Help looking for a good waster sword.

[Dakota Brown]

i need help on finding a good hand and a half waster swords and suggestions where i can buy them from?

[John Farthing]

http://www.newstirlingarms.com/shop/cat ... px?catid=3

[Jaron Bernstein]

http://www.little-raven.com/RS/MA/weste ... chor239390

[william_cain_iii]

Extra emphasis from me on the Little Raven.

More substantial and durable than the NSA's, and I've handled both. NSA does have better balance (slightly), and thus is a bit more geared toward being a sparring sword, but the raven will last longer as a multipurpose drill/spar/pell trainer.

[Nicholas Moore]

http://[disallowed link]/WMA/index.htm

The Rawlings synthetics are very durable

[Dakota Brown]

i need help on finding a good hand and a half waster swords and suggestions where i can buy them from?

The price i want to pay is around 50 dollars.

[william_cain_iii]

Then you won't get a good waster.

The only ones I know of in that price range are the Zugadore (which I hear disappointing things about) or the Cold Steel hand and a half, which is poorly designed.

[Joshua Cook]

A good waster supplier with affordable prices is Hollow Earth Swordworks. I got their info from the ARMA Houston webpage as one of their recommended suppliers. Here's their website:

http://www.hollowearthswordworks.com/main_index.htm

Their price range is more affordable, a good hickory waster being about $70. A little more than what you were wanting to pay, I understand, but their wasters also come with a lifetime guarantee. As long as you aren't intentionally abusing your waster (i.e. banging it against concrete or attempting to block with the edge) they will replace it.

Also, I would recommend at some point getting a good steel blunt waster. The best, in my opinion, come from Albion. However, they are pretty pricey, in the $500 range. But the insights you can get from using one is well worth price. Only with an actual steel weapon can you understand how a sword of proper weight and balance actually handles.

That's my two marks, anyway.

[Sal Bertucci]

One warning about Hollow Earth is that they are abysmal on repairs. (This can be said of other waster companies as well)

Just FYI

[Greg Coffman]

A second warning about Hollow Earth,

They are very difficult to work with over the phone. That goes for repairs and for ordering. Their products have a lot of variation to them (which is a plus), but you don't know what you will get if you place an order. And you certainly don't know when they will complete their order. I had an order in to them and I had to call week after week after they were 6 weeks behind their second quote.

The focus of their business is marketed towards Renaissance Fairs. Hollow Earth is great if you go to a fair (though you should include the entry cost to the fair in the overall expense for the waster), if you have a chance to handle their selection, and you pick a product that fits your needs and preferences. Their wasters hold up fairly well, tending towards being overbuilt, and are guaranteed for life, if I remember correctly.

In comparison, NSA has most of their products on the shelf ready to go when ordered. In my experience, their wasters hold up just as well as anybody else's. And they have fabulous customer service. You pay more for all of that.

And yes, I still have a chip on my shoulder against Hollow Earth.

[Jaron Bernstein]

Save up more for a better waster. Raven and New Stirling are both of similar (high) quality, although their designs are slightly different. Which one your pick is more a matter of personal taste. They also both have excellent customer service.

I can't speak for other waster makers, but our local study group has used and abused Ravens and NSA's for some time now.

[Roger Norling]

Hi!
I have put up a few reviews of sparring swords in the article section of the Hroarr site.

http://www.hroarr.com/articles/index.php

[Tim Gallagher]

Dakota, I've just realised that you are 14, so an Albion Meyer is probably a little unwieldy for you. If the Hanwei Tinker Pierce's have improved noticably over the past year or so (as Andrew Ulrich has suggested), then they may very well be the one to get.

Tim

[Dakota Brown]

Dakota, I've just realised that you are 14, so an Albion Meyer is probably a little unwieldy for you. If the Hanwei Tinker Pierce's have improved noticably over the past year or so (as Andrew Ulrich has suggested), then they may very well be the one to get.

Tim

why wouldn't i be able to wield the Albion Meyer?

[william_cain_iii]

They're pretty long, with a very wide cross.

And to be honest, at 500 dollars, they're a bit of an odd option to begin with.