged, as well as have a blade to drill with in the back yard, which shouldn’t require $900 to do. I’ve looked into Albion’s Squire Line, and it is still an option.

I know that the Darksword pieces are not historically accurate and are heavier than their accurate counterparts, however, they are tough. My question was whether their difference was so great that cut-testing and drilling would be useless – teach bad habits, you could say? Or rather, are the differences slight enough that they could be used as a viable substitute, albeit of a lesser quality, than, say, an Albion?

For a broader question, at what point does the difference become too great that to use one of these $300 swords one can no longer be considered to practice “historical” martial arts?

[Shane Smith]

Try to find an old MRL "Arbedo". They can be had for 200 dollars and aside from creaky hilts and a rattling cross,all six I've handled have been decent hand and a halfs. I'd say it's the best longsword MRL ever made for whatever that may be worth.Even the blade is servicibly stiff!

I like Albion and own four. I prefer them greatly. I've also had good luck with an old Deltin 5143(I bought it eight years ago)...the one longsword they made with a non-welded tang as far as I know. It has held up to horendous testing and cuts pretty well. It is a bit heavy though.