does anyone own any custom swords from these czech republican swordsmiths? anyone have an idea about the quality of these swords?

You better do the search on this forum and on http://forums.swordforum.com/ - there has been much debate about them.

I have bought 4 swords from their "available now" section. I can say nothing but good things about the quality of their worksmanship. They are among the finest quality swords I own. Dealing with them can be a bit frustrating at times, as they are somewhat lax in returning emails. However, I would say that my experiences with them have all been positive.

I would second Blaz's comment. Go do the search and then you decide.

You mean http://www.armart.antiquanova.com , right?

I have their S9 cavalry palache, and they link to my swordforum review of it. I still think the quality of the weapon is really top notch, as was their customer service before they ran into their various problems as detailed on swordforum.

Definitely do your research first though.

People seem to be beating around the bush unnecessarily here. ArmArt can make nice products. I have one of their swords and love it. They went through a patch where orders were delayed by years and items paid for were never received. People have had good luck buying in-stock items from them. Most people wouldn't place an order for an item not in stock though.

Bruno, have a loook at Patrick Kellys article Pound vs. Ground in the Featured Content section. you'll find it under the Essays heading. You can't guarantee a blade is better just because it was forged.

Hi Bruno,

As modern steel stock is produced in a mechanized forging process, reforging it really only might produce some grain refinement. This would also be possible with a stock removal blade that is nicley cycled.

This is actually a topic under frequent discussion and better particulars might be read at SFI's metallurgical Q&A forum as well as following the debate on some other venues.

For some one making their own carburised iron, or doing a patterned effort, forging a blade is really the only way to go. Others might prefer banging stuff into shape instead of using a lot of belts to get there.

I love Dr. Jim's work. I was just browsing his siter earlier today.

Cheers

GC

I have the Custom Twin dagger from his site, he custom made them for me, i love them.....but it took him a year..i was lucky i even got them.

Folks,
Let's try to get this thread back on target. Comments about a different smith's work or forging vs. grinding are best handled in their own threads. Thanks!