Hey!
Would it be possible to create some list of all known sword makers and their websites? And maybe some short review if anyone has any experiences of that paticular smith they're linking? This would be huge help to all who are looking for their first/new blade to train with.
Sure I'd like to have some custom made, damascus steel beauty in my hands, but they tend to cost bit too much (2000-4000e+), so some reasonable alternatives would be in order, yes?
A good starting point would be
myArmoury.com. It's got an extensive listing and loads of reviews, although obviously some are out of date and dependent on the training needs of the individual.
Sword Forum International also has a subforum for reviews.
This seems to be just what I was looking for, cheers Ken!
Longswords: Arms & Armor, Pavel Moc, Albion
Rapiers: Darkwood Armory, Arms & Armor
Those are the makers of the swords most commonly used as SES, though with arming swords, smallswords and backswods there tends to be a bit more variety. Hope that helps!
Thank you for the info! It helps, indeed.
Pavel moc is quite strong candidate. I've been using Dürrer found in beginners rack in salle and indeed love it. Viollet also seems a good choice. Does he have swords in stock or should I prepare to wait for few months?
The Pavel Moc swords in the general use rack at the salle are pretty old ones and are frankly not that representative of what you get these days. The new pavel moc swords are of better quality, but also have different handling characteristics. When ordering from a manufacturer the waiting period is typically few months for the catalogue items - Moc states three months. The custom stuff (where it's possible) takes longer but isn't hugely more expensive, as the big manufacturers don't forge their blades - it seems to be mostly done by CAD and CNC. The sword manufacturers listed at the links page of the school website are those that we have made bulk orders from, and what we've found suitable in our use. Real blacksmiths, as you made a reference to them in the opening post, are of course playing a different ball game and will charge between 1000 and 2000 euros for a basic hand forged blunt sword, double/triple that for a fancy one. The waiting period would be several months - if it's longer than that, the smith probably informs about it.
If you are in a hurry and don't want to order through our school, the best bet would be to give some of the big European manufacturers or stockists a call and discuss about their current stock. I'm pretty sure pavel moc and albion-europe have *something* ready for shipping.
Also, I'm going to be taking over the ordering of swords and some other kit, so if anyone wants a particular item, post it here and I'll see if we can save on shipping and other expenses. Bulk orders always help.
I'll be making an order with Pavel Moc soon, so that's a starting point.
Ken, we were discussing with you and Joakim possibility to order a Kovex-Ars sword for the salle. Did you order one?
Hi,
there's a swedish dealer at
http://www.nidingbane.se/shop/ who has Moc Swords (the newer versions ) in stock. I usually meet him at Swordfish and he's a good bloke. I've gotten two Duerer's from him for about 370 e. Maybe this will help a bit?