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Peter Bosman
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 Posted: Mon 22 Oct, 2007 1:23 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Well, it's expensive because it's a very labor intensive, hand crafted piece. |
...and since in smallswords the whole thing is to be within a pound the craftsmanship does not have much leeway.
On a knightly sowrd the thing may be a bit longer, a bit widers, be quite a bit heavier, with even a variation in pob being acceptabe as it all is sort of corrrect anyway.
No way this is accepable on a smallsword. You either have one that works or you do not. Dimensions, weight and pob simply ffer no room for anyhing but good work = labour = expensive.
There are quite afew very nice authentic ones for sale in France/Belgium/Netherlands. The thing is wether it is acceptable to use an authentic antique.
Same thing like racing true historic bikes or cars. I mean rácing, not parading. On the one hand they were designed to do just that, were méant as tools so use them. On the other hand one might destroy a piece of history ánd the safety may be questionable.
A truely good retro piece will be safe and if damaged it is no loss. The real thing is, well.... the real thing 
I am contemplating a nice but battered original. A no frills functional tool with a blade showing it. The thing is as perfect as they got but not at all a fashion item. Still a lot of money for a rusty thing though 
I am putting myself the question whý I want it anyway over and over agian as thát is the answer to wether I buy this original, the Goodwin prop or the A&A beauty.
With the strong euro the dollar priced ones are very attactively priced, have become quite a bit cheáper!
peter
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Bill Grandy
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Mon 22 Oct, 2007 7:03 am Post subject: |
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| Seth M. Borland wrote: | | So reground epee blades are more accurate you say? |
Well, they definately aren't completely accurate. What I'm saying is the way A&A modifies them, they are accurate than any of the other production swords you've mentioned. An epee blade follows the general form of certain types of smallsword blades. A&A grinds the shaping to make them lighter and of the more appropriate length. Both the Cold Steel and the Hanwei blade, while good for the price, have over sized, bulky blades that, when put side by side with an antique, look like something that is a copy of a copy of a copy. To be fair, though, the latter two blades are significantly cheaper.
| Quote: | | I've not seen a historical blade that looks remotely close to an epee in terms of overall shape and dimensions. To me, I see smallsword blades and epee blades as two different shapes and forms. |
Well, there are a lot of styles of smallsword blades. Some look very much like epee blades. The major difference is that those types of blades look a little more "organic", whereas a modern epee looks like it was stamped out of a machine (which it is).
| Quote: | | This is one reason why I find the old A&A smallsword detestable to look at because nothing about it looks truly historical or handmade in anyway (except for the grip wire maybe)... it almost looks like a crude practice weapon... the quillons, the knuckleguard, the shells, the grip, and that obvious olympic sport epee blade just seem to me as different than all the others... and not in a good way. No offense if you have this sword... but to me, it is my least favorite smallsword design. |
That's perfectly fair if you don't like it. I very much disagree about the aesthetics of the hilt, though: I've seen many smallswords like it. It has subtle shaping and curvature in the hilt that is far more accurate than most other reproductions I've seen. I don't own one myself, but I've seen and handled it, and I think it is a much more accurate smallsword than almost all of the current production ones out there. I'll definately give you that you can tell that the blade is an epee blade, even despite modifications.
But the really great part is that the market has grown to the point where we have multiple choices when we don't like a particular maker's smallsword! 
HistoricalHandcrafts.com
-Inspired by History, Crafted by Hand
"For practice is better than artfulness. Your exercise can do well without artfulness, but artfulness is not much good without the exercise.” -anonymous 15th century fencing master, MS 3227a
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Bryan W.
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| Posted: Sat 27 Oct, 2007 2:48 pm Post subject: |
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Bill is it possible for you to expand on the differences between the A&A small sword and the GGG one? (or anyone else who has handled both)
I've never bought a smallsword before and have been considering purchasing one. I have to admit from the pictures I like the way the GGG "looks" but as I've never handled either one before I was curious as to your opinion. I've read both reviews on the site but there are no direct comparisons between handling/durability/finish properties.
