This page is for reviews of places you've bought kit from. Please add your thoughts, but keep any criticism polite and objective as Manny isn't a proper lawyer yet. For more details about what to look for when purchasing weapons, see the buying weapons page.
Ana Period Shoes (UK)
Items sold Shoes (hand- and machine-stitched
URL sales.ana.users.btopenworld.com
Items in Wychwood Lots of us have her budget machine-stitched shoes
Review 1 These are very comfortable indeed at a reasonable cost of around 40 pounds. If treated with care, they will remain in good condition and not wear out easily. (Philipp)
Ancient Battle Crafts (UK)
Items sold Weapons, helmets, clothing & tents
URL www.ancientbattlecrafts.com/armour.htm
Items in Wychwood Bunni has their gambeson
Review 1 My gambeson is great. Much too big and I wouldn't wear it anywhere where they were going to worry about authenticity (the sleeves are longer than my mail's sleeves, which is a Bad Thing). But it was ace at Tintagel, didn't feel a thing. (Bunni)
Arma (Poland)
Items sold Swords
URL www.swords.pl/index.php5?page=AboutUs
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1 I've never actually played with an Arma sword, so can't really comment. But their Viking Swords do look very pretty and I recognise most of the designs as authentic (except the second one down?). (Bunni)
Armchair Armoury (UK)
Items sold Armour, mail rings
URL www.armchair-armoury.co.uk
Items in Wychwood A few members have purchased chainmail rings from Armchair Amroury.
Review 1 AA have a wide range of rings on offer, mostly at a comparatively good prize (5 pounds per thousand for standard 8mm spring steel rings). They can also normally be found at the NLHF. (Philipp)
Armour Class (UK)
Items sold Swords, seaxes, scabbards
URL www.armourclass.co.uk
Items in Wychwood Heid, Ross, Philipp and Freya have Armour Class swords
Review 1 I love my Gilling-style Armour Class. It's beautifully made and very robust. I went for a wider, less tapered blade, which makes it slightly less balanced but more aufentick than swords with the slim blade option. It is relatively heavy. Armour Class weapons are fantastic quality for the prices they charge. I'd buy from them again and definitely recommend them (Freya)
Review 2 The quality of blades is very good indeed, very well balanced, overall light and extremely well hardened - mine still shows only very small marks along the edge even after a year of using it. Furthermore, their design is aesthetically pleasing (=shiny). They offer a wide range of designs suitable for our period. (Philipp)
Asgard Crafts (UK)
Items sold Viking/Celtic/Pictish jewellery, belt fittings, combs and books
URL www.asgardcrafts.co.uk
Items in Wychwood Freya has a pendant from them
Review 1 I was bought a pendant from Asgard Crafts as a present and it is beautifully made (at first I wondered if it had been bought from Fred Ohrstrom). However, it took a looong time to arrive. Looking through their site, their prices are generally very good. (Freya)
Bear Claw Traders (UK)
Items sold Knives, knife blades, helmets, reindeer skins
URL www.bearclawtraders.co.uk
Items in Wychwood
Review 1
Bohemia Beauty (Czech Rep)
Items sold Glassware - copies of a range of historical designs, including at least one Viking glass
URL Coming soon - in the meantime email bohemiabeautyATyahoo.com
Items in Wychwood
Review 1
Danegeld (UK)
Items sold Viking & Saxon silver and bronze work (jewellery, belt fittings, clothes hooks, beads and more). Most pieces are based on actual finds. Commissions taken.
URL www.danegeld.co.uk
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1 I haven't seen any of these in the flesh, but from the photos it looks like he does some really nice work. The enamel brooches in particular are unusual for the reenactor market and look beautiful. I also notice he has made sword fittings for Paul Binns. All relatively high-end work - prices range from £20 to over £300 (Freya)
Dressed to Kill (UK)
Items sold Armour, helmets, polearms
URL www.dressedtokill.freeserve.co.uk
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1 Mainly seems to be stuff for clankies. Their Viking Helmet H12 looks quite fancy tho? (Bunni)
Errant Knight (Australia)
Items sold Weapons, belts, jewellery & occasional pieces of armour.
URL Facebook group
Items in Wychwood None?
The Fabric Shop (London, UK)
Items sold Fabric, duh!
Items in Wychwood 5m white linen, 5m very dark blue wool (Jack)
Review 1 It's simply called 'The Fabric Shop' and is on the High street in Walthamstow. From Walthamstow tube station: leave the station through the bus station, and turn left. Keep going straight on down the High street, all the way past the Sainsbury's. The shop is opposite a store that looks like Tesco's (same lettering) but is called 'Sam'.
