[Karl Knisley]

Hello
Anybody want to share thier take on, Arma Bohemia?How do you rate thier blades,constuction,and customer service?They have some very nice looking pieces.Especialy thier messers:-) Thanks in advance.

[Tim Lison]

I bought from their "in stock" items a few years ago so I can't attest to their custom work. That said, I found their customer service excellent, shipping was cheap and fast, and the item looked exactly like the photo. The quality was nice. It wasn't great but was period accurate and very serviceable. The price was very good in my opinion. Overall I was very satisfied with the purchase and would happily deal with them again.

[Nathan Robinson]

Their items are very well researched. Their quality varies depending on the item's intended purpose. The needs of the piece determine who Arma Bohemia uses as a maker.

Many "in stock" items are created for re-enactment and so are blunt or not completely intended to be fully historical in nature. Many others are excellent examples of historical reproductions. The price points reflect such things. Their custom work is made to fit the needs of the customer who commissioned the piece. I've found when making an inquiry about the "in stock" items, it's good for me to outline what I'm hoping to get and then ask a few questions about it.

Communication is pretty good. There are delays with the emails because the proprietor goes to many events and has to deal with his external workforce. Having said this, they're very dependable and I've been quite happy with the transactions I've had with them.

Arma Bohemia is essentially a broker for many makers in the Czech Republic and other parts of Europe. They do all the hard work of finding the maker, working with him, etc, etc, and they assume all the risk. It's really a good deal for us in the US.

I've owned several items from them and still have four or five daggers. They're all really excellent.

[Chad Arnow]

Have you checked out the three reviews on our reviews page?

[Karl Knisley]

Hello
Any experience with their swords?

[Chad Arnow]

Forumite Joe Fults has owned a few. Perhaps he'll chime in.

Some of their swords in the past seemed to have been made by Pavel Moc, who's well respected.

[Lloyd Winter]

I have one of their swords that I got from Joe Fults.
I find it to be very well made and very attractive piece. It's also a very popular addition to my collection with my friends when they handle it.
I'd definitely buy another of their swords based on my experience of this one.

[Kalle Kylmänen]

Hello,

I got myself a two-handed sword from arma bohemia last summer, much like this one below, but 5cm (totaling 141cm) shorter, and the grip was a bit longer on my version.
http://www.armabohemia.cz/imgnew/epees/epees/n45v2.jpg
http://www.armabohemia.cz/imgnew/epees/epees/n45v.jpg
The blade is just a tad over 101 cm and the handle is 29,6 cm + a pommel 8,2 cm long.

At the time I wanted a tool to practice bolognese spada a due mani, and I had handled my instructors sword that was arma bohemia's standard model, and fallen in love with it. The sword I got myself was an in-stock item, and their e-mail service was fast.

The sword itself is a joy to handle. Although it's a heavy sword, the PoB is about 4,8 cm from the crossguard, which makes it feel very much alive. Cutting a figure 8 from below with unterhaus happens almost by itself. I have also been studying german longsword with the same sword. The longer standard version is a bit tip heavier.
Because of the weight of the weapon I seldom dared to use it with full force in paired drills. If had a more muscle and very heavy protective equipment I might even feel like bouting with it. I haven't got accurate measuring tool, but the flex is pretty good for a blade feeling as sturdy as this. It's pretty stiff, though I'd still say it feels flexier than my friends hanwei practical sidesword (which is a crowbar) and the hanwei practical hand&half. I can privode more accurate readings on the flex if you need. The edges are 2 mm thick, and they have taken almost all that has been thrown at them with only the tiniest burrs or kinks, that I haven't even filed, though some I probably should. The tip tapers to point that terminates into a blunt surface of about 2 by 1,5 mm. I recommend putting some kind of a flat piece of metal between the tip and the blunt if one would intend to use this sword to work with a pair.
A while ago at a regular training session, I struck a bind with a fellow fencer, who used a feder by peter regenyi. A piece chipped of from my blade, and now there's a 1 cm long hole as thick as the edge of the blade, sloping to the other side. With that kind of damage I haven't dared to use the sword again fearing that the same spot could be struck again. This I think was very strange, and the guy at the end of the other dword hypothized that my sword might have been a bit softer, and he thought he had felt before his sword biting a wee bit into my own
As soon as I informed arma bohemia an email with pictures of the blade, he responded me within the same day that he would contact the bladesmith, and this is still underway.

Aesthetically the sword is very pleasing. The grip isn't as flat as their standard model, it's a bit thicker and lacks the risers. However, I really prefer the pommel on mine, that has a more rounded shape instead of straight surfaces. the only "flaw" in that the shoulders of the blade are slightly visible from an angle, as there is a shallow recess in the guard where they fit. I will post pictures as soon as I manage to resize them, but now I'm a bit too tired... At the base of the blade there's a makers mark, a roughly shield shaped recess with the letters M Z inside. (According to some info the smith is called Mundel)

However, apart from the incident with the chipping of the blade, I have been very satisfied with the sword. I hope I'm not damaging their reputation, as I think I haven't managed to convey my feelings towards the sword and the company.

However If you're interested to see the sword in action, here's a video of my instructor going through Marozzo's primo assalto for spada a due mani with his version of the arma bohemia sword, a Pavel Moc, and then an even bigger bidenhänder style sword.
http://vimeo.com/14262468

[Greg Mele]

My experience for the three items I have bought mirror Nathan's perfectly. I would say that you should ask specific questions, but will get excellent customer service, fair prices and a good product.

[Larry Lim]

Hi Karl,

I have the privilege of owning the falchion/grossmesser (EP29) and a Swiss Degen from Arma Bohemia quite recently, and had a Kriegsmesser on order currently. Here's my personal take:

Ordering/Wait time:
Apart from the limited quantity listed in AB's "In Stock" section, you may have to place order on others, and wait for AB to do up your product. Wait time varies from 12 weeks to a few months - depending on the smith's schedules & materials availability, I guess. But Jakub will inform you about your wait time upfront, and update you if there's any foreseen delays.

Communications
I heard Jakub only clears his email on a weekly basis, so be patient So far, he's not missed any of my email queries yet. He's also quite polite with his email.

Products/Pricing
From the couple of AB products I have, I find them to be well-constructed yet Not chunky, simple yet elegantly-finished. One good example would be the falchion/grossmesser (EP29) I bought. Another thing I like: their products are quite historically authentic looking. Not 100% replicate, but close enough for me.
I also find their products very reasonable priced, bearing in mind their products are not production pieces per se. I would go so far to say that AB's making other big names a run for their money.

Shippings
Shipping is fast & reasonably priced as already noted by other forumite here. Items were well-wrapped for shipping to ensure they arrived at your doorsteps in good state. They don't ship in 'nice' wooden shipping cartons like some brand, though

Overall, my experience with AB is very positive, which explains why I'm ordering a third piece from them. But I must admit I am No connoisseur in terms of swords handling or appraisals. Just sharing my limited personal experience. Hope my contribution helps. Feel free to drop me a PM if you need further clarifications.