Sansibar #1 from Traditional Filipino Weapons
Nov 13, 2008 0:48:53 GMT
Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2008 0:48:53 GMT
Since Skallagrim took all possibilities from me to write a review earlier I'm only starting now, but (hopefully) with a bang, because of this extraordinary weapon I was able to test.
Okay, here it is, my first review:
Traditional Filipino Weapons Sansibar #1 by Cara P.
Why the Sansibar #1? When Skallagrim and I were looking for a new weapon we stumbled across the Traditional Filipino Weapons shop (http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/Sandata.html) and were enthralled right away. So we opened all weapons in tabs that we were interested in buying. Then we noticed we were looking at the entire store… a decision had to be made. The Sansibar was simply in the top five. So, long story short, all of the weapons in this shop are so gorgeous that they deserve being bought. The Sansibar with its slender curve and elegant overall design was only the first one to be picked up. But look for yourself:
The Sansibar arrived securely packed in pink bubble wrap. Interestingly the blade was outside the scabbard but when I unpacked it I found it heavily oiled so my guess is they didn’t wanted to spoil the inner scabbard with oil. After cleaning the blade I handled it cautiously. Why so hesitating, you ask? Because the Sansibar may well be the sharpest little piece of art that I have taken out of a box. And if this wasn’t enough to make me cautious it is unbelievably light for its size. I have the rule that I want to feel the weight of the weapon I handle, so I was a bit overly careful first. But after dry handling it for a short while I was assured that this sword goes exactly where its wielder wants. From the beginning it felt very comfortable and manageable; I seldom had such a good first impression.
Before I come to the statistics I want to give Ron at the shop credit for great customer service and lightning fast shipping. Sending immediately after having all information, that’s what I call dedication to customer friendliness.
And now to the hard figures:
Blade length: 52 cm / 20,5 inch
Blade width: 3 cm / 1,2 inch
Hilt length: 11,5 cm / 4,6 inch
Overall (from “pommel” to point): 70 cm / 27, 6 inch
Guard width: 5,2 cm / 2,05 inch
POB: ~ 10 cm / 3,94 inch from guard
Weigth: ~570 g / 1 lb 3,5 ounces
Scabbard:
Length: 56 cm / 22,05 inch
Width: 6 cm / 2,4 inch
Weight: ~210 g / 7,4 ounces
The “Pommel”
This sword doesn’t sport a pommel in the classic sense of the word (metal “knob” that balances the weight ) but since this part of the hilt is nicely carved I take this part of the review to provide a bit more detail. I’ve heard that the carving is supposed to be a cockatoo; to me it looks like a dragon with horn and open mouth, but that is subjective and of course western-geek biased . Whatever one sees in the carving, it has another purpose than pure looks. It keeps your hand securely at the grip. There is no way your fingers could slip beyond the curved wood on the lower side of the grip.
Apart from that, the hole in the pommel gives you the possibility to attach a sash or whatever else you want dangling from your sword: trophies, chains, the keys to your secret training grounds… ahem, just kidding.
So the pommel combines aesthetics with pragmatism, something I like about my weapons.
The Hilt
Made in one piece with the pommel, the grip can be described quiet briefly: nothing to improve. I have by now handled a number of different grip designs: from the typical leather wrapped standard, over Albion to my custom made dagger, but the Sansibar feels nearly alive. You can grip it in whatever fashion you want and it snuggles against your palm in the most comforting way. I’m going to try to describe the grip in detail. It’s slightly curved, forming an arc with the blade and covered on two sides with crossing carving lines (looks like scales in combination with the pommel). I’d describe the form as six sided with two wider flats on the sides and rounded angles on the slim part. Since I now might have confused you completely, I let the picture speak:
Another feature is the differing circumference: wide at the guard, smaller ring, wide middle part, smaller ring just before the widening to the pommel. Makes it even more slip-proof. All aspects combined, I am pretty sure this weapon stays in your hand under all conditions (wet, gloves and too-cold-to-feel-your-fingers already tested )
Regarding the material I am not sure which wood it is but it seems quiet robust, so my guess would be some hard wood, possibly iron wood. It is pretty dark with an appealing color spectrum when viewed under different light conditions. The grain shimmers through the finish and is even glimmering a bit, I have never seen something like this. The surface has a lot of small fissures that run at a right angle to the grain, what makes the aesthetic only more unique.
