What type of hilt and why.

[Mike Sheffield]

On your long swords what do you prefer (Tapered, waisted, etc.) ? Why? Thanks.

[Mike Sheffield]

No one huh? Oh well. Maybe I'm asking a dumb question?

[Sal Bertucci]

No, it's just been pretty stagnant lately. I don't own many longsword, or have handled enough to have an opinion, so I stayed silent. For me, tapered works great, but I've never used anything else. So I can't say I have a preference.

[Stacy Clifford]

I think the main advantage of a wasted grip is that it eases the workload on your hands a bit. When you're making fast, powerful swings your hands naturally want to slide together at the pommel end because of the centripetal force moving the sword away from you, and if the grip is tapered and a bit slippery (wood, smooth leather, etc.) then you have to grip a bit tighter when your hands are sweaty (or bloody) to keep your front hand from sliding down. The wasted grip makes it easier to keep your hands separate and maintain a more relaxed grip so your hands don't tire as easily. It's not really going to have a huge effect on your fighting in any way, I think it's just a nice little ergonomic feature more than anything else.

[Mike Sheffield]

Makes since. Thanks for your input.