I know that this topic breaches items in a price range far below those most represented here, but I'll post it anyway: For those rapier fencers out there, what type of practice blade (meant for bouts) best represents an early to mid 17th century rapier?

To start things off, I'll admit that I have never used a bated rapier before, it's not only a tad above my price range, but I have read articles such as this: http://www.ahfi.org/news/v2n2/newsletter4.htm in which a very reputable teacher, Maestro Ramon Martinez, endorses musqueteer (or double wide epees) as the optimum choice for this field. I posess two rapiers mounted with 40' TCA (Triplette Competion Arms) musqueteer blades, and while they are workaday blades without many bells and whistles, they handle wonderfully and are suprisingly resilient (if one uses them properly). I have handled many schlagers and as contrast, they seem to be much more bulky and they don't have any significant taper, which totally throws off an otherwise nice balance. Just as a sidenote though, to confirm that I'm not just quoting the article I have to disagree with Mr. Martines in that they are too whippy: I find that they keep their shape fairly well.

If any of you could inform me as to the performance of other blades, especially in contrast to the aforementioned blades (or to pummel me with criticism), I would very much appreciate it.[/url]

Have a look at the CASI practice rapiers. I've heard both good and bad about them, but they're very inexpensive. You can find them at by-the-sword.com, among other places.

You also should look at Alchem rapiers ( http://www.alcheminc.com/fencing.html ). I used to have one of their swept hilt weapons, with their generic, medium stiffness schläger. That blade had both distal taper and tapering width. It didn't have the problem of whippiness that some schläger blades have, so thrusts didn't end up a foot off target and I could effectively use the blade for what Pallas Armata calls "stringering". Note that the schläger blade lengths Alchem offers do not include the portion of the tang that forms the ricasso. So, if the blades seem too short, remember that you need to add maybe a couple of inches to get the true overall length. This brings their short schläger (which, of course, is the stiffest) just up into the historically feasible range for the period. Look at their Pappenheimer hilts if you're interested in mid-17th c. I found mine to be a very good match for the period. I did ask them for shorter quillons than they advertise for those hilts and Jim Koch obliged, at no charge, with more historically appropriate 10" quillons. I don't know if Alchem is still that flexible and generous, but they probably are and the prices still look great.