Gen. 2 Scottish Sword Review
Jun 3, 2007 15:50:37 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2007 15:50:37 GMT
Hello,
I have always been curious about Generation 2 and their swords. Ever since I stumbled upon this website sometime last year, I have read all the great reviews and thought about all the positive comments posted here. I just had to get a Gen 2 model, and I did.
In my countless internet travels , I came upon a vendor who was getting out of the business and liquidating their inventory at pretty low prices. At the time , I did not have the funds to make any purchase, so I posted a link on this forum (Good buys on Ebay thread) thinking that someone else would grab themselves a nice sword at a low price. There were some interesting swords to choose from, Gen 2, Windlass, Cas and Hanwei.
About a month after, out of curiosity, I checked in with the seller to see if the swords were still for sale, to my surprise, they were all still there. I could not resist, and I had managed to save up just enough to buy one sword, I chose to purchase the 15th century Scottish Single Hand sword by Generation 2.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, this was my first Gen 2 sword, I was encouraged by all the good comments about this maker posted on SBG, but I was also a bit worried. “You get what you pay for” is a comment I’ve heard all my life and experienced more than I wish to remember, the cost on this was so low, that I didn’t think the quality would be there. After waiting the usual 2 week Us to Canada delivery, the package arrived on Friday.
After opening it up and unwrapping the sword and wiping off all the protective coating, I found myself somewhat surprised and impressed by some parts of the sword and disappointed in others.
Here are the basic stats on the sword:
Scottish Single Hand 15th century sword by Gen. 2
Blade Length : 33”
Overall Length: 42”
Weight : 3 Lbs.
Balance Point: 3.5” below hilt
Blade width at guard : 1 ¾”
Blade Thickness at guard: 3/16”
Blade Thickness near the tip: under 1/8”
Handle Length: 6”
Guard Width : 8 ½”
This model is now retired by G2.
At first look, the sword seemed bigger than I expected, with the handle being significantly oversized, with a sharp blade and surprisingly good handling characteristics.
I started to inspect it more closely. I’ll start with the blade, first thing I noticed , is how flexible and “whippy” the blade is on this model, there is a lot of “spring” in this steel. People often describe Windlass as having “whippy” blades, my Windlass Crusader has a thinner blade, and is stiffer than this Gen 2. There are visible grind marks and polish marks on the blade, this isn’t horrible, as I was actually pleased with the finish, the blade is nicely made , with fairly well done fuller and pretty clean lines, and a nice, proper sharp edge. One thing I noticed, there seems to be a bit of irregularity with the thickness of the blade , the steel thins out to much in a couple of spots and then thickens out right after, the worst example of this is where the fuller ends, if you look at it from the side, you will notice that the blade is too thin at this point.
The transition of the blade into the guard is impressive, there are no gaps, everything fits tightly together, this is a problem with some of the other makers in this price range, common complaint with Windlass swords for example. The guard is nicely made and quite attractive, although seems somewhat big to me. There is a G2 stamp at the bottom of it, this is something that I wish wasn’t there or if a maker is going to put an identifying stamp on their items, at least make it more attractive, like Albions or DarkSwords stamped logos, the G2 looks way out of place to me. As I stated above, the handle is too big, at first grip, it seems ok, but after dry handling the sword for a while, you will notice the size becoming a problem. Fortunately, the handle is made of very nice, dark wood, which is perfect for a little DIY home re-working. There are also 2 decorative steel rings at the bottom and top of the handle, personally, I wish these were not there, but they are a minor quibble. The pummel is where the sword looses major points with me. From the front, it’s certainly big and round enough, but when you look at it from the side , you will notice how thin it is, it’s not even ½” thick. Take a look at the photo below, you will notice how well the lines flow from the blade to the guard, from the guard to the handle, but when it comes to the handle into the pummel , the whole design drops off, this is from an aesthetic point of view, where the sword looses it’s appeal.
The Scottish sword came with a thick, black leather scabbard, very reminiscent of Valiant Armoury or Cas Iberia Philippine line, not the most attractive scabbard I have seen, for a sword in this price range, it should have been much better.
Handling and Cutting.
