Best New Stirling Arms waster

[Atticus Beachy]

Hi all,

I was planning on purchasing a waster from New Stirling Arms [http://www.newstirlingarms.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=3], but I am not sure which waster to get. Is there anyone here with first hand experience with the different types?

I'm wondering which would be the best weapon to start with:

Hand and a half, Short [http://www.newstirlingarms.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=9]
Hand and a Half, Long [http://www.newstirlingarms.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=8]
German Long sword [http://www.newstirlingarms.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=33]
Davenriche Hand and a Half [http://www.newstirlingarms.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=11]

If it helps, I am around 5'9'' and my main resource is Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Art of the Longsword

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Stacy Clifford]

All of NSA's wasters are well made and well balanced, so you're not going to go wrong with any of them, but it's best to get one that is roughly proportional to your height to start with. (Once you have more experience, it's easier to pick up any size and fight with it.) The most commonly cited advice on ideal longsword length in the manuals is that it should come up to roughly around your armpit when stood on end. 2-3 inches over or under is not a big deal, but more than that may be more awkward to get used to when you're first starting out.