Ritter Steel War Sword
Jun 25, 2008 1:09:25 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2008 1:09:25 GMT
Ritter Steel War Sword
Review by Chad Werner, Ellettsville, IN (USA)
This is the third sword I’ve purchased from Ritter Steel and my FIRST functional medieval style sword. My first two Ritter Steel swords were the Reverse Blade Katana and the Skull Katana. I was very satisfied with the previous two swords and this one had caught my eye for quite some time. Unlike the first two swords, I purchased this sword from an internet company called Ereplicas.com and not from Knight’s Edge; however this website does not seem to exist any longer. Since that company is no longer online, I won’t go into detail about the shipping and the ordering process; though I haven’t a negative thing to say about that either.
I was able to purchase the sword for approximately $165 dollars plus shipping. It arrived and the packaging was sufficient to prevent damage to the sword. It came well oiled and surprisingly sharp! Upon picking it up, I expected it to be heavier. The sword was fairly well balanced and the large handle easily accommodated both my hands (I wear XL gloves) with room to spare! The size and weight of the handle also seemed to place the point of balance very close to the guard. With everything considered, I was smiling like an idiot!
Sword Overview:
Blade Length: 27 1/8”
Blade Width: 2 1/8”
Blade Material: Hand forged heavy leaf carbon steel (as described by Knight’s Edge)
Hilt Length: 11 3/8”
Overall Length: 38 ½“
Point of Balance: 2 1/8” from guard
Center of Percussion: 17 3/4” from guard
Guard Width: 7 ½“
Pommel: 2” long and 3 1/4” wide
Weight: tipping the scales right at 4lbs
Just a side by side comparison to the Cold Steel Two Handed Great Sword.
Design, Fit & Finish
The Blade
The 27 3/16” blade seemed heavy and capable of some serious cutting. Held to the light, hammer forge marks were present, but the blade was also very smooth. The edge was very sharp and cut paper with an extremely clean cut. The deep blood groove spans 18” and seems to start right at the point of balance of the sword. No complaints here!
The Grip
The grip on this sword is massive! The grip all by itself is exactly 9” from top spacer to bottom spacer. The ebony wood contoured handle with the steel spacers seemed to form its own no-slip grip by design. The ebony is very dark and beautifully made! Only very minor flaws were observed in the wood. The handle is very appropriate for this sword.
The Pommel
The pommel is large and appears to really bring the balance of the sword close to the guard. It’s well polished and forms a unique “crown” design. I personally like the design, though I have heard it resembles the Wu Tang logo.
The Guard
The guard is simple in design, yet is very functional and provides great hand protection. It is 7 ½” in width and is 3/8” thick.
The Scabbard
The all leather scabbard is well made and is a suitable companion to the sword. Heavy stitching keeps the thick, heavy grade leather together. It is richly stained a dark hue to match the ebony handle well. The back of the scabbard has a large leather slot to allow quick and easy employment of a sword belt. You might notice in my picture that my scabbard looks damaged. You are right! My drunken "barbarian" friend got ahold of my sword one night while I slept and felt it necessary to thrust the sword into the ground. Without cleaning the blade, he forcefully returned the blade to the scabbard and ripped some of the stitching as well as caked the inside of the scabbard full of mud and small rocks. As way of an apology, he made the plaque that the sword now rests on. What a pal!!
Testing
Cutting
I became even more impressed with the sword during cutting and flexibility tests! I started by using a ¼” thick, high density peg board that I had in my basement. The peg board was very strong and dense and was stronger than the average plywood boards. A recent flood in my area rendered the board unsuitable for hanging, so, being the thrifty person that I am, found another use for it!
The board was placed between a section of my wooden fence that had separated during a wind storm for stability. The first cut at medium strength stuck into the board about 6 to 7 inches. By the third cut, it had severed a large piece of the wood and had stuck about 9 to 10” into the board! The board left brown wood marks on the blade, however did no damage to the steel at all.
The picture shows cuts made using the War Sword compared to my Cold Steel Two Handed Great Sword. Not a big difference in cutting power at all!
The next target was a wooden 2”X6” plank. At very light strength, the sword stuck into the wood about an inch deep. The second light strength blow stuck into the plank nearly 2 inches and the third blow, at medium strength, split the 2”X6” plank completely in two! This might not sound impressive, but this plank was very strong and very heavy!
The ½ gallon water jug was the next test. The video shows the first attempt at this type of cut and it speaks for itself. The cut is pretty clean and definitely got the job done! Every cut after resulted in the same outcome.
Flex Test
Last but not least was the flexibility test. The blade was flexed on the broken 2”X6” and seemed pretty springy. Though it did seem to be capable of flexing more, I did not feel comfortable flexing the sword beyond this point. See the attached picture.
Conclusion
At the end, I would have to say I am very impressed with this sword after the tests. I admit, I was skeptical about the sword’s performance, but I am glad to say I was relieved when I saw how the sword performed. Cleaning the blade was very easy with the wood markings easily coming off the blade with the help of a “blade eraser” and a touch of WD-40.
I got the sword for a steal, but even at Knight’s Edge price of $198, I don’t think you can go wrong! I would definitely recommend this sword to others and I can say I am a proud owner of this sword!
Historical Accuracy: 1/5? (I haven’t seen a sword like this in any museum or book)
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Handling: 3.5/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Where to get:
The sword is listed with Kult of Athena for $170, but they are currently out of stock and I’m not sure they are going to restock it. Blade Empire seems to have the next best price of $179 plus s&h. Knight’s Edge, like I said earlier, sells the sword for $198 and has always had friendly staff and fast shipping.
