Feedback on the Rawlings/Knight shop range training swords

Nick And Mike of the AHF kindly put these through their paces at the Knight shop Grand opening, so I though I should post their feedback here…
Take it away Mike:

We tested the previous iterations of the Rawlings line of synthetic swords at both Fightcamp 2009 and later in the year at the Wallace Collection in London. Each version has improved right through to the last model that we tested out this weekend. It is important to understand what these weapons are and what they are designed to be used for before we get on to the details. The number one consideration for us in the AHF and I think for most of the groups involved in providing input is for the safest weapon possible, primarily for sparring but also for drilling. This new line of swords is therefore supposed to do something new and not simply replace steel swords. If you are looking to replace a £350 Albion Meyer with a £40 synthetic and expect it to be identical you are going to be disappointed. If you want steel, use it, plain and simple.

Before we go any further, it will be helpful to explain who we are ands what we do to give you a fair idea of where our opinions are coming from. The AHF has three schools in the South West of England and South Wales. We are an all steel group and train and spar with a variety of weapons including longsword, sword & buckler, messer, 19th century sabre, rapier, sidesword and others. We have approx 100 members of different levels. We took one member with us to the Knight shop and he competed in the tournament and won the contest. We are big fans of steel but as our technique and intensity increases we would definitely like the option of a safer, realistic alternative to metal. Our experienced fencers will still use steel but if the synthetics do the job they will become the new entry level weapon.

Tinker and Albion Leichtenaur compared to Rawlings synthetic line

Testing at the Knightshop
Over this last weekend we extensively tested both the pre-production singlehanders and also the longswords. We used them for drilling and heavy, full contact sparring. The long and short of it is that we really like the single handers and they are pretty much good to go. The longswords are not quite there yet, but still pretty damned close. Both swords are built in the same manner with the plastic blade and tang as one piece with a metal rod fitted in the core. The plastic crossguard and grip slide down over the rod and the pommel is screwed on tightly to hold it together. The swords look professional and the fit is tight and feels sturdy. The current pommels are a lantern or wheel pommel and they are interchangeable. This is very handy as I hate wheel pommels on longswords but like them on single handers!

Hilts of both synthetics compared to the Tinker steel swords

The Swords
The swords compare very favourably with the Albion and Tinker line of swords with respect to their dimensions. Examine the photographs for a direct comparison with the Tinker single hander and longsword as well as an Albion Leichtenaur. The single hander is light in the hand but is balanced well and both cuts and thrusts well. The thrust on both swords is ultra safe. These weapons have a lot in common with a rapier blade in this respect. The only negative is that the current longsword is a little too flexible and this can cause problems with winding and deflection. Cutting is good and the strike is not too hard on the body. The longswords have a tendency to spring off a blade if you parry with the weak. The blades will fail to return true if you apply constant pressure for a time (say 10 seconds or more) but will easily bend back. This is comparable to our steel Austrian sabres.

Sparring
The single handers are excellent for sparring. We used them with steel bucklers and also with plastic rotellas. They handle like a lighter Tinker single hander and cut, thrust and parry nicely. In terms of impact, the thrusts hardly hurt at all, the cuts are pretty similar to shinai impacts. One thing to consider is that we are a steel group and are therefore equipped to deal with impacts from steel swords. For those shinai clubs out there you will need to up your kit or else suffer some bruises or possibly even breaks. People are of course training in t-shirts with these swords, just be sensible and use appropriate armour, especially on the hands. In terms of damage, the swords stood up fine and suffered nothing other than minor scrapes and nicks, much less than I have seen on steel swords of the last few years. The crossguards split on the longswords but this is aknown problem and being fixed.

The impressive safety flex of the synthetics. The first image shows both the single hander and longsword. The second is a comparison of the flex between the synthetic and an Albion Leichtenaur, the third is a comparison of the flex between the synthetic and a Tinker longsword. The flex shown is with the same amount of pressure on each sword.

The longswords suffer at the moment in sparring. They are underweight and this means single handed techniques become easy and a little too frequent. The tip is too flexible (more than the single handers) and they therefore suffer in winding, thrusting and some displacing. There isn’t enough mass in the tip right now so they feel more like shinai. The impacts are light however and do not hit anywhere like steel. The size and handling are good and they seem pretty sturdy right now.

Drilling
The single handers worked fine for a large sword and buckler session. They obviously hurt far less in the cut and almost nothing in the thrust making advanced techniques safe and fast. The Longsword again hit problem here due to the lightness and also the excessive flex in the tip. The proposed changes should fix these issues.

Revisions
Based upon the feedback received at the event the Knightshop are looking at making a few minor modifications that should help create a really useful and affordable training tool. As we understand it, the rod will be extended further down the blade as well as increasing in thickness from 8mm to 12mm, slight upping the weight and also increasing the rigidity. Also, the tip profile will be expanded on the longsword so that it follows the characteristics of the single handers. This should help fix the problems in the winding and displacement. Also, the cross guards have a flaw in them that makes them easy to break, this should be fixed also.

Conclusion
Bryan, Dave Rawlings, The Knight shop and all those involved in the swords production have taken a big chance on this product and are doing a really great job in producing a product that we can use for HEMA. The production quality is very professional and they are taking all comments and suggestions with regards to producing a top product. They are of course limited by the materials that can be used as well as the requirements we are all placing on them. Yes, the swords are lighter than an equivalent steel but as Bryan said, if you want a 1.2 kg synthetic it is going to hit like a heavy steel sword. What is the point when we have loads of options at this weight?

In our opinions these swords are safer than steel, handle well, are fun and very cheap. Use them for full on sparring or for new to intermediate practitioners and we are sure you’ll love them. If you want a full weight replacement for steel but in plastic then you might want to wait.

Big thumbs up from the AHF!

Michael Thomas – Instructor
Academy of Historical Fencing
www.historicalfencing.co.uk