[Sonny Suttles]

We are developing some new products along these lines. Anyone with any strong feelings about these weapons and there proper design feel free to provide input for consideration?

Thanks in advance,

Sonny
Valiant Armoury

[Chad Arnow]

Sonny,
I'm always glad to hear of new offerings. Impact weapons are kind of under-represented in the market. The best repros can be expensive. The rest tend to be too heavy, or even worse, made with substandard materials that make them unsafe.

Take the Windlass polearms. Many are made with wood hafts that are flimsy.

If a maker could just use a good, solid ash haft instead of the cheapest stuff out there, they'd be able to sell a few items, especially if the metal parts are well-done.

[Jean Thibodeau]

I would also consider selling unmounted heads as some like to mount them themselves as DIY projects or just to save on the high shipping costs of shipping very long objects.

Looking at various Halberds, Partizans, Winged Spears from early types to the later early Renaissance types.

Oh, and those offered fully mounted should use good wood as Chad mentioned: Bad wood is disappointing as well as a safety issue should one break and have the head fly away in a random direction.

[Gavin Kisebach]

Hello Sonny,

Most of the axes on the market are either too thick to compensate for cheap steel, or very flimsy chromed wall hangers. Paul Chen has several large axes on the market, and they are all monsterously heavy and thick. Any manucacturer can look at a book and get the basic profile, but getting the distal taper right and making a fast, deadly axe is the real trick. I'd also like to see axes based on a specific type, or a specific example. It's a real selling point for me when a maker includes info about the original and it's history.

I think Jean is right on with offering the head only to keep shipping down, but there may not be as big of an interest in haftless weapons as we think there are, and perhaps casual buyers don't want to fiddle with it. Cold steel axes, while they are a poor representation of historical axes, also have the option of buying backup handles of varying length which I think is great. I think one of my axes is on it's fifth handle.

Things to avoid IMO are chunky overweight axes, modern black paint (even if it does protect from rust), unusual socket sizes or shapes (in case i want to switch out and can't get a hold of you for another) and phony elements like suede grips and faux antiquing or even peened and pitted areas .

[Mike Harris]

I agree with Jean. Being able to buy various "heads" and mount them to suit the buyer could be very much appreciated. I have been looking for a winged spear head that both looks historic and is realistically durable. I have not had much luck finding anything that satisfies unless looking at very expensive items. Anything that I consider "affordable" has a reputation for being either soft or fragile.

I also have a strong desire to see a historically correct fighting axe come to the market. One that's made with edge geometry like originals that have thin light-weight heads that thicken only at the hardened edges.

An affordable yet properly balanced reproduction of this mace would be a great thing too.
http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/1684.html

[Alex Spreier]

As far as pollaxes/halberds go, I agree w/ Jean to offer DIY heads etc. since so many different masters give different advice on the height of polearms.

[Scott Kowalski]

Since it looks like how to make them has been hit onalready I will say what I would like to see on the market. Any of the above weapons that would be representative of ones used during the end of the 13th Century to the beginning of the 14th Century. There are enough Viking axes availabe already as well as later maces and flails. Give me something that would have been seen at the fall of Acre in Crusaders hands or used by either in any of the wars Edward the First fought to control Scotland and Wales.

Scott

[Gavin Kisebach]

Much as I love viking axes, Scott is right. There is a dearth of crusader era axes. Late period all metal axes and Viking era axes do seem to dominate.

[Jeremy V. Krause]

My advice is to keep designs which are historically accurate but choose simple designs.

Designs which are more complicated have a higher chance of looking "cheap" especially coming from more budget minded companies.

I know of one of the earlier documented medieval maces with a more simple flanged shape. I cannot recall the source. A bronze mace might be nice also.

Again I will echo- use ash if it is feasible.

Jeremy

[Gavin Kisebach]

I'd live to see a flail like this one, as the spikey ball flail has been done to death, and as far as I can tell was less common.

[Michael R. Black]

I'd very much like to second a desire for a flail like the one pictured in the above post, especially if the "head" section were sold alone so i could make a custom handle.

[Bryan Johnson]

I've always been partial to pollaxes and Bec de Corbins. There aren't to many companies that do them especially the Bec. I would agree with the other posts about selling the heads seperate for mounting.

[Robert Tienken]

A good reproduction of the River Thames Mace with the correct number of flanges would be great! I'd buy that.

[Sonny Suttles]

Thanks for the suggestions. I would like to make some items that haven't been "done to death" I think some less available yet historically acurate designs would be appropriate. Keep the input coming.

Sonny