Hello all,
Does anyone have any expieriance or opinions on Hanwei's federschwert for use in WMA training/light contact sparring? Does it handle like a schalger? How is it in the bind and thrust? See link for picture. http://therionarms.com/reenact/therionarms_c1003.html

Thanks,
Michael

I like them. I haven't handled a schlager so I can't compare.

Understand that they are still steel swords - appropriate control and safety gear are still a must.

I think they handle well in the bind. Their flexibility in the foible versus the forte means that doing things poorly in the bind can be worse for you but good technique still works well.

There may be an issue with consistency of their flexibility with some being substantially more flexible than others. :mad:

Conclusion: worth the money.

One point worth making, based upon the photos: the thickening of the distal taper near the point is the exact opposite of what I observed on the one antique feder that I saw in Germany. This probably won't matter to you, but it's worth pointing out. On the antique feder, the point was the thinnest section of the entire blade.

I think they're pretty decent for the price. Certainly they're a step in the right direction: Affordable trainers that are functional.

I think the blades are far more flexible than necessary. Actually, that's not entirely true: I think they're far too flexible over the entire blade than necessary. If the strong half were completely stiff, and the weak half very still just as flexible, I'd be much happier with them. But truthfully, they aren't bad at all, particularly for the price.

I don't think they'd be a good investment if they were the *only* thing you trained with. I think you'd be better off doing most of your drills with a more realistic sword. But these swords work quite nicely for free play, provided you 1) have the proper training, and 2) have the proper safety gear.

Though I *hate* that they're called "federschwerts". The name is completely non-historical... but that's just my own pet peeve. :)

Thanks for the information.

anecdotal only ... did hear of one snapping at the narrowed part of the blade forward of the ricasso. not sure how hard it was being used but it was only in use a few weeks.

It think the blade is ugly. I might get over that if the sword had side-rings. I really like side-ring protection. You might say they are not necessary, but I still like the extra security. You never know when someone is not going to be paying attention.

I am guessing that the reason for the reverse tapper is because they made the sword some damn light that they wanted to add some blade presence.

I understand there are several different versions of this weapon, some of the ones floating around on Ebay etc. are older types which aren't very good, I have seen the newer type which I thought looked quite good and relatively safe for freeplay with suitible safety gear, something like what they call a 'feathersword' or a longsword foil. I plan to get one myself.

J

The Feder is OK, but you have to grind and soften the really sharp edges to avoid chipping.
We had a case of a snapped off tip in a German fencing school, too - resulting in a very sharp point. Fortunately some guys noted the clatter of the falling tip before anything seriously dangerous could happen.
But nevertheless - I think it's still worth the money - you just have to be carefull with it - which spoils the fun a bit...

Torsten.