The Tire Pell and Bill Tsafa's Combat Ready Swords Collection

Bill Tsafa from Brooklyn, NYC is a sword enthusiast who loves combat ready swords.

And he has devised a rudimentary but very effective method of separating tough swords from the wall hangers.

While Bill's methods of testing his combat ready swords durability on his homemade tyre pell has been questioned on a variety of sword forums as dangerous "sword abuse" - he has at least helped to dispel the myth that all the cheaper "beater" swords will simply fall apart when used.

In short - he pushes these combat ready swords well past the limits of what even a historical sword could withstand to find the most durable combat ready swords. Or, in his own words, "at the Tyre Pell, All Wall Hangers Shall Meet their End".

You can visit Bill's homepage here:

http://mysite.verizon.net/tsafa1/swordreview.htm

DISCLAIMER: Striking even the most durable combat ready swords against a tyre pell is not a recommended practice. Sword-Buyers-Guide.com is NOT responsible for the abuse or improper application of information contained herein, nor is Sword-Buyers-Guide.com responsible for injury, loss of health, or loss of life.

Windlass Steelcrafts Classic Medieval Sword I selected the Windlass Classic Medieval Sword because I was looking for a Norman style sword with a full fuller suited for cutting style fighting. Unfortunately, my first impressions of this sword were not positive as the crossguard was slightly loose and the grip was also somewhat loose around the tang. It seems like the grip covering the tang was slightly too wide, or rather, the tang was too narrow... Appearance wise this sword looks ok. Like all Windlass swords, it was shipped unsharpened so I sharpened it up myself. It wasn't very hard though as the blade is thin enough so that it will cut into cardboard even unsharpened. With heavy practice on my tires the handle became even more loose. As it became more loose, the grip would tend to twist over the tang. THE VERDICT Fit and Finish: 2/5 Handling: 3/5 Structural Integrity: 1/5 Value for Money: 2/5 OVERALL: 2/5 (Below Average) I was able to fix this by striking the peening on the pommel with a hammer. With further practice though, it became loose again... With some minor improvements this could be a great sword. It needs a thicker tang and a tighter grip over it. The peening could also use a bit of work. I would also recommend that Windlass ship all their swords sharpened...

Generation 2 Irish Hand and a Half Sword I bought the Generation 2 Irish Hand and a Half Sword because I was looking for combat ready swords with a 12 inch grip. When I first laid my eyes on this sword, it looked great, sharp and I loved the design of the Irish Pommel. It was nicely assembled and very light for it's size at around 2.5lbs. Only problem was, when I soon found myself starting to dislike the bowtie crossguard because every time I swung it the points would hit me in the forearm. To avoid this you must keep your wrists stiff and I think that an 'S' style guard would be a better choice... Things got worse though - because after about 200 blows on my tire pell, this sword fell apart, in contrast to some of my other combat ready swords which have survived upwards of 20,000 blows... Soon after this happened, Generation 2 told me that I seemed to have received a bad copy out of the thousands they have sold and that they stand behind their products and would replace it at no charge. THE VERDICT Fit and Finish: 3/5 Handling: 3/5 Structural Integrity: 1/5 Value for Money: 1/5 OVERALL: 2/5 (Below Average) Gen2 recommended a sword with a peened pommel and stated that they are in the process of peening all of their combat ready swords. So in conclusion, a two handed sword places twice as much torque on the handle as a one handed sword so the tang and pin should also be at least twice as thick... EDITORS NOTE:The Generation 2 Irish hand and a half sword has been peened since these test were conducted. It has not, however, been put through any extensive testing since the upgrade.