Another noteworthy thing on the hilt is the brass rivet that seemingly holds the construction. I do not know how exactly the sword is made up, so I have to guess that the hilt is riveted unto the blade. At first I was a bit skeptic if this was a sturdy enough construction but after the testing (including some rough stuff) the swords holds true. No rattling and not even the slightest movement between guard and blade.
The Guard
But now on to the guard, well, the little metal thing we have to protect our fingers. It’s made of iron I’d guess and has a black finish that seemingly dislikes the cold wet winter of my play… I mean, training ground, because it rubbed off a bit while I took the sword outside.
The guard extends only a millimeter over my fingers, enough to hinder me from slipping unto the blade while thrusting but hardly enough to help me parrying. But I don’t want to sound unappreciative; since most of my weapons sport no handguard at all, this little piece of metal is a great improvement for me. It makes the Sansibar more secure and was actually one of my reasons to buy it first.
The Blade
The curve of the blade resembles a bit that of a Kopis: First curved towards the ground, then curved slightly upwards again near to the tip, thereby facilitating chopping as well as slicing. The back has a distal taper if I can call it this. Actually the back is quite thick at the guard (5-6 mm) and then thinning into near nothingness as the false edge begins, which takes up half of the blade. The point is only slightest upwards curved nearly giving you a straight thrusting line. It is indeed easy to thrust with this sword and the structure is stabilized by a central ridge, so no danger to break the tip off.
The next feature may not be to everyone’s liking but to me the satin finished polish is very appealing. While it still reflects your face, it does so only in the form of a blur that could be either you or whoever is on your mind.
The sharpness of this one is rather wicked, cutting through almost everything completely effortlessly. What adds to this is the fact that the edge has no second bevel and the blade is thin as paper, creating no resistance inside the target.
The Scabbard
At first I thought the scabbard was actually made out of one piece but when you look closely you can see that there are actually two pieces of wood placed together even though you can’t feel it. In contrast to the wood of the grip the scabbard is bright with strongly visible grain. It is wrapped with rattan and has carved finger molds near the mouth. The fit is tight and holds the sword secure even when turned upside-down. To draw it you have to push against a flat at the top end of the scabbard (seems intended this way) or to pull real hard, no fast drawing here.
Testing
Now on to the wicked part of this review.
Paper test: No problem at all, you don’t even feel that there is something in front of your blade. It slices through the paper with no effort at all, even when the paper is hanging on a thread from the ceiling.
Cardboard: Behaves as if it was paper to this blade. With a simple wrist cut the Sansibar bites inch-deep into the cardboard or penetrates by simply pressing the tip against the surface.
Paper milk jugs: Until now I had only had one weapon that slices these little cartons like air and that is a razor sharp knife. The sansibar cuts into the carton with ease and actually cuts deeper then intended. I tried to slice as many openings as possible into the carton but already on the third strike the sansibar cut it in two, with nothing more than the tip of the blade. Foiling my evil intends…
Two milk cartons in a row are no problem either.
And while you could do this for hours because it is so much fun and easy there are others well known enemies to be slain.
Plastic bottles: Killed with a simple gentle lunge at the target, no other sword cleaved so effortlessly through even the thickest bottles. While the Kobra had to be swung brutally at a thick-walled plastic bottle, the Sansibar didn’t even send it flying from the stand. Actually I was quite surprised at the performance so far, the sword seemed so light and frail that I had thought it would have problems with bigger targets, but it wasn’t letting me down.
Even the false edge cuts as if it was on the other side of the blade, there is virtually no difference which side you use.
Already quite happy I was heading for my favorite: the thrust.
And again, no resistance felt when I hit the target. Alas I was not able to withdraw the blade without holding the bottle, but the “wound” closed without water running out, that’s what I call clean.
Tatami: Moving on to the next available testing material, we put up a tatami mat and started attacking the poor thing. After the first attempts leading to only short of completely slicing through we got used to the handling and cut the tatami to pieces. Standing up or lying on our stand not even the branch inside the mat posed a problem.
One thing I have to note though is that the blade bent during this test:
It could be that the bend got stronger from being only slightly at the beginning, but I was a bit shocked so to say. Bad threading, pseudo sharp sword-like objects and such I’m used to (unfortunately) but a bent blade; that was new. Note that the blade is extremely thin at the bent point and guessing from Rons reaction it may very well be a problem of this particular piece, maybe a heat tempering that differs from standard.
