Tom King wrote: |
...My only concern is the suitability of their products (without modification or special ordering) for armored combat... The destruction tests on their site make me a firm believer that they could handle anything i could at them, but i don't want to crease my buddies armor with every swing or have it go saw bladed after a few months of moderate use. |
I think the above highlighted sections are the important parts of the OP. Unless I'm mistaken, people have addressed the first and third with talk of edge and durability, but I think some clarification might be needed for the second. The question I have here is this: Do you intend to use unarmoured techniques with armour to protect yourself or do you intend to do half-swording and the like? You mention swinging, which leads me to think the first, but it may help to make that clear.
I say this because it has been my impression that half-swording would not depend on balance and distal taper anywhere near as much as the unarmoured techniques if at all and thus one could use the proverbial sharpened crowbar quite successfully in half-swording. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this point. I'm no expert.
My 2 cents if you are doing unarmoured techniques: I should think the quality of the sword is less important when it comes to "creasing your buddies armor" than the quality/thickness of the armour, the sheer weight of the sword, and the power of your swing. If your buddy is wearing 18 gauge Windlass pieces and you're a big dude swinging a 4 pound sword with all your might... Well I don't think I need to go any further here.
Chad Arnow wrote: |
...Their Svante sword has a weird metal thing where a leather flap should be. I can see leaving the leather flap off if it takes to much effort to reproduce, but replacing it with a weirdly shaped metal addition to the guard looks strange and will affect mass distribution... |
Considering they are said to be badly balanced with little distal taper, does the addition of the metal really matter? Seems kind of like complaining that the left mirror was torn off of a car that has no engine and is missing the wheels. (This question is more retorical than anything else...)
Torsten F.H. Wilke wrote: |
All issues and predispositions aside, would you rather be given a comparable MRL sword or one from Darksword armoury if you found yourself in a very dire combat situation on which your life depended, and you were afforded no other choices? Which particular weapon would you actually choose? Could it be from another comparable maker? |
I don't have a Darksword to give an informed opinion, but I am not the strongest or have a lot of mass to my frame, and thus I would go with a Windlass over a Darksword for simple weight reasons. Off the top of my head, without more information on exactly what I would be facing I would probably take my Great Ouse River sword. It is a joke of a thrusting sword, on the whippy side, and not a very good cutter either, but it is light and quick. Sometimes it isn't the amount of damage that counts, but who hits who first. ;)
Now if you opened the door to what maker I'd go with, I'd probably pick Albion's Brescia Spadona, or if unable to try it out first, my Tinker Pearce Longsword. That last I know for sure is nice and light, easy to wield, and better than the Great Ouse in pretty much every way. If my life is at stake it is better to go with something I am familiar with and avoid picking something I might find doesn't suit me.
Wait...
Quote: |
Which particular weapon would you actually choose? |