[Julien M]

Well I am quiet surprised to find out that Deltins are now available in the 300$ range...I've always thought they were more in the $400/$500 dollars category (and so they were since I asked Fluvio for his price list a few times already).

I was pretty confident that my next sword would be the gen2 Henry V...but now I am back to square one: more hesitations and dilemmas! (that sword of St Michael is very tempting to me, as well as their type XIV...).

Even though I have read plenty of comments regarding the handling of those swords, I never hold one myself. If I was to consider one of those, I would need to be sure it can hold a proper edge...the apple seed one I mean, and apparently they do that quiet well.

What I really like about deltins and what I think differentiate them from their competitors is that they exhibit some well executed ornamentation on hilts, pommels and guards (quiet true to their museum counterparts really)..and that kind of attention to details is usually found on higher end swords (or clumsy attempts on the likes of windlass for instance)

Cheers,

J

[Luka Borscak]

I pay about $500 for Del Tin swords here in Croatia, close to Italy, so you have very good prices being far away from Italy. I have 2142 and 2130 and I'm very happy with them. 2142 loosens sometimes but it doesn't take much to repeen it. 2130 is newer, I cut only once with it and it is still tight. They both are well balanced in my opinion, 2142 has average weight and balance for a big hand and a half sword and 2130 st. Maurice could be a bit lighter but still ok if you think of it as a knightly sword made to be used mounted. I handled more Del Tin swords and I liked most of them probably because my local dealer orders what he can predict will handle good through stats and reviews. And yes, they can cut quite well if properly sharpened.

[Bruno Giordan]

[Chris Arrington]

Thanks for the information Nathan ! I am very enamored with the Schiavona. From the Schiavona round up review here though, I got the impression that the Del Tin Schiavona was pretty heavy. I'm glad you disagree, since finding a Schiavona is very difficult, especially for a good price.

FYI, I got an email from Ryan at KOA this morning, and I don't think I'm giving away any secrets when I pass on that KOA will be carrying more Del Tins in the near future.

[Roger Hooper]

[Christopher Gregg]

You know, in defense of the KoA price increase, the revised prices are not too dissimilar to those Museum Replicas was charging over a dozen years ago. And for the models they're carrying, the prices are still a bit less that A Work of Art has listed.

[Nathan Robinson]

[Chris Arrington]

Sorry Nathan, I didn't mean to put words into your mouth.

In my limited experience, full basket hilted swords tend to be heavy overall, but I agree its all in the mass distribution.

Thanks again.

[Thom R.]

I'll throw in my $0.02. I agree that a combination of linear (rather than a nonlinear) distal taper and the rebated edges probably account for many of the single hand medieval swords feeling sluggish or overweight. That was my experience with the 5151 and the 5120. However, I have found several of the single edged, short sword and falchions (Wakefield 5159, Dussack 5174 and the chopper 5134) from DT to be rather nice swords for the type. On the opposite end of the scale I have also liked several of the two handers that DT has made and am currently using the 5152 as a project sword. The 5152 is a nice sword for the price considering its size and has good balance and harmonics.

So based on my experience (your mileage may vary) I have found that the Del Tins that I have liked the most have been swords which either are single edged and triangular in cross section or have relatively flat cross sections like the 5152. I am hesitant to buy any of the medieval blades with diamond cross sections (although I have heard good things about the 5155). I have not handled any of the renaissance swords like the rapiers and smallswords or schiavona so can't comment on them. just my two cents. good luck. tr

[JE Sarge]

I am kicking myself for not blowing up a credit card and ordering every Del Tin KoA had at their original prices before they jacked them up. Though, the new prices are still not too bad - still significantly cheaper than buying direct. A used Del Tin will cost you nearly as much.

I am a huge Del Tin fan. It was not too long ago when they made the finest production level sword out there and in my opinion, many of their models are still the best available on the market today. It's a matter of taste though. You can take a Del Tin, lay an edge on it, customize it to your liking, and end up with a unique sword that looks good and functions well. The best advice would be to lay your hands on a few different models and see what you like.

As stated earlier; your typical Del Tin is going to be a few leaps beyond Windlass or Hanwei quality - falling right in the middle between these import companies and a similar offering from A&A or Albion. I have paid $500 for some of the swords KoA is selling for near $300 and have always been happy with them. I personally think you cannot go wrong with a DT. For the money, they are the best thing you are going to get.

Now, if KoA will just get the DT5161 up; my money is all theirs!

[J.D. Crawford]

All of these DT sword blades are apparently constructed from "Chrome-Vanadium steel". This has always intrigued me. Do any of you metallurgical experts know what properties this steel has compared to the steel used by other manufacturers?

[Christopher Gregg]

I believe Del TIn's Chrome-Vanadium steel is the equivalent to American 5160 steel - it simply has a small amount of chromium and vanadium to make it a bit rust resistant, but no where near enough to make it truly "stainless" steel. Jody Sampson, Albion, and other custom makers appear to use 5160 class steel in some of their products. Perhaps one of our resident smiths or metal workers can enlighten us further?

