New review up on the Hroarr site

[Roger Norling]

Added another review of a synthetic longsword the other day. http://www.hroarr.com/articles/reviews-sparring-swords-synthetic-knightshop-syntls.php

I'll be turning to the steel reviews now instead.

[Jaron Bernstein]

I will sing the praises of Albion blunts here. We have used ours every week for over four years now and they are still in fine condition, in addition to handling like swords in ways that no waster (wood or plastic), however well designed, can do. And of course they have excellent customer service to boot.

[Roger Norling]

I love my Albion Meyer as well. Both very pretty, great handling and good build.

However, the price is a tough aspect for many fencers, despite the life long guarantee.

In Europe we are fortunate to have really good swordsmiths within near reach. Jan Chodkiewicz is a wicked Polish fencer that beats the crap out of most people. He is also a swordsmith who makes excellent sparring swords at about half the cost of an Albion.

http://ensifer.carbonmade.com/

Hungarian Peter Regenyei also has strong ties to the HEMA community and he makes truly wonderful swords, including a new line of customizable "federschwert". The characteristics of these are amazing, making them feel like sharp swords. Here in Europe we buy them for about 235USD.

http://www.regenyei.sg18.net/Federek.html

[Jaron Bernstein]

I love my Albion Meyer as well. Both very pretty, great handling and good build.

However, the price is a tough aspect for many fencers, despite the life long guarantee.

In Europe we are fortunate to have really good swordsmiths within near reach. Jan Chodkiewicz is a wicked Polish fencer that beats the crap out of most people. He is also a swordsmith who makes excellent sparring swords at about half the cost of an Albion.

http://ensifer.carbonmade.com/

Hungarian Peter Regenyei also has strong ties to the HEMA community and he makes truly wonderful swords, including a new line of customizable "federschwert". The characteristics of these are amazing, making them feel like sharp swords. Here in Europe we buy them for about 235USD.

http://www.regenyei.sg18.net/Federek.html

Cool!

[Ian Mac Pharlaine]

Ive heard good things about einsifer.... if anything I may get a pair of their messers one day as they seem to bridge the gap between hanwei and albion for now. though those longsword foils are tempting too >_<

As for Peter's stuff, I havent heard of him before, but his stuff looks NICE. even has blunt cut and thrust swords. very tempting, but id like to see/play with them or hear more extensive reviews on their performance and handling before i drop any cash.

[Roger Norling]

I am pretty sure that the sparring messers you mentioned are made by Szymon Chlebowski http://www.szymonchlebowski.pl/

Everyone I know who has tried Regenyei's feders absolutely love them. The require a bit more maintenance since they tend to rust easier, but the handling is fantastic and his customer service and pricing is amazing. You get his feders for a third of the Albions...

I will be reviewing them eventually. Meanwhile, here is a new review of Pavel Moc's Lichtenauer: http://www.hroarr.com/articles/reviews-sparring-swords-pavel-moc-lichtenauer.php

[Ian Mac Pharlaine]

Grrrr seems our brethren across the pond get all the cool toys!

For the messers, Jan does make a model of sparring messer, you can even see it on his home page... but its not in his catalouge anymore did he stop making them?

Nice review of the Liechtenauer. Always wanted to give one a swing. Me love swords, and me REALLY LOVE big swords! XD

Chlebowski makes some friggin awesome looking blades too. Are they meant for play, or are they sharp? hard to tell given the geometries of the blades. How do they handle and hold up? The price is nice too... only about $250-500 for a sword. Im sure shipping to the states, as well as method of payment, is what will be the major PITA in this situation though I really need a variety of more well made steel sparring blunts (and sharps, though for now Albion has my eye in that arena) for more mass group participations, and possible attendance to events or even doing demos for the public and what not, so im really interested in giving some of these European swords a try if the price and performance is good. Lets just say I have very high standards, and a floppy/too heavy/ill-ballanced sparring sword really wont be my cup-o-Joe so to speak.

[Roger Norling]

Yeah, we are quite fortunate with regards to good swordsmiths.

Actually, I am pretty sure that the one handers and messers that Jan showed were made by Szymon. We bought a few feder one handers a few years ago. The messers have been removed from both sides though, so perhaps they are no longer made.

Thanks for the kind comments on the review! It really is a nice sword. The only two things I would like to see changed is the hardening to be more similar to that of Albion and the point being less pointy.

I really don't know about the current quality of Szymon's swords. The instructor who bought the one hand feders, Magnus Hagelberg, was not so pleased with them, but they were really cheap. I know that Regenyei offers a new sword called I33 though, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was excellent as well. Having swordsmiths who actually fence and practices HEMA is a really good combo. This goes for both Szymon, Jan and Peter.

[Ian Mac Pharlaine]

Ahh I see.

Concerning Pavels Liech... whats a hardness you would like to see him make it? like if I was to ask for a custom hardness, what should I ask for? As for the point, you can grind or file that down to a more rounded shape can you not?

As for Szymons swords, seems to have some variance in quality. hmmm well what feders did you buy? I was looking at some of his longswords and wondered if they are sharp or meant to spar with? Some look close to Albion/A&A in terms of appearance.

