windlass late spanish sword
Aug 14, 2010 1:02:22 GMT
Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2010 1:02:22 GMT
LATE SPANISH SWORD REVIEW
BY NICHOLAS ROUSSOS
INTRODUCTION: Katanas have been my fascination for a long time,but after a while you need something new to keep the love alive so I started to look into some euros.Being that I'm real poor,It has taken a long time to find something I could afford.When MRL put a bunch of their stuff on sale for $99.00 I knew it was time to get in the mix.After reviewing my available options the Windlass late spanish sword was the obvious choice for me.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW:While its name is late spanish sword there was a picture and review of a Italian sword from the late 1400s on my armory that looked a whole lot like this sword.The blade is based on an oakeshott type XVIII.I'm not an expert on these but I believe its an ok example of this,especially considering what there asking for it.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS:After popping this thing out of its wrapping and holding it at arms length I immediately noticed how heavy it was.Tom K.did a review on this one a couple of years ago and noted how the blade had a lot of hammer marks and variation in it.This piece was no exception.If it were a thousand dollar Albion id be upset,but for a hundred bucks it was just fine by me.
STATISTICS:
BLADE LENGTH:34"
BLADE WIDTH:1-7/8"
BLADE THICKNESS:3/16"
OVERALL LEGEND:42-1/4"
HAND GUARD WIDTH:8"
P.O.B.:5"
C.O.P.:About 23"
THE BLADE:
Out of the box the polish was pretty good considering.The P.O.B. seemed a little far forward,but this is my first one so I'm not entirely sure.There is a lot of variation in the thickness along the entire length,as well variation in the edge thickness.The center ridge also has a wavering to it,but was pretty even in relation to each side.As I said before it seemed a good example of an Oakeshott XVIII type.The tang is a through piece,not a weld on and seems nice and thick,with a small threaded section for the pommel.
THE GRIP:The grip is your standard black cord wrapped around a hard wood core.Nothing fancy here,a bit of a taper at the bottom which fit my fat little hand about as good as it can.
THE HAND GUARD:I really like the look of the guard and pommel.Its pretty much the reason I chose the sword in the firs place>to me it has a very Gothic look and is cool.Not the best uniformity,but I think we established at this price point is about the best you can hope for.
THE POMMEL:This little number looks nasty!I can only imagine bringing this sharp edged little mother down on an opponents headgear.I don't have a scale,but it seems like it weighs quite a few ounces.Again not the best finishing,but still cool to me.
THE SCABBARD:I believe this is a regular throw in item from Windlass,and not a very impressive one at that.Just some leather wrapped around what seems to be a cardboard core.It has some brushed aluminum looking caps on either end.
HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS:To me this sword is heavy.Its a bear to swing with one hand and about pulls my body over.Without having anything to compare it too it feels like a tank,and probably would stand up to some pretty good destructive activity.After about five swings with each arm I was tired and went about disassembling it for sharpening.
<a href="http://s602.photobucket.com/albums/tt104/imgumby001dammit/late%20spanish%20sword/?action=view¤t=eurosword1032.mp4" target="_blank"><img src="http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt104/imgumby001dammit/late%20spanish%20sword/th_eurosword1032.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" style="width: 160px;"></a>
TEST CUTTING:Being poor I chose to save money and sharpen this bad boy myself.I had never done this before so I practiced on a couple p.o.s. wall hangers I had lying around.Once my practice was over I began butchering the edge on this.After about half a day in the sun filing and sanding an edge formed up and I figured id give her a whack,which coincidently is the sound it made on the first blow.If you watch the video you can hear a nice "ping" as the side of the blade whacks my deck.To my surprise their was no damage whatsoever!Neither the blade edge or flat had even a scratch!To me this was the most impressive thing about this blade yet.On try two it batted the bottle across the yard leaving a nasty jagged gash in the side.I believe edge alignment and my level of sharpness both played a factor in it not being able to cut.Tom k. sharpened his up and it cut pretty well,so I have to believe after I get better at sharpening it do better.
CONCLUSIONS:Well in short,I like it!Its not the prettiest,but it works.At this price everybody should grab at least one of their offerings.After its sharpened properly it'll be a lot of fun.
PROS:
LOOKS GOOD
HANDLES OK
GREAT PRICE
CONS:
NOT THE BEST OVERALL FINISHING
HEAVY(TO ME)
SCABBARD SUPER CHEAP
BOTTOM LINE:If you want a euro chopper for super cheap(105.00 shipped from MRL unsharpened)Id grab one of these before they decide it is just too cheap to make money!Get em while there hot!