Generation 2 Black Prince The Black Prince was given to me by Generation 2 as a replacement for the failed Gen 2 Irish Hand and a Half sword that broke during testing. My first impressions of this sword were excellent. This feels like a serious sword that means business. This combat ready swords blade is very sharp and handle had a stout feel to it. It was put together very well and the peening is very tight. I've been testing and practicing with this sword on a tire pell that I constructed and this sword is very solid and a very good cutter. THE VERDICT Fit and Finish: 5/5 Handling: 4/5 Structural Integrity: 5/5 Value for Money: 5/5 OVERALL: 5/5 (BUY IT NOW!) These combat ready swords are tad bit blade heavy but I think that adds to their cutting ability. This is the best of all the combat ready swords in my collection... EDITORS NOTE: I'll second that. The Black Prince is one of my personal favorite medieval beater swords too. If you haven't already, you can read my review of it here Click here for a clip of Bill and the Black Prince in Action

Valiant Armory Dagesse I was inspired to buy this sword from the opening scenes in the movie, Bram Stokers Dracula. My first impressions of this sword was it was fast to wield with a thick handle, barrel shaped grip and very pointy. On the downside, my pinky finger has slipped a few times and a tapered grip would have been preferable. This sword is so tightly constructed I have no idea how they put it together. I don't see any obvious peening or threading. For a 4lb'er it feels light and easy to control because the weight is at the back end. It is a triangle blade if there ever was one. The tip of this combat ready swords blade is pointy but thick too, so you can thrust away and strike. I have seen other pointy combat ready swords with thin tips that tend to bend out of shape if you strike them. This sword is as tough as a Tank but manoeuvres like a motorcycle. All the weight is in the back end so I can reverse direction as if it only weighed 2 lbs. Yet at over 4 lbs when you strike about a third way down the blade you will have the impact of a 4 lb sword. THE VERDICT Fit and Finish: 5/5 Handling: 5/5 Structural Integrity: 5/5 Value for Money: 5/5 OVERALL: 5/5 (BUY IT NOW!) I do not hesitate to cup my off hand over my sword hand in practice when I want to do serious damage. It has survived at least 30,000 strikes on my tire-pell and is just as tight as the day I bought. I just don't know how to break this sword. It's a good sword even for $200. But this sword is under $140. My only complaints. The grip should be tapered. And I think the pommel is unnecessarily heavy. I looked at the original that it is based on and indeed the original has a tapered grip and a smaller pommel. I can't imagine why they made the change they did.

Valiant Armory War Sword I wanted a big bad sword. One capable of bashing heavy armour and shocking the man underneath. This 5 lb'er seemed to fit the bill. It very name said it all - "war sword" - so I bought it. When I first checked it out my first impressions of it was the weight. And while it was supposed to be a hand and a half sword, the grip was so small that if it had a wheel pommel instead of a stopper it would be a one handed sword. Swinging this sword generated a lot of momentum. So much so that it took great force to stop it mid-swing and change direction. Definitely not a duelling sword, it felt like a "war sword". It had a thick parallel blade and a mighty looking pommel for crushing helmets and skull caps. In fact this combat ready swords pommel was a solid looking mace like weapon in itself. This sword gave me the feeling that I could split a man in half on a battlefield. For all its hype this is NO BATTLE READY SWORD. The tang broke in 30 swings on my tyre pell with the huge 2lb pommel falling to the ground with a great thump. And it was then than the wooden grip slid off to reveal a pencil like tang... Valiant Armory should be ashamed of themselves for selling such a sword as battle ready. I can not imagine why they would put such a thin tang on a heavy sword like this. Just look how thick the surrounding wood handle is. They had plenty of room to triple the size of the tang and make the wood handle cover smaller. I tried to contact Valiant but they did not return my email. I then asked the retailer that I bought it from to contact them. They gave him some lame excuse about intended use. To that I say the intended use is war. On the battle field you will encounter many weapons and armour; shields, axes, pikes, maces, etc. A war sword should not break in 30 blows on light rubber... THE VERDICT Fit and Finish: 3/5 Handling: 3/5 Structural Integrity: 1/5 Value for Money: 1/5 OVERALL: 2/5 (Below Average) You never know what you have until you test it. If I had used one of these so called "Combat Ready Swords" on a medieval battlefield against an unarmoured peasant, sure I would have killed him with the sword... But... If I had used this sword against a knight wearing armour, this pathetic excuse for a sword would have broken on the first hit and I would be dead. Never go into battle with an untested weapon.

