Sorry I'm so slow getting back into this, but if it's not too late, I'd like to cover hilt strength for just a moment.
Hilt strength is every bit as important as blade strength when it comes to choosing an actual "User" rapier.
For a sword intended to be displayed at the side of a gentleman at court, the fine and pretty work of an elegantly wrought hilt served his purposes well. It gave the impression of wealth and taste as did everything else he wore in the presense of his fellow nobles.
However, in combat, those fine and pretty hilts were soon bashed to pieces and it's owner left holding a wrecked sword no longer capable of combat!
As with the period duelist, I see this happen occasionally to modern Rapier duellists. I've seen all sorts of sword failures. Blades snapped in half while parrying a hard blow, improperly tempered blades being horribly bent in the heat of "battle" and I've seen hilts almost disintegrate under the pounding punishment of regular dueling, leaving the swordsman holding a mess of battered sword parts and an unsecure (UNSAFE) blade.
There are many weld points on a rapier hilt, and obviously the more intricate the hilt design, the more weld points there are. Each of these points is a possible weak point in the hilt and great care must be exercised when assembling and welding the hilt.
Darkwood makes a VERY strong, very tough hilt, giving great attention to all welds and using good quality steel for those parts but unless you pay the extra hundreds of dollars for the "museum quality finish" it's going to look a little rough. I think of the standard finish grades as "Munitions Grade" finish. Very strong, very durable, but not something you'd have seen in the hands of a Captain of Musketeers.
(Although a Private of Musketeers would have been very very happy to own one!)
Del Tin offers the more intricate and perhaps delicate hilt designs, and they are EXTREMELY well made. (Take nothing I say here as a derogatory statement about Del Tin) However they are not QUITE as robust as Darkwood hilts are. I've never seen a Del Tin hilt fail, but they do seem to suffer a bit more wear and tear than Darkwood hilts do.
I've seen a few Museum Replicas (MRL) hilts get torn apart. Particularly the MRL Pappenheimer rapier. The pierced plate of the MRL Pap is not overly sturdy and I have seen sword tips get into these piercings and rip them up pretty good.
Hanwei rapiers are on a slightly better level, however QC is "hit and miss" on the Hanweis it seems. My Hanwei Pap has a few dents and dings, but after God knows how many duels, there are no broken welds and the pierced plate remains intact. (If somewhat banged up.) However I have seen others with major structural components snapped, cracked, or bent out of shape by the trauma of constant battle.
Windlass Steelcrafts, (AKA Deepeeka) hilts seem to fare the worst of the lot, with quillon arms snapping off or being horribly bent out of shape from hard impacts, and worst of all, the chrome plating being quickly chipped off from blade contact, leaving the swordsman with a sword of OBVIOUSLY non-period construction. (If you are a Living Historian, this is an important factor.)
Charles,
Del Tin is an excellent choice for you. If you wish to get out and practice with a "straw man" or hang it on your wall, or even one day find a group and learn the "Arte of the Duel" you will be well equipped.
Enjoy!
