Hello everyone,
my name is Ian, this is my first post, although i'f been following the web site for some time! (hope its the wright forum!)
I'm a college student at the university of Pavia (Italy) and a Nova Scrimia student.
Recently, while writing a paper for my thesys and reading avidly many of our XVIth century italian masters, i made up my mind to buy a side sword. problem is, i dont really know where to look.
To be exact, i'd like something to work through the Assalti from Marozzo and Manciolino (and to charish as my most prized possession ) ;) !!
One other point, it has to not be sharp, according to italian law...
Could I please ask for some advice in the matter? Where to look for a good side sword?
Thanks in advance :)
Ian

Hi and welcome to the site (officially as a member!):

Being that you're in Italy and you're looking for a blunt (unsharpened) sword, I think you need not to look much further than Del Tin Armi Antiche.

They have a number of swords that fit your description and would serve you well.

Another dealer of Del Tin that is located in the United States that might be better for us US customers is Kult of Athena. They have a lot of good photos of the Del Tin products as well.

Seeing how you're a student and probably have a budget, I would recommend a hanwei hand in a half. http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=...Generation

These are great swords for the price! Great handling and balance.

Of course some of the best blunts out there are gonna be Albions, my opinion. They cost a lot more but there worth it!
http://www.albion-europe.com/swords/swords-by...estro.aspx

Hope this helps!

Ian,

If you're going to stay in Italy, I'd ask your instructors, as they will have a better idea of what is available in Europe than I will. However, I am partial to Arms & Armor and Darkwood as good options in the US. I also like Del Tin, and since you're in Italy, you might be able to get them cheaper. If you want an inexpensive alternative, you could go with the Hanwei Practical Knightly sword, understanding that it is really a medieval arming sword and doesn't have a complex hilt.

One thing you should consider is whether you are getting the sword for solo practice or paired drills. In the latter case, you want to be sure to get a weapon with a blade designed for rigorous drilling (i.e. hard blade-on-blade contact).

In response to a recommendation to get a Hanwei Hand and a Half--I'd have to say that that sword is too big for predominantly single-handed practice (which is what Ian is looking for).

Steve

Thank you so much for the really fast reply!!
To clarify, I am looking for a single handed sword, rather than a two hander (Marozzo does have Assalti for both, but I'd rather start with the former)
Del Tin is actually a good option...for some reason i had not considered it!
I must admit that the idea of an Albion was bouncing around in my mind (for just this time I have a rather larger budget than usuall) :), but its seems that theyr Marozzo maestro line is not available yet...
Thanks again!!
Ian

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that Del Tin swords are unsharpened as opposed to having a safe edge for sparring. But I readily admit to never having handled a Del Tin side sword.

One more question please ;)
In English, do "blunt" and "unsharpened" mean the same thing? (sorry, english is my second language :))
And in that case the "training blade" would have a rather wider edge, rounded point, and generally a different blade geometry than a blunt?
In any case the opinion I get from most reenactment in norther Italy is that Del Tin swords tend to be a little delicate when in comes to sparring...I gues thats why they offer reinforced blades now!
In any case, they do look good, so I think I'll just drive up to Pordenone when I have a chance and see what they feal like :)!
Thanks!
Ian