Valiant Armory Black Prince When I bought this sword, I was looking at some combat ready swords to practice the German longsword style of fighting of Liechtenauer, who I have studied in great detail. This sword was well put together. I felt quick in the hand. The heavy pommel and thick handle made it near 5 lbs but you will not feel it because of its tapered blade and balance. This quick an agile sword served me well for a year and a half. However, it broke after an estimated 25,000 strikes but I can not say this is makes it a failure. We must make a distinction between combat ready swords that break after good service and those that break prematurely. I bought it from by-the-sword.com for $150 and I would consider buying it again. The value is there. One quick note: the wooden grip did show some signs of cracking early on. I am pretty sure it was only a surface crack. I wrapped the wood grip with clear plastic tape to secure it and then I covered the clear plastic tape with masking tape so it is not slippery. I executed at least 15,000 strikes after that so it was not a problem. While I give this sword a thumbs up, Valiant Armory could make this sword so much better with very little additional effort or cost. Just make the tang thicker. They have the room. They can maintain the same exact size by reducing the thickness of the wooden grip. If I could make one more suggestion, it would be to thicken the cross section near the tip blade. While this sword thrusts well into light resistance, the blade folds too much upon thrusting into leather or mail. THE VERDICT Fit and Finish: 4/5 Handling: 4/5 Structural Integrity: 3/5 Value for Money: 4/5 OVERALL: 4/5 (Excellent) I have learned that this is the historical way thrusting combat ready swords were designed. The first 2/3 of the blade from the hilt down had a relatively thinner cross-section to maintain cutting ability. The last 1/3 of the blade near the tip had a thicker cross-section for more effective thrusting. The drawback is that the tip will not be as sharp because it has to push aside more material in the cut, but the tip is moving faster then the rest of the sword which makes up for it. Click here for a clip of the moment this sword broke!

CAS Iberia Lion Heart This was the first sword I bought. I knew little of combat ready swords at the time and saw it on sale so I decided to try it out. At first, it seemed heavy, but I don't think its heavy now. I was not familiar with the cutting style of fighting at that time. I started doing research on the internet reading books and practicing the various swings I learned. The sword seemed rock solid. The blade was thick and the whole hilt, guard, blade were very tightly assembled. But best of all, this sword manoeuvres well in my hand and it's a great cutter. Ideal for sword and shield fighting. It does not fold on thrusting manoeuvres. Thrusting into dense targets is tough because it lacks a tapered point, but it is a cutter after all. THE VERDICT Fit and Finish: 5/5 Handling: 5/5 Structural Integrity: 5/5 Value for Money: 5/5 OVERALL: 4/5 (Excellent) I have hit the tire-pell upwards of 40,000 times by now and is just as tight the day if first got it. This sword must be a very good sword because it was my first sword and it inspired me to study medieval history and warfare further and begin a collecting other combat ready swords. Highly recommended.

Generation 2 Lucerne Sword The Generation 2 Lucerne Sword is the newest addition to my collection of combat ready swords. I have had it for some time now and I am so far pleased with its durability. The sword is a very light and quick thruster. It thrusts very smoothly into the sidewall of my tires. It is by far the best thruster in my collection. Its lightness makes recovering and changing direction very easy. This sword has passed the minimum 2,000 hits on the tire-pell. Given its light design, it does not hit the tire with the same authority as some my other combat ready swords. It requires more force to make a substantial impact. The reverse applies in thrusting. Its pointy and highly tapered point makes it possible to penetrate with less force. The blade, despite seeming thinner then the Valiant Armory Black Prince, folds less on the thrust. THE VERDICT Historical Accuracy: 4/5 Fit and Finish: 5/5 Handling: 5/5 Structural Integrity: 4/5 Value for Money: 5/5 OVERALL: 5/5 (BUY IT NOW!) The sword is light enough to be easily handled with one hand. However handling it and hitting with it are two different things. The sword really needs two hands to make any real impact because there is almost no weight near the tip. I have found that because of its overall thinness, the sword will vibrate if you strike one handed. Holding the sword with two hands brings that vibration under control so it is minimal. This sword does a nice job of combining lightness with durability.