Just arrived today. At $99 from By The Sword ($108 shipped), I just couldn't pass it up! :lol: Anyone looking for a cheap "cut-and-thrust" type sword could do FAR worse than this one. PoB is about 4" from the guard and the sword feels very light and well-balanced in the hand (though, since I've never held a nicer example of this type, what the heck do I know? :lol: ). In typical WS fashion, the blade would probably be a bit too springy for you hardcore types, though I managed to poke it through a thick high-density foam archery target several times with ease (Okay, I also perforated the box it came in a few times too :lol: ). It has a pommel nut that appears to be threaded with the tang then peened over it (see the Towton review, it's the same), and the whole hilt assembly is tight and even, without any rattles or movement. The grip is a sort of hand-and-a-half affair that easily allows a two-handed hold, with only the last digit or two on my left hand gripping the pommel. I performed the typical unscientific bend test, bending the blade several inches out of line either way, and the blade returned to true each time. The grip, BTW, is smooth leather and has an extremely comfy shape IMHO. Overall, the whole sword just feels very comfortable and light in the hand, and it looks every bit as good in the flesh (in the steel?) as it does in the link below. An absolute STEAL for just over $100! :eek: :lol: :)

http://www.reliks.com/merchant.ihtml?pid=1914&step=4


P.S I'd like to give By The Sword a plug: I called and emailed them several times before ordering, and everyone I talked to was extremely pleasant and professional (a special shout out to Mike in customer service!). There was a small hitch in the order as to the billing adress (my fault), and they were right on it and got it taken care of quickly. Order arrived exactly when promised, and the sword was very well packaged (mucho padding). Great guys! :)

Don't mean to change the subject here, but I just got the newest MRL catalog. They are really touting the toughness, durability, and full tangs of their Windlass swords. I think this is great.......I like Windlass swords overall. I've seen a few early models that were....shall we say...below the low point of expectations. But, they seem to be really improving on their blades, and the full tangs are a Godsend. I'd like to see more and more favorable reviews of Windlass......I think they just may be the new up and comers in the production sword market. I personally own three, and plan to buy more. Thoughts? mcm.

Grey, you're right. I guess it's unintentional, but sword boxes really do serve a dual purpose: delivery device and cutting target. :lol: Thanks for mentioning By The Sword's prices (something I neglected to mention). They have the lowest prices I've seen on Windlass stuff.

Mark, it seems very clear that Windlass has increased their quality quite a bit in recent years. I would say that their swords are the best you can buy in their price range. In fact, I'm of the opinion that many of their swords would still be bargains if they cost perphaps half again as much as they do. The real problem Windlass has today is their "iffy" quality control. You still read of instances in which two "identical" Windlass swords are compared side-by-side, and one is very nice, while the other has some fairly major issues. If they could nail this aspect down once and for all, and bring their quality control up across the board, I think they'd be a force to be reckoned with. So far, I have not had a bad one out of the four I own, so perphaps they are making progress in this area.

People often say of a Windlass sword, "Well.....it's no Albion." Of course it isn't! :eek: It is unrealistic to expect a $200 sword to match an $800 sword. What Windlass DOES offer is a chance for the beginning collector or the low income collector (I happen to be both at the moment :mad: :lol: ) to own several different types of reasonably-accurate (in most cases) swords without having to take out a loan. :lol: They are more than adequate, in this respect. I have hacked and chopped the heck out of hundreds of targets (just scored a bunch of carpet roles, and they make great targets, BTW) so far with my "Drac" (Medieval Short Sword) and she's still going strong: blade is straight, edge has held much better than I would have thought, and the hilt components are still satisfyingly snug. I've also been jabbing my Shrewsbury through a multitude of targets today, and having a blast! What more could I ask for? :)

Seriously though, I agree with you, Scott. You can be happy with swords that are far less expensive than an Albion or a custom piece. Of course, the problem is that these lower priced swords will make you want the more expensive kind twice as much.

Do you find yourself having to pretty knowledgable about sharpening when it comes to using your windlass pieces? I find the one or two I have are just simply too dull and really need a nice sharpening job. However, I never got that knife sharpening training in the boy scouts or wherever you guys pick it up.

Back when I started, Windlass was all I could afford as well. I own several Windalss sowrds and I have been very happy with all of them, considering the price point. I've used a couple for fighting demos and at that price, don't sweat little dings in them either.

Another nice thing about Windlass.... they help fill gaps in the collection at cut-rate prices. :) Now that I CAN afford Albion and A&A swords, I will get them for the pieces that really matter to me. But for pieces or periods I only have a passing fancy in, I can pick up a Windalss piece that I know it will be decent, but for far less coin than what I want to spend for the pieces that are the focus of my interest.

Mike

This afternoon, I discovered that the tang is not peened over the pommel nut as I had first thought. I wrapped a piece of 1/8" thick rubber gasket around the nut and clamped a vice-grip over it. Low and behold, with a moderate twist, the nut came free and was then easily removed with the fingers. I disassembled the hilt and discovered a few things: a) the tang is roughly half the width of the base of the blade (nice!), and tapers up to a round threaded section (not welded on, but integral) that is 5/16" diameter with a course pitch thread. b) the pommel is a monster, solid metal piece that simply fits over the round part of the tang (I found that gripping the pommel and tightening/loosening the nut at the same time works just fine). The grip is some sort of very dark wood under the leather, but I can't tell what. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by my inspection, though, as one might expect on a $100 sword, there is a bit of play between the hilt components when the pommel nut is removed, but certainly nothing excessive. My original suspicion that the tang was peened over the nut was due to the fact that it appears that they filed the top of the tang and the top of the nut flush and then polished them, after the initial assembly. :)

I just got off the phone with By the Sword and I also had the luxury to work with Mike (great guy btw). While the sword is currently out of stock they should be receiving a new batch in the next 3-5 business days at which point mine will ship.

Thanks to everyone that provided some first hand information on this sword since it had been in the back of my mind to order one for a while, but I needed a bit of a nudge to do so. I look forward to getting the sword in the next couple of weeks.


Dominic

Just a little update, By The Sword has raised their prices on all Windlass swords. The Shrewsbury has gone from $99 to $110, and the Tuck has jumped from $135 to $165! :eek: Still a great company to deal with, but their traditionally low prices appear to be a thing of the past. :mad: Oh, well...... :)

Its really rather odd. It seems that a good portion of By the Sword's prices have gone up lately....dang.