This 42 and a half inch long fencing foil with leather wrapped scabbard and stainless steel blade is suitable for display or light theatrical work, but a serious fencing enthusiast would choose a spring steel counterpart. The sporting blade would likely not have the style and good looks of this rapier, though. The lightweight but ornate hilt shows some of the intricate thought that went into the Gentleman’s sword, the weapon of choice for many duels among the upper classes in Rennaissance Europe. Every type of sword embodies the thought of its parent culture; the rapier shows the scientific outlook of the Europe of that period, respecting finesse and skill rather than brute strength. That might not have been the way wars were conducted back then, but the rapier had its own more refined arena. A skilled fencer can still make a fool out of many modern soldiers, on that more limited battleground.
Stainless steel is a new development, however, and even if your intent is theatrical rather than combative you should not expect the same miracles from stainless steel you might expect from a combat quality blade. If your fights are on the stage, you still need something closer to the real thing.
If your fights are in the mind, and you want something that looks good on display, this is a good choice. Some of us (I’m guilty) collect things we’ll never actually use. Stainless is fine for that. I know which of the swords on my wall are real, and I’m the only one who needs to know that.
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