The selection is not great, but what is there is very cheap. Possibly needs a few more visits to try and find out what else they have in stock. The biggest problem is finding proper colours, although it should be a good source for cheap (but good quality) linen that would only need a bit of dying. (Jack)
Fire Dog Forge (Australia)
Items sold Leather stuff, jewellery, weapons, helmets, shields, knives, etc.
URL www.firedogforge.com
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1
Freedom Enterprises (UK)
Items sold Weapons, rivets
URL www.shieldandsapphire.co.uk
Items in Wychwood
Review 1
Get Dressed For Battle (UK)
Items sold Armour, helmets, weapons, clothes, camp kit, shoes
URL www.gdfb.co.uk
Items in Wychwood Dom, Philipp and John (?) have axe heads from GDFB
Review 1 They have a decent selection of weapons etc., mostly at very a very reasonable cost. In particular, would like to recommend the small (and extremely light) axe heads. (Philipp)
Review 2 Their armour range is well known and decent, but has a reputation for being quite heavy. Merely passing rumours on here, I don't actually know first hand. (Ferny)
Gothic Green Oak (UK)
Items sold Games and dice
URL www.gothicgreenoak.co.uk
Items in Wychwood
Review 1
Grumpy Old Charcoal Burner (UK)
Items sold Ironmongery, tents
URL www.gocb.co.uk
Items in Wychwood
Review 1
Handfaste (Sweden)
Items sold Clothing patterns, jewellery, games. Also knives, scissors and other ironmongery but these aren't on the website
URL www.handfaste.se
Items in Wychwood
Review 1Nice jewellery and the ironmongery is an absolute bargain. I really put this on, however, for the clothing patterns they sell. The instructions are in Swedish but, well, they do have pictures (Freya)
Heron Armoury (UK)
Items sold Weapons, Swords, Helmets
URL heronarmoury.co.uk
Items in Wychwood seaxes (Manny & Phillip)
Review 1 Very hardy blades, generally quite thick and heavy. Herons are identifiable by the heron stamp at the base of the blade. (Manny)
Historic Shoes (UK)
Items sold Shoes
URL www.historic-shoes.co.uk
Items in Wychwood Bunni has their AS1
Review 1 Bit too large for me, and the antler toggle was made of plastic. Cheap, tho! It's best to email them and find out what shoes they currently have in stock tho rather than trying to use their website, Wychwooders have had several problems with this before. (Bunni)
Historical Shoes (UK)
Items sold Shoes
URL www.np-historicalshoes.com or craftmaker.co.uk page
Items in Wychwood
Review 1 Looked pretty good - fairly pricey, but all made-to-measure from veg/bark-tanned leather and hand stitched, with a choice of soles. Based on archaeological finds. (Freya)
House of De Clifford (UK)
Items sold Furs and skins
URL www.houseofdeclifford.co.uk
Items in Wychwood
Review 1 A fantastic selection of furs, skins and blankets to keep you warm. Things worth noting: a) they sell chrome-tanned sheepskins which are - wait for it - machine washable! b) Dave will give you lots of useful advice such as why reindeer skin isn't suitable for sleeping on and how to prepare a rabbit skin. c) Their £1 scraps bucket makes me inordinately happy (Freya)
ISCA Hardwoods (UK)
Items sold Native hardwoods, modern carving and turning tools.
URL www.iscahardwoods.com
Items in Wychwood
Review 1
Jelling Dragon (UK)
Items sold Weapons, shields and armour
URL www.jelldragon.com
Items in Wychwood Jacco has a Jelling Dragon sword, as well as some of their pendants.
Review 1
Kokoszowa Manufaktura (Poland)
Items sold Arms, gambesons, maille (rivetted), clothing)
URL www.kokoszowamanufaktura.eu/en/
Items in Wychwood
Review 1
Kovex-ARS (Czech Rep)
Items sold Weapons, shields and armour
URL www.kovex-ars.cz
Items in Wychwood Two swords with lobed pommels. Manny has one of their hand-and-a-halfs. Bunni has a more blocky tri-lobe. Philipp has a sharp eating knife.
