Armor Class swords at Kult of Athena!
Wow! Just saw the Armor Class swords available at Kult of Athena - several Scots basket hilt Claymores, a couple of single hand broadswords, a falchion, I'm just drooling! Damn, and I was hoping to cull my collection down, too. Come on, tax return!
Gah! I'm 45 minutes away from KoA!

Luckily, I'm getting a new sword (for me) today in the mail.

Not from KoA, though.
I really have to take a drive down there one of these days!

Murphy :cool:
I have never owned or handled an Armor Class sword before. Not sure of the quality. Have seen a couple viking swords on-line but did not care for the hilts.
I've handled Chad's a few years ago. It was nicely made, and decently balanced. I didn't do any cutting with it - maybe he can elaborate?
Some of these look very nice for the price.
Armour Class are very well priced for what you get. They are tough as hell but not because they are built like bulldozers, but because they are built well. They handle well and feel good and the fit and finish is pretty good too.

For $300 you will find it hard to find something better.

Tod
Armour Class are probably the best "semi-production" basket-hilt swords out there. Not perfect by any means, and certainly not to the level of an Eljay Erickson or Vince Evans, but for the price you can't beat them, really.
The only non-Basket-hilt AC sword I've ever handled was an Anglo-Saxon sword. While not perfectly accurate, this sword was incredibly light and lively, an absolute pleasure to swing around, so much so that I almost bought it based on those qualities alone (my bank account screamed NOOO!!!! So I didn't)....
William Swiger wrote:
I have never owned or handled an Armor Class sword before. Not sure of the quality. Have seen a couple viking swords on-line but did not care for the hilts.


I have a Scottish S Hilt. Very good quality and well-balanced, certainly compared to the two Hanweis I also own. Mine is sharp but I am not planning to do any cutting with it. May post photos soon although mine is almost identical to the one shown on their web site.
I just looked at KOA's site and they are charging for the S Hilt what I paid retail for mine. I must conclude that Armour Class has decided to offer a wholesale program, or KOA is selling them at a break even price.
For those of you across the pond, who may not be familiar with Armourclass swords - they have pretty much set the standard over here for re-enactment or WMA swords at this price range.

The demand for them amongst re-enactors means they hold their value extremely well, and those that do WMA swear by them (indeed, Hanwei swords are excluded from BFHS competition, in favour of Armourclass (and others, of course), because they do not stand up to a one-on-one encounter).

Blades are tough as hell, yet very well balanced, and the hilts are plain, functional, but very well made.

The downside is availability - demand far outstrips supply and this has resulted in very long waiting lists unless you are lucky enough to get a stock sword. Good second-hand swords go for high prices as a result, simply because they are available. Also, and I'm not sure how to put this, many have found their customer service is not the 'best' simply because they are so popular.

So, if you have the opportunity to get their swords from stock, at a good price, from someone with a sterling reputation for customer service, go for it!

Julian Reynolds
Julian Reynolds wrote:
For those of you across the pond, who may not be familiar with Armourclass swords - they have pretty much set the standard over here for re-enactment or WMA swords at this price range.

The downside is availability - demand far outstrips supply and this has resulted in very long waiting lists unless you are lucky enough to get a stock sword. Good second-hand swords go for high prices as a result, simply because they are available. Also, and I'm not sure how to put this, many have found their customer service is not the 'best' simply because they are so popular.

Julian Reynolds


I ordered my sword last summer and received it at the end of October, which is exactly what they promised. E-mail communication was very easy and they responded quickly to my inquiries, both before and after the order.
Christopher Gregg wrote:
I've handled Chad's a few years ago. It was nicely made, and decently balanced. I didn't do any cutting with it - maybe he can elaborate?


I could, or people could just read the the review we published of that sword. :)

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