Loyalist arms British 1796 light cavalry saber
Sept 28, 2008 11:22:03 GMT
Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2008 11:22:03 GMT
Loyalist Arms British 1796 Light Cavalry Saber
Review by Sebastien Bilodeau, Montréal
I am a big fan of 18th and 19th century sabers and broadswords. It was the time when the use of swords as battlefield weapons ended (even then, swords were secondary weapons for most soldiers), but at the same time many of these swords were more sophistaced than the ones used centuries earlier. The 1796 pattern light cavalry saber used by the british army is a good example of that. It was a popular and efficient weapon, designed by Joseph LeMarchant, it combined many characteristics from eastern swords and was designed in an almost scientific way. LeMarchant was very pragmatic, and designed the blade has a dedicated and easy to use cutter, a goal that was easily reached and made the sword very efficient (but controversial, in a time where smallswords and other thrusting swords were very popular). I suggest you read some of the articles on swordforum.com/ if you want to learn more about these subjects.
Now, I will talk about the 1796 light saber replica sold by Loyalist Arms. I viewed this saber has a cheap alternative to the Cold Steel replica of the same historical weapon and decided to try my luck on Loyalist arms (the loyalist arms replica is 122 $US, versus 209 $US for the Cold Steel replica, on Kult of Athena).
Linda and Blair, the two people who answered my e-mails and my phone call, were very quick, honest and courteous. I got all my questions answered (and I had a whole lot of 'em ...) and I would like to thank them for their great customer service. Shipping was quick and right on time, I got my saber about 3 working days after I completed my order, just as planned.
I don't have any pictures of the box, but I can tell you it was very solid. Inside the cardboard box, the sword was hidden behind a few tons of plastic-foam-peanut-like things, wrapped in a few layers of newspapers and coated with lots of grease. It was long and messy getting the blade out, but at least it had no damage. Also, the whole package seemed like it could have survived being thrown from the top of a 20th floor building. Twice.
At the end of this review, I will try to compare my impressions of this saber with the ones Mike ''shootermike'' Harris had when he reviewed the Cold Steel replica.
First impressions
(Warning : the numbers and measures I give in this review were taken very quickly and shouldn't be considered 100% accurate)
The saber comes with an all-metal scabbard. Both pieces seemed quite solid at first (and still look and feel solid today, but I will give you details). The sword itself is hard to put down, curved, 36'' long, it has quite a presence. It didn't felt lively, but was far from feeling ''dead''. While the handling and the durability of the sword seemed very good, the fit and finish seemed a bit off. I will give you details about each part of the sword now.
The blade
About 32-33'' long, the blade has a fair amount of presence. It is curved, with a curvature more pronounced past the fuller, for the last 4-5'' of the blade. The fuller itself is very wide (about 2/3 of the blade) but not very deep, it is a bit hard to see in some of my pictures because of that. About 4-5'' before the tip, the fuller stops and a small ridge in the middle of the blade continues toward the slightly rounded tip.
The blade comes in a mirror-like finish, it had a few small scratches when I cleaned off the grease. I was able to bend it up to about 20 degrees, and it sprung back to it original shape. The mirror-like surface takes scratches very easily, which is a bit annoying.
The blade has a 5-6mm back, that tapers to about 1-2 mm when the fuller ends. The edged side has a 1 mm dull edge, like most Windlass swords. At the time I am writing this review, the blade is still unsharpened, but seems like it will be easy to give the weapon a true edge.
Pommel, handle, etc
I think this is one of the weakest part of this saber. The large steel guard and the build of grip gives a very robust and solid feeling. However, that feeling turned a bit sour when I handled the blade. The metal-plated back of the handle becomes slippery very quickly, it likes to keep the sweat from my hand and slip away from my hand itself. Also, small metal parts of the grip are made in a very non-ergonomical way :
If you look very closely, you will see that a lower part of the grip doesn't fit with the higher part of the grip, near the crossguard. That small piece of metal dug into my hand at every swing, not enough to make my hand bleed, but enough to make swinging the saber a physically irritating task after a session of dry handling. A metal file will probably eliminate this problem, but couldn't the factory do it at my place ?