After cursing shortly we tried to bend it back into shape, which worked pretty well. You can’t really make out the twist anymore.
Just to note it, when Ron heard of the bent blade he was really sorry about it, I’d even say concerned, and immediately offered to exchange the sword. Showing once again his dedication to (the happiness of) his customers.
This little incident sparked our typical curiosity about what a weapon can take so we decided to do a bit heavier testing than first intended.
Tree branch: I want to add that it was really cold on this day so I’m not sure if there was a bit of ice on or in the branch. After the bending on the tatami I had lost a bit of trust and was therefore surprised to find that the Sansibar held up to the ordeal without any problems. Branch cleanly cut through, blade as (semi) straight as before, still no rattling at the grip, whole construction working.
But enough of my endless babbling, here is what you all were actually waiting for, the visually explicit part. ;D
Kind of strange testing results there: short-time bent blade, otherwise robust, edge as sharp as before, outstanding cutting performance.
Conclusion and SBG Ratings
I didn’t know what to expect exactly when we ordered this sword but I was really impressed by this little beauty. It feels great in the hand, is fast and actually quite easy to handle. Persons used to European swords might think it small at first but you get accustomed to the size fast. Some may not feel the weight of the weapon in the hand, you have to consider by yourself whether or not you like it; but it is definitely different from the handling of more “usual” swords.
So concluding, for everybody who is interested in a light, gorgeous looking sword from a seldomly represented weapons culture, the Sansibar is a perfect piece to start or widen a new part of the collection. This sword is as beautiful on the wall as it is in the hand, though what I love about it is that it is designed to be used. And that I will.
Apart from the bending of the blade the Sansibar has not disappointed me in any way possible, I’d definitely recommend it!
Historical Accuracy: 5/5 (at least as far as I know, I’m far from being an expert)
Fit and Finish: 5/5 (dangerously beautiful, how I like it ;D)
Handling: 5/5 (light, fast, handy, feels like part of your body)
Structural Integrity: 4/5 (metal a bit too easy to bend, otherwise great)
Value for Money: 5/5 (it doesn’t get more inexpensive for such quality)
OVERALL: 5/5 (what are you waiting for?)
Okay, here it is, my first review:
Traditional Filipino Weapons Sansibar #1 by Cara P.
Why the Sansibar #1? When Skallagrim and I were looking for a new weapon we stumbled across the Traditional Filipino Weapons shop (http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/Sandata.html) and were enthralled right away. So we opened all weapons in tabs that we were interested in buying. Then we noticed we were looking at the entire store… a decision had to be made. The Sansibar was simply in the top five. So, long story short, all of the weapons in this shop are so gorgeous that they deserve being bought. The Sansibar with its slender curve and elegant overall design was only the first one to be picked up. But look for yourself:
The Sansibar arrived securely packed in pink bubble wrap. Interestingly the blade was outside the scabbard but when I unpacked it I found it heavily oiled so my guess is they didn’t wanted to spoil the inner scabbard with oil. After cleaning the blade I handled it cautiously. Why so hesitating, you ask? Because the Sansibar may well be the sharpest little piece of art that I have taken out of a box. And if this wasn’t enough to make me cautious it is unbelievably light for its size. I have the rule that I want to feel the weight of the weapon I handle, so I was a bit overly careful first. But after dry handling it for a short while I was assured that this sword goes exactly where its wielder wants. From the beginning it felt very comfortable and manageable; I seldom had such a good first impression.
Before I come to the statistics I want to give Ron at the shop credit for great customer service and lightning fast shipping. Sending immediately after having all information, that’s what I call dedication to customer friendliness.
And now to the hard figures:
Blade length: 52 cm / 20,5 inch
Blade width: 3 cm / 1,2 inch
Hilt length: 11,5 cm / 4,6 inch
Overall (from “pommel” to point): 70 cm / 27, 6 inch
Guard width: 5,2 cm / 2,05 inch
POB: ~ 10 cm / 3,94 inch from guard
Weigth: ~570 g / 1 lb 3,5 ounces
Scabbard:
Length: 56 cm / 22,05 inch
Width: 6 cm / 2,4 inch
Weight: ~210 g / 7,4 ounces
The “Pommel”
This sword doesn’t sport a pommel in the classic sense of the word (metal “knob” that balances the weight ) but since this part of the hilt is nicely carved I take this part of the review to provide a bit more detail. I’ve heard that the carving is supposed to be a cockatoo; to me it looks like a dragon with horn and open mouth, but that is subjective and of course western-geek biased . Whatever one sees in the carving, it has another purpose than pure looks. It keeps your hand securely at the grip. There is no way your fingers could slip beyond the curved wood on the lower side of the grip.