So in your humble opinion, between Peter, Pavel, JAn, and Szymon, who would you recommend I buy from as a first dip into European market swords and which specific model would you recommend?

Thanks

[Roger Norling]

I'm off to practice now, so I will try to keep it short.

To be honest, I don't know the specs for the hardening of the Albions, but I would have preferred the Moc's to be the same, since so many use Albions, and the Meyer in particular, including me.

Although I could grind the point down, it doesn't feel right to do so with an otherwise fine sword. This is in common with most of Pavels swords; you really need to put something over the point, especially since most of his swords are quite stiff. This is different from the Albion Meyers and the Hanwei Feders. The latter are a bit dubious though, since they have broken too many times to be properly trusted.

The Chlebowski feders that some bought were the arming sword feders. I am pretty sure that he makes swords both for cutting and for sparring, since he is a damn good HEMA fencer himself...

As I haven't really tried his swords I can only speak for Peter, Pavel and Jan. It really depends on what you want to do with your sword. All three makes really fine swords with a historical design and then at about the same price, a bit more expensive for the Pavel's. If you want "feders", then speak to Peter or Jan. Both are excellent. Jan's are well-liked for their durability, but the one I have is rather stiff. I will get a chance to try out his newer ones soon though.
Peter's are really wonderful in the handling, but as I said, they need some more maintenance.

You really can't lose buying anything from these three guys. But Peter's and Jan's stand out with their low price which is amazing given the quality they still have.

Gotta run now!

[Ian Mac Pharlaine]

Thank you again for your informative posts, Roger.

How much more would Pavel charge to harden his blades a little bit? And I wonder how much shipping to the US would be? O.o Also, I see that the Liechtenauer comes with an option for tapered or waisted grips.... im TORN over which one to get as both look amazing (might get both down the road haha). Which do you prefer? Also, I have seen this sword with the type XV blade you showcase, but in GL's video, you also see some with more taper and schildts.... is that a different model, or another option for your blade? And again, which do you prefer?

Since you mention that Peter and Jan make great foils for low prices, I might give them a go at first. I might get one of each model that Peter shows on his page (does he offer other models btw?), and Jan's Meyer and Talhoffer (I know, not the economy line for sure, but in my experience with many manufacturers, some of the "special" models like these have that extra ounce of love that goes into their design), though since the Talhoffer is just a glorified heavy model, might just go with the heavy economy foil and save a bit, while still having a premium model as an example for others to try. Any idea what these models cost in USD btw?

Stiffness really isnt an issue with me, being used to powerful point-blank thrusts from wasters over the years, I just dont want these things to be whippy like many out there (especially the hanweis, as you mentioned). As long as they are durable, as you say, I'll be happy.

One thing about peters site... there are the feders, but he also has pages for "fencing swords" (as translated by Google), which look sharp and pointy, but very nice too. He also has reproductions that look awesome too. are these otehr models sharp or can they be used for fencing as well?

Thank you kindly for your input, and sorry for the hurricane of questions. I just would like to hear more about these from someone who has not only had direct contact, but also has a model I own (the meyer) to compare it to.

REgards,

IMP

[Ian Mac Pharlaine]

Oh and another thing, I dont mind having to upkeep my swords either. Coming from a rather hot and VERY humid climate zone, I make sure I clean, polish, and oil/lube up my blades after every use (including daily solo practices). So thats not an issue either.

Sorry, lol. forgot to add that earlier

[Ian Mac Pharlaine]

One more thing.... lol (sorry, coming along with these as I find out)

I see some videos of Jan's feder's in action, and some even have SIDE RINGS on them does he offer this as a feature for a slightly extra charge?

[Roger Norling]

I am really sorry Ian, but I simply don't have the answers to many of these questions. I can give you my perspective, but when it comes to what they can offer extra and at what price I think you should ask them directly. If you do, please post what you learn here.

Waisted or tapered grips are both good and I really don't have a preference. I can tell you this though. When I started I thought the grips should be thicker and had an idea that it would provide better control. This has changed though, and I prefer a thinner gripp, similar to that of the Albion Meyers. This means that I find the Arms & Armour Fechtschule Sword to be a bit too thick in the grip for my personal preference.

The Gesellschaft Liecthenawers uses both regular swords, prototypes and custom made ones both from Pavel and Jan. Exactly what we see in the various videos is hard to tell properly.

I am pretty sure that you can get any sword in sharp or blunt versions. Naturally, it costs more having them sharp.Next sword I buy will probably be a longsword with an S-shaped cross from Peter. I love the looks of it.

All swordsmiths can help with custom designs, at an extra cost. Especially Peter has been extremely accomodating with adapting the new feders regarding length, balance, type of cross and pommel. You just tell him what you want and he makes it for you. I have one feder that is almost as long as the Lichtenauer and another that is about the length of the Albion Meyer.

[Ian Mac Pharlaine]

Ok thank you as always kind sir

I just emailed all three with specific questions concerning each's products.

I'll repost here if they tell me anything of useful nature