Glad I could help, guys. :) It's a nice sword with details that most vendors' pics don't show.

It'd been talked about so much online that I had to take the plunge and try it out. :)

:eek: :wtf: Keep taking the tablets, Scott!

The late nights starting to get to you are they...?

:p

Glad to hear it. Are you sure you aren't allowed anything other than wooden wasters?
Are you still supervised with sharp scissors...?

Anyway, back on topic for a bit:

The more I get to handle this sword, the more surprised I am at how well it seems to flow in and out of the Fiore guards.

The grip seems so much better to hold now the leather has a nice matt finish and, having tried it this afternoon, I think I see what Chad means about gripping just the pommel with my left hand.

I've never really learned properly how to use the hilt (that's coming next!) but the pommel on the Towton certainly gives the impression of being a mace in its own right!

I'm now quite happy that this will be a sound basic training weapon for me before (if...!?) I decide to move on and up to a more expensive sword.

:D

It might have been nice if Windlass had elongated the grip and shortened the pommel a bit. Not a big deal, and I guess they were going for a particular historic look, but it could have perphaps made the Towton a bit more comfy for those of us with large hands.

The more I look at the pics in Chad's review, the more I find myself wanting one (I was SO close :mad: ). It really is a beautiful and elegant looking sword.

Bruce, please continue to keep us informed on how it handles in actual practice. Sounds like this might end up being one of those gems hidden in the Windlass collection. :)

Will do! :D

I actually like the loooooooooooong pommel - it's fine as it is and I love it's aesthetics. If anything, the upper part of the grip just needed to be about half an inch to an inch longer. When you look at it, it's blatantly obvious that the riser is that much too close to the cross for even an average "man-sized" hand to fit in there! I guess they'd have to tweak the balance a little to get that to work though - but I doubt it's impossible. Maybe I WILL do that re-grip after all...! :p

Many of these risers are not intended to separate the two hands on the grip. They're intended to assist in creating a more secure grip. What would the purpose be to separate your two hands? I think your hands could manage to find their own way on the grip without assistance. Risers are functional elements. Study stwords and you'll see them evenly spaced, sitting at the bottom, and sitting at the top of a grip. Often, risers sitting closer to the cross-guard help keep ones hand in position when using a single-handed grip. In this case, it's of no specific use to the second hand.

Yes, I see what you mean - it makes sense that the riser would give a little assistance in preventing the hand slipping down the grip and perhaps also act as a tactile marker to confirm hand positioning but in truth my concern (if it's even as significant as that!) is that it's not so much about "separating" the hands as it is about the riser being just a little too close to the cross and therefore creating a raised ridge in slightly the wrong place under the heel of my hand/pinkie that can be a little irritating at times and would be a bit more comfortable if the riser was just a shade further from the cross. Does that make sense?

Makes sense, but it sounds a bit like The Princess and the Pea to me.

Yes, quite possibly...! :lol:

OK, you guys convinced me and I bought one for some of the reasons already expressed in this forum. Besides, I liked the way it looks. I have been working my way through Fiore ala Guy Windsor's book using a Del Tin 2143 and when I tried a few moves using the Towton I found that it was very responsive and verrrry quick!

My real question is that since I intend to use it for LH, what's the best way to get rid of the stamped and inked Windlass logo? I'm sure that somewhere on this site there is information on how to do that.

Maybe there should be a separate section for how to's . Just a thought.

Bill

"No matter who wins the rat race..........they're still a rat."