Scottish Basket Hilt Broad Sword Custom Dealer Info Needed
Howdy!

I am a rookie looking for a Scottish Broadsword of the type used at the Battle of Culloden, 1746. It should be "battle worthy" as I intend to pass it down to my heirs as such. Anyone know a maker that does these himself without importing them from Pakistan and adding his name to them?


Thanks
Glenn
Glenn,
Hello and welcome to myArmoury.com. :) I'd recommend Armour Class in Scotland. You can find reviews of their products on our Reviews page and a link to their site on our Links page. I have a basket hilt of theirs and it's great. :)

There are custom makers as well, but the price goes up quite a bit.
I will echo Chad's response to your question. I also have an Armour Class broadsword, an "S" hilt. It is very well-made and fairly authentic at a reasonable price. Their delivery times are also very good, at least they were for me. The one issue they have is the sheath, which is optional. I got one and made it work for me but I think most will want to find a custom sheath maker or make one rather than use what AC provides.

If you can afford it and want a beautiful art piece type sword then Vince Evans or Castle Keep are two that I would recommend. If Donnie Shearer was still making swords he would also be an excellent choice. You might want to scan the Marketplace for this site as I was able to buy a Shearer sword from a fellow forumite several years ago. Photos of each are shown below.


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Armour Class S Hilt.jpg


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Ribbon Hilt VII.jpg

If you're on a budget, Cold Steel or Hanwei/PC makes decent replicas. I personally like the basket on the CS model. Other than that, I follow the rest of the recommendations.....Armour Class in Scotland.......Can't go wrong. :D ....McM
Mark Moore wrote:
If you're on a budget, Cold Steel or Hanwei/PC makes decent replicas. I personally like the basket on the CS model. Other than that, I follow the rest of the recommendations.....Armour Class in Scotland.......Can't go wrong. :D ....McM


I have the Hanwei broadsword in the 'antiqued' version (gunmetal, pitted basket). It's a reasonable sword but the mass distribution is way out; it's very heavy in hand. With a better blade it would be very superior. The basket is quite adequate and nicely done, though-- far better than Cold Steel's offering, which is just folded flat steel, or at least it was the last time I looked.
Mark Moore wrote:
If you're on a budget, Cold Steel or Hanwei/PC makes decent replicas. I personally like the basket on the CS model. Other than that, I follow the rest of the recommendations.....Armour Class in Scotland.......Can't go wrong. :D ....McM


Are Cold Steel's swords made in Pakistan? My experience with Pakistani knives is dismal to say the least. Got a Highland Dirk from Cold Steel and the sheath had to be fixed as it came apart while pulling the knife out the first thing opening the box.
I don't have any Hanwei experience but have looked at their katanas and they looked great. Where would the best place to find buys on these? Ebay? Amazon?
As a retired fire chief I am on a budget that precludes custom makers that charge $900 USD for a sword.

Thanks! You are a wealth of information!
Cold Steel basket hilts are made in India. The hilt is an 1828 pattern. The blades have passed the "British Proof Test" and the swords come with a certificate to that effect. They are sharp and appear well-made. They feel a bit better in the hand than the Hanwei swords but not nearly as good as Armour Class. Depending on what you want to do with the sword, the Hanwei or the Cold Steel may serve your needs until you build up some cash for a custom or semi-custom sword.

There are plenty of places to buy the swords but watch out for used ones which may have been abused.

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