Some other details : the black leather grip seems poorly glued at one place and the blade isn't placed equally between the two langets. However, no rattling came from the handle after many full strenght swings, swings that I did without sharpening the blade, against some big cardboard boxes. A bit abusive, but it showed that the saber can take some punishment.
Scabbard
One of the great part of the sword, the all steel scabbard is a very robust item. The sword fits tightly in it, when I put the saber pommel down, it didn't came out of the scabbard unless I gave the scabbard a good shake (see picture). However, the tight fit seems to be the source of some of the scratches on the mid section of the blade; these marks came back every time I put the sword in its scabbard, after cleaning them. The details on the scabbard seem to have been added has an after-though, they are cheaply-made (the rings look like aluminium washers).
Handling
This is one of the strong part of the blade. Although the handle makes handling a bit irritating, the sword itself feels good in hand, considering its a sub-200 $ weapon. It was easy to do figure-8 test swings with my wrist (swinging the blade in an inverted 8-like pattern), defensive and offensive stances and multiple test cuts and swings. The point of balance is about 5'' from the crossguard, which seems to help the overall balance of the weapon.
The saber feels strong in full-arm swings but can deliver good cuts from the wrist, however, the blade is hard to stop during the few moments it is in movement. Guess I won't try fancy feints or mid-swing direction change with this saber ... Overall, it is a fun to wield weapon, its handling seems to respect the reputation of the ''real thing''.
Test Cutting
I haven't sharpened the blade yet. However I did some test cutting (test battering actually...) on empty boxes, water bottles and water-filled pints of milk. It was easy to make strong cuts and swings, but the balance of the weapon and it's curvature made it hard to aim decently; for the first 5-10 minutes I have used this saber, I missed many of my targets by a few inches (but it got better after this period). Once my swings started to go where they were intended to, my targets started flying everywhere, taking a nasty beating. I can't wait to try out this saber sharpened ...
I also did some test-thrust, on the same targets. Results were so-so ; the rounded tip, placed at the end of the curved blade, made thrusts imprecise and a bit weak (penetrating targets by only 1-2'' max, when I didn't miss). This blade could be used for jabs, but cuts and swings are definitely the deal here.
Conclusion
Overall, I am quite satisfied by this sword. I think it is a fun and sturdy backyard cutter. If I compare it to the Cold Steel replica of the same historical saber (by reading this review: www.sword-buyers-guide.com/british-military-swords.html, by Mike Harris/''ShooterMike''), both products seem very similar in handling. The Loyalist Arms replica seemed less precise from an historical viewpoint; most 1796 light cavalry sabers from the british army had a more pronounced hatchet point and had a shorter, deeper fuller, and no mid-blade ridge. The pommel is also different. The Loyalist Replica also loose points in its fit and finish, versus its Cold Steel brother.
Overall, if you are looking for a 18th century cavalry saber replica good for backyard cutting and dry handling, the Loyalist arms replica seems to offer about the same amount of ''bang'' for less bucks than Cold Steel. Cold Steel, however, score more points in the details, their replica ressembles more closely the real 1796 pattern saber and seems to have a better fit & finish. So, the Cold Steel is probably better is backyard cutting is less important for you.
For those of you who want more options, a replica of the same sword is availabre on www.militaryheritage.com for a price similar to the one of the Cold Steel replica.
Pros
-Low price.
-Decent handling, the saber feels good and isn't hard to swing and control.
-Robust blade ; no chipping or bents after multiple cuts and swings (with many botched ones ...).
-A cheap alternative to other replicas of this type of saber ...
Cons
-...but, many details are off, historically.
-Mediocre cutting, most cuts sent the bottle flying in one piece, even after a accusharp ''shaving''.