Apart from that, the hole in the pommel gives you the possibility to attach a sash or whatever else you want dangling from your sword: trophies, chains, the keys to your secret training grounds… ahem, just kidding.
So the pommel combines aesthetics with pragmatism, something I like about my weapons.
The Hilt
Made in one piece with the pommel, the grip can be described quiet briefly: nothing to improve. I have by now handled a number of different grip designs: from the typical leather wrapped standard, over Albion to my custom made dagger, but the Sansibar feels nearly alive. You can grip it in whatever fashion you want and it snuggles against your palm in the most comforting way. I’m going to try to describe the grip in detail. It’s slightly curved, forming an arc with the blade and covered on two sides with crossing carving lines (looks like scales in combination with the pommel). I’d describe the form as six sided with two wider flats on the sides and rounded angles on the slim part. Since I now might have confused you completely, I let the picture speak:
Another feature is the differing circumference: wide at the guard, smaller ring, wide middle part, smaller ring just before the widening to the pommel. Makes it even more slip-proof. All aspects combined, I am pretty sure this weapon stays in your hand under all conditions (wet, gloves and too-cold-to-feel-your-fingers already tested )
Regarding the material I am not sure which wood it is but it seems quiet robust, so my guess would be some hard wood, possibly iron wood. It is pretty dark with an appealing color spectrum when viewed under different light conditions. The grain shimmers through the finish and is even glimmering a bit, I have never seen something like this. The surface has a lot of small fissures that run at a right angle to the grain, what makes the aesthetic only more unique.
Another noteworthy thing on the hilt is the brass rivet that seemingly holds the construction. I do not know how exactly the sword is made up, so I have to guess that the hilt is riveted unto the blade. At first I was a bit skeptic if this was a sturdy enough construction but after the testing (including some rough stuff) the swords holds true. No rattling and not even the slightest movement between guard and blade.
The Guard
But now on to the guard, well, the little metal thing we have to protect our fingers. It’s made of iron I’d guess and has a black finish that seemingly dislikes the cold wet winter of my play… I mean, training ground, because it rubbed off a bit while I took the sword outside.
The guard extends only a millimeter over my fingers, enough to hinder me from slipping unto the blade while thrusting but hardly enough to help me parrying. But I don’t want to sound unappreciative; since most of my weapons sport no handguard at all, this little piece of metal is a great improvement for me. It makes the Sansibar more secure and was actually one of my reasons to buy it first.
The Blade
The curve of the blade resembles a bit that of a Kopis: First curved towards the ground, then curved slightly upwards again near to the tip, thereby facilitating chopping as well as slicing. The back has a distal taper if I can call it this. Actually the back is quite thick at the guard (5-6 mm) and then thinning into near nothingness as the false edge begins, which takes up half of the blade. The point is only slightest upwards curved nearly giving you a straight thrusting line. It is indeed easy to thrust with this sword and the structure is stabilized by a central ridge, so no danger to break the tip off.
The next feature may not be to everyone’s liking but to me the satin finished polish is very appealing. While it still reflects your face, it does so only in the form of a blur that could be either you or whoever is on your mind.
The sharpness of this one is rather wicked, cutting through almost everything completely effortlessly. What adds to this is the fact that the edge has no second bevel and the blade is thin as paper, creating no resistance inside the target.
The Scabbard
At first I thought the scabbard was actually made out of one piece but when you look closely you can see that there are actually two pieces of wood placed together even though you can’t feel it. In contrast to the wood of the grip the scabbard is bright with strongly visible grain. It is wrapped with rattan and has carved finger molds near the mouth. The fit is tight and holds the sword secure even when turned upside-down. To draw it you have to push against a flat at the top end of the scabbard (seems intended this way) or to pull real hard, no fast drawing here.
Testing
Now on to the wicked part of this review.