BY NICHOLAS ROUSSOS
INTRODUCTION: Katanas have been my fascination for a long time,but after a while you need something new to keep the love alive so I started to look into some euros.Being that I'm real poor,It has taken a long time to find something I could afford.When MRL put a bunch of their stuff on sale for $99.00 I knew it was time to get in the mix.After reviewing my available options the Windlass late spanish sword was the obvious choice for me.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW:While its name is late spanish sword there was a picture and review of a Italian sword from the late 1400s on my armory that looked a whole lot like this sword.The blade is based on an oakeshott type XVIII.I'm not an expert on these but I believe its an ok example of this,especially considering what there asking for it.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS:After popping this thing out of its wrapping and holding it at arms length I immediately noticed how heavy it was.Tom K.did a review on this one a couple of years ago and noted how the blade had a lot of hammer marks and variation in it.This piece was no exception.If it were a thousand dollar Albion id be upset,but for a hundred bucks it was just fine by me.
STATISTICS:
BLADE LENGTH:34"
BLADE WIDTH:1-7/8"
BLADE THICKNESS:3/16"
OVERALL LEGEND:42-1/4"
HAND GUARD WIDTH:8"
P.O.B.:5"
C.O.P.:About 23"
THE BLADE:
Out of the box the polish was pretty good considering.The P.O.B. seemed a little far forward,but this is my first one so I'm not entirely sure.There is a lot of variation in the thickness along the entire length,as well variation in the edge thickness.The center ridge also has a wavering to it,but was pretty even in relation to each side.As I said before it seemed a good example of an Oakeshott XVIII type.The tang is a through piece,not a weld on and seems nice and thick,with a small threaded section for the pommel.
THE GRIP:The grip is your standard black cord wrapped around a hard wood core.Nothing fancy here,a bit of a taper at the bottom which fit my fat little hand about as good as it can.
THE HAND GUARD:I really like the look of the guard and pommel.Its pretty much the reason I chose the sword in the firs place>to me it has a very Gothic look and is cool.Not the best uniformity,but I think we established at this price point is about the best you can hope for.
THE POMMEL:This little number looks nasty!I can only imagine bringing this sharp edged little mother down on an opponents headgear.I don't have a scale,but it seems like it weighs quite a few ounces.Again not the best finishing,but still cool to me.
THE SCABBARD:I believe this is a regular throw in item from Windlass,and not a very impressive one at that.Just some leather wrapped around what seems to be a cardboard core.It has some brushed aluminum looking caps on either end.
HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS:To me this sword is heavy.Its a bear to swing with one hand and about pulls my body over.Without having anything to compare it too it feels like a tank,and probably would stand up to some pretty good destructive activity.After about five swings with each arm I was tired and went about disassembling it for sharpening.
<a href="http://s602.photobucket.com/albums/tt104/imgumby001dammit/late%20spanish%20sword/?action=view¤t=eurosword1032.mp4" target="_blank"><img src="http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt104/imgumby001dammit/late%20spanish%20sword/th_eurosword1032.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" style="width: 160px;"></a>
TEST CUTTING:Being poor I chose to save money and sharpen this bad boy myself.I had never done this before so I practiced on a couple p.o.s. wall hangers I had lying around.Once my practice was over I began butchering the edge on this.After about half a day in the sun filing and sanding an edge formed up and I figured id give her a whack,which coincidently is the sound it made on the first blow.If you watch the video you can hear a nice "ping" as the side of the blade whacks my deck.To my surprise their was no damage whatsoever!Neither the blade edge or flat had even a scratch!To me this was the most impressive thing about this blade yet.On try two it batted the bottle across the yard leaving a nasty jagged gash in the side.I believe edge alignment and my level of sharpness both played a factor in it not being able to cut.Tom k. sharpened his up and it cut pretty well,so I have to believe after I get better at sharpening it do better.
CONCLUSIONS:Well in short,I like it!Its not the prettiest,but it works.At this price everybody should grab at least one of their offerings.After its sharpened properly it'll be a lot of fun.
PROS:
LOOKS GOOD
HANDLES OK
GREAT PRICE
CONS:
NOT THE BEST OVERALL FINISHING
HEAVY(TO ME)
SCABBARD SUPER CHEAP
BOTTOM LINE:If you want a euro chopper for super cheap(105.00 shipped from MRL unsharpened)Id grab one of these before they decide it is just too cheap to make money!Get em while there hot!