The listed weight for this sword is 3 lbs. It feels much lighter than that, and handles quite well, with some adjustments to the handle, this is a sword that most people will find pretty lively and easy to use. It’s described as being a single hand sword, I’m not a big person (5’ 7”), and I don’t have big hands, but I can easily grip this with both hands, this is what I meant when I said that the sword seemed bigger than what I expected. I have no doubt that this sword would cut very well both light and medium targets, I’m not 100% sure that it would handle heavy targets, partly due to the over flexibility of the blade and a couple of questionable points of thickness in the steel. Like other G2 swords, it’s built tough to withstand abuse and should handle most things you test it on. At this point, I have not done any cutting, I’m going to do some work on the handle first.
I thought I would end by rating this sword in the traditional SBG way:
Historical Accuracy: 3/5
Fit and Finish : 3/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
This is a good entry level sword, with some pros and cons, if you are looking for a well made backyard cutter or beater, this sword certainly fits that bill.
I’d like to do something else with this review as well, I would like to take a moment to compare this sword with 3 models from other makers. This might give someone new to this great and addictive hobby some basic info on what they can expect when looking for a functional sword in this price range. The G2 Scottish sword had a list price of about $210us, the swords I’m comparing it to are similarly priced. For most of us, auditioning swords in person before we buy them just isn’t possible, we base our purchasing decisions to often based on reviews and comments of others, something that looks great to me, might not appeal to you, and vice versa, so, hopefully this info will be helpful to some of you reading this.
I’ll start with the most obvious comparison, that to the Windlass Crusader sword. These two swords are very similar in size and weight, although a bit different in appearance. The G2 is livelier of the two, more tightly put together, and comes sharpened from G2, Windlass sells their blades unsharpened. When handling these two, I noticed how the G2 felt better in my hand (even with the oversized handle), the Windlass seemed to tire me out quicker. On the other hand , the Gen 2 falls short to the Windlass in terms of overall fit and finish and presentation. Another unusual comparison is the “whippiness” of the blades, before I bought this G2 model I would have thought that the Crusader would be the more flexible of the two, that just isn’t the case here, as the Scottish sword can be bend with no effort, and carries quite a bit more vibration than it’s counterpart. Both are well tempered and don’t seem to take a set when flexed. In terms of the hilt the Windlass wins hands down, the dreadful pummel really brings the G2 down. The scabbards supplied with these two are a night and day difference. Windlass offers a reasonable leather covered wood scabbard while the thick leather one provided by G2 seems like it belongs on a lower quality makers offering. Even though the Gen 2 is a decent sword, at their comparable price the Windlass is better value for your dollar.
Comparing the G2 to Canada’s Darksword Armoury Sword of Boromir is a bit different.
Darksword models cannot be described as being great handling , or impressive in terms of their fit and finish, The G2 Scottish sword outperforms the Boromir in handling easily. Just like Windlass, DarkSword blades are also shipped unsharpened, something you might consider when making your purchase. DS holds an edge over G2 (most models) in terms of overall design of their swords, if you browse through their catalogue , you will notice how eye catching their swords appear in the photos. The blades on DS swords are made by hand, which is very apparent, lets just say, that you will not find to many straight lines on their offerings. They are also more historically accurate than Gen 2 (in terms of looks anyway), and the blade of the Boromir is much, much stiffer than that of the Scottish sword, it feels the stronger of the two. However, I would recommend a Generation 2 sword to a beginner over a DarkSword model, the inflated weight and questionable handling is what would turn most people off from DS.
Kris Cutlery is fairly new to me, as I bought my first piece from them not to long ago (Celtic Sword reviewed on this website). KC (Celtic) has an obvious advantage over G2 (Scottish) in terms of blade stiffness, and blade finish, the Kris Cutlery blade is very impressive, with a satisfying mirror polish and properly defined, sharp edge. The Scottish G2 sword and Celtic KC sword are obviously quite different in overall size and shape, but you can compare the quality of the craftsmanship on these two. They are close, but I have to recommend KC over G2 at this point. The biggest draw back about KC is the limited selection of European swords offered for sale on their website. Also, their prices are somewhat higher than Generation 2 (on most models). Both these companies use similar materials in the construction of their models.
To summarize, if you are a beginner collector whose on a tight budget, and are looking to purchase your first sword, I would recommend starting your collection with one of the newer , better rated models offered by Windlass Steelcrafts. It will most likely be the best value for your hard earned dollar and a great place to start learning about swords and their history. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and found it somewhat informative.
