Six Week Impressions: Kvetun FFG Feder
Introduction:
If you're not interested in my blah blah but still want an opinion on the sword, there will be a pro and contra list at the end of the Post, as well as a comprehensive list of stats.
For a bit more than half a year I'm now able to call this beauty my own, sadly I was forced due to health issues to stop training for a couple of months. Roughly six weeks ago the sword was finally deflowered and when it comes to reviews more is well more, so I thought I'll post my thoughts on this sword.
As a quick disclaimer: this is my first steel Feder/longsword and I would consider myself very much a beginner, so my apologies in advance if I don't notice something that a more experienced fencer would notice immediately. Furthermore, this sword has yet to be tested in a high-intensity sparring context, this is why this is more of an impression and not a full on review.
One more thing I would like to mention in advance as well is just how fantastic Kvetun is to deal with as a company, their customer service is utterly amazing. They were always extremely friendly and quick to respond to my questions and answered them very thoroughly.
Price:
A quick info-dump if you so will on the price category this sword is in, the sword itself is very affordable, at 220€, but depending where you live the cost might increase quite drastically. Kvetun Armoury is based in Russia and thusly shipping to central Europe (and I imagine other places like North America as well) can be quite expensive - especially once you figure in customs duties. After shipping, customs duties and PayPal fee were applied I paid roughly 340€ for it. If you, like me, live within the EU this is considerably more than a similar sword made by Peter Regenyei would cost you. But when it comes to judging bang-for-buck I'm going to judge the sword without additional fees, so at 220€, as these might vary from place to place.
Speaking of Regenyei I will compare this Feder quite a lot to Regenyei's standard Feder, mainly for two reasons before I got this sword I was using that Feder as a loaner and it's also, for a very good reason, one of the most, if not the most, used Feder one the market.
Order Process and Shipping:
I ordered the Feder on the 4th of August 2018 through their Facebook page, as their homepage was still under construction at the time. Now you can choose through which you want to order. The only default customisation option at the time was the colour of the leather grip, which can be pretty much anything you want. Now you have the choice between a leather wrap and a cord wrap for the handle. As for the cord, the only colour available at the time of this post is black.
Whilst these are the only base options, which are a bit more limited than what Regenyei offers - but in contrast, none of these come at an extra charge. Furthermore, from what I've seen in the comments of some of their Facebook posts, they charge very reasonable fees for non-standard options.
At the time I did not go for any customisation as I was not really sure what I wanted so I decided to go with something more tried and true, If I were to order again I probably would go for some changes - more on that latter.
Once the Order was placed the sword was done by the 1st of September. After I paid for my Feder the sword was sent out the following week. It finally was in its new home on the 1st of October.
To say that the sword was done quickly would be an understatement as most of the time it spent in shipping and in customs. That said by now, probably due to high demand, the waiting time increased to 6 weeks, starting from the 1st or 15th of every month. Whilst this is not as ridiculous than the four weeks from before, it is still a lot faster than many other manufacturers out there.
But let's finally get to the meat of this "review":
First Impression:
The first impression, after I got this thing out of it's, almost too, well-packaged container, was overwhelmingly positive. I did not get the more industrial feel that you get with Regenyei or Berbekucz sword, I actually felt a lot more reminded of something like the "entry level" swords Danelli Armouries used to sell - and I would say the craftsmanship is looking for it's equal in this price category.
The cross and pommel come at a very high polish, I wouldn't quite call it a mirror polish, but it's certainly not satin finish anymore - there might be a word for it but it sadly escapes me. The blade itself I would call a satin finish which creates a nice contrast to the hilt.
The sword is not overly flexible, as some of the Pavel Moc Feders are, but also not overly stiff like Blackhorse Blades. For my personal taste, it pretty much hits the sweet spot. I would say it is on the stiffer end of medium stiffness, so in between the Regenyei Medium and Strong blades.
The point is rolled back and comes to about 10mm*8mm, so not the most surface area that's out there but also not the smallest, personally would tip it with thick leather or something.
I would have preferred a thickened tip since it gives you more of a feeling in point, but that is very much my personal taste.
