Generation 2 - 15thC Scottish Single Handed Sword
Sept 4, 2007 9:47:25 GMT
Post by Brendan Olszowy on Sept 4, 2007 9:47:25 GMT
Review by Brendan. O, Western Australia. 4 Sept 2007
I bought this sword as I was looking for a single handed sword which would be ultra durable, for practical use. I like to cut bottles, and boxes, so I wanted a good cutter too. The blade is obviously biased toward cutting, rather than thrusting. I have a Hanwei hand and a half (which I love), and hence I wanted a single. My choice was between this and the Hanwei William Marshall. I thought the Marshal looked like more of a cut and thrust, and with the fuller ridges it didn't look like as good a cutter, hence I chose the Gen 2. Also the favourable reviews on the SBG site attested to awesome G2 durability. (BTW this was in March, before Shooter Mike's Marshall broke)
To Purchase a Gen 2 in Australia one must go through Cutting Edge Cuttlery; the sole Aussie Distributor. My initial enquiries to Tony at CEC were replied to promptly and courteously. The quote on this sword including shipping ended up at $325 AUD. Which was cheaper than buying from Imperial Weapons, or Arms of Valour. I could get a Marshall for $260 from ebay, including shipping to Aus. But I believed the G2 would be a better beater.
I proceded to buy it – more on that later…
Formalities First:
Initial Impression
I was surprised that is was packed only in a very plain square box – not typical for a sword. One end was skewed to take the cross guard. The sword had no grease on it and was not wrapped, a sign that it had been inspected.
When I finally got my hands on it I was surprised how large it was for a ‘single handed’ sword. It truly is a hand and a half. I was happy to see the throat of the scabbard fit the cross nicely. The creation of the sword and scabbard seemed first rate. I had heard this blade described before as “whippy”. I found it quite stiff. Not whippy at all.
Stats:
Blade length: 33" (840mm)
Hilt length: 10” (250mm)
Grip Length: just under 6” (150mm)
Overall: 42” (1060mm)
Guard Width : 8.5” (220mm)
POB (point of balance): 5" (130mm) from base of guard
Weight: 3lb 6oz (1525g)
DESIGN, FIT & FINISH
The Blade
Upon inspection it was obviously hand made. The thickness of the blade appeared inconsistant. It starts thinner just past the ricasso, gets slightly thicker, then about 2” after the fuller ends it suddenly gets quite thin for about 3”, followed by a sudden thickening for about 3” just before the end of the blade. So its not a case of distal taper; more like tapers. This was to be a problem as it is a week point in the blade.
For this shot I put my fingers at the end of the fullers (the ends of which are about ½” apart from each other.) Note the thinning and swelling of the blade.
Otherwise the blade is quite shiney and came very sharp. It is nicely edged with a lenticular section, which rolls smoothly into a steeper secondary bevel.
The Grip
Carved of wood with no cracks, it had a layer of ink / paint on it. The same paint glaciersteel mentions in his review as coming off with water. Very nicely sculpted, with a very oval profile. It feels great in the hand, and offers good control. The short ricasso of the blade also allows one to hook a finger over the cross for greater control, allowing a bit more room for the second hand.
The Pommel
Looks a little odd because its substantially thinner that the grip shims. It is very nicely cut, polished, and centred on the grip.
The Guard
I measured the guard and it is very nicely executed. As near on perfect as I could hope for.
So the Hilt overall was very nicely executed, I was really happy with the quality of this sword. It was a pity the blade has a weak spot.
The Scabbard
I believed that standard is a leather sheath, so the wooden scabbard was to be a nice bonus. Well the scabbard grips the blade very well, it also mates with the guard at the throat very well. It only fits properly when the sword is slid in one way, which is fine. But when in the right way it fits beautifully.
The leather wrap was great, the join is nearly invisibly. The ink again pours off it when any water touched it. I wasn’t happy with that so I got a damp rag and scrubbed at it to take away the excess ink.
Again I was stoked with the quality of the crafting, until the testing of the blade.
TESTING
N.B. These are the results of my first cutting session. I only received the sword the day before authoring this review.
Test 1
Cardboard rolled up to give 16 thicknesses, my makeshift tatami mat. This was the very first cut. It went beautifully:
This was a beautiful cut. It sliced very nicely hadly feeling an impact. Blade geometry and sharpening must be sweet, the blade profile is obviously well designed for cutting – I hadn’t even sharpened it, this was the factory edge.
Hang on, I thought, why is the blade slightly bent toward the end? Obviously the thin section of the blade provided a weak spot which has too much stress transfered to it in the cut.
The warp was only slight, which is hard to capture with the camera.
Moving on.
Test 2
4 Plastic Home Brew beer bottles.
Hows that? Only the first one fell (I picked it up for the second photo.) The bottles were hardly disturbed and I hardly felt the blow. My board isn’t even attached to the post. It just rests there. Sweet.