Happy Cutting,
Chris
I have always been curious about Generation 2 and their swords. Ever since I stumbled upon this website sometime last year, I have read all the great reviews and thought about all the positive comments posted here. I just had to get a Gen 2 model, and I did.
In my countless internet travels , I came upon a vendor who was getting out of the business and liquidating their inventory at pretty low prices. At the time , I did not have the funds to make any purchase, so I posted a link on this forum (Good buys on Ebay thread) thinking that someone else would grab themselves a nice sword at a low price. There were some interesting swords to choose from, Gen 2, Windlass, Cas and Hanwei.
About a month after, out of curiosity, I checked in with the seller to see if the swords were still for sale, to my surprise, they were all still there. I could not resist, and I had managed to save up just enough to buy one sword, I chose to purchase the 15th century Scottish Single Hand sword by Generation 2.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, this was my first Gen 2 sword, I was encouraged by all the good comments about this maker posted on SBG, but I was also a bit worried. “You get what you pay for” is a comment I’ve heard all my life and experienced more than I wish to remember, the cost on this was so low, that I didn’t think the quality would be there. After waiting the usual 2 week Us to Canada delivery, the package arrived on Friday.
After opening it up and unwrapping the sword and wiping off all the protective coating, I found myself somewhat surprised and impressed by some parts of the sword and disappointed in others.
Here are the basic stats on the sword:
Scottish Single Hand 15th century sword by Gen. 2
Blade Length : 33”
Overall Length: 42”
Weight : 3 Lbs.
Balance Point: 3.5” below hilt
Blade width at guard : 1 ¾”
Blade Thickness at guard: 3/16”
Blade Thickness near the tip: under 1/8”
Handle Length: 6”
Guard Width : 8 ½”
This model is now retired by G2.
At first look, the sword seemed bigger than I expected, with the handle being significantly oversized, with a sharp blade and surprisingly good handling characteristics.
I started to inspect it more closely. I’ll start with the blade, first thing I noticed , is how flexible and “whippy” the blade is on this model, there is a lot of “spring” in this steel. People often describe Windlass as having “whippy” blades, my Windlass Crusader has a thinner blade, and is stiffer than this Gen 2. There are visible grind marks and polish marks on the blade, this isn’t horrible, as I was actually pleased with the finish, the blade is nicely made , with fairly well done fuller and pretty clean lines, and a nice, proper sharp edge. One thing I noticed, there seems to be a bit of irregularity with the thickness of the blade , the steel thins out to much in a couple of spots and then thickens out right after, the worst example of this is where the fuller ends, if you look at it from the side, you will notice that the blade is too thin at this point.
The transition of the blade into the guard is impressive, there are no gaps, everything fits tightly together, this is a problem with some of the other makers in this price range, common complaint with Windlass swords for example. The guard is nicely made and quite attractive, although seems somewhat big to me. There is a G2 stamp at the bottom of it, this is something that I wish wasn’t there or if a maker is going to put an identifying stamp on their items, at least make it more attractive, like Albions or DarkSwords stamped logos, the G2 looks way out of place to me. As I stated above, the handle is too big, at first grip, it seems ok, but after dry handling the sword for a while, you will notice the size becoming a problem. Fortunately, the handle is made of very nice, dark wood, which is perfect for a little DIY home re-working. There are also 2 decorative steel rings at the bottom and top of the handle, personally, I wish these were not there, but they are a minor quibble. The pummel is where the sword looses major points with me. From the front, it’s certainly big and round enough, but when you look at it from the side , you will notice how thin it is, it’s not even ½” thick. Take a look at the photo below, you will notice how well the lines flow from the blade to the guard, from the guard to the handle, but when it comes to the handle into the pummel , the whole design drops off, this is from an aesthetic point of view, where the sword looses it’s appeal.
The Scottish sword came with a thick, black leather scabbard, very reminiscent of Valiant Armoury or Cas Iberia Philippine line, not the most attractive scabbard I have seen, for a sword in this price range, it should have been much better.
Handling and Cutting.
