Has anyone ever purchased a sword blade from Neil Burridge? If so what are your thoughts on the product?

I have one. They're great.

M.

Yeah... They are really good quality, and he has recreated quite a wide variety as well.

I've got one of his Ewart park style blades. Decent bloke to deal with, product very good value, and very nicely done. I'd recommend his products.
Geoff

I ordered the Ewart Park unfinished, hilt less model and plan to finish it myself. I just recieved a tracking number from Neil this morning . The waiting game begins... Thanks for the input and I will post a picture of the blade when arrived and once I am done with it. Can't wait to experience my first bronze blade!!!

I have 6 of his swords and counting... :D

They are really some of the best reproductions of bronze age swords currently on the market. They have both the correct weight and the correct alloy. They are not made completely authentic (doing so would be cost prohibitive), but they are gravity cast in upright standing moulds, as was probably done originally. The edges are also workhardened, which was also done originally and makes a lot of difference in usability of the swords.

And Neil is a really nice guy as well.

The Ewart Park is one of my favourites as well. Very quick but still sturdy sword.

I just bought the Witham antenna sword from Neil and I love it. I'm definitely planning on buying more pieces from him, and I also found him to be a great guy.

I recently bought a Mycenaean type G from him, and it's become my favorite sword in my collection. Definitely the best bronze sword maker out there in my opinion, and there aren't many doing that!

In my research on the subject of purchasing a bronze sword I had encountered one thing about someone receiving a bent sword from Burridge. This had by no means been his fault, but rather the postage system mucking about as they might sometimes do. That review also include the consumers comment about how Neil spent a lot of time on the phone with him trying to correct the problem. From what I understand his swords are stronger then I had originally imagined a bronze sword would be. There is also a paragraph or two on his web page involving the pitting of a Bronze Age reproduction sword up against a early Iron Age reproduction sword. The results might not be what you expect, but I don't want to ruin it for you.

All in all my experience with Burridge was great. I had encountered many problems with the people at Western Union and he was very patient with me. When all was said and done he had shipped it to me before he received my wired money. Great guy.. and I will be buying from him again in the future. I am even thinking about attending the Bronze Age festival he hold every year.

Roger, I'm waiting for a decent day to snap a few photos of the Witham and when I do I'll make sure to post them. What I can say first about the Witham is that the website pictures don't do justice to it. It's graceful and shines like gold. I haven't handled any other bronze swords, but I've read that they're tip heavy. I don't find the Witham to be overly tip heavy, in fact it seems pretty agile to me. I would highly recommend buying this beautiful sword to any one who's interested.

Yes, we definitely need more photos of the Witham sword, especially from different angles. So far I've only seen a straight on shot.

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From the Bronze Swords website

Congrats, Luke! You are going to love your new sword. I did try to answer your private message, but we were having connection problems for a couple days... Looks like you got the answers you needed, though!

Enjoy,

Matthew

Yes I had looked at you Bronze Age site. Your sites are always such a resource for me. When I first joined this forum, I had no idea what I was really interested in specifically. I tend to get drawn to these earlier times. Roman, Greek, and the more ancient cultures. Although next week I will probably be drooling over antique sabers again, or some other new interest.
This Bronze age project is a good next step for me. The riveting is my main concern. I can see myself splitting the wooden slats that I carve. Peening the gladius was not as bad I thought it would be, but getting these slats to fit tight and secure might be a challenge. I guess trying is the only way i am going to learn.
I remember seeing somewhere that you should heat the handle with a torch and burn boards to either side. Cut out around the burn marks. Round over the edge. The burning ensures a solid fit. The pommel also makes me nervous. I am afraid it will just come flying off without a peen or a rivet.
Matthew, where did you get bone slats for the handle that bronze sword you hilted?

Glad to be inspirational, Luke! Yeah, get used to the mood swings, they never go away. Always keep a list of "to do" projects that covers a number of eras, so you'll always have something to work on no matter what century grabs your attention that day!

The bone I used was just a large dog-chew bone from a pet store. It can take some hunting to find one large enough to make two hilt plates. Definitely avoid the filled or flavored ones...

I've never tried burning my hilt plates to fit the tang, but I have a feeling it would make more sense if the tang has flanges, which the Ewart Park does not. Still, burning will probably make the wood fit more snugly to the tang. Just don't set off the smoke alarm. Or set fire to your hilt!

Khaire,

Matthew

I finally got a chance to take a few snaps of my Witham. Please pardon the cheap cloth background, it's the only thing I could find that was a solid color. The closeup of the blade shows the beautiful central rib, grooves and work hardened edge. The blade has a distal taper but I couldn't get a good picture of it. Oh, and I also show it side by side with my Albion Allectus for a scale comparison (sorry it's sideways).

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Thanks, Eric for those photos. They give us a better idea of what that sword is about.

I received my Ewart Park sword this morning. The quality is splendid. I ordered the unfinished blade, but realistically Neil has done the majority. The edges have been work hardened and the hole for the rivets have been drilled. All I will have to do is hilt it and polish the blade.

To anyone that is considering owning one of these awesome sword... I will highly recommend a Burridge blade!!!!

Top notch!!!!!