Hey guys.

I've made one or two posts in the last few days, but other then that I've been away from the forums for a while now. I've put my sword collection on hold for a while and pursued other interests. Now I'm thinking of maybe adding one or two pieces to my collection.

I've been entertaining the idea of a nice side-sword. For a while, the Hanwei/Paul Chen side-sword caught my eye, and I'm still thinking about it, but the idea of a plastic grip just really puts me off. I've seen the Darkwoord Armoury offerings, and there is of course the A&A Townguard sword, although in terms of price that one is a bit out of the entry-level spectrum. :)

In any case, I was hoping you guys might know of some other nice production side-swords. LIke I said, I'm looking for entry-level, but if it were more costly, I suppose some longterm planning and saving wouldn't be that big of an issue.

Cheers,
Thomas.

I'd go with Darkwood. They've very good products.

For practice, isn't the fencing foil a side sword blunt anyways?

M.

If this is a sword for 1500s Italian or German single-sword practice (i.e. Marozzo or Meyer), I would recommend a complex hilt--that is, more hand protection than the simple cross hilt. If you will be practicing Italian swordsmanship, you absolutely MUST get a guard that protects your index finger (because you will be fingering the ricasso). Otherwise, you run the risk of it being broken, smashed or amputated.

Darkwood make very good swords, any of these hilts paired with the Darkwood Sidesword blade will work: http://www.darkwoodarmory.com/swords.shtml (I prefer side-rings, i.e. like model 1520 or 1530, but they aren't strictly necessary). Anything you buy that is cheaper will feel, well, cheaper. Really, if you're serious about using it to practice, you'll want to get something that you won't grow out of in a year--as you gain experience, you'll get a better idea of what an ideal sword is for you, but if you select a decent starter, then when it comes time to upgrade it will be more out of preference than necessity.

Steve

@ Steven: Alas, for me this piece will be purely a collection item. I wish I had the means to train in the Netherlands, but I don't. Not where I live anyway. :(

@ Colin: I've never done DIY on a sword before, but I have contemplated it for this sword. It's one of the reasons I'm still considering it.

Thomas,


I'll throw in another vote for Darkwood.....just from past experience with having one of Scott's sideswords.

As far as entry level,CAS / Hanwei and Windlass are about it.

Del-Tin is another option to look at.



Cheers,

Bill