The listed weight for this sword is 3 lbs. It feels much lighter than that, and handles quite well, with some adjustments to the handle, this is a sword that most people will find pretty lively and easy to use. It’s described as being a single hand sword, I’m not a big person (5’ 7”), and I don’t have big hands, but I can easily grip this with both hands, this is what I meant when I said that the sword seemed bigger than what I expected. I have no doubt that this sword would cut very well both light and medium targets, I’m not 100% sure that it would handle heavy targets, partly due to the over flexibility of the blade and a couple of questionable points of thickness in the steel. Like other G2 swords, it’s built tough to withstand abuse and should handle most things you test it on. At this point, I have not done any cutting, I’m going to do some work on the handle first.
I thought I would end by rating this sword in the traditional SBG way:
Historical Accuracy: 3/5
Fit and Finish : 3/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
This is a good entry level sword, with some pros and cons, if you are looking for a well made backyard cutter or beater, this sword certainly fits that bill.
I’d like to do something else with this review as well, I would like to take a moment to compare this sword with 3 models from other makers. This might give someone new to this great and addictive hobby some basic info on what they can expect when looking for a functional sword in this price range. The G2 Scottish sword had a list price of about $210us, the swords I’m comparing it to are similarly priced. For most of us, auditioning swords in person before we buy them just isn’t possible, we base our purchasing decisions to often based on reviews and comments of others, something that looks great to me, might not appeal to you, and vice versa, so, hopefully this info will be helpful to some of you reading this.
I’ll start with the most obvious comparison, that to the Windlass Crusader sword. These two swords are very similar in size and weight, although a bit different in appearance. The G2 is livelier of the two, more tightly put together, and comes sharpened from G2, Windlass sells their blades unsharpened. When handling these two, I noticed how the G2 felt better in my hand (even with the oversized handle), the Windlass seemed to tire me out quicker. On the other hand , the Gen 2 falls short to the Windlass in terms of overall fit and finish and presentation. Another unusual comparison is the “whippiness” of the blades, before I bought this G2 model I would have thought that the Crusader would be the more flexible of the two, that just isn’t the case here, as the Scottish sword can be bend with no effort, and carries quite a bit more vibration than it’s counterpart. Both are well tempered and don’t seem to take a set when flexed. In terms of the hilt the Windlass wins hands down, the dreadful pummel really brings the G2 down. The scabbards supplied with these two are a night and day difference. Windlass offers a reasonable leather covered wood scabbard while the thick leather one provided by G2 seems like it belongs on a lower quality makers offering. Even though the Gen 2 is a decent sword, at their comparable price the Windlass is better value for your dollar.
Comparing the G2 to Canada’s Darksword Armoury Sword of Boromir is a bit different.
Darksword models cannot be described as being great handling , or impressive in terms of their fit and finish, The G2 Scottish sword outperforms the Boromir in handling easily. Just like Windlass, DarkSword blades are also shipped unsharpened, something you might consider when making your purchase. DS holds an edge over G2 (most models) in terms of overall design of their swords, if you browse through their catalogue , you will notice how eye catching their swords appear in the photos. The blades on DS swords are made by hand, which is very apparent, lets just say, that you will not find to many straight lines on their offerings. They are also more historically accurate than Gen 2 (in terms of looks anyway), and the blade of the Boromir is much, much stiffer than that of the Scottish sword, it feels the stronger of the two. However, I would recommend a Generation 2 sword to a beginner over a DarkSword model, the inflated weight and questionable handling is what would turn most people off from DS.
Kris Cutlery is fairly new to me, as I bought my first piece from them not to long ago (Celtic Sword reviewed on this website). KC (Celtic) has an obvious advantage over G2 (Scottish) in terms of blade stiffness, and blade finish, the Kris Cutlery blade is very impressive, with a satisfying mirror polish and properly defined, sharp edge. The Scottish G2 sword and Celtic KC sword are obviously quite different in overall size and shape, but you can compare the quality of the craftsmanship on these two. They are close, but I have to recommend KC over G2 at this point. The biggest draw back about KC is the limited selection of European swords offered for sale on their website. Also, their prices are somewhat higher than Generation 2 (on most models). Both these companies use similar materials in the construction of their models.
To summarize, if you are a beginner collector whose on a tight budget, and are looking to purchase your first sword, I would recommend starting your collection with one of the newer , better rated models offered by Windlass Steelcrafts. It will most likely be the best value for your hard earned dollar and a great place to start learning about swords and their history. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and found it somewhat informative.
Happy Cutting,
Chris