[Bill Tsafa]

i got a chance to do a little cutting and thought i would share what I found. I tested against a tire. I spent about an hour giving the tire a good beating. The swords held up quit well. Not much noticeable vibration. .
I tested three swords. Blackprince from Valient Armory, War Sword from Valient Armory and Clasic Medieval from Windlass.

The Classic Medieval made the best cut.. Not suprising since the blade is the thinest. Not a deep bitting cut but it left its mark on the tire. it also chiped away a tiney peice of the edge but that may be due to oversharpening. The chip was so small that when i resharpend just a little it you could not see it. On the thurst the sword did fold up a bit. i found the best way to thust is with a half-sword manuver. This i expected since this is a thin cutting blade. I also tried twohanding the blade to see if it could stand the extra stess. It had no trouble.

The BlackPrince was not so bad on the cut, it moved the tire more then the medieval sword. I think a second hand on the blade helped add a lot of force. But no visible cut or mark i guess because the blade is a little thicker. I was suprised that on the thrust the blade folded up a bit. It was not much beter to thust with then the medieval sword. i guess this sword style is best for unarmored duels. It is the sword i prefer to use for long sword practice due to its blade balance but if your going to War get a slightly thicker blade.

I saw first hand way a war sword is called a WarSword. It knocked the devil out of the tire. No cut cause the blade is thick, but really, moved, bent and collapsed it out of shape. Also a lot better then i expected on the thrust. The tip is not finely tapered, but you can thust with confidence. Too bad the sword is so tiring to swing.

If you try any tire tests, use some WD oil to remove the tiremarks after. Then you can polish with what every you usually use.

my conclusion is that for less then $200 not bad. They handles and cross gaurds did not fall appart like many people had cautioned me they might. The swords are very solid on impact.