Alright guys so I have to confess, the custom Edward III I ordered turns out to not have a grip made entirely of beef jerky after all. What it does have is a noticeable lack of all that nasty gold. :) So after having seen the pictures what do you guys think? Like the gold or the silver one better?

I like the steel version better....Although I can see why King Edward would like the "Bling-Bling" version with the gold :p

Well I MOSTLY liked the original. As for the gold tarnishing perhaps that isn't exactly the right word, and I don't know exactly what was going on there but I can say that it wasn't mirror bright by the time I sent it and it was highly polished looking when it arrived.

I like the gold better, hands-down.

Did anyone expect any less from me? :)

Nice sword you have with the steel, Russ... I probably prefer that to the gold gilding. The harder question for me would be whether I wanted steel or just plain bronze for the fittings, though. I like both in the proper place.... :) Since I can't buy one, though, I guess it hardly matters... lol

I like the gold for show the steel for go.
The gold one is quite nice, but I wonder how much the balance was thrown off when you got the steel fittings. You made a passing mention about the POB moving towards the tip of the blade, but how did it feel in drill compared to the gold gilt example?

Chad, of course I didn't expect anything different from you ... :P After the other thread where we talked about the fittings I thought you would find this one sort of amusing. :) I did mention something about my silver and black Arms and Armor pieces in that thread to if I remember. :)

As for everything moving out a little towards the tip, that's true but it isn't enough to be very noticeable to be honest. Did I mention that this is one BIG sword? :)

Well Chad, if it's any consolation at all I believe your ancestors would agree with you rather then me. They weren't really in to understated or simple. They liked all the color and flash that they could put together. It must have been an exciting world when people watching at a tournament.

Great review, Russ. I've actually read it numerous times. The steel version sure is good eye-candy, but I'd go for the gold (pun intended :p ). When it comes to historical accuracy, I tend to nit-pick. A&A's Edward III sword has been on my swords-I-must-have-before-I-die list for a few years, but at $830 the budget is currently saying no. Someday.
-Ted

Oh, and when I finally get mine and if you want to do another review of this sword, feel free to do some test cutting!

Edward would have prefered the gold version just for the simple fact that he could pawn it for more if he needed. The Great Crown of England alone was pawned from 1336 till 1345. I think when push came to shove he'd have probably taken a crow bar to battle if it suited him, he was one of those "hands on" kings....