[Nick H.]

Hi, im new to sword collecting and this site and am getting ready to buy one of my first swords. I have gotten the general feeling from my research that windlass steelcrafts and Generation 2 make the best low cost swords. The generation 2's werent as pleesing to the eyes so ive decided i think im going to go with a windlass sword. now this is my question:

i think i want either the windlass 15th century long sword or the windlass long sword. First off they good swords? Do they stand up relatively well in durability tests? Can you do atleast a bit of sword play with them? etc..
Secondly, which of the two is recomended? they seem to my untrained eye to be virtually the same.

any advice would be much apreciated.

[M. Eversberg II]

In my experience with Windlass, it's hit or miss. Their stuff isn't totally historically accurate, and tends to be heavier than it should be. However, my windlass holds up to cutting well, and easily kills mellons and milk jugs. If you have the funds, I'd recommend going for the Albion squire line, as they're good swords at low cost as well.

M.

[Nick H.]

I am in a money pinch and albion swords are definitely too expensive for me. But thanks for the suggestion anyways. Im looking at a budget swords and the two hand and a halfs were both 200$ and looked really cool. However beyond the descriptions of them i have heard only one review and all it said was that the 15th century longsword looked really beautifull which tells me nothing of the swords quality, historical acuracy, dirability etc. So if any one knows anything about these two specific Windlass Swords i would really really apreciate it a lot. Im new to all of this and i have no idea what im looking for really so i really need help.

Thanks in advance

[Russ Ellis]

If I were looking to get as historically accurate as possible on a tight budget I think I would probably look at Del Tin. When you have picked out a particular model you might want to ask about that, as some are better the others in terms of handling.

[Nicholas Zeman]

I have actually owned the MRL 15th Century Longsword and I think it is a good buy for the money you want to spend, it was well made and reasonably balanced for practice although the handling dynamics left something to be desired. It was a little tip-heavy and felt sluggish changing directions, but I will say that it was no less balanced than many swords from more reputable makers at higher prices. As stated an Albion Squire line hand and a half would be a huge improvement over the MRL Longsword and not cost all that much more, if you are willing to wait to save the money, however I will give the MRL piece a good overall rating for performance and historical accuracy. MRL can be hit or miss with many of their products but the ones I still own are all solid, durable, and feel decentin the hand (if not noticably lacking in the more subtle handing characteristics of better made weapons).

[Nick H.]

After taking a look at the albion squire series as suggested it appears their are only four swords in it and the bastard sword is the closest to a longsword and while i think they are basically the same they seem slightly different and i dont like the look. In reality im dying to get my hands on a sword and its 200$ more than i have

So after thanks to Nicholas Zeman's comments i now have enough confidence that they arent total crap to buy one of the windlass longswords. But here is my second question which one?
THe 15th Century Longsword
or the
Long Sword

They seem to be ascentially the same sword but for a different time period look, different hilts and about an inch in length. Which one is better or if they are about the same which one do people that have seen them or own them prefer.

I know im a pest but i really have very little clue of what im doing, so once more i pleed you good people for help.

[Nicholas Zeman]

The Squire line Bastard Sword is basically the Albion Mercenary with corners cut to drop the price and a non-sharpened edge. Although they call it a "bastard sword" it is technically a longsword or "hand and a half sword" depending on the definition you give these terms. It basically means a sword that can be used with either one or two hands, and the grip is long enough to put both hands on it. The blade length is variable, between 31 and 38 inches depending on preference. I own the Mercenary, and it's my favorite longsword to handle, it looks great and has an amazingly nimble feel without sacrificing the blade weightiness to make strong strikes. I can understand if you aren't thrilled with the appearance, it's a matter of taste after all, I just wanted to clarify that the terms "longsword", "bastard sword", and "hand and a half sword" are all relatively the same thing although different vendors and people sometimes use them in their own way.

As far as the MRL sword to choose, I only have first hand experience with the 15th Century Longsword, but I thought it was a pretty decent offering for the price. The siderings were a nice touch and would provide extra hand protection in real use, however if you are planning to study the German school of fence they might impede placing the thumb on the flat of the blade as suggested by many Masters. On the other hand, many late German longswords had siderings so perhaps it wouldn't be a problem at all.