So. The story goes that Danelli Armouries has been bringing out an “Entry Level” line of high-quality but (relatively) affordable practice swords over the last couple of years or so. Late last year I asked them about whether they had any plans of making a shorter version of their (then-)prototype feder model since most of the types available on the market right now feel a little overwhelming for my puny 160cm frame. The answer was in the affirmative, and they even offered me the opportunity to purchase the shorter model’s prototype when it came out since they were already going to make one regardless of whether I bought it or not. I had had the chance to briefly handle some of their products when Ilkka Hartikainen brought some of their sideswords to a Bolognese swordsmanship seminar in Singapore in 2015 and I was rather impressed by their handling qualities, so of course I jumped at the opportunity to get ahead of Danelli’s long waiting list (just over one year long at the time of writing). To make a long story short, despite some weird glitches in the shipping company’s tracking system and some bureaucratic red tape on the Indonesian end (none of Danelli’s fault), the sword arrived safe and sound in August 2016 with no more than some minor and understandable delays to the delivery schedule.
Sorry for the lack of a seamless white background or something. All I had was a backyard and even then I had to pick photographs that didn’t show the laundry line or some other embarrassing feature of domestic life. Anyway, let’s have an overall picture of the sword first.
sillynewsboy 