Postby Guest » Mon Mar 24, 2003 12:49 pm
Hi Sam, this is not the answer of a rapier expert, I hope I can help however.
Rapiers there are a lot, often they're named after the hilt (cup hilted for instance), often cutting swords with complex hilts are mistaken for rapiers...thus the mith of the cutting rapier.
Rapiers are generally fitted with a blade that is too thick to cut well, some rapiers aren't even sharpened, the blade of the rapier is so long that swinging it is not easy. The weapon is built to give the best in point work, some rapiers can draw cut but not with great efficency. Another thing the rapier doesn't do very well is parry-thrust in one action, so fencers often used a dagger, a cloack or the free hand in defence.
My sources on the rapier are in Italian, so I think they would be of no help to you.
Carlo