Review by Chad Werner, Ellettsville, IN (USA)
This is the third sword I’ve purchased from Ritter Steel and my FIRST functional medieval style sword. My first two Ritter Steel swords were the Reverse Blade Katana and the Skull Katana. I was very satisfied with the previous two swords and this one had caught my eye for quite some time. Unlike the first two swords, I purchased this sword from an internet company called Ereplicas.com and not from Knight’s Edge; however this website does not seem to exist any longer. Since that company is no longer online, I won’t go into detail about the shipping and the ordering process; though I haven’t a negative thing to say about that either.
I was able to purchase the sword for approximately $165 dollars plus shipping. It arrived and the packaging was sufficient to prevent damage to the sword. It came well oiled and surprisingly sharp! Upon picking it up, I expected it to be heavier. The sword was fairly well balanced and the large handle easily accommodated both my hands (I wear XL gloves) with room to spare! The size and weight of the handle also seemed to place the point of balance very close to the guard. With everything considered, I was smiling like an idiot!
Sword Overview:
Blade Length: 27 1/8”
Blade Width: 2 1/8”
Blade Material: Hand forged heavy leaf carbon steel (as described by Knight’s Edge)
Hilt Length: 11 3/8”
Overall Length: 38 ½“
Point of Balance: 2 1/8” from guard
Center of Percussion: 17 3/4” from guard
Guard Width: 7 ½“
Pommel: 2” long and 3 1/4” wide
Weight: tipping the scales right at 4lbs
Just a side by side comparison to the Cold Steel Two Handed Great Sword.
Design, Fit & Finish
The Blade
The 27 3/16” blade seemed heavy and capable of some serious cutting. Held to the light, hammer forge marks were present, but the blade was also very smooth. The edge was very sharp and cut paper with an extremely clean cut. The deep blood groove spans 18” and seems to start right at the point of balance of the sword. No complaints here!
The Grip
The grip on this sword is massive! The grip all by itself is exactly 9” from top spacer to bottom spacer. The ebony wood contoured handle with the steel spacers seemed to form its own no-slip grip by design. The ebony is very dark and beautifully made! Only very minor flaws were observed in the wood. The handle is very appropriate for this sword.
The Pommel
The pommel is large and appears to really bring the balance of the sword close to the guard. It’s well polished and forms a unique “crown” design. I personally like the design, though I have heard it resembles the Wu Tang logo.
The Guard
The guard is simple in design, yet is very functional and provides great hand protection. It is 7 ½” in width and is 3/8” thick.
The Scabbard
The all leather scabbard is well made and is a suitable companion to the sword. Heavy stitching keeps the thick, heavy grade leather together. It is richly stained a dark hue to match the ebony handle well. The back of the scabbard has a large leather slot to allow quick and easy employment of a sword belt. You might notice in my picture that my scabbard looks damaged. You are right! My drunken "barbarian" friend got ahold of my sword one night while I slept and felt it necessary to thrust the sword into the ground. Without cleaning the blade, he forcefully returned the blade to the scabbard and ripped some of the stitching as well as caked the inside of the scabbard full of mud and small rocks. As way of an apology, he made the plaque that the sword now rests on. What a pal!!
Testing
Cutting
I became even more impressed with the sword during cutting and flexibility tests! I started by using a ¼” thick, high density peg board that I had in my basement. The peg board was very strong and dense and was stronger than the average plywood boards. A recent flood in my area rendered the board unsuitable for hanging, so, being the thrifty person that I am, found another use for it!
The board was placed between a section of my wooden fence that had separated during a wind storm for stability. The first cut at medium strength stuck into the board about 6 to 7 inches. By the third cut, it had severed a large piece of the wood and had stuck about 9 to 10” into the board! The board left brown wood marks on the blade, however did no damage to the steel at all.
The picture shows cuts made using the War Sword compared to my Cold Steel Two Handed Great Sword. Not a big difference in cutting power at all!
The next target was a wooden 2”X6” plank. At very light strength, the sword stuck into the wood about an inch deep. The second light strength blow stuck into the plank nearly 2 inches and the third blow, at medium strength, split the 2”X6” plank completely in two! This might not sound impressive, but this plank was very strong and very heavy!
The ½ gallon water jug was the next test. The video shows the first attempt at this type of cut and it speaks for itself. The cut is pretty clean and definitely got the job done! Every cut after resulted in the same outcome.
Flex Test
Last but not least was the flexibility test. The blade was flexed on the broken 2”X6” and seemed pretty springy. Though it did seem to be capable of flexing more, I did not feel comfortable flexing the sword beyond this point. See the attached picture.
Conclusion
At the end, I would have to say I am very impressed with this sword after the tests. I admit, I was skeptical about the sword’s performance, but I am glad to say I was relieved when I saw how the sword performed. Cleaning the blade was very easy with the wood markings easily coming off the blade with the help of a “blade eraser” and a touch of WD-40.
I got the sword for a steal, but even at Knight’s Edge price of $198, I don’t think you can go wrong! I would definitely recommend this sword to others and I can say I am a proud owner of this sword!
Historical Accuracy: 1/5? (I haven’t seen a sword like this in any museum or book)
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Handling: 3.5/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Where to get:
The sword is listed with Kult of Athena for $170, but they are currently out of stock and I’m not sure they are going to restock it. Blade Empire seems to have the next best price of $179 plus s&h. Knight’s Edge, like I said earlier, sells the sword for $198 and has always had friendly staff and fast shipping.