Slight thread jack - want to get a quality sword mostly for display purposes, and for use in rare ceremonial occasions. Marlow White offers one for $319 versus $550 at NEX and $672 at Vanguard. Any gouge on what's good?
Check to see if you can find out what they're made of. Mine is a Wilkinson, which you can't get anymore, but the reason I went with it was the grip was real fish-skin, not that knobby cheap plastic crap that tears up your hands, and they built it and proofed it like they did back when they used to make real combat swords in the 19th century. Notable increase in quality versus the other stuff that was available then, and I got to pick my sword as a commissioning present anyway.
Alas, the bean counters of Merry Olde England have decreed that Wilkinson stick to shaving razors now, but I'd bet that there may be a material difference in those three brands. Or Vanguard is just pulling a Bates and price gouging people; that also wouldn't entirely surprise me.
Edit: a bored click seems to show Marlow White is offering the ray-skin grip on theirs for an extra $150. Looks like they get theirs through WKC, which is a German bladesmith. There used to also be reputable bladesmiths in Toledo, Spain as I recall. Bet the NEX is lowest-bidder.