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Jack McGregor Lynn
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 Posted: Wed 04 May, 2005 4:54 pm Post subject: Towton, Shrewsbury, or Practical? |
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I am considering buying a new sword. I have managed to free up some funds but have had trouble deciding the sword to buy. My three candidates are the WS Towton ($184.00), the WS Shrewsbury ($94.00), and the Paul Chen practical hand and a half ($90.00). I have heard good things about all three of these swords, but I would like some direct comparisons between these blades before I choose which one to buy. Any advice the honorable members of myArmoury could give in regard to these swords would be welcome.
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Patrick Kelly
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| Posted: Wed 04 May, 2005 4:58 pm Post subject: Re: Towton, Shrewsbury, or Practical? |
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| Jack McGregor Lynn wrote: | | I am considering buying a new sword. I have managed to free up some funds but have had trouble deciding the sword to buy. My three candidates are the WS Towton ($184.00), the WS Shrewsbury ($94.00), and the Paul Chen practical hand and a half ($90.00). I have heard good things about all three of these swords, but I would like some direct comparisons between these blades before I choose which one to buy. Any advice the honorable members of myArmoury could give in regard to these swords would be welcome. |
I would recommend either of the Windlass sword over the Practical series. Based on the first hand observations of many of us here I'd say that the Windlass swords are the superior product right now. Considering some of the improvements I've seen in Windlass swords over the last couple of years I'd say that they're more durable and safer than the cheaper Hanwei swords.
"In valor there is hope.".................. Tacitus
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Aaron Schnatterly
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| Posted: Wed 04 May, 2005 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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Jack-
I wish I could speak from hands-on experience on all of these pieces. All I can say I have handled personally is the Chen Practical series of swords. I have seen the Towton in person, but not the Shrewsbury. I have had experience with Windlass pieces before. Take what I have to say from that perspective...
The Chen is totally different than the other two. It looks ok, but it's primarily meant as a battle reenactment/sparring piece. They're decent for that, but I wouldn't carry one into a serious reenactment camp.
The Windlass pieces are more attractive. If you want a "pretty", these are probably a better choice, in my opinion. A lot of others on this site have much more experience with them, and have posted extensively. Do a search for "Towton" and you will find a bunch.
Chad Arnow did a review of the Towton that can be found here: http://www.myArmoury.com/review_mrl_towt.html
I guess if you would let us know a bit more about what you want this piece for, we might be able to provide a bit more specific or helpful response.
-Aaron Schnatterly
_______________
Fortior Qui Se Vincit
(He is stronger who conquers himself.)
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Jack McGregor Lynn
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| Posted: Wed 04 May, 2005 5:28 pm Post subject: |
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I was hoping to do some live steel with whatever piece I get, but that will come sometime in the future....sometime when I have armour. I do care about aesthetic, but it is a secondary priority to functionality. The swords first purpose will be WMA.
That said what I can vouch for myself is that I have had good experiences with Windlass products. Never having owned a Chen, I don't really know what to expect.
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Jonathon Janusz
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| Posted: Wed 04 May, 2005 5:57 pm Post subject: |
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A friend of mine has the Shrewsbury and its not a bad little sword for the dollar. For what its worth, the Shrewsbury is most definitely a single-hand sword; you can wrap your hand comfortably around the pommel, but if you are looking for something to more commonly put two hands on, I would probably go with the Towton. Also, if you are looking for one of these for WMA, something about how the Towton hilt is put together says to me that it would be easier to keep nice and tight over time. You might rough up the finish, but safety first.
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Jack McGregor Lynn
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| Posted: Wed 04 May, 2005 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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That actually mirrors my thoughts pretty precisely, but then comes the issue of the price. The Towton is twice as expensive. If I buy the Towton I want to know where the extra 90.00 is going. I love the way the Towton looks, It's definitely my type of sword but the Shrewsbury ain't half bad either, from what I've heard. Whichever one I choose I want to know about the others. My WMA group has been trying to arm its members. These swords might be helpful, considering each and every one of us is on a budget.
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G. Scott H.
