Long sword

[JeffGentry]

Hello all
I was at museum replica's and was looking at there long sword's, was wondering if anyone had had any experience with there sword's or the sword's made by windlass steel craft i want to get a long sword before the summer is out and they have an early ren long sword of the Oakshot XIX type and was just wondering if anyone had any experience with either company. Or if this would be a good sword to use for test cutting, any advice would be appreciated. i did see tsome of the windlass rapier's at a renfest they seemed well made to me but i know nothing about rapier's realy.

[Matthew_Anderson]

Hi Jeff,

My experience with MRL has been that their swords (which are all made by Windlass Steelcrafts in India) vary quite a bit in quality. Some pieces are reasonably well made and durable enough for most training use, even test cutting if sharpened. Others I have seen are not constructed well IMO and won't hold up to the rigors of serious martial arts training. Most of them are however inexpensive, which makes them attractive as entry-level swords if you can find one you like. Was there a particular model you are interested in? It may be that someone here on the forum owns it and may be able to provide their opinion of it's quality. I currently own only two MRL swords, the "Medieval Knightly Sword" which is a discontinued model, and an older replica of Henry V's sword. I don't care too much for the former, as the blade is a bit "whippy" for my taste although it is a sturdy weapon and has survived some hard use with no serious damage. The latter is a really old model and has a Del Tin blade. It's really sturdy and well balanced and cuts like crazy, but of course, you won't find it in the current product line.

[Shane Smith]

I have an MRL "Sword of War" that I use as my training blunt. The blade is whippy and the hilt was a mess until I dismounted it and filled it full of epoxy.My personal MRL experiences have not been too positive although many report getting good products(Did I mention that this sword that I kept that needed a rehilt was the SECOND one I got?The first one went back for an even crummier hilt that allowed blade rotation within the grip).

[Casper Bradak]

I guess it's all a matter of luck with them. Mine have all turned out pretty good (except for the recent discovery of the "gross messer" false tang). The only whippy blade I've had from them was on the "ravenna" greatsword. The others have been just right. It's not the best but it's well worth the money. (usually)

[leam hall]

So where are good places to look, especially for those of us who'll most likely have to mail order and deal with customer service if something's not right.

I think my ideal, and this is just an ideal, would be two of the same model; one sharp and one not. Or are the differences in blades not enough to really need exacting similarity between blunts and sharps.

I've seen Gary G's Albion and she *is* a beaut. Not sure I'm ready for something like that though. Especially since the model I like is even more expensive... <img src="/forum/images/icons/shocked.gif" alt="" />

An aside question; in referring to Oakshotte, are the pommels and guards part of the classification?

[Ryan Ricks]

i own four mrl swords. two single hand swords, a war sword, and a bastard sword. the bastard sword has a very whippy blade. this doesn't bother me so much, but since i haven't inspected the historical model it's based on, i can't say really.

i'm pretty happy with them, although i probably haven't put mine rigourously through its paces like some here have. i have sharpened all of them. they seem to hold an edge fairly well, actually. the gothic bastard sword and the robert the bruce single hand sword fit me very well in terms of weight and length, so they are highly prized.

i've test cut on milk jugs and two liters.

like shane, i've taken mine apart and coated them with industrial strength glue. i think the half-tangs and the screw on pommels ruin what would otherwise be very good swords, but hey, you get what you pay for i guess.

i live near enough to MRL that i can physically go there to pick out the one i want.

ryan

[Karen Rose]

There are 100 sites out there selling swords. One site that is worth a visit is http://www.swordsofhonor.com/swords1.html .
They have various sword makers such as Cas Iberia, Albion,
Windlass all in one place. Many are lablelled as battle ready. I would always question this to make sure that you are, in fact, receiving a full tang, carbon steel sword.
You can purchase a starter at Windlass, Cas Iberia, or MRL for about $200. That might be a good way to get a feel for what you really want. Sometimes you just have to handle a few to find that perfect blend of balance and weight for you.
I have a Cas Iberia Mercenary as a practice sword. It has good balance and heft. It is roughly an Oakeshott XVII.
I hope this helped some.
Ryan....you lucky....you can hold them before buying. How different than trying to figure it out from a description!
Karen

[JeffGentry]

i appreciate the input like Karen said it must be nice to be able to handle the sword before buying, wish i had that option. i"ll be sure to look at that site Karen. thank guy's.

[Joachim Nilsson]

An aside question; in referring to Oakshotte, are the pommels and guards part of the classification?

More or less, yes. Certain types of pommels and certain types of crosses are more common in some types than in others. But there are always exceptions and there is often plenty of variation.

[GaryGrzybek]

Leam,

I think Albion has a Del Tin 5143 war sword in stock. I think this is a better option than most of the MRL's. Your looing at around $300 which is not bad.

Anyway, I don't want to play salesman but I feel many of us have wasted time and money (including myself) with their first sword. It's better to save a little more and get the best sword you can afford. Lutel is another good option but watch out for the shipping charges which can add up.

[JeffGentry]

Yea i agree Gary i don't want to be stingy and get a "crappy" lol sword i do want at least a decent first sword. I do want it to last little while.

[Joe Fults]

Jeff,

If you have not purshased a weapon yet, I would suggest a little excursion over to www.MyArmoury.com. The site has some decent reviews and it has a weapons comparison tool that allows you to select several different swords and evaluate them side by side. If there are a few you have handled, this can give a general reference point for others.

It is a good product information (for swords) source.