Clearly the blade style is different so there will be some differences but ...just thought I'd listen to what you had to say.
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Bill Grandy
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Sat 27 Oct, 2007 3:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Damon G. wrote: | | Bill is it possible for you to expand on the differences between the A&A small sword and the GGG one? (or anyone else who has handled both) |
Hi Damon,
To be honest, it's been at least three years since I've handled the GGG one, and I never saw both it and the A&A together at the same time.
From my memory, I recall the GGG one handling quite nicely. The fittings had the general form, but I remember thinking that they had a slight "modern made" look. Only slightly, though. Plus it has a colichemarde blade, something that is very rare in the modern market, so that alone makes it very cool in my book. I recall the balance being fairly close to the hand, but since it has been so long, I don't remember.
The A&A smallsword (the less expensive one) also handles quite nicely. The fittings are not very decorative, but they capture the look of a straight forward 18th century weapon. There are some slight casting pits, but nothing really noticable. The balance point is further from the hand, which personally I prefer. I like smallswords with a bit of blade presence, which really works well with actions once the blades are engaged, particularly when transfering the opponent's point to another line.
The A&A silvered smallsword is a little heftier than the previous two, but not out of the range of historical examples. I prefer the less decorated A&A, but this one is still a very gorgeous example. The hilt is obviously cast, but so are many originals, and that doesn't take away from the appearance at all.
Of the three swords, the A&A silvered smallsword is the most attractive, with the other A&A being my second choice in the looks department (though the GGG is not very far behind). I prefer the handling of the standard A&A smallsword the most, and probably the GGG one the second most (though the silvered smallsword is very close behind the GGG for me). The GGG is probably the best bang for the buck, though.
HistoricalHandcrafts.com
-Inspired by History, Crafted by Hand
"For practice is better than artfulness. Your exercise can do well without artfulness, but artfulness is not much good without the exercise.” -anonymous 15th century fencing master, MS 3227a
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Bryan W.
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| Posted: Sat 27 Oct, 2007 4:44 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks Bill that was helpful. The speedy response is much appreciated.
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Peter Bosman
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| Posted: Sun 28 Oct, 2007 8:44 am Post subject: |
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| Bill Grandy wrote: | | The GGG is probably the best bang for the buck, though. |
Like the review concludes too.
I just asked them for a quote on shipping to europe. At the current rates it may have become within budget.
The ´budget´ roughly being the airfair of my wife going to the Netherlands for x-mas while I stay at home managing the farm.
peter
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Seth M. Borland
Location: Millbrook Alabama Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 15
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| Posted: Tue 18 Mar, 2008 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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Here are some pics of, in my opinion, the BEST smallsword ever!!!!
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Seth M. Borland
Location: Millbrook Alabama Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 15
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| Posted: Tue 18 Mar, 2008 7:40 pm Post subject: |
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A few more....
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Morgan Butler
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| Posted: Tue 29 Dec, 2009 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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I just bought a GGG colichmarde off of Ebay for $193.00. It appears that they have changed it a little bit since the review given about it here. They have taken the leather off the grip and offer it in plain rosewood now. Also the hilt seems to be more of an "unpolished" brass instead of the silverish white brass they had before. I talked to GGG themselves and they said the blades came from Spain. The owner also said that the sword had been written up in a very positive manner somewhere and that people were using it for sparring. However he also said that the blades probably were not really made for for full on continuous fencing and that there had been breakages. He then mentioned that since than he had asked the blade manufacturers to make the sword a little bit "softer" so they would have a little bt more flex.
Can anyone tell me their experience with the quality of the blades themselvers? I won't be using it for sparring, just solo drills. Do the blades have an okay flex? Do they return to true or not? Here are some pics.
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inkothemgard!
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