Location: Arizona, USA Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 410
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| Posted: Wed 04 May, 2005 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Jonathon Janusz wrote: | | A friend of mine has the Shrewsbury and its not a bad little sword for the dollar. For what its worth, the Shrewsbury is most definitely a single-hand sword; you can wrap your hand comfortably around the pommel, but if you are looking for something to more commonly put two hands on, I would probably go with the Towton. Also, if you are looking for one of these for WMA, something about how the Towton hilt is put together says to me that it would be easier to keep nice and tight over time. You might rough up the finish, but safety first. |
I can second that opinion of the Shrewsbury (there's a short review I wrote on it somewhere around here  ). Either the Towton or the Shrews will be a good sword for your purposes. The Towton has a wider blade, making it more suitable for cutting; whereas, the Shrews is more appropriate for thrusting work (though I'd prefer a bit stiffer blade). The Towton also has a more developed grip, while the Shrews' grip is somewhat blocky and plain (though perfectly comfy IMHO). If you can afford it, I'd be more inclined to go with the Towton, as I feel that it's a bit more versatile. My Shrews actually punches through stuff with aplomb, despite its rather springy blade, and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to recommend it if you're looking to go a bit cheaper than the Towton. The Shrews is worth waaayyyy more than the $100 bucks they charge for it. I can't comment on the Chen, other than to say that the Chen practicals I've seen at the local knife shop don't look or feel nearly as nice as most WS pieces do. 
BTW: where are you finding these things so cheap? 
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Jack McGregor Lynn
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Jonathon Janusz
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| Posted: Wed 04 May, 2005 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Jonathon, you mentioned that the Shrewsbury can be handled with one hand. Is it too small to use with two? |
I am an average sized guy (5'10", 185lbs) with similarly average hands and the only way I could maneuver the Shrews with both hands was to grasp the pommel with one of them; it works in a pinch, but if you are studying anything that focuses on keeping the sword in both hands (many of the later period longsword fencing manuals), I would go for something with a longer grip.
Short version: I would say yes, it is too small for routine use in two hands.
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Jack McGregor Lynn
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| Posted: Wed 04 May, 2005 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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Right now I'm leaning towards the Shrewsbury, but I usually use my swords two handed...What type of shield would be used with the Shrewsbury?
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G. Scott H.
Location: Arizona, USA Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 410
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| Posted: Wed 04 May, 2005 11:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Jack McGregor Lynn wrote: | | Right now I'm leaning towards the Shrewsbury, but I usually use my swords two handed...What type of shield would be used with the Shrewsbury? |
I can't tell you about the shield, but I measured my own Shrews and came up with the measurements in the scan below. Total length of hilt from cross to end of pommel nut is roughly 8.6", the useful, grippable section of the hilt is about 7.5". Understand, however, that your weak hand will be mostly gripping the rather angular pommel, not giving you the comfort and control of a true two hander. It's perfectly usable with two hands, you just wouldn't want to do it that way the majority of the time.
BTW: the Shrews looks awful in this low-res scan. It looks much better in the flesh.
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Bruce Wilson
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| Posted: Thu 05 May, 2005 4:17 am Post subject: |
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No experience of the other two swords but I'm very pleased with my Towton. This sword has a very comfortable and versatile grip/pommel arrangement and handles pretty well.
I'm still very wary of using it for live steel WMA at the moment - I'm not sufficiently practised to feel safe with it. The factory semi-blunt edge will still hurt if you mis-place a cut when sparring (or your partner misses a block!) and the point is pretty darn sharp (I inadvertently stabbed the palm of my left hand one time when guiding the blade back into the scabbard. Silly, I know...).
I considered grinding the tip down a little to blunt it but because the blade profile tapers to a very narrow shape in the flattened diamond section after the fuller you would lose quite a lot of blade length to get down to a sensible and SAFE tip radius. In the end, I decided not to bother - I'd rather keep the really quite nice aesthetic and functionality of the Towton and continue training with wooden wasters for now.
Having said all that, the Towton is a very nice sword for the money and is definitely more of a combined cut & thrust weapon than the Shrewsbury, although it's certainly quite light-weight and is no massive war-sword! There are plenty of things you can do to improve the looks of the Towton too - I had fun re-finishing the leather of the grip and the scabbard and was very pleased with the results relative to the stock version that I took out of the box! See all the other posts on this sword for details!
I hope that helps inform your decision a bit.
B
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