Wasters

[Benjamin Smith]

I have to concur with Shane here. I really like my plastic waster, and I'm glad I bought it, but I have some issues I'd like to see resolved in future versions.

1) They bend too easily. I often find mine a little out of whack after just swinging it, not even making impact

2) The handle is much thinner than I would prefer.

3) I'd like the pommel to be a little larger.

4) They're only barely within the weight range of real longswords

I'd like to see them with a thicker diamond cross section, and more substantial handle and pommel to balance them. Even if they cost more if that can be fixed I'd become a regular customer.

[Shane Smith]

Do you have any basis for that, or are you just venting?

I wouldn't give my opinion if I had no basis for it

The plastic wasters are too flexible along their edge and will fail covers that steel or wood wouldn't in my experience. They are likewise too bouncy.

The current generation of pvc-cored padded weapons are likewise too flexy along the edge but since I tended to break the superior-handling wooden core ones like matchsticks, I understand the attraction of plastic. I feel that owning a platic waster has saved me several hundred dollars in wooden store-bought wasters by now, but at the cost of lesser handling. I prefer wood to plastic for wasters and padded weapons for these reasons but reality does dictate pvc for both on occasion.

[Eric Chisler]

I myself have neither the time, skill nor means to accomplish designing my own, so a couple of ideas for those who do:

Has anyone attempted using a tapered metal rod up the center? Perhaps just through the strong, maybe up to 3/4 of its blade length? As long as the metal is flexible (not bendable) and the pommel is sufficiently counterweighted. Sounds like an answer to nearly all the problems listed.

-Eric

[Vance Osterhout]

Thanks to the excellent directions on ARMA Ogden's website i have forged ahead with making my own waster. I been making good progress on a test run made from redwood which I had on hand.

My Father is a carpenter and suggested Maple as the best wood, stating that Hickory would be fairly difficult to obtain. Any comments on that?

[Shane Smith]

Thanks to the excellent directions on ARMA Ogden's website i have forged ahead with making my own waster. I been making good progress on a test run made from redwood which I had on hand.

My Father is a carpenter and suggested Maple as the best wood, stating that Hickory would be fairly difficult to obtain. Any comments on that?

I'm a carpenter too. Hickory is easily had from most specialty lumber yards. I doubt maple will stand up anywhere near as well as hickory...there's a reason baseball bats are made of hickory. Just my opinion.

[Jeff Hansen]

Thanks to the excellent directions on ARMA Ogden's website i have forged ahead with making my own waster. I been making good progress on a test run made from redwood which I had on hand.

My Father is a carpenter and suggested Maple as the best wood, stating that Hickory would be fairly difficult to obtain. Any comments on that?

I'm a carpenter too. Hickory is easily had from most specialty lumber yards. I doubt maple will stand up anywhere near as well as hickory...there's a reason baseball bats are made of hickory. Just my opinion.

I had one I made out of maple last for nearly four years. It dented a little more than hickory initialy, but with a little sanding it stood up quite well. That said, I do prefer hickory of you can find it.

[Vance Osterhout]

Thanks Guys. hey, just curious, What tools did you use? I went at it with a router, And a Joinery Saw. THe majority of the shaping i've been doint with a bench Plane. Its slow and labour intensive but I think I'm getting a pretty good shape. I need to get a spokeshave for the handle though.

[Shane Smith]

I use a skilsaw and a jigsaw to rough the blank shape, a block plane to get the distal taper, a router to round the grip and blade edges and a drill to pin the crossguard on with 5/16" oak dowel rods. Finish it up with some sandpaper and a coat of boiled linseed oil.

[Jeff Hansen]

I use a skilsaw and a jigsaw to rough the blank shape, a block plane to get the distal taper, a router to round the grip and blade edges and a drill to pin the crossguard on with 5/16" oak dowel rods. Finish it up with some sandpaper and a coat of boiled linseed oil.

Change skil and jig to table and band and we're on the same page. I do my distal taper on the table saw though.

[psab keel]

Hello,

I'm new here, and I just had an inquiry for you all about With Intent Wasters. I've tried to contact them about an order placed back in Febraury of this year for 4 longswords, but have yet to receive a single reply. I thought since many of you on the forum here own With Intent products that you may have some idea what in the world is going on. I understand that things may be in the midst of redesign and everything, but without any responses to an e-mails, I am left to assume that I just got ripped off for over $4oo.

My friends and I have been waiting on these long swords so that we can begin drilling and learning the techniques, but without them, we can't learn.

Any help would be most appreciated,

Thank you,

Psab

[CalebChow]

Hello,

I'm new here, and I just had an inquiry for you all about With Intent Wasters. I've tried to contact them about an order placed back in Febraury of this year for 4 longswords, but have yet to receive a single reply. I thought since many of you on the forum here own With Intent products that you may have some idea what in the world is going on. I understand that things may be in the midst of redesign and everything, but without any responses to an e-mails, I am left to assume that I just got ripped off for over $4oo.

My friends and I have been waiting on these long swords so that we can begin drilling and learning the techniques, but without them, we can't learn.

Any help would be most appreciated,

Thank you,

Psab

Hi Psab, I asked about this earlier as well since I was trying to get one before too. The maker of the WI-wasters just had a "new addition to the family" (congrats are in order ), so he has been unable to make additional wasters for the time being.

Sorry to hear that you've had to wait so long, but from what Aaron told me he should be completing his due orders. If you wish to contact the makers for whatever reason you could try PM'ing Aaron or someone else for their phone number.

Hope this helps; best of luck.

[psab keel]

Thanks, I really appreciate the info!

[CalebChow]

No problem.

A question for those with experience with the Nylon wasters:

How well do they fare against wood? I've heard that it's not a good idea to use it against wood, but I can't really see how the nylons wouldn't hold just as well as a wood waster would...

Any info would be appreciated.

[Shane Smith]

No problem.

A question for those with experience with the Nylon wasters:

How well do they fare against wood? I've heard that it's not a good idea to use it against wood, but I can't really see how the nylons wouldn't hold just as well as a wood waster would...

Any info would be appreciated.

They don't seem to damage one-another if that is what you mean. The wood though seems to blow the plastic wasters right out of the way on set-asides and the like in an unrealistic way in my experience. In the bind, nylon also fairs poorly against wood because the nylon gives too much and the wood not enough. I really think nylon and wood wasters should only be used against their own kind for best results although I'm not over fond of nylon wasters for anything but freeplay.

[Aaron Pynenberg]

Yes, as I understand it -(and keep in mind I am not his Rep or anything), he is working to fill all backorders then is taking some time off to be with his family for a time. Once he gets settled into the new swing he'll re-visit how he takes these orders and deals with them.

As far as thier useage, Shane and I differ here a bit. They are good for more than just free-play provided you account for their short-commings like any and all tools.

They are slippery, they tend to snap and bounce quite a bit. That is the point though, if you take some of that action and accept it, they can make a nice tool to segway into training with steel blunts.

Wasters are soo stiff that they are the other end of the spectrum and also have shotfalls in that regard.

Thus having the two tools to work with holistically gives you a better complete "look" at the feeling of working with steel.

Granted all of this is null if you just work with steel but I do find that even though the nylon hurts more in terms of short-term pain, the long term injury is reduced substantially...since using the plastic more we have not had many serious injuries at all, and I know that blows were dealt that in the past would have caused injury...were therefore saved by the flex and give of the plastic..

So in the final summary-plastic, not perfect for various reasons and same with wood, they each have good and bad points, identifying them, and accepting and working with them is key..you should not mix the two though, really not meant for that--AP