Windlass foot soldiers falchion review.
Jan 15, 2008 4:43:15 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2008 4:43:15 GMT
WINDLASS FOOT SOLDIERS FALCHION REVIEW
Hello all this is my review of the windlass Foot soldiers falchion, this is also my first review ever so I'll do the best I can and stay away from areas I'm not sure about....such as historical accuracy.
Here's MRL's description of the sword.
""In hard pressed close combat a full size weapon could be difficult to employ; that's when a short sword came into play.
This type of weapon was usually carried as a secondary sword most often worn on or behind the right hip, leaving the left side open for the carry of a larger weapon. The size and shape of the blade made this piece very handy for camp life too.""
This description seems accurate enough as I would feel pretty comfortable with this beast of a shortsword at my side in battle.
although at 2lbs 3oz. I feel it could be slightly lighter.on the other hand with this swords weight comes a LOT of power this would make a good secondary weapon in combat....If it were still medieval times that is.
This sword would also make a great woodchopper/camp heavy utility blade for sure so no false advertisement there. I first noticed this sword while browsing through Kult of athena and I have to say this is the first and only sword I've seen that I HAD to have, based on looks alone.
I considered myself not too much into short type swords before I bought this one and I'm still not sure If I am But I definately like falchions now,maybe I'll give a gladii a try.
SO, onto the sword heres the basic stats.
Blade length: 21.7" (adverstied as 22In. no biggie though as im sure they all vary slightly.)
HIlt length: 6.3"
overall length: 28"
Point of balance: 4" from the guard.
center of percussion roughly 17-18" for guard.
weight: 2lbs. 3.6 oz.
I bought this sword from kult of athena for $160 plus $10 shipping so I feel I got a pretty good deal, The only other place I could find this sword was MRL's website for $185 so KOA is the place to get this sword from.(as of now) I initially had some complications buying this sword though a few hours after I placed the order I got unauthorized charges on my bank account and had to file a fraud claim at my bank to get the money back. I'm still not sure how my CC #'s were compromised though,I emailed KOA and the said they have never had a security breach. When I re-bought the sword I paid with paypal to be safe. shipping from KOA was swift , I was pleased. When the sword arrived it made me forget all about the fraud.
nothing fancy here.
HILT DESIGN AND FURNITURE.
The design of the hilt was what enticed me into buying this sword, it is pretty simple but very attractive for a chopping/brutal type sword. The guard is pretty simple and seems well balanced im not sure what you would call its design though. The BIG but not oversized mushroom pommel is aesthetically my favorite part of this sword, It gives the falchion a very nice counter balance and begs be used as a weapon in CQB fighting. The stained wooden handle looks great and fits into the hand very nicely, It wore on my hands a little when I first bought it but now not at all..i just had to get used to it i think. This being my first windlass I was worried about the tightness of the fittings due to bad reviews and inconsistancies I've read about windlass's swords on the net. Let me say ,THIS SWORD IS BUILT LIKE A BRICK SH*T HOUSE ! VERY tight fittings ! THis sword is put together tighter and better than anysword I own, among a new gen 2 norman and 2 zeng zhou musashi pro line swords. This sword has surpassed my expectations and passes with flying colors. I've cut about 100water bottles and and gave various materials a good whack with it and its as new, no looseness what so ever.
The BLADE and scabbard.
The blade came unsharpened as all windlass's do unless you opt for the sharpening service which i did not, its constructed from VERY well tempered high carbon steel.
I was concerned about the stiffness of the blade due to bad reviews I read on SBG but no worries this thing is thick and STIFF It takes a lot of strength to get this thing to bend I'm not sure how many degrees it was but when testing it I used too much strength and forced it too hard but It sprung back to true...very nice blade, did I mention the perfect mirror polish? very shiny blade! not to my preference though as I feel It doesnt look like it should with a mirror finish, this sword would look magnificent antiqued.
I already had an accusharp on hand so I opted to sharpen myself even though I was quite nervous about doing so but hell It couldnt have turned out better, it took a GREAT edge thats razor sharp in fact while sharpening I ran my finger down the blade a it went through my finger about halfway through to the back of my nail, OUCH !(p.s. wear gloves.) I highly reccomend using the accusharp on this sword though some may not agree but It feels just as sharp or sharper than my katanas. The blade angles out about half an inch from the guard to the long angled tip. this is an absolutely brutal and sharp blade when swung I fear accidentially hitting someone with this sword more so with any other sword I own... really dangerous and fast little sword.
The scabbard is black leather with steel components. I think the leather is painted? because the tip of the scabbard has a black paint spot on it...pretty small though its really the only flaw this sword has.this scabbard Is really nothing great at all and It doesn't do this sword justice or even match for that matter but its practical for the swords price point and functional so hey it works !
heres a video of me TRYING to cut paper with this sword, its hard to hold the paper right...I've never tried cutting paper before but I think it did OK.
Also heres a vid of me hitting the box it came in after sharpening the blade. (with the digi cam in the other hand lol)
Handling and conclusion.
The sword handles as I expect a falchion should (though Im no expert). follow up strikes are pretty easy with this sword but that
really depends how much force you put into your swing. It could be a little faster with follow ups but not a real concern. This sword is worth every penny I paid and it is currently my favorite sword I own. I'm going to get some ricwilly style cutting videos done in the next week to show you all just how well this thing cuts... I'll probably update this review too, being my first one I probably made some mistakes.
HIstorical accuracy. not sure.
Fit and finish 4.5/5 great mirror finish and stained handle..pommel looks perfect. would have got a 5 but the scabbard is a little....cheap.
Handling 4/5 better than any I own but I imagine it could be better.
structual integrity 5/5 Blade is stiff, solid and flexable. the whole sword feels rock solid any its stood up to considerable tests.
value for money 5/5 If all windlass were built like this I dont thin there would be much competition in the sub 300 sword market for them.
overall 4.5/5 This is a great sword overall and I felt compelled to review it so people would know. I haven't heard any interest in this sword.