Danelli Armouries, basic rapier and custom pappenheimer review.

Yesterday I took possession of 6 basic model, and my personal pappenheimer rapier from Marco Danelli, and I wanted to go over a few things about the weapons, and the experience of dealing with Marco. Customer service, this may be a strange one to start with, but it needs mentioning here because... At every single point of dealing with Marco I have been kept in the loop. If there is a delay which may affect the items delivery time, I was let know, if there was anything to do with materials, I was let know. I was made welcome at his workshop and my thoughts commented on with honestly and clarity as to if (or not) that option was possible or wise...In one word, fantastic. The basic rapiers. These are 42” bladed, cup hilts, the cups are rolled and fastened by two screws, the screws are hard to put in, which made or a lot of swearing till we realised they are angled slightly to hold the cups better and more firmly in place. There is plenty of room between the cup, rings and cross, for varied grips (one or two fingers over, Fabris, or flat up Thibault), without any discomfort. In fact comfort is very much a feature in even these, the basic models, The blades are hollow ground and widen to toward the tip and feature a very good distal taper which helps the handling even more. Handling. Stunning. I can say no more.

The pappenheimer. The blade is wider than the basic model but features a lot of the same characteristics, again 42” strong distal taper and thickened tip. Obviously the weight is a feature, but it is just that an additional presence in the blade, but offering no detriment in handling. It is beautiful to use, and has that same exceptional comfort in the hand that is a feature of Marco's work. The quillons and shell, are well finished, with the hammer marks left on the inside of the pierced plates as a mutually agreed aesthetic touch. Handling. A little heavier in the hand than the basic models, but it's what I asked for and what I like. Fantastic. Overall. I haven't mentioned money here, my feeling is I got much more than I paid for. If you look at comparable items on the market I think these win hands down. Their handling is superior to any other rapiers I've played with. And dealing with Marco is a delight. I will be buying much more from him in the future.

Danelli armouries click here:  http://www.danelliarmouries.com/