Back of the Envelope calculations - boffer swords edition
So, a friend of mine up in Springfield asked me to make him a set of three
speed bats, two <36" long, one <48" long. I dug through my "Armored Cat
Productions" receipt (in)box and came up with some prices I paid for
materials (fiberglass cores, microcell foams 0.5" and 0.25" thick, 1/8"
volara, and 0.5" thick ~3# eva), did some calculations, threw in some slough
to account for adhesives and the fiddlier bits such as counterweighting, and
I figure that, just for the materials, a ~33" long speedbat with 1.125" of
padding, stabbing tip, and ~23" of striking surface on it would cost about
$20, not including labor. Now, the materials to do just an unfinished
foam-padded stick (with stabbing tip) would be right about $10 (I did say I
put some 'ease' into the fiddly bits about the handle and pommel...). The
longer one would likely run ~$5 more (so $25 for finished, $15 for padded
stick, you cover it and finish the handle and pommel, labor not included).
If I were to do anything advanced (cross guards, decorative pommel,
plastidip, etc) the price would go up a LOT, but that stuff is mostly labor
and more labor. I'm not sure how the labor would run, but as a rule my "me"
time is worth ~$10 an hour (as a rule of thumb, I take my professional
hourly wage and divide by two, then I factor in "how much I enjoy [or not]
doing this"). For reference, a complete Edhellen Long Broadsword (same
overall length, more striking surface, less handle, no stabbing tip) runs
$30 plus shipping, but they buy in bulk, have stream-lined production, and
they have specialized equipment (double-edged sword - more efficient
production, greater sunk costs). A Warlord Sports Tough, Weighted 33"
speedbat is ~$30 + S&H as well, and they have most of the same amendments as
Edhellen.
Long story short - why the Hell am I not just buying my blue swords from
Edhellan and/or Warlord Sports (at events, where the shipping does not
apply)?
tl;dr - Nice looking swords made with good foams on good cores are not
cheap. If you want cheap, stick to PVC and blue camp pad. Labor is a good
half of the cost of commercially made boffer swords. Labor will be a good
2/3 to 3/4 of the cost of anything I make.
speed bats, two <36" long, one <48" long. I dug through my "Armored Cat
Productions" receipt (in)box and came up with some prices I paid for
materials (fiberglass cores, microcell foams 0.5" and 0.25" thick, 1/8"
volara, and 0.5" thick ~3# eva), did some calculations, threw in some slough
to account for adhesives and the fiddlier bits such as counterweighting, and
I figure that, just for the materials, a ~33" long speedbat with 1.125" of
padding, stabbing tip, and ~23" of striking surface on it would cost about
$20, not including labor. Now, the materials to do just an unfinished
foam-padded stick (with stabbing tip) would be right about $10 (I did say I
put some 'ease' into the fiddly bits about the handle and pommel...). The
longer one would likely run ~$5 more (so $25 for finished, $15 for padded
stick, you cover it and finish the handle and pommel, labor not included).
If I were to do anything advanced (cross guards, decorative pommel,
plastidip, etc) the price would go up a LOT, but that stuff is mostly labor
and more labor. I'm not sure how the labor would run, but as a rule my "me"
time is worth ~$10 an hour (as a rule of thumb, I take my professional
hourly wage and divide by two, then I factor in "how much I enjoy [or not]
doing this"). For reference, a complete Edhellen Long Broadsword (same
overall length, more striking surface, less handle, no stabbing tip) runs
$30 plus shipping, but they buy in bulk, have stream-lined production, and
they have specialized equipment (double-edged sword - more efficient
production, greater sunk costs). A Warlord Sports Tough, Weighted 33"
speedbat is ~$30 + S&H as well, and they have most of the same amendments as
Edhellen.
Long story short - why the Hell am I not just buying my blue swords from
Edhellan and/or Warlord Sports (at events, where the shipping does not
apply)?
tl;dr - Nice looking swords made with good foams on good cores are not
cheap. If you want cheap, stick to PVC and blue camp pad. Labor is a good
half of the cost of commercially made boffer swords. Labor will be a good
2/3 to 3/4 of the cost of anything I make.