The sword is not overly flexible, as some of the Pavel Moc Feders are, but also not overly stiff like Blackhorse Blades. For my personal taste, it pretty much hits the sweet spot. I would say it is on the stiffer end of medium stiffness, so in between the Regenyei Medium and Strong blades.
The point is rolled back and comes to about 10mm*8mm, so not the most surface area that's out there but also not the smallest, personally would tip it with thick leather or something.
I would have preferred a thickened tip since it gives you more of a feeling in point, but that is very much my personal taste.
Even back then I could not resist the urge to take this sword out for a couple of swings, despite my injured shoulder. I know very responsible of me - but let's be honest at least some of you would have done the same.
Well, so how was it? One word: marvellous. The sword is very nimble, it changes directions very precisely and without too much effort. But despite the nimbleness, the sword has in inert forward-drive, it just wants to move.
In its ease of movement, I personally see potentially a double-edged sword, pun maybe intended. Since it is very easy to accelerate and decelerate the sword - you can get away without proper form and biomechanics. This could be a serious problem for beginners that have to learn without a proper instructor, I fear that this might enhance bad habits that you're likely to have even further.
"But how does it behave in contact with other swords," you ask? Well don't worry, imaginary person who I introduced to break up the monotony of my writing I'm here to answer this. Both in paired drilling and light(er) gear free-play the sword performed tremendously well. In the first practice, the Kvetun needed to go up against the godfather of Federswords - the Regenyei Standard.
And it really proofed its metal (again pun maybe intended) in this face off.
Swords were, of course, exchanged so I know how it feels to fence with and against the Kvetun FFG Feder. And I would argue that it is very much equal if not superior to Hungarian titan. It seems to feel a bit more "lively" in the hand and has a bit more presence in the bind. But it is not as much of a monster in the bind as something like the Trnava Feder or the Aureus Swoosh.
And despite the good bind presence, I felt that executing devices, in the bind, that are more typical of the earlier Liechtenauer tradition, was a bit more difficult. That said, this something I struggle with a lot with a Feder with a long blade and handle, and not unique to this particular sword.
On the other hand, more "renaissancey" devices - such as Meyer's Doplieren, Windhauw or Außreissen felt very natural. In general, I feel that this sword is more at home in the renaissance martial arts rather than the medieval ones.
One thing to be said is that this sword is certainly a Feder and behaves like one, it does not give you the same kind of feeling you get with a blunt or a more swordy Feder like the Aureus. This is not a negative in my opinion, it's just something you want to be aware of when buying and practising with this sword.
Size is also something to consider, this is quite a big sword and for smaller people, like myself, it could function very well as a simulator for Marozzo's "Spada da due Mane". This is less of a criticism and more of an observation to be aware of.
I can not really speak to its longevity yet but after about 25ish hours of steel vs steel I don't see a lot of damage on the blade, there are a couple of minor dings and dongs but nothing out of the ordinary, I would actually say quite the opposite - it seems to hold up better than some other Feders in the club with similar service time.
Sadly the leather wrap of the grip seems to be quite thin and not the strongest either. The grip colour also does seem to discolour quite quickly. That being said Kvetun now offers an option for the sword to come with black cord wrapping, and that is probably what I would recommend.
Well, so how was it? One word: marvellous. The sword is very nimble, it changes directions very precisely and without too much effort. But despite the nimbleness, the sword has in inert forward-drive, it just wants to move.
In its ease of movement, I personally see potentially a double-edged sword, pun maybe intended. Since it is very easy to accelerate and decelerate the sword - you can get away without proper form and biomechanics. This could be a serious problem for beginners that have to learn without a proper instructor, I fear that this might enhance bad habits that you're likely to have even further.
After Six Weeks:
Time skip forwards to a couple of months later. My shoulder is reasonably healed up and I got the okay from the doctor to train again. So of to H.E.M.A. practice! Well on the way to class I noticed a minor inconvenience that comes with the sword: It's bloody long, simply putting it on the backseats of my mates' car wasn't an option. Unfortunately, I only noticed this after I slammed the door shut, and the tip punctured a hole into the interioir panelling of my mates' car door.
