Good & Bad Windlass/MRL -- myArmoury.com

D. Rosen · Posted: Mon 08 Nov, 2004 3:55 pm Post subject: Good & Bad Windlass/MRL

Hi there! I'm new to the forums, and I've heard both good and bad things about MRL/Windlass pieces. I own one myself, the Swiss Baselard, and am very happy with it. Its fittings are tight, it looks good, its light, and the blade flexes. Otherwise, I ordered a rapier from MRL and it was terrible. Ill-fitting hilt to scabbard throat, small guard, etc. So, please post the GOOD and BAD MRL/Windlass pieces you have handled and/or own! Thanks!

Scott Byler · Posted: Mon 08 Nov, 2004 4:24 pm Post subject:

Windlass made stuff is still considered a mixed bag though the public record seems to indicate a bit of improvement in recent times (last couple of years...). I expect that there is still variation though, and have a suspicion that it gets right down to individual pieces as much as a broader type. That is to say I wouldn't be surprised if you picked up several Baselard or rapiers or longswords or whatever and found that their was quality variation between all of them. Whether you get a good or bad seems to be just up to capricious fate...

The last couple of Windlass products I've had are actually pretty good for the price... Bought second hand was a Renaissance Warsword and bought on closeout was a fantasy based piece called a 'dragon sword' Both are put together tightly and cleanly and are pretty nicely finished.

Roger Hooper · Posted: Mon 08 Nov, 2004 4:29 pm Post subject:

MRL quality is a topic that has been discussed extensively over the years. Do a search here or over at Sword Forum to find lots of threads about it.. The upshot of most of them is that MRL went through a bad patch when they were bought by Windless Steelcrafts and shifted from Del Tins to Windless products. The consensus is that in the last couple of years, their products have improved. The main problem seems to have been quality control. Different examples of the same sword could vary wildly in quality. This problem was somewhat offset by a generous return policy.

I haven't bought an MRL sword since 2000. The four that I bought are no longer in the catalogue. Of those, one (the Black Prince XVA) is a decent sword, one is OK, and the other two are miserably bad, especially the "Barnet Sword" whose grip loosened so that I could rotate it 360 degrees after no use at all.

Sam Barris · Posted: Mon 08 Nov, 2004 4:42 pm Post subject:

It's a pity MRL no longer sells Del Tin swords. The quality seemed much nicer then. My first Windlass sword was the Irish hand and a half, which I believe is still in MRL's catalogue. It's poorly balanced, the guard and hilt aren't straight and the leather on the hilt was glued with a poor adhesive. On the whole, I was not pleased. I had requested their sharpening service though, so it couldn't be returned. My experience with their Classical Rapier, which is also still in their catalogue, was similar to yours. I thought it was a gorgeous weapon from the picture, but after handling it I had to return it. On the other hand, their Flanged Battle Mace is a really nice weapon, once you stitch or replace the leather on the handle. I do have two pretty good swords from MRL, but neither of them was made by Windlass.

The best thing I can say about them is that they're cheap, which was a huge draw when I was five or six years younger and a starving college student. I make fairly decent money now, so I'm willing to invest two or three hundred more in a good sword. In the end, if I add up the cost of the two or three crappy replicas I either don't or can't use anymore, I could have just gotten a nice sword the first time and saved myself the trouble.

Andrew Fox · Posted: Mon 08 Nov, 2004 4:51 pm Post subject:

The MRL Towton sword is considered a decent one for the price. I recently acquired one and all in all it's a nice sword--fittings are tight, leather wrap is well done, and finish is good. Recently I noticed that the grip is slightly off center to the blade. I don't know if this is caused by an off-center tang or what but it's not too bad. It took me a three months to notice it after all. Happy

If you do a search you'll find there was a thread on this forum recently that offered a good assessment of the sword.

Steve Grisetti · Posted: Mon 08 Nov, 2004 5:04 pm Post subject:

I have two Windlass/Factory X pieces, my first forays into the sword world. For a short time, I also had a Museum Replicas piece called a "ring-hilted sword". The two that I still have are:

(1) FX Sword of Tigris of Gaul - my first sword purchase, bought it because it was REALLY CHEAP. The blade is very stiff, as you might expect for being so short. The finish on the blade is good - still Windlass dull edge but sharp point. I kept the heavy lacquer coating on it. The blade is imprinted with all kinds of TM and copyright stuff, because of the Gladiator film license, so that is a bit of an eyesore. The hilt has brass castings that are very cleanly done, but the modern manufacturing methods are very obvious, because of the machined (looks like a) spigot fit between the two components of the guard. Grip claims to be leather, but looks and feels like vinyl.
The biggest complaint that I have with Tigris is that it is extremely heavy, I suppose from all of the brass in the hilt. Gotta weigh 4 pounds, about double what you would expect for a Roman gladius. With all of the mass in the hilt, POB is basically right at the cross. If I can figure out how to get the massive brass hilt off, I may try to make a kinda/sorta half-decent Fulham type gladius from it, because the blade shape is similar. Also, unlike the Museum Replicas gladii, the Tigris blade has (correctly) no ricasso.

(2) FX Sword of Dracula - second sword, also really cheap. But the main reason for the purchase was that I thought it was a really good buy after seeing the review here at myArmoury. I heartily agree with the comments in the review. And I continue to think that it was a good buy.

The piece that I no longer have, the "ring-hilted sword", is a discontinued model that I had found while surfing through many of the internet sword shops. From the photos, I thought that it looked gorgeous. An early rapier type of sword with symmetrical, double rings in the guard. The guard and pommel were brass. When I received it, I was extremely disappointed with the workmanship. The blade seemed to be very nice - satin finish, not the high polish on the two FX pieces. Blade seemed to have a good feel to it, and was flexible. The hilt, however, which had really interested me in the pictures, was awful. The castings on the guard were cracked and discolored from overheating in the casting process, and also displayed porosity. I was amazed that anyone would ship something that poor from their warehouse. Engraving on the pommel was sloppy at best. Pommel did not match up well with the grip. Scabbard would just fall off of the sword. I sent the sword back as soon as I could. While I am still interested in some MUREP pieces, based on the "ring-hilted sword" experience, I will stick with simpler pieces like the falchion.

Patrick Kelly · Posted: Mon 08 Nov, 2004 5:08 pm Post subject:

This review pretty well sums up my opinion of MRL/Windlass products.

http://www.myArmoury.com/review_mrl_alb.html

William Goodwin · Posted: Mon 08 Nov, 2004 5:23 pm Post subject:

I now own the Scottish Back sword and dagger formerly belonging to Nathan that can be found in the review section of this site as well. It's the only MRL piece I own (right now), but it's become a favorite piece in my collection.

Bill

Adam Lloyd · Posted: Thu 18 Nov, 2004 12:32 am Post subject:

I bought 5 MRL swords this year and they were all pretty good for the price. They aren't as good as my Atrim or A&A of course but they are worth more than i paid for them and thats saying a bunch IMHO. The Towton is my fav and its very very nice