Review 1 Personally I would only buy from Kozex at a market where it's possible to pick up the weapons. The two swords we have in WW were bought mail-order and, while very well-made, are also very heavy. This apparently is not true of all their stock so do check out their goods if you see them in the flesh, as it were. (Freya)
Review 2 God their weapons look cool. Brutal and hardcore, seriously heavy metal. None of this pretty shiny stuff, these look like WEAPONS. They don't half make you tired using them, tho. (Bunni)
Review 3 The swords that belong to Wychwood are rather heavy and poorly balanced and are not to be recommended. However, in general their items are of good quality and if bought at a market should not disappoint. I have a very nice sharp knife with an antler handle that came with ready made leather sheath for a very reasonable 25 Euros (15 pounds). (Philipp)
Lancasters Armourie (UK)
Items sold Swords, armour
URL www.lancasters-armourie.co.uk
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1 They also run the full-contact tournaments Manny does. (Bunni)
Mercia Sveiter (UK)
Items sold Cast bronze and silver items, weapons, armour, horn goods
URL www.re-enactment.biz
Items in Wychwood
Review 1 The place for cast bronzes (scabbard mounts, belt fittings etc). They have an enormous range of items and are excellent to deal with. I liked the fact that when I emailed my enquiry they rooted around and also found the chape design I wanted in another size, just in case I'd prefer that one - which I did. Also, their items are much shinier than they appear in the photos. (Freya)
Michael J King (UK)
Items sold Really really pretty musical instruments
URL www.michaeljking.com
Items in Wychwood None
Review 1
Montague Heritage Services (Eire)
Items sold Nice camping equipment, jewellery, clothes, plus all the GDFB stuff.
URL www.montague.ie
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1
Nordulf Professional Reconstructions (Poland)
Items sold Primarily Viking jewellery, belt fitting, pendants, buttons … .
URL [http://www.nordulf.net]
Items in Wychwood Philipp has some belt studs and some nice kaftan buttons in the Birka 716 style.
Review 1 I bought some belt studs from Dariusz at the NLHF. The stuff he sells is all directly based on archaeological finds (and he will tell you which ones) and so authenticity is guaranteed. He's slightly on the expensive side, but also seems to provide good quality products. I have also got myself some buttons since and they are very nice. But those of you who came to his talk know him anyway. (Philipp)
Pasadena (Sweden)
Items sold Sami knives, clothes, spoons, cups etc
URL www.pasadena.se
Items in Wychwood None.
Review 1 Ohhh the pretty knives… if you have a hundred quid to spare, the tiny hand-forged Sami knives are the stuff of dreams. (Freya)
Paul Binns Swords (UK)
Items sold Swords and other weapons
URL www.paul-binns-swords.co.uk
Items in Wychwood 1 sword (now lost?), Bunni has their langsaex, axe and a nice 12" saex.
Review 1 Light, fast, deadly. And very pretty. Binns is undoubtably one of the best swordsmiths in the UK. Also he's good at making precisely what you want. Sadly, this means he's very popular. The waiting list can last A Very Long Time. Still, a great person to buy stuff off at the Re-enactors Market. (Bunni)
Review 2 Also note that Binns is currently doing Chrome Vanadium steel blades cheaper and quicker than the EN45 ones. (Manny)
Pavel Moc (Czech Republic)
Items sold Exceedingly pretty swords
URL www.swords.cz/enindex.html
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1
Raymond's Quiet Press (US)
Items sold Jewellery, belt buckles, sissors, tweezers, helmets
URL www.quietpress.com
Items in Wychwood Shelagh has some of his jewellery and he has a very good reputation.
Review 1
Robin Wood (UK)
Items sold Hand made plates, bowls and spoons
URL [http://www.robin-wood.co.uk]
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1 He claims to be the only person in the UK to be using the traditional pole lathe to create bowls. He has some very pretty bowls, plates and spoons, but all rather expensive (which is why Claire and I didn't buy any). He had a stall at TORM MT 2007. (Ferny)
Spirit of the Fens (UK)
Items sold Leather goods
URL None. Tel: 07951 510242
Items in Wychwood Freya's boar pouch
Review 1 Beautiful tooled, carved and inlaid leatherwork, some of the nicest quality I've seen. I plan to use my pouch as a handbag when in civvies! (Freya)
Steve Dunford Ironwork (UK)
Items sold Ironwork (triopds, chains, firboxes, spits, tools, spearheads, trivets…manacles…)
URL www.darzet.com/IRON
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1
Tillerman Beads (UK)
Items sold Beads. Lots and lots of lampwork beads.