-Irritating handle, requires gloves.
-Not as well-made as its ''competitors''.
Review by Sebastien Bilodeau, Montréal
I am a big fan of 18th and 19th century sabers and broadswords. It was the time when the use of swords as battlefield weapons ended (even then, swords were secondary weapons for most soldiers), but at the same time many of these swords were more sophistaced than the ones used centuries earlier. The 1796 pattern light cavalry saber used by the british army is a good example of that. It was a popular and efficient weapon, designed by Joseph LeMarchant, it combined many characteristics from eastern swords and was designed in an almost scientific way. LeMarchant was very pragmatic, and designed the blade has a dedicated and easy to use cutter, a goal that was easily reached and made the sword very efficient (but controversial, in a time where smallswords and other thrusting swords were very popular). I suggest you read some of the articles on swordforum.com/ if you want to learn more about these subjects.
Now, I will talk about the 1796 light saber replica sold by Loyalist Arms. I viewed this saber has a cheap alternative to the Cold Steel replica of the same historical weapon and decided to try my luck on Loyalist arms (the loyalist arms replica is 122 $US, versus 209 $US for the Cold Steel replica, on Kult of Athena).
Linda and Blair, the two people who answered my e-mails and my phone call, were very quick, honest and courteous. I got all my questions answered (and I had a whole lot of 'em ...) and I would like to thank them for their great customer service. Shipping was quick and right on time, I got my saber about 3 working days after I completed my order, just as planned.
I don't have any pictures of the box, but I can tell you it was very solid. Inside the cardboard box, the sword was hidden behind a few tons of plastic-foam-peanut-like things, wrapped in a few layers of newspapers and coated with lots of grease. It was long and messy getting the blade out, but at least it had no damage. Also, the whole package seemed like it could have survived being thrown from the top of a 20th floor building. Twice.
At the end of this review, I will try to compare my impressions of this saber with the ones Mike ''shootermike'' Harris had when he reviewed the Cold Steel replica.
First impressions
(Warning : the numbers and measures I give in this review were taken very quickly and shouldn't be considered 100% accurate)
The saber comes with an all-metal scabbard. Both pieces seemed quite solid at first (and still look and feel solid today, but I will give you details). The sword itself is hard to put down, curved, 36'' long, it has quite a presence. It didn't felt lively, but was far from feeling ''dead''. While the handling and the durability of the sword seemed very good, the fit and finish seemed a bit off. I will give you details about each part of the sword now.
The blade
About 32-33'' long, the blade has a fair amount of presence. It is curved, with a curvature more pronounced past the fuller, for the last 4-5'' of the blade. The fuller itself is very wide (about 2/3 of the blade) but not very deep, it is a bit hard to see in some of my pictures because of that. About 4-5'' before the tip, the fuller stops and a small ridge in the middle of the blade continues toward the slightly rounded tip.
The blade comes in a mirror-like finish, it had a few small scratches when I cleaned off the grease. I was able to bend it up to about 20 degrees, and it sprung back to it original shape. The mirror-like surface takes scratches very easily, which is a bit annoying.
The blade has a 5-6mm back, that tapers to about 1-2 mm when the fuller ends. The edged side has a 1 mm dull edge, like most Windlass swords. At the time I am writing this review, the blade is still unsharpened, but seems like it will be easy to give the weapon a true edge.
Pommel, handle, etc
I think this is one of the weakest part of this saber. The large steel guard and the build of grip gives a very robust and solid feeling. However, that feeling turned a bit sour when I handled the blade. The metal-plated back of the handle becomes slippery very quickly, it likes to keep the sweat from my hand and slip away from my hand itself. Also, small metal parts of the grip are made in a very non-ergonomical way :
If you look very closely, you will see that a lower part of the grip doesn't fit with the higher part of the grip, near the crossguard. That small piece of metal dug into my hand at every swing, not enough to make my hand bleed, but enough to make swinging the saber a physically irritating task after a session of dry handling. A metal file will probably eliminate this problem, but couldn't the factory do it at my place ?