But minor acts of destruction aside my first impressions proofed to be true in solo-drilling - it is just a joy to move around, everyone I lend the Feder to, also seems to have similar impressions. But as mentioned earlier my concerns came true and I've noticed how my form was a lot sloppier than when I used blunts or a more forward balanced Federschwert, but thanks to the watchful eyes and swearing (very friendly and instructional swearing) of the instructor this got corrected rather fast."But how does it behave in contact with other swords," you ask? Well don't worry, imaginary person who I introduced to break up the monotony of my writing I'm here to answer this. Both in paired drilling and light(er) gear free-play the sword performed tremendously well. In the first practice, the Kvetun needed to go up against the godfather of Federswords - the Regenyei Standard.
And it really proofed its metal (again pun maybe intended) in this face off.
Swords were, of course, exchanged so I know how it feels to fence with and against the Kvetun FFG Feder. And I would argue that it is very much equal if not superior to Hungarian titan. It seems to feel a bit more "lively" in the hand and has a bit more presence in the bind. But it is not as much of a monster in the bind as something like the Trnava Feder or the Aureus Swoosh.
And despite the good bind presence, I felt that executing devices, in the bind, that are more typical of the earlier Liechtenauer tradition, was a bit more difficult. That said, this something I struggle with a lot with a Feder with a long blade and handle, and not unique to this particular sword.
On the other hand, more "renaissancey" devices - such as Meyer's Doplieren, Windhauw or Außreissen felt very natural. In general, I feel that this sword is more at home in the renaissance martial arts rather than the medieval ones.
One thing to be said is that this sword is certainly a Feder and behaves like one, it does not give you the same kind of feeling you get with a blunt or a more swordy Feder like the Aureus. This is not a negative in my opinion, it's just something you want to be aware of when buying and practising with this sword.
Size is also something to consider, this is quite a big sword and for smaller people, like myself, it could function very well as a simulator for Marozzo's "Spada da due Mane". This is less of a criticism and more of an observation to be aware of.
I can not really speak to its longevity yet but after about 25ish hours of steel vs steel I don't see a lot of damage on the blade, there are a couple of minor dings and dongs but nothing out of the ordinary, I would actually say quite the opposite - it seems to hold up better than some other Feders in the club with similar service time.
Sadly the leather wrap of the grip seems to be quite thin and not the strongest either. The grip colour also does seem to discolour quite quickly. That being said Kvetun now offers an option for the sword to come with black cord wrapping, and that is probably what I would recommend.
Would I buy this sword again?
Yes and no. There is nothing objectively wrong, besides the thin leather but there is a cord wrap option now, that would keep from ordering this exact sword again. But some subjective ones: I would ask to have the hilt and blade shortened, by about 3 cm and 5 cm respectively, to fit my size and personal preference more. I also would ask for a waisted grip, as I prefer that aesthetically as well as a swollen tip instead of a rolled one. But these are all very subjective things and things I knew going in. So in my opinion, if you don't mind or prefer these design choices - go for it. You won't find a better bang-for-buck at the moment.
This sword gets 4.5 Flat using Meyers out of 5 from me!
Pro and Cons:
Pro:
- Amazing Bang-for-Buck
- Very nimble and quick
- Stronger presence in the bind than similar swords (Regenyei Standard, VB Standard etc.)
- Friendly Customer Service
Con:
- Grip-leather very thin
- Potentially high custom and shipping fees
- Depending on the Person it could lead to bad posture.
Stats (Taken from Manufacturer):
- Price: 220
- Warranty: 1 year
- The spring structural steel: 60S2A
- Crossguard steel: 45.
- Treatment: Isothermal annealing
- Hardness:: HRC 47-50
- Total length: 1330 mm
- Blade length: 1050 mm
- Handle length: 275 mm
- Blade length with ricasso: 1050 mm
- Width of crosspiece: 260 mm
- Blade width: 58 mm at the cross, 12 mm at the tip
- Blade width in ricasso: 5 mm
- Width of the shield: 60 mm near cross, 80 mm top
- Thickness of ricasso: base 58 mm, widest part 80 mm
- Blade weight: 920 gr
- Balance: 60 mm from the cross
- Bending: 1.25 kg weight gives 105 mm bend
- Attachment: peened
- Weight: 1600 gr.
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