Greetings all, this is a first post from a long time lurker.

I have used the search engine and have been unable to locate an American vendor of Lutel weapons. I am interested in the #17016 warhammer.

While on the subject, has anyone had any experiences with the company or this weapon in particular? I would love to hear any comments you have.

Thanks,

Joe

There really isn't an American retailer of Lutel, per se, but there are some folks that do resale of these items. Art Elwell's A Work of Art often has significant numbers of Lutel items in stock . He's located in California.

I use to own the 17016 Warhammer. It was a beast of a weapon. It's been a couple of years. It weighed close to 8 lbs if I remember correctly. Looked great and seemed to be very solid but not something that I could actually use. Unfortunately I didn't get to bash anything with it before I sold it for something more managable.

I've also owned a 13004 Katzbalger and 10001 Rondel Dagger. They were nice pieces for their price especially when you considered that they automatically came with leather scabbards. They compair fairly well to Del Tins when you consider the price point, scabbards, handling, and finish.

Art Elwell has the largest selections of Lutel's. I can definately recommend him. I've bought a couple items from him in the past. Just e-mail him and he'll send you a list of what he has in stock. He also carries Del Tins and Cervenkas. www.by-the-sword.com also carries a few Lutel swords.

Many thanks for the prompt replies, I will post a review if and when I get my hands on one.

By The Sword carries a few Lutels, which seem to have been made exclusively for them -
http://www.by-the-sword.com/acatalog/Lutel_Swords.html

Hi Joseph. I happen to own one of those babies and am quite happy with it. I haven't whacked anything with the hammer but took the spike to a telephone book. It left quite an impression. After getting this warhammer, I bought a few more of the Lutel hafted weapons and have been pleased with each one. The only thing to remember is you have to ask for swords and axes to be sharpened. Lutel leaves them blunt by default.

I've bought and sold a fair number of Lutel weapons, and I think I have a good grasp on the stuff they make. For the price and intended use, they are good value. Some swords have design features that make them look less authentic, while others are pretty nice. The construction is usually very sound for the price level, but features like balance and dynamics can be lacking. There is a utilitarian and rather machine-made look that lacks the elegance of e.g. the Albion Armorer's designs. Some of the hafted weapons (axes, flails, war hammers) are too heavy for practical use, being slow on the recovery. All in all, I think Lutel has some really nice items, and that they fill a niche between the Third world-made stuff and the more advanced products from (again as an example) Albion.

I apologize for not being able to check in as often as I would like, thanks again for all of the great answers. I will be buying one as soon as I convince my "Houshold 6" of the need for it.

Joe