Alot of reviews from various sources say their ok, for their price point. I think this might have been said when they were significantly cheaper. With a price point of $600+ (easily) on KoA, are they worth it In terms of quality, functionality, and historical accuracy. In some cases I could spend $150-200 more on A&A. I like some of the Del tin designs. Thoughts?

IMO I think del tin rapiers are very expensive, almost all of them runs $600+, and some of them are also quite heavy. This is just a personal opinion, but if Hanwei rapiers are still around, I might just pick it up instead of a del tin rapier. I mean sure the hanwei blades are really flexible but the price difference out weights the quality difference between hanwei rapier and del tin rapier.

have you looked into Darkwood Armory? They are mostly less than $600.00. The blades aren't sharp, of course. It's the place many reenactors go to get their rapiers.

If you are looking for good quality sharp rapiers, AA is the way to go.

Darkwood armory makes sharp blades?

Scott at Darkwood will make pretty much anything you want. Be sure, however, to be clear about what it is that you do want. If you want something historically accurate, tell him you want living-history quality. Do note, however, that his prices can approach Del Tin's and A&A's for that kind of custom work.

You may already be aware that Kult of Athena has a Del Tin rapier in the Damaged & Blow Out section. Apparently somebody messed up badly while attempting to sharpen it, so it's on sale at a considerable discount. If you happen to like that model and if you're handy, you could regrind the blade to correct the mistakes; or you could order a new blade from Darkwood and mount it on the Del Tin's hilt. Mounting a Darkwood blade would also allow you to choose a blade length that suits you.

Personally I like Arms & Armor and Darkwood weapons. Many Del Tins seem to have been designed with stage use in mind, and they can be clunky.

I hope that this proves helpful.

Best,

Mark Millman

Watch the Marketplace here for some steals on pre-owned A&A

I don't know the prices, but Jesse Belsky is making some nice stuff.

A&A are very good and well worth the money.

Tod

Danelli Armouries also makes some interesting hilts.