Test 3
2 Bottles positioned apart.
Test 3 Part 2
The first bottle was still standing, with water in it, so I had a go at that:
Thats great, not many swords will slice a topless bottle cleanly.
Test 4
3mm vegie box cardboard folded up, to give 6 layers.
Again, a nice downward smooth motion, followed through. The result, a bent blade.
I have since tried to straighten the blade. This has been made hard due to the blade having varying thicknesses to this part of the blade (the thin spot). The two ends of the thin section just keep bending while I try to straighten other parts of the blade.
Clyde has commendably stood by his product, and offered to replace it with a newly built one, or a sword of equal value.
This has been a dificult endeavour. Buying swords in Australia is a difficult proposition at the best of times. In this instance my order had been stuffed up more than once, eventually leading to the sword being put aside for me being sold to someone else, and this sword being individually made for me. Overall from the order being placed to me getting it took 5 1/2 months.
Availablility:
These are still available at the following sites, and I’d say they’ll be from the old batches before the tempering problems surfaced:
Swords of Honour
www.swordsofhonor.com/ip-030-2.html
The Sword Armory
www.swordarmory.com/gen2/ip-030.htm
By the Sword
www.by-the-sword.com/acatalog/Generation_2_Swords_and_Daggers.html
Medieval Weapon Art
www.mwart.com/xq/ASP.product/pid.2836/qx/15th-century-scottish-single-hand-sword.htm
Medieval Weaponry.com
www.medieval-weaponry.com/generation-15th-century-scottish-single-hand-sword-p-76.html
The Steel Source
www.thesteelsource.com/html/g2_030.htm
Gothic Fantasy
www.gothicfantasy.com/Gen2/17IP030.htm
Rating:
Historical Accuracy: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Handling: 2.5/5 – very big and heavy for a ‘single handed sword’ Fine as a hand and half. Good blade control.
Structural Integrity: hard to judge, due to the weak point of this blade.
Value for Money: can't comment at this time. At least I have backup from Clyde, which is more than some of the bigger companies would offer.
Overall Rating: Reserved
Conclusion:
While I am disappointed with the blade, I can say that the geometry of the blade and craftsmanship of the fittings is excellent. With all the praises the hundreds of G2 fans have sung, I'm sure my sword is just a freak ocurrance.
Appendix:
Here are the links to read about this ongoing saga:
/index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=1170390707
/index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=1180911861
/index.cgi?board=europeansword&action=display&thread=1180975032&page=1
/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1182340697
/index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=1180074688
/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1176763803&page=1
I bought this sword as I was looking for a single handed sword which would be ultra durable, for practical use. I like to cut bottles, and boxes, so I wanted a good cutter too. The blade is obviously biased toward cutting, rather than thrusting. I have a Hanwei hand and a half (which I love), and hence I wanted a single. My choice was between this and the Hanwei William Marshall. I thought the Marshal looked like more of a cut and thrust, and with the fuller ridges it didn't look like as good a cutter, hence I chose the Gen 2. Also the favourable reviews on the SBG site attested to awesome G2 durability. (BTW this was in March, before Shooter Mike's Marshall broke)
To Purchase a Gen 2 in Australia one must go through Cutting Edge Cuttlery; the sole Aussie Distributor. My initial enquiries to Tony at CEC were replied to promptly and courteously. The quote on this sword including shipping ended up at $325 AUD. Which was cheaper than buying from Imperial Weapons, or Arms of Valour. I could get a Marshall for $260 from ebay, including shipping to Aus. But I believed the G2 would be a better beater.
I proceded to buy it – more on that later…
Formalities First:
Initial Impression
I was surprised that is was packed only in a very plain square box – not typical for a sword. One end was skewed to take the cross guard. The sword had no grease on it and was not wrapped, a sign that it had been inspected.
When I finally got my hands on it I was surprised how large it was for a ‘single handed’ sword. It truly is a hand and a half. I was happy to see the throat of the scabbard fit the cross nicely. The creation of the sword and scabbard seemed first rate. I had heard this blade described before as “whippy”. I found it quite stiff. Not whippy at all.
Stats:
Blade length: 33" (840mm)
Hilt length: 10” (250mm)
Grip Length: just under 6” (150mm)
Overall: 42” (1060mm)
Guard Width : 8.5” (220mm)
POB (point of balance): 5" (130mm) from base of guard
Weight: 3lb 6oz (1525g)
DESIGN, FIT & FINISH
The Blade
Upon inspection it was obviously hand made. The thickness of the blade appeared inconsistant. It starts thinner just past the ricasso, gets slightly thicker, then about 2” after the fuller ends it suddenly gets quite thin for about 3”, followed by a sudden thickening for about 3” just before the end of the blade. So its not a case of distal taper; more like tapers. This was to be a problem as it is a week point in the blade.