[Chad Arnow]

The steel is (or at least was) 50CrV4. Its composition according to a website I found is:

Chemical composition in weight %: 0.50% C, 0.25% Si, 0.90% Mn, 1.10% Cr, 0.12% V.

5160 is (according to a different website I found):

Carbon 0.56 - 0.64
Chromium 0.7 - 0.9
Manganese 0.75 - 1
Phosphorus 0.035 max
Silicon 0.15 - 0.35
Sulphur 0.04 max

Here's an old page about different steels: http://www.angelic.org/highlander/metallurgy/grades.html .

It's quite old as the highlander sword shopper guide predated Swordforum.com. Take some of its info with a helping of salt.

[Raymond Dann]

How much do you think it would cost to professionally sharpen one of them with an appleseed edge? Can this even be done? Does that even make any sense? I love the look of the dussack, but have resisted buying it simply because I don't know how it would support an 'tacked on' edge. I'm on the fence with this one: it's very pretty, but it comes unsharpened. But then, do I need it to be sharp anyway? I mean, it IS going to be a wallhanger, but it just seems like it should be sharp because it's a sword...and so on and so forth.

Obviously it's a personal conundrum of sorts. I am glad this is my first post though, because I have often thought about this issue.

[JE Sarge]

It's quite easy to edge a sword professionally. There are a number of tutorials/methods on how to do it:

http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t...rpen+sword

If anything, you should do it yourself for the experience and knowledge of it. I'd not call the edge 'tacked on' at all unless you intend on using an Accusharp and putting on a secondary bevel. Trust me, the DT you are looking at will not only take an edge, but perform equally as well as it looks. Every Del Tin I have owned, though not 100% accurate dimensionally/weight-wise, are very solid cutters when edged.

[Thom R.]

personally, my take is that if you are not going to be doing precision cutting on soft targets with a sword and want it mostly for hanging on the wall, there is little reason to sharpen it. also, just fyi, the Del Tin Dussack is a rather lethal weapon against an unarmored person even if unsharpened - as I think Sean Flynt's review pointed out - its a beast and you wouldn't want to be hit with it a full speed. of course i wouldn't want to get hit with a baseball bat at full speed either.

Don't know about KoA but if you buy from Art he has a sharpening service at a price that you can't beat. tr

[Roger Hooper]

I noticed today (2-15-09) that another set of Del Tins was added to the group at KOA. Since I didn't have anything else to do, I made a list of the 31 models one can find there.

DT201A – Celtic
DT202A – Falcata
DT204A - Celtic
DT2040 - Spatha
DT2070 – 7thC Migration
DT2080 – 8thC Migration
DT2100 - Viking
DT2104 – Viking
DT2120 – “Charlemagne”
DT2121 – Xa?
DT2130 – St. Maurice, Turin
DT2140 - XIV
DT2142 – H&H XIIa?
DT2153 – XVIII
DT2159 - Venetian backsword
DT2160 – German H&H
DT2163 - Claymore
DT2171 - rapier
DT2177 - rapier
DT2178 - rapier
DT5130 – XVI?
DT5131 - Falchion
DT5144 – XV
DT5152 – Schiavonesca
DT5159 – light Falchion
DT5174 - Dussack
DT5163 – Main Gauche
DT5165 - rapier
DT5166 - rapier
DT5182 – smallsword
DT6153 - Falchion

[William Goodwin]

I simply love my Del-Tin #5155 Gothic hand a half.......

[Edward Hitchens]

The only Del Tin I've ever owned was the St. Maurice-Vienna (I don't remember the model number. Was it 2131?). I bought it from Albion in 2001 and ordered it sharpened. They did an excellent job of sharpening it and, though I've since sold it, I remember it as a very good sword. It was a bit on the heavy side, but not overly so. If anything, it was a little blade-heavy but that's to be expected of a sword of that design. The wire wrapping on the grip was quite thick but very sturdy. I found it easier to wield if wearing leather gauntlets instead of using my bare hands. It was a very accurate copy of the original St. M-Vienna sword except without the engravings. Del Tin and Arms & Armor of Minneapolis are the only two makers I know of that create the St. Maurice-Vienna sword, except that the latter makes it with the inscriptions on the cross and pommel.

As Chad and others have pointed out, DT's tend to be a bit on the weighty side but they're also built like an Abrams tank! Many Hollywood movies have used Del Tin swords as props; probably the most famous being the two-hander that Mel Gibson used in 'Braveheart.' It's been a long time since I've priced Del Tins, but I'll still recommend them to anyone who is looking for a very high quality production sword without an extravagant price tag.

Has anyone ever handled/owned a Del Tin rapier?

[Christopher Gregg]

Ed, I've owned the Del TIn DT2171 rapier, and it was a very nice piece. The blade was a bit springier than one would want for real rapier thrusting, IMO, but perhaps for drilling it's OK. The only problem I had with mine was that the wire wrap on the grip shifted around a bit, making it a bit wiggly in the hand. This is the only flaw I've ever experienced in a Del TIn.