Cut & Thrust side sword or Rapier? I'm finding conflicting info - please help

[Sullivans Bastard]

The sword & main gauche arrived today.  

First impressions-

Sword:

Gorgeous piece of steel.
Comfortable in the hand.
Everything feels tight around the handle & hilt.
Reasonably edge sharp from the fuller end to point, but I feel some small rough spots (edge burr not removed?) and I am going to give it a stroke or two with an Arkansas stone.
Scabbard is a tight fit to the blade and has no rattles.

Main gauche:

Comfortable in the hand.
Everything feels tight around the handle & hilt.
The pointy end is VERY pointy, but there is no edge sharpness.  This is standard and I was aware of this feature beforehand.
The scabbard is a loose fit and the dagger rattles around inside the scabbard badly.  Holding the dagger by the grip and shaking a couple of times will walk the scabbard right off the blade.  the dagger falls out of the scabbard if held by the scabbard & tipped "handle down" more than about 30 degrees from horizontal.

[Lady von Groper]

Congrats on a nice pair of swords, sir!  I know I was just as fidgety after I ordered my rapier and associated armor earlier this year.

I would assume that since almost all RenFaires have a weapons policy (must be peace tied at all times), the problem with your main gauche not wanting to stay in the scabbard could be an easy solve.  It may take a bit more to tie it in as an extra measure.  As far as the rattling, how about wrapping a piece of leather around where it rattles (either on the blade or the scabbard)?  Will that tighten it up?

Also, I just use fine grit sandpaper to get rid of burrs on my blade.  Then sword wax to keep it from rusting.

Be sure to post photos when you get your whole outfit completed.  Looking forward to it!

[madmanpsu]

I myself have a sidesword that I carry while portraying myself as "on duty" for soldiering (ussually I wear this only with my brigandine armor).  But I also have several rapiers that I carry while I am in Gentleman mode.  I find that it is best to wear any sword on a baldric, as opposed to on the belt.  The weight of the blade on the belt tends to be a real pain and if the belt isn't tight, it tends to pull the belt down on that side so you end up with this sort of "gunslinger" belt look.  Not comfortable at all.  All in all, either sword fits your personae and now that you have one, it will likely not be long before the other follows.  That tends to be the way with these sorts of things. 

Matt aka Mail'n M'Crack