I'm pretty sure a great many of you own the MRL/Windlass Bastard sword. I took advantage of the 'Deal of the Day' and ordered one. I am NOT disappointed in any way! I won't bother with a photo......you know the one. For $109 plus sharpening and shipping, I got this fantastic sword on my doorstep for $144. What a great deal !!! I've heard so many pros and cons about Windlass swords over the years, I've been a little on the fence about them. I have several Windlass products and have been happy with all of them so far, but I am overjoyed with this sword! It arrived very quickly (4 days) , and was boxed and padded extremely well. The sword was drenched in oil, and the blade was flawless, as were the fittings and grip. Everything was tight, no wiggles or rattles. The scabbard holds the blade so well that even as heavy as it is, it won't budge. They sharpened it for me, and I'm glad I spent the extra to have it done. The edge is awesome, and VERY well done. The pommel IS peened! I have yet to find an issue with this sword.....none. If you don't already own one, you owe it to yourself. Sorry if any of you missed out on the sale. :cry: But I, for one, am glad I bagged the old German bastard !! :lol: ....Thanks................McM

Thanks for the write-up Mark. I have been on the fence about Windlass/MRL stuff too. I'd like to be able to handle some of their works, this one looks nice!

You are most welcome, J. This sword is awesome. I was going to use it as a back yard cutter, but I would find myself devestated if anything happened to it. As far as the handling goes, the sword is a bit heavy for its size, but tracks and recovers nicely. I would suggest gloves in handling it, as the guard is a bit angular and can dig into your upper hand near the thumb. I would also suggest a loose grip at the top, with the under hand actually controlling the blade path if using it two-handed. I believe Kult of Athena has these in stock now, a bit cheaper than MRL directly. Sorry you missed out on the sale. I'm sure you would like this sword a lot, should you decide to get one. I've never used KOA's sharpening before, but the MRL sharpening did a bang-up great job. Very clean, and very...VERY sharp. I highly recommend this sword! ..............McM