Paper test: No problem at all, you don’t even feel that there is something in front of your blade. It slices through the paper with no effort at all, even when the paper is hanging on a thread from the ceiling.
Cardboard: Behaves as if it was paper to this blade. With a simple wrist cut the Sansibar bites inch-deep into the cardboard or penetrates by simply pressing the tip against the surface.
Paper milk jugs: Until now I had only had one weapon that slices these little cartons like air and that is a razor sharp knife. The sansibar cuts into the carton with ease and actually cuts deeper then intended. I tried to slice as many openings as possible into the carton but already on the third strike the sansibar cut it in two, with nothing more than the tip of the blade. Foiling my evil intends…
Two milk cartons in a row are no problem either.
And while you could do this for hours because it is so much fun and easy there are others well known enemies to be slain.
Plastic bottles: Killed with a simple gentle lunge at the target, no other sword cleaved so effortlessly through even the thickest bottles. While the Kobra had to be swung brutally at a thick-walled plastic bottle, the Sansibar didn’t even send it flying from the stand. Actually I was quite surprised at the performance so far, the sword seemed so light and frail that I had thought it would have problems with bigger targets, but it wasn’t letting me down.
Even the false edge cuts as if it was on the other side of the blade, there is virtually no difference which side you use.
Already quite happy I was heading for my favorite: the thrust.
And again, no resistance felt when I hit the target. Alas I was not able to withdraw the blade without holding the bottle, but the “wound” closed without water running out, that’s what I call clean.
Tatami: Moving on to the next available testing material, we put up a tatami mat and started attacking the poor thing. After the first attempts leading to only short of completely slicing through we got used to the handling and cut the tatami to pieces. Standing up or lying on our stand not even the branch inside the mat posed a problem.
One thing I have to note though is that the blade bent during this test:
It could be that the bend got stronger from being only slightly at the beginning, but I was a bit shocked so to say. Bad threading, pseudo sharp sword-like objects and such I’m used to (unfortunately) but a bent blade; that was new. Note that the blade is extremely thin at the bent point and guessing from Rons reaction it may very well be a problem of this particular piece, maybe a heat tempering that differs from standard.
After cursing shortly we tried to bend it back into shape, which worked pretty well. You can’t really make out the twist anymore.
Just to note it, when Ron heard of the bent blade he was really sorry about it, I’d even say concerned, and immediately offered to exchange the sword. Showing once again his dedication to (the happiness of) his customers.
This little incident sparked our typical curiosity about what a weapon can take so we decided to do a bit heavier testing than first intended.
Tree branch: I want to add that it was really cold on this day so I’m not sure if there was a bit of ice on or in the branch. After the bending on the tatami I had lost a bit of trust and was therefore surprised to find that the Sansibar held up to the ordeal without any problems. Branch cleanly cut through, blade as (semi) straight as before, still no rattling at the grip, whole construction working.
But enough of my endless babbling, here is what you all were actually waiting for, the visually explicit part. ;D
Kind of strange testing results there: short-time bent blade, otherwise robust, edge as sharp as before, outstanding cutting performance.
Conclusion and SBG Ratings
I didn’t know what to expect exactly when we ordered this sword but I was really impressed by this little beauty. It feels great in the hand, is fast and actually quite easy to handle. Persons used to European swords might think it small at first but you get accustomed to the size fast. Some may not feel the weight of the weapon in the hand, you have to consider by yourself whether or not you like it; but it is definitely different from the handling of more “usual” swords.
So concluding, for everybody who is interested in a light, gorgeous looking sword from a seldomly represented weapons culture, the Sansibar is a perfect piece to start or widen a new part of the collection. This sword is as beautiful on the wall as it is in the hand, though what I love about it is that it is designed to be used. And that I will.
Apart from the bending of the blade the Sansibar has not disappointed me in any way possible, I’d definitely recommend it!
Historical Accuracy: 5/5 (at least as far as I know, I’m far from being an expert)
Fit and Finish: 5/5 (dangerously beautiful, how I like it ;D)
Handling: 5/5 (light, fast, handy, feels like part of your body)
Structural Integrity: 4/5 (metal a bit too easy to bend, otherwise great)
Value for Money: 5/5 (it doesn’t get more inexpensive for such quality)
OVERALL: 5/5 (what are you waiting for?)