URL www.tillermanbeads.co.uk
Items in Wychwood
Review 1
Time Warrior (UK)
Items sold Shoes, mail, helmets, swords
URL www.timewarrior.org.uk/trader.html
Items in Wychwood Freya's toggle boots
Review 1 The boots I got from Time Warrior are ace. Not strictly authentic, as they have a hard sole nailed on, but they are very sturdy and very comfortable. (Freya)
Traditional Materials (UK)
Items sold Crafty stuff- tools, leather, other raw materials
URL www.traditionalmaterials.co.uk
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1
Travelling Fred (Sweden)
Items sold Bronze and silver jewellery, belt fittings etc.
URL None - email travellingfredAThotmail.com or ask Freya for his catalogue
Items in Wychwood
Review 1 I met this guy at a market in Sweden and he makes the most beautiful bronze and silver accessories. The craftsmanship of his items is fantastic - lovely clean shapes with clear decoration. I've never seen this quality for such a good price in the UK. I wanted to buy everything he had, but in the end limited myself to two bronze pendants for around £8 each. He doesn't have a website, but will email you a catalogue if you contact him. (n.b. for purists, silver items are marked 925 on the back). (Freya)
Twist Fibre Craft (UK)
Items sold Crafty stuff- tools, dyes
URL www.twistfibrecraft.co.uk
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1 I've bought dyestuffs for myself and wool for Katy from Twist Fibre Craft, and they're fast, reliable and well priced. (Freya)
Review 2 URL [http://www.twistfibrecraft.co.uk/felt/felt.html]
(scroll down almost to the bottom; they also sell wool for spinning)
Heather, indigo, madder, weld, walnut and oak are all suitable, authenticity wise.
For the mordants: alum brightens colours, iron deepens them. Rusty nails can be used in place of shop-bought iron.
-info from Freya (posted by Ferny)
Urweg Museum Replicas (US)
Items sold Jewellery, puches, belts, salt containers, whetstones, combs
URL www.urweg.com
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1 These look like beautifully-crafted artefacts and most are, as the name of the company suggests, replicas of archaeological finds. Stock ranges from smaller, very competitively-priced items (but n.b. postage costs) to maximum bling. Commissions taken. (Freya)
Viking Crafts (UK)
Items sold Weapons, armour, leatherwork, shoes, accessories
URL www.vikingcrafts.co.uk
Items in Wychwood 4 spangenhelms, Freya's Swedish style spun helmet, Bunni's boots and hand-beaten early Viking helmet
Review 1 Excellent, friendly service and good quality products. Their shoes are handmade to order using a drawing of your foot. (Freya)
Review 2 Really friendly people, really good stuff. Hurrah! Their beaten helmets are so damn cool. And their shoes are very stylish, although they came out a bit big because I drew my foot too big… (Bunni)
Viking Resources (Various)
Items sold Market for various vendors selling socks, tablet weave, fabric, jewellery, arrows, stonework, coins, musical instruments…
URL www.viking-resources.co.uk
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1
Viking Shield (USA)
Items sold Shields, helmets, mail, weapons, jewellery, clothes, shoes
URL www.viking-shield.com
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1
VW Runa (Sweden)
Items sold Runestones (i.e. big ones to tell the tale of how you perished at sea, or to stick near a bridge you've just built, not small ones for jewellery or fortune-telling…)
URL None - email vwrunaATteliaDOTse
Items in Wychwood None
Review 1 I saw this guy working at a living history display at Gamla Uppsala and his work is beautiful and vibrant. We also had an interesting chat about authentic pigments. Not sure about shipping/excess baggage charges though ;) (Freya)
White Rose Armoury (UK)
Items sold Armour, helmets
URL www.whiterosearmoury.co.uk
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1
Wieland Forge (Jason Green) (UK)
Items sold Handforged ironwork - cooking items, knives, arrowheads, brooches etc
URL www.wielandforge.co.uk
Items in Wychwood Freya's cauldron, Shelagh's skillet
Review 1 His cauldrons were so beautiful that there was no way I could resist buying one. His handiwork was all well-made and fairly-priced (Freya)
Wight Leather Craft (UK)
Items sold Leather items
URL www.wightleathercraft.co.uk
Items in Wychwood
Review 1
Wm. Booth, Draper (US)
Items sold Fabric (linen, wool, silk), linen thread of many colours
URL www.wmboothdraper.com
Items in Wychwood None?
Review 1This is aimed at 18th Century reenactors, so do check weaves and colours for Dark Age authenticity before buying.
