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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2008 4:05:29 GMT
Gen2 Wallace Claymore review Steve Walls Atlanta GA USA The history behind this type fascinates me. The concept of standing your ground against armed horsemen........ The box showed up without a mark on it. The blade was well packed:coated with preservative, plastic wrapped, scabbard plastic wrapped then taped to plastic wrapped sword, whole thing heavily wrapped with lots of tape and English language Philippine newspapers, hilt wrapped in heavy gage cardboard, all packed in the box with lots of air bags and paper. Good Job. AoV and Gen2 were both great to deal with as always! Blade length: 40" Hilt length: 13" Overall: 53.5" Guard Length: 11.5 POB (point of balance): 5" from base of guard COP (center of percussion - 'the sweet spot'): 25" from the guard Weight: 7 lbs. 7&5/8 ozs Leather riccaso cover: 9.5" Blade width at leather: 1 25/35" Blade width 2" from tip: 1 19/32" Blade thickness at leather: 1/4" Blade thickness 2" from tip: 13/64" The BladeA diamond section blade with a very nice satin finish. the ridge is dead straight. Blade symmetry is excellent. The ridge meets the edges centered beautifully at the point. The cutting edges are symmetrical and sharp but not "Paper Sharp" The leather wrap on the blade seems glued on tight but the top edge is a little loose and rough. The GripThe grip is Wooden with 2 steel rings. Oval in cross section and sized just right.the finish on the handle is flacking off in a couple of places. It doesn't look any where near as bad as the pics look. the wood is just as dark as the finish even though it looks lighter in the pics. I don't think it will take much for me to touch up. The PommelThe pommel is great. Size and shape are perfect. The details are very symmetrical and the polish is excellent. The GuardFit and finish on the guard is very good as well. A few scratches on the bottom right next to the grip. The "G" in g2 is double stamped The ScabbardThe scabbard is black heavy Gage leather with a belt loop to fit up to a 6.5" belt As you can see it makes the DSA Ranger look small Cutting CONCLUSION and SBG Ratings While it is heavy, the long handle and great feel of the pommel gives the impression of excellent controllability. I am looking forward to practicing with it once i get it sharper. Hopefully the finish issue and leather edge are not consistent across this batch. Even if they are, they will be easy to fix and at around $299 the metalwork and handling make it Recommended! Fit and Finish: 4/5 the metalwork carries it Handling: 3/5 Structural Integrity: 5/5 Very tight Value for Money: 4/5 OVERALL: 4/5
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Post by Brian of DBK on Mar 12, 2008 4:31:59 GMT
Wow, your cutting form looks much better! Good review and +1 karma!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2008 4:38:18 GMT
Thanks brian. you guys have all been really helpfull with the form thing, besides its always a big jump from none to some.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2008 4:41:28 GMT
seven and a half pound...YIKES. And I thought the DSA ranger was bad.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2008 6:37:47 GMT
Steve,
Out of curiosity when did you get this sword?
I don't recall having seen it listed at AOV as being (in stock) in the past six to eight months at least. Was it a special order?
Also, although AOV does not list a weight, most other places have it listed as being 6 lbs. So is your version from an earlier or later batch?
Another wrinkle is that you mentioned it being around $250 but I see it listed for $299 everywhere. So I'm wondering if you picked it up a long time ago for less money and more weight then one would come by now.
The reason I ask is that I would love to get a functional Wallace sword. And I have a lot of esteem for Gen2s. But the difference of 1.5 pounds invites questions. You do look comfortable swinging it. But there must be a story somewhere.
Anyways, Karma for posting a review of such an intriguing piece. Christian
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Post by Brendan Olszowy on Mar 12, 2008 6:39:45 GMT
Very cool purchase Steve. I'm a big fan of Braveheart, and the sword - I dunno if you saw the Wallace "Landesknecht" I made myself.
The grip looks very round in the marketing, is it suitably oval near the cross?
Also Re the Grip - Gen 2 put that black paint / dye over the wood; apparently while they happily slap it all over their scabbards. Lord knows why because under that paint is some very beautiful Macassar Ebony. Do yourself a favour and sand it back to the timber with some v.fine abrassive.
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Post by YlliwCir on Mar 12, 2008 9:10:24 GMT
Steve, good review. I second Brians comment about your improving cutting skill. It's nice to finally see this sword reviewed, I was begining to think it only exsisted in pictures. karma brother.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2008 13:12:55 GMT
Swordman, I placed a backorder with Aov January 17th 2008. My understanding, From talking with Clyde at Gen2 & Jason at AoV is that this sword wes just delivered to this country. You are correct about the price. I just went back through my invoices, it was $299. Sorry about that. I will edit the review.
