Hello! I was wondering if anyone had experience with this sword. The pictures on their site leave a bit to be desired. I know they have a fantastic reputation, but was curious about nuances like balance, blade geometry, general attention to detail and accuracy. Any insights anyone might have on this weapon would be most appreciated.

Efharisto, as they say in Greece. :)

Matt Amt would be the guy to ask about this, I think.

... as for me, I'll find out personally myself sometime next year....

;)

I don't believe Matt owns one of these... In any case, these swords look great, and at the lengths posted there really shouldn't be any balance issues that could arise from the use of these weapons. Manning Imperial is known to make high-quality ground blades, and usually incorporates appropriate blade tapers, spines and fullers on most of their products according to the reviews I've seen. I have only purchased cast items from them, which I can attest to as being of very high quality, but cannot personally comment on this blade beyond its historic proportions and construction method as shown on their site. The hilt construction on these swords is exactly like originals found in various sites throughout the Greek world, which are scarce, but do exist... The scabbards also look to be very well made, and the fittings are copied directly from originals found in Campovalano, Italy that date to the 5th century BC. In fact, their entire design is based on this sword/scabbard combo from Italy.

Manning Imperial currently has about a two year wait-list, and begins taking orders with 20-50% down, depending on the nature of the order. I'm very confident in their quality, and if you take the time to visit the Roman Army Talk (RAT) forum, you'll see that most of the hardcore hoplite reenactors rely on or are envious of Manning Imperial's work.

-Gregory

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Yup, pretty much what Gregory said! I just haven't seen one of Manning's babies in person, though I would love to! The only doubts I have is that it is very hard to tell from the few published photos and drawings what the actual blade geometry is supposed to be. I *think* what he's done with his xiphos variations is correct. I just worry that more information will turn up and we'll find out we were wrong about something... Most likely that would be something like blade thickness and distal taper, rather than general cross-section, but as Gregory points out that's not really as crucial in a shorter blade.

Of course, Gregory has never held the "frying pan" that *I* use for a xiphos! Gotta give that thing another round on the grinder...

Bottom line, Insufficient Data! But for what we know, Manning is the best so far.

Khairete,

Matthew

Shane's sword is beautiful, but it's also definitely a 4th century sword compared to the 5th century design of the Campovalano specimen. The hilt design in particular is a bit of Hellenistic flare, if I dare call it that. So it would also come down to its intended use by the customer... Also note that Shane's sword was what, $1,020 in the end? The beautiful scabbard from Manning Imperial only adds about $150 to the total price of that route. Many things to consider!

-Gregory

Many thanks to you all for the information you've offered. I'll be sure to post some pictures in two years or so when it arrives.