Some other details : the black leather grip seems poorly glued at one place and the blade isn't placed equally between the two langets. However, no rattling came from the handle after many full strenght swings, swings that I did without sharpening the blade, against some big cardboard boxes. A bit abusive, but it showed that the saber can take some punishment.
Scabbard
One of the great part of the sword, the all steel scabbard is a very robust item. The sword fits tightly in it, when I put the saber pommel down, it didn't came out of the scabbard unless I gave the scabbard a good shake (see picture). However, the tight fit seems to be the source of some of the scratches on the mid section of the blade; these marks came back every time I put the sword in its scabbard, after cleaning them. The details on the scabbard seem to have been added has an after-though, they are cheaply-made (the rings look like aluminium washers).
Handling
This is one of the strong part of the blade. Although the handle makes handling a bit irritating, the sword itself feels good in hand, considering its a sub-200 $ weapon. It was easy to do figure-8 test swings with my wrist (swinging the blade in an inverted 8-like pattern), defensive and offensive stances and multiple test cuts and swings. The point of balance is about 5'' from the crossguard, which seems to help the overall balance of the weapon.
The saber feels strong in full-arm swings but can deliver good cuts from the wrist, however, the blade is hard to stop during the few moments it is in movement. Guess I won't try fancy feints or mid-swing direction change with this saber ... Overall, it is a fun to wield weapon, its handling seems to respect the reputation of the ''real thing''.
Test Cutting
I haven't sharpened the blade yet. However I did some test cutting (test battering actually...) on empty boxes, water bottles and water-filled pints of milk. It was easy to make strong cuts and swings, but the balance of the weapon and it's curvature made it hard to aim decently; for the first 5-10 minutes I have used this saber, I missed many of my targets by a few inches (but it got better after this period). Once my swings started to go where they were intended to, my targets started flying everywhere, taking a nasty beating. I can't wait to try out this saber sharpened ...
I also did some test-thrust, on the same targets. Results were so-so ; the rounded tip, placed at the end of the curved blade, made thrusts imprecise and a bit weak (penetrating targets by only 1-2'' max, when I didn't miss). This blade could be used for jabs, but cuts and swings are definitely the deal here.
Conclusion
Overall, I am quite satisfied by this sword. I think it is a fun and sturdy backyard cutter. If I compare it to the Cold Steel replica of the same historical saber (by reading this review: www.sword-buyers-guide.com/british-military-swords.html, by Mike Harris/''ShooterMike''), both products seem very similar in handling. The Loyalist Arms replica seemed less precise from an historical viewpoint; most 1796 light cavalry sabers from the british army had a more pronounced hatchet point and had a shorter, deeper fuller, and no mid-blade ridge. The pommel is also different. The Loyalist Replica also loose points in its fit and finish, versus its Cold Steel brother.
Overall, if you are looking for a 18th century cavalry saber replica good for backyard cutting and dry handling, the Loyalist arms replica seems to offer about the same amount of ''bang'' for less bucks than Cold Steel. Cold Steel, however, score more points in the details, their replica ressembles more closely the real 1796 pattern saber and seems to have a better fit & finish. So, the Cold Steel is probably better is backyard cutting is less important for you.
For those of you who want more options, a replica of the same sword is availabre on www.militaryheritage.com for a price similar to the one of the Cold Steel replica.
Pros
-Low price.
-Decent handling, the saber feels good and isn't hard to swing and control.
-Robust blade ; no chipping or bents after multiple cuts and swings (with many botched ones ...).
-A cheap alternative to other replicas of this type of saber ...
Cons
-...but, many details are off, historically.
-Mediocre cutting, most cuts sent the bottle flying in one piece, even after a accusharp ''shaving''.
-Irritating handle, requires gloves.
-Not as well-made as its ''competitors''.