There are some pretty amazing deals on the Nielo swords posted up so far. on the NEw Items page
http://www.kultofathena.com/new_items.asp

The maker Michal Spilka has posted up examples of work in the Makers and Manufacturers Talk section. Their site here.
http://www.nielo-sword.com/inpage/about-us/
http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/profile.php?mod...mp;u=24842

I must have been snoozing but I think this work is going to raise the bar a bit for some of the other artisans. Work like this
http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=...icer+Saber is going to price out quite competitively with other work out there.

Cheers

GC

All the models listed at KOA are now back in stock. That is a pretty good turn around. Curious that nielo is not isted but that will make them last longer ;)

http://kultofathena.com/s_results.asp?search=...mit=Search

Cheers

GC

I like this one.
[ Linked Image ]

Has anyone bought a Nielo sword? What do you think of it? The photos look very intriguing, but I've heard both good and bad things about them.

Hello
I`ve bought 2 of his swords now. I like them. They are well worth the price.The blades. while hand forged. are uniform and with good taper ,and Good flex allso, from what I can tell. He is very accomodateing and communicative.

I bought 3 medieval swords off him awhile back. They were alright but I ended up passing them on. Fittings were nice but the blades were not very well done. Fullers were all over the place and not uniform. Windlass blades are a big step up from the blades I received. I think if he works more to bring his blade quality up to the level of his fittings, he would be worth another look by me. Maybe his non-fuller blades like sabres are better but the medievals with fullers I received were really lacking.

He has great customer service and seems like a very nice fellow.

While working in Europe for the U.S. Government, I have been taking advantage of some of the lesser known makers and have purchased from quite a few. I have been very impressed by some and not so much by others. My expectations are usually not very high as the norm is you get what you pay for. This is even true from the Eastern European makers. Some of the makers who seem to have had favorable impressions from buyers on the forums did not work for me. I would have to compare many of their offerings being below Windlass in blade quality but with better fittings.

Every so often, I find one that shines. Just received 2-swords from one last week and I am very impressed.

The http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=...icer+Saber sword seems to be popular enough that they dissapear from the KOA stock.

The KOA pictures do a good job of shpowing some of the niggly bits. While I have not contacted the maker for specifics, I have a hunch that communications and expectation may lead to a good buy. I am not schilling for the guy but continue to be somewhat impressed what I see for the money.

Just a for comparison sake, I did encounter a Darkwood effort that was a bit of buyer's remorse for a pretty nice piece overall but the finish was quite coars, even after paying a premium for an upgraded polish. Others have been well liked when received. To me, it kind of underlines expectation and communication as key in any commission or even instock items from vendors.

Then there was the last 1880ish period sword I boughtt on the cheap and the price reflected nothing mentioned by the buyer but evident once received. A blade grinding probably put aside as a second in its day. At the same time, otherwise in excellent condition with its original scabbard.Likely left in store back then no doubt as "well, I don't want that one" even though the blemish had no bearing on its ability to function.

Cheers

GC