For this shot I put my fingers at the end of the fullers (the ends of which are about ½” apart from each other.) Note the thinning and swelling of the blade.
Otherwise the blade is quite shiney and came very sharp. It is nicely edged with a lenticular section, which rolls smoothly into a steeper secondary bevel.
The Grip
Carved of wood with no cracks, it had a layer of ink / paint on it. The same paint glaciersteel mentions in his review as coming off with water. Very nicely sculpted, with a very oval profile. It feels great in the hand, and offers good control. The short ricasso of the blade also allows one to hook a finger over the cross for greater control, allowing a bit more room for the second hand.
The Pommel
Looks a little odd because its substantially thinner that the grip shims. It is very nicely cut, polished, and centred on the grip.
The Guard
I measured the guard and it is very nicely executed. As near on perfect as I could hope for.
So the Hilt overall was very nicely executed, I was really happy with the quality of this sword. It was a pity the blade has a weak spot.
The Scabbard
I believed that standard is a leather sheath, so the wooden scabbard was to be a nice bonus. Well the scabbard grips the blade very well, it also mates with the guard at the throat very well. It only fits properly when the sword is slid in one way, which is fine. But when in the right way it fits beautifully.
The leather wrap was great, the join is nearly invisibly. The ink again pours off it when any water touched it. I wasn’t happy with that so I got a damp rag and scrubbed at it to take away the excess ink.
Again I was stoked with the quality of the crafting, until the testing of the blade.
TESTING
N.B. These are the results of my first cutting session. I only received the sword the day before authoring this review.
Test 1
Cardboard rolled up to give 16 thicknesses, my makeshift tatami mat. This was the very first cut. It went beautifully:
This was a beautiful cut. It sliced very nicely hadly feeling an impact. Blade geometry and sharpening must be sweet, the blade profile is obviously well designed for cutting – I hadn’t even sharpened it, this was the factory edge.
Hang on, I thought, why is the blade slightly bent toward the end? Obviously the thin section of the blade provided a weak spot which has too much stress transfered to it in the cut.
The warp was only slight, which is hard to capture with the camera.
Moving on.
Test 2
4 Plastic Home Brew beer bottles.
Hows that? Only the first one fell (I picked it up for the second photo.) The bottles were hardly disturbed and I hardly felt the blow. My board isn’t even attached to the post. It just rests there. Sweet.
Test 3
2 Bottles positioned apart.
Test 3 Part 2
The first bottle was still standing, with water in it, so I had a go at that:
Thats great, not many swords will slice a topless bottle cleanly.
Test 4
3mm vegie box cardboard folded up, to give 6 layers.
Again, a nice downward smooth motion, followed through. The result, a bent blade.
I have since tried to straighten the blade. This has been made hard due to the blade having varying thicknesses to this part of the blade (the thin spot). The two ends of the thin section just keep bending while I try to straighten other parts of the blade.
Clyde has commendably stood by his product, and offered to replace it with a newly built one, or a sword of equal value.
This has been a dificult endeavour. Buying swords in Australia is a difficult proposition at the best of times. In this instance my order had been stuffed up more than once, eventually leading to the sword being put aside for me being sold to someone else, and this sword being individually made for me. Overall from the order being placed to me getting it took 5 1/2 months.
Availablility:
These are still available at the following sites, and I’d say they’ll be from the old batches before the tempering problems surfaced:
Swords of Honour
www.swordsofhonor.com/ip-030-2.html
The Sword Armory
www.swordarmory.com/gen2/ip-030.htm
By the Sword
www.by-the-sword.com/acatalog/Generation_2_Swords_and_Daggers.html
Medieval Weapon Art
www.mwart.com/xq/ASP.product/pid.2836/qx/15th-century-scottish-single-hand-sword.htm
Medieval Weaponry.com
www.medieval-weaponry.com/generation-15th-century-scottish-single-hand-sword-p-76.html
The Steel Source
www.thesteelsource.com/html/g2_030.htm
Gothic Fantasy
www.gothicfantasy.com/Gen2/17IP030.htm
Rating:
Historical Accuracy: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Handling: 2.5/5 – very big and heavy for a ‘single handed sword’ Fine as a hand and half. Good blade control.
Structural Integrity: hard to judge, due to the weak point of this blade.
Value for Money: can't comment at this time. At least I have backup from Clyde, which is more than some of the bigger companies would offer.
Overall Rating: Reserved
Conclusion:
While I am disappointed with the blade, I can say that the geometry of the blade and craftsmanship of the fittings is excellent. With all the praises the hundreds of G2 fans have sung, I'm sure my sword is just a freak ocurrance.
Appendix:
Here are the links to read about this ongoing saga:
/index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=1170390707
/index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=1180911861
/index.cgi?board=europeansword&action=display&thread=1180975032&page=1
/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1182340697
/index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=1180074688
/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1176763803&page=1