In recent months, I have become increasingly aware of some amazing replicas coming out of Czech, Polish, and other former Communist block nations. Pavel Moc, Arms&Armor CZ, sword-gur, Lutel, and TEMPL to name a few. Some of these are reminiscent of the low-mid quality wall hangers that flow from Pakistan. The majority, however, appear to be of outstanding quality, with a far better basic understanding of the form and proportion of Medieval European weaponry than their Asian competitors.

Unfortunately the language barrier and a lack of hands on experience have scared me off of this market thus far; I'm sick to death of Windlass and Deepka, but at least I know what I'm getting. I've hefted just about every piece they offer.

Does anyone have a lot of experience with these manufacturers as they compare to say, Albion, Arms&Armor in WI, or even Windlass in terms of quality? If I had to judge based on what I've seen online, it looks like there are some incredible artisans and very reasonable prices in Czech Republic et al. I hope to see more of these pieces in the flesh.

Further, does anyone know how Eastern Europe got into this market? Is this a longstanding product from that region, or have they moved in that direction since the fall of Communism? I'm sure that in the early nineties there were a lot of former C-Block entrepreneurs looking for new markets; is this an outgrowth of that period?

PS: This is not to disparage Windlass and Deepka. I think they've done great work in bringing affordable replicas to those of us with limited disposable income, or folks who just dont see the need for a thousand dollar sword when a $100 Hanwei will sit just as well on the wall.

I've not time to answer right not but wanted to take a moment to say that our Hands-on Review Section contains many reviews from some of these makers, including those from Arms+Armor Manufacture, Patrick Bárta of TEMPL Historic Arms, Lutel, Pavel Moc, K + K Art, Jiří Klepač, Arma Bohemia, and Vladimir Cervenka.

i wuld put my LUTEL hand and half well above windless but step below american 'custom manfacturers. e-mail and they will answer in english, may take couple of days but you can cnverse w/ them. biggest drawback will be the shipping cost nowadays.

I have had experience with Patrick Barta and Lutel, I can't comment on the others.

I've seen a couple of samples of Patricks work and currently have a commission pending with him. His work is the equal of many of our "name" US smiths, even surpassing some of them in my opinion. Considering that he smelts his own steel, his prices are really quite reasonable when compared with similar offerings from the US side of the market. THe only downside is his wait time is now several years long.

Until the Czech Republic started using the Euro Lutel products were almost a steal for buyers in the US. Even though that's no longer the case they still represent a good value. I've owned several Lutel pieces and I always felt I got more than my monies worth with every one. They're don't feature 100% historical accuracy but are an excellent "bang for the buck".

[quote=\"Joe Fults\"][quote=\"George Doby\"]biggest drawback will be the shipping cost nowadays.[/quote]

I have experienced this as well of late. Shipping can be an unpleasant surprise, especially with anything deemed oversize. Based on my recent experience, it seems some shippers have changed their policies about handling anything called a weapon, which in turn is forcing more expensive options.

Its also worth noting that the dollar has been in a steady decline against many of the local currencies, not just the Euro. I do think the Euro makes pricing a bit easier to fix now that its being used more widely.[/quote]

I Know well how bad is the euro for our comemrces.

An american customer will pay even thrice the sending expenses he was was used to pay before the switch to that curency.

So for an european to buy in the USA is convenient, hower to sell is a nightmare.