The Weight seems like the same Issue as when i got My DSA Ranger.I will Post a pic of the sword on the scale.
When I 1st picked up this sword, it was definetly a holy $%#! moment. the handel length gives excellant leverage and the pommel is really comfortable. The combination is highly effective. I didnt post the vid of the first couple of bottles because i just batted them across the yard. I still feel like i am over cautious and pretty rigid in my bottle cutting. Its great fun but i am still new at it. For all of its size and weight the wallace still feels very controlable. Its easy to Imagine taking a full power swing at a man charging me on horseback. I'll have to try some high targets. ;D
P.S. It came yesterday morning 3/11/2008
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2008 13:29:05 GMT
Brenno The top 2 sections are definitely oval. the longer lower section does a really smooth and gradual transition from oval at the spacer to round at the pommel. The top section is 32mm x 40mm middle is 31mm x 39mm. Ebony Huh Guess ill be striping the paint off and refinishing. thanks for the info. I'm kinda surprised i didn't catch the Ebony thing as i am definitely an exotic wood guy. No Offense intended Brenno but are you sure?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2008 4:27:15 GMT
Oh and wow...thats some pretty solid improvements in such a short time at cutting. Now we just have to get a proper sword into your hands and see what you can really do . The handles on both the DSA and the braveheart looks pretty round. Do you find that comfortable? Easy to track edge alignment? If you haven't tried swords without rounded handles, might wanna shape the temp handle of the DSA a bit to give it a shot and see it improves your cutting.
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Post by kidcasanova on Mar 13, 2008 6:21:47 GMT
Excellent review, Steve. Very informative and wonderful pictures to accompany it. Not to mention some sweet videos. You sure you're new at this? +1 karma for good vids with such a big sword AND for having such a righteous beard.
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Post by admin on Mar 13, 2008 11:04:38 GMT
Great stuff Steve. I recall wanting that sword ever since I first saw it several years ago (just ask Jason at Aov) but never quite got around to it... It's most definitely a beast - and nice cutting indeed! +1 from me.
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Post by hotspur on Mar 13, 2008 13:54:59 GMT
A nice presentation and useful information that some have wondered about. A quick question about this statistic. Guard Height: 11.5 Is that grip length or hilt width/length? Another question for any that might know, as it is a concern of mine about blades wrapped in leather. Does G2 use vegetable tanned leather in this application and for their scabbards, or is it chrome tanned leather? I worry about moisture and salts accumulating under there and the decision to glue it at all. Even glues can be corrosive. I think we have all seen the movie sword with the leather sliding down the blade. On the weight side, this is getting to be the upper limts of even somewhat longer swords meant for use. I present the following just for comparison and not a matter of cost. The G2 Wallace has been around for quite awhile and doesn't reflect more current trends. The A&A Highland Claymore is 56" in overall length and weighs 5.4 pounds, their 15th century two hande (I want one of these) is just under five feet overall and just over six pounds. those numbers make even their German Bastard sword seem heavy, which it is for its type. This isn't a criticism of the reviewd sword or other manufacturers, just an offering of comparative weights. Aside from perceived durability, I have never understood the premise it is a matter of cost except that labor is labor and grinding (yes, even on forged swords) takes time. Hence often bulkier blades and fittings. I don't recall what the Del Tin version weighs (something around six pounds rings a bell) and there have been suprisingly few real evaluations of it aside from a few enthusiastic owners. A bit of background here and a blast from the past. A comparison of market offerings from some time ago, regarding the Braveheart sword. swordforum.com/fall99/braveheart-buyers-guide.htmlThe movie enjoyed a brief refrain on cable movie channels this past season and i'm sure will have sparked some interest again. I've lost count of how many versions are currently offered but there does seem to be a range to suit any budget or taste/use. This one in particular had been asked about and I can now direct that person this way if asked again. Cheers Hotspur; always kind of liked the movie sword, even if a bit anachronistic
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Post by Brendan Olszowy on Mar 13, 2008 15:49:02 GMT
Dimensions of my wallace for comparison. The G2 is 43% heavier. Thats pretty full on.
Weight : 5lb 3oz, 2350g. Overall Length : 1300mm. 51.2" Blade Length : 990mm. 39.5" Hilt Length: 310mm 12.2" Grip Length : 238mm Pommel Length : 60mm including peen. Ricasso length 220mm
I don't know where the weight comes from. My sword has 32% distal taper (Though the G2 does have 20% distal taper), plus mine has 35% profile taper (the G2 has less profile taper but I can't calculate it from those figures the measurements are written in) . The wood on my grip is a very heavy dense wood, so it's not that. I don't know why the G2 is so heavy. But my 5lb 3oz is about as heavy as I'd want in battle.
