i have a question, why are the arms and armour sword on bytheswordinc.com so much cheaper than on there own website?
like these swords interested me
http://bytheswordinc.com/acatalog/Medieval_Ha...words.html
but would any of them be worth it? or not as high quality as the items they sell themselves? im just confused to see them at such a (relatively) low price

Hi Chris, that is because the company listed is "Arms & Armour" and not "Arms & Armor" of Minneapolis, the quality is nowhere near the quality of Arms & Armor.
These companies are not remotely related to one another.

Bob

I believe the only vendor authorized to sell "Arms & Armor" swords is Kult of Athena near me in Elgin, IL.

haha very sneaky of them, thanks alot for the quick reply

I don't think it is anything sneaky going on. From what I remember/understand, those products being offered from by-the-sword are made from numerous Czech makers, and most of the swords are made for reenactment. I'd imagine you will get a decent quality product, but it is likely that they are best suited to reeneactment and the sharp versions are the reenacement edged reground, but I could be wrong on that. I think there are a couple threads here and on sword forum about these swords.

Ah yes Chris, I see it as sneaky as well, but that's just my opinion.
They list as "Arms (and) ArmoUr", the high quality company in Minneapolis, MN. is "Arms (&) Armor", there is no letter
"U" in the title of the MN. company located at www.arms-n-armor.com

Plus I am certain that "Kult of Athena" is the only vendor authorized to carry Arms & Armor products, because it was me who did all the emails and phone calls to Arms & Armor and to Kult of Athena to bring these two First Class companies together. Both companies had always been so very nice to me and this was my way of saying Thank You!

You won't find lower prices than KoA, plus when they say something is in stock it is indeed In Stock! Also if they do not have what your looking for, chances are they can get it for you in a short amount of time.

Anyway, I hope this helps and clarifies any confusion for all concerned.
As I mentioned in another post, I am the lucky schmuck who lives less than a half hour from Kult of Athena. :lol:

Sincerely,

Bob

hahaha bob, my wife says she thinks that the ups delivery man is gonna think i'm in some sort of greek kult from all the stuff i buy from them!!!

:lol: Chuck, for a time there from August of 2005 well into late 2006, I had a new sword or polearm being delivered to me probably on the average of about once every 6 weeks from Arms & Armor. I got to know the UPS guy so well that I invited him into my townhouse to see what he had been delivering to me which was in my two display racks. Yep I just went plain Gonzo Nuts for a year and a half, but Wow, what a Blast :!:
Pent up passion that I had been in a coma about for some 46 years, because it was the summer of 2003, thanks to David Peck who used to manage the Bristol Faire Arms & Armor Booth that I was rescued from my oblivious state and learned of my biggest interest of a lifetime. Took two years for that first sword decision and then the swords and polearms just kept coming and coming! :lol:
Sometimes Ryan might not be able to get something in stock for reasons totally beyond his control, like for example right now the Hanwei Cromwell sword has been back ordered for months, I got the last one way back in the spring and he's had orders for some of these ever since. Otherwise, if someone wants a particular item, he'll get it in stock.
For instance right now he has a really cool ancient Celtic Del Tin sword with a bronze hilt that is shaped like a man and it's well constructed, I think it's somewhere around $600.00 give or take a few bucks. He's had Del Tin Viking swords and a couple of other Del Tins from time to time. The showroom is quite large and everything is very neatly on display either on wall racks or in glass cases, it's really impressive and the stockroom is jammed with inventory! I've personally seen it a few times and it's always loaded with stock!
Another notable and impressive thing to mention and I've personally witnessed this on a number of occasions, except for "Albion and Arms & Armor" because their stuff arrives in pristine condition! Ryan unpacks the swords etc. sent by various companies, some of which are loaded with grease, etc. and cleans them up so they are real nice to ship off to his customers.
Before I discovered KoA, I ordered a couple of items from other vendors and both times they arrived packed in grease and I had to clean them up, but this has never been the case with any item I've ever picked up from the store. I mean of course I do not have anything shipped to me from Kult of Athena, it's only a 25 minute drive at the most.
Since this thread is about the real Arms & Armor, I might as well mention as I did in another thread, that although it is not listed on the website, there is a Durer Bastard Sword in mint condition hanging on the wall at KoA, if anyone is interested. Personally I love my Durer!

Thanks for the laugh Chuck!

Bob

its always good to know when a company owner will go that extra mile just to make things easier on the customer, when i buy my first live sword im almost definately gonna get it from them (ive been deciding for the past year, this is the biggest decision of my life, even worse than when i asked my girlfriend to marry me XD, of course dont tell her....) lol

Hi Chris, I understand precisely what you mean, as I purchased my first sword in early August of 2005 just before I turned 48 (never too late to start a hobby that is a passion), but I started contemplating my first sword in June of 2003 and for over 2 years I drove myself and my wife nuts. This was an almost sacred decision, it had to be me in steel, plus I did not have very much knowledge at all, except I knew it would be a high quality sword.
I went with the German Bastard Sword by Arms & Armor. Now I have some 20 swords, 9 swords and 2 rapiers from Arms & Armor, 2 from Albion and 1 more on the way. The others are Windlass and Hanwei.
With Windlass you need to sharpen them or have it sharpened. According to the Windlass company who I emailed about why their swords were sold dull, the reply was as follows. The swords are made in India and their are strict exporting laws that prohibit Windlass from shipping out swords with a sharp edge.

Take your time Chris, there's no hurry.

Bob