i was taking a look over the links and blankenshield armoury wasnt on the list. but looking into them it seems they have a lot to say for themselves- they even provide essays on how to make your own swords and armour. the way they come about explaining their methods of making historically accurate combat ready material is very intriguing and id like to know if anyone has had any experience purchasing from them or contact of any kind.
here's their site: http://blankenshieldarmoury.com/index.html
feel free to check them out- interesting stuff.

The lack of responses should be a good indicator of what people think of blankenshield.

On the Armour Archive you aren't even allowed to post the word "Blankenshield", because of some, um, problems in the past.... Suffice it to say that serious scholars and experienced armorers tend to disagree strongly with the "information" on the Blankenshield site.

Matthew

Over sized junk and crazy conspiracy theories on armor is all I have to say.

It may work well for show jousters but historical replication it is not.

Well, you know what a "mockumentary" is? That's basically what the "information" on the Blankenshield page is, only without the intent to be funny.

Cumbersome, over-engineered, ill-fitted and utterly a-historical. Just take a loot at surviving 16th c armour and then look at their stuff and tell me if it is comparable. Maybe for extras in "Excalibur"! No, actually *that* armour was more realistic...

Ya' know...truth to tell, guys, his stuff seems to have improved considerably of late. Take the armor he shows on the front page (as linked to above). It's a quantum leap from his earlier work. If someone were to post a picture of that on the AA, and no one knew who made it, the boys would shower a certain amount of praise upon the unknown maker.

Let's just give this guy a chance to improve, and not be so quick to judge him by past experience.

Mac

i see i see. well i dont really know because i havent had that much experience- but thanks for your opinions. it just seemed like they might be good- because on their site they talk about how to make swords and stuff and provide essays on it, and since its hard to find stuff like that i wondered if it was worth a try, you know?

I couldn't help but notice the striking similarity between these two...

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Hmmm.... awfully similar, don't you think?

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i get it. they suck. its not a big deal- they seemed aesthetically pleasing at first, thats all.

Folks,
People are welcome to not like a company or its wares, but let's keep the tone courteous at all times.

Thank you.

I have a Renaissance period full suit from the Blankenshield Armoury. I purchased the custom fit armor in 2003. I traveled to their Armoury for the fit, and some basic training. The guy deserves more credit than I see on this site.
I had been acting with a pirate's guild at Renaissance Faires for many years before participating in the battle pageants for our organizer Gold Coast Productions here in Southern Cal.
I was a member of Saint Elizabeth's Guild and portrayed Sir Francis Drake with the Queen's Guild for many years. Acting was not my favorite thing, fighting on the field was!
As a participant and eventually a actual supervisor of Battle Pageants during the fairs located at Lake Casitas, Ojai CA, safety became our most important issue. All fighters had to perform their choreographed routines in front of me to be authorized to fight in battle scheduled on the field that day. I also had everyone sign a waivers for injury. People enjoyed our historically accurate, as could be, battle pageants with live steel and black powder guns and cannons!
Eventually live steel came to our faires by the form of Tournament Productions or Lord Dakar Company, a serious fighting group, live steel, full contact, armored acting guild. The leader was a younger brother of Matthew Cross, Owner of Blankenshield Armoury.
The group all had his best fighting armour and were winning all the live steel tournaments at the fairs. I gave in to the rush of fighting in armour and full swing tournament to submission fighting! Purchased my own armour, I did some training with the group and even went to a tournament in San Francisco with them.
Politics and any bullshit prejudice aside, the guy makes a very safe, and easy to move in, suit of armour for live steel fighting. I have gone against many fighters, with them in all kinds of armour and with all kinds weapons. I found that my Blakenshield Armour was like going into a crash car derby with a Humvee, against Volkswagens or Toyota's. I always felt safe and would swing my sword hard and freely, with form, knowing I could take anything they had as long as I could stand on my feet.
The Armour is also durable, the man hand hammers every inch of the armour with every single edge rolled for safety. His artistic nature is awesome, I found suits of armour, exactly like the one he made me, in the Tower of London and Delft War Museums in Nederland's while in Europe.
His attention to detail in the hammering curves gives the armour its strength.
I have been in over thirty-forty live steel fights with only a few rivet repairs,
take it from experience,
Blankenshield Armoury is one of the best!!!!

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