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Post by guthbrandr on Mar 13, 2008 22:20:29 GMT
I could get into using a sword like that one.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2008 22:38:18 GMT
Hotspur, the guard length is 11.5". I will edit the review.
I have a Question reguarding targets, Do you think that 1/2" plywood will be ok for thrust tests/ heavy cutting? Or is that more than can be reasonobly expected from these swords?
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Post by hotspur on Mar 14, 2008 0:21:33 GMT
Gus Trim and others used to view 1/4" plywood as a pretty standard test medium, cutting straight down. Not as a steady diet but as a benchmark to gauge others. Some have been wacky enough to do a few srtraight down with 3/4" but I feel that is way overboard. I doubt you'll get through a half inch of plywood with any sword in a thrust. For some years, I was showing a hollow core door little mercy in thrust tests and have bored some pretty deep holes in telephone books as well. Somewhere in the woods of America still roams another large guy named Joel Whitmore. He used to go walking with his ATrim XIIa (what is now the 1313 iirc) and had a penchant for taking down green saplings up to three inches and on a diagonal that's a good bit more.. He did finally split his grip but that was the extent of the damage. One of my all time favorites was comng from my warhouse days. The cardboard cores of the pallet wrap are good for big sharp swords (not katana). If you know someone in a shipping department of a large truckload firm, they throw them away. A step up from that would be newsprint cores, visit your local paper and ask if you can have any (they used to give them away with a good bit of paper still on them). Bigger yet would be concrete sono-tube. Black ABS piping may be the norm down south there. We have the PVC up here and it is a bit brittle. The ABS at an inch or two would be just fine. Non wire mesh garden hose, cut to length in bundles is a really fun one. Ask folk for their junk hoses. Really, anything you think you have a good chance of making it through. It is the targets that stop the sword that direct the most energy back to it. Me, I'm becoming a hunchbacked cripple of a somewhat big guy. I peaked at about 6'2"- 6'3" but my immortal years were half a lifetime ago. I can still swing a sword pretty well though. I like lighter swords and empty cracker boxes as well. Empty soda bottles will laugh at big swords but katana will eat them up (if one does their part). For a real thrusting challege with even your pointiest swords, try empties. I think the oddest target was one I tested my A&A Black Prince on and was frustrated in the beginning. A two litre soda bottle fiiled up with .50 cal lead balls. Stuffed that in an old leather Wellington boot. I was just thrusting at it first but the temptation overcame me. After a couple of jarring stops, took a break and thought about it a bit. Went back to the wall and took my light XIIIa down. Zip zoom zam. Buried halfway through the boot upper and lead smeared across most of the blade (the balls mostly displace). Then back with the XVa and quite nearly replicated the effort with some adjustment to where on the blade it wanted to cut and drawing a bit more. The thick carboard tubes were cleaving with tip cuts from big swords at good speed. Mass, velocity and other good stuff. Let me see if I have something hosted. This wasn't at fast speed but you can see my friend Todd using the tip of my GBS on a roll of Bugei wara. This was without much effort but the same section of blade being most effective on the "tubes from hell" as someone else dubbed them. The perceived COP is not always where a sword is going to be the most effective in any given situation or medium. My A&A Black Prince is a lot happier cutting things on the inside of the cop because the forward end is almost square in crossection at the tip (better can opener). Did I mention don't get me started ?8^)~ I have retreived a couple of more from that season. Amidst the carnage here, you can see some of the thick tubes. Really hard stuff, like sono-tube but only about 3/8" or 1/2" wall thckness. Here is another length of wara getting whittled. This stuff cuts like butter but they do stand tall on a stand for many cuts. You can see this hasn't yet fallen and Chris is, again, using more the end of the blade and kind of casting through this cut instead of just drawing . Note how comfortable he makes gripping a single hander with two look. Note also the blade flex, despite the cleaness of the cut. This is a migration era piece by Kevin Cashen. (So much for folk not using expensive swords, even letting others use them) Cheers Hotspur; Old and in the way
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2008 10:37:57 GMT
I got the grip refinished so here are some pics. I sanded the grip with 220 then 320 grit sandpaper, then Buffed it with tripoli then white diamond rouge. Next a good coating of carnuba wax. finished with Renaissance wax. It feels fabulous
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Post by Brendan Olszowy on Mar 17, 2008 11:15:48 GMT
Thats much nicer. A major improvement. This sword needed brown. Are you going to leave the ricasso leather black?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2008 12:37:11 GMT
I plan to do a braided ricasso cover. Possably brown and black? You were right about the wood being beautiful. Thanks for the tip. +1
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