Windlass Sword Of Guy Review
Feb 7, 2009 17:27:51 GMT
Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2009 17:27:51 GMT
Windlass Sword of Guy Review - Larry
Hey, wait a minute!! Did I make a mistake? Isn’t this the Sword of Tiberias.., you ask??!!! … And that’s the reason I felt compelled to do up this review
There could hardly be any chance of foul-up for movies memorabilia in recent years, yet interestingly, this sword (& the ‘real’ Sword of Tiberias) was one of them! It has misled many, me inclusive, when I purchased it in year ’07; and to cut the story short, it was not until mid ’08 when fellow forumite, JPFranco, corrected me that this is actually the Sword of Guy (and Not ‘Tiberias’ as what I’ve known) when he posted his in the Member’s section!
I am quite aware that this sword has been Sold Out in most, if not all, stores now, but I hope this article will bring awareness to many of us, like myself, who owned this sword, so that we know it’s the Sword of Guy! This article also serves as reference resource should any of these sword floods into the second-hand markets in the near future.
The Sword
Overall Length (w/o scabbard): 42”
Blade Length: 33 ¼”
Blade Width near Hilt 1 7/8”
Blade Material: High Carbon 1065/1095
Grip: 5 7/8” (exclude pommel)
Point of Balance: 4” from Guard
Weight: ~1.5 kg (or 3.2 kg w/scabbard)
The Blade
The blade come unsharpened with the usual lacquered finish, Windlass-style; The lacquer is evenly done, with the words “Windlass Made in India” etched on one side of the blade, near the guard. The blade possess a good taper and a good point.
From the very little I made out of the Oakeshott Typology, this blade seems to fit into Type XIIa* typology the best, though its fuller width doesn’t seems right (* Pls feel free to discuss further, as I’m not even 80% certain).
A narrow and shallow fuller begins from under the cross, fizzles out along the blade shaft and terminates about one-third from the blade tip.
Close-up of the blade forte…
..and the blade foible…
The Hilt
The hilt is what sets this sword apart and attracted my initial attention: the hand-and-a-half grip is hemp-wrapped over wood, complimented by an octagonal steel guard and 2 decorative brass rings.
The grip is nicely tapered and slim – very comfortable for my small hands.
The hilt - as seen from the pommel point of view: Note the nice, symmetrically executed contours of the octogonal guard.
The sword hilt assembly is very well designed and injected some kind of rustic look to the entire sword.
Close-up of the octagonal pommel..
The Sword of Guy Scabbard
This is sold separately and bought separately (by me) as an after thought.
The reverse…
Close-up of the brass castings around the mouth area
Back view of the Chape…
The leather works were nicely done and held securely by the nice stitch work at the back of the scabbard.
Note the thick wooden core that forms the scabbard beneath the leather work.
Handling
(Sorry folks, I do not have cutting ‘facility’ within my apartment, and also do not wish to scratch my blades, so no cutting vid.. Sorry )
The Sword of Guy is a very well-made and balanced sword. All sword parts are well put together and nothing seems shaky even though this baby had endured a long journey to me (from States), through International shipping.
Though I find it a bit challenging to wield this sword with one hand (blame it on my lack of weak arm), it easily turn into a lively sword when I deploy both hands. I imitated some ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ sword moves with it, and realize this sword is indeed a delight to swing! Together with the blade length, the Sword of Guy has quite an imposing presence and reach, too.
I would consider the scabbard a tad too heavy, though – blame it on the heavy leather belts and cast brass fittings that were permanently attached, if you will. This arrangement makes the entire scabbard assembly rather cumbersome as the belt are not dis-mountable.
The sword fits very loosely inside the scabbard, quite unlike most Windlass swords. Perhaps the two were made separately, and the manufacturer wanted to factor in some allowance for the blades, just in case.
Conclusion
Windlass Sword of Guy
Historical Accuracy: 3.5/5 (Blade Typology)
Handling: 4/5
Fit & Finish: 5/5 (Fittings on the blade, NOT the blade-scabbard fitting)
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 5/5 (sub-150USD).
Overall: 4.3/5
I took Shadowhowler earlier advice that it may seem dubious if I were to award 5/5 in terms of Structural Integrity because I had not even cut with the sword, as much as I’d like to. So I gave it a '4'. Not that there's any problem present currently
This sword is subtle and there's nothing glamorous in it compared to some other movie swords, yet it’s somewhat elegant when you look closely. It’s really a joy to behold this sword, especially for the price with which it was purchased and I shall enjoy this sword for many years to come.
Hey, wait a minute!! Did I make a mistake? Isn’t this the Sword of Tiberias.., you ask??!!! … And that’s the reason I felt compelled to do up this review
There could hardly be any chance of foul-up for movies memorabilia in recent years, yet interestingly, this sword (& the ‘real’ Sword of Tiberias) was one of them! It has misled many, me inclusive, when I purchased it in year ’07; and to cut the story short, it was not until mid ’08 when fellow forumite, JPFranco, corrected me that this is actually the Sword of Guy (and Not ‘Tiberias’ as what I’ve known) when he posted his in the Member’s section!
I am quite aware that this sword has been Sold Out in most, if not all, stores now, but I hope this article will bring awareness to many of us, like myself, who owned this sword, so that we know it’s the Sword of Guy! This article also serves as reference resource should any of these sword floods into the second-hand markets in the near future.
The Sword
Overall Length (w/o scabbard): 42”
Blade Length: 33 ¼”
Blade Width near Hilt 1 7/8”
Blade Material: High Carbon 1065/1095
Grip: 5 7/8” (exclude pommel)
Point of Balance: 4” from Guard
Weight: ~1.5 kg (or 3.2 kg w/scabbard)
The Blade
The blade come unsharpened with the usual lacquered finish, Windlass-style; The lacquer is evenly done, with the words “Windlass Made in India” etched on one side of the blade, near the guard. The blade possess a good taper and a good point.
From the very little I made out of the Oakeshott Typology, this blade seems to fit into Type XIIa* typology the best, though its fuller width doesn’t seems right (* Pls feel free to discuss further, as I’m not even 80% certain).
A narrow and shallow fuller begins from under the cross, fizzles out along the blade shaft and terminates about one-third from the blade tip.
Close-up of the blade forte…
..and the blade foible…
The Hilt
The hilt is what sets this sword apart and attracted my initial attention: the hand-and-a-half grip is hemp-wrapped over wood, complimented by an octagonal steel guard and 2 decorative brass rings.
The grip is nicely tapered and slim – very comfortable for my small hands.
The hilt - as seen from the pommel point of view: Note the nice, symmetrically executed contours of the octogonal guard.
The sword hilt assembly is very well designed and injected some kind of rustic look to the entire sword.
Close-up of the octagonal pommel..
The Sword of Guy Scabbard
This is sold separately and bought separately (by me) as an after thought.
The reverse…
Close-up of the brass castings around the mouth area
Back view of the Chape…
The leather works were nicely done and held securely by the nice stitch work at the back of the scabbard.
Note the thick wooden core that forms the scabbard beneath the leather work.
Handling
(Sorry folks, I do not have cutting ‘facility’ within my apartment, and also do not wish to scratch my blades, so no cutting vid.. Sorry )
The Sword of Guy is a very well-made and balanced sword. All sword parts are well put together and nothing seems shaky even though this baby had endured a long journey to me (from States), through International shipping.
Though I find it a bit challenging to wield this sword with one hand (blame it on my lack of weak arm), it easily turn into a lively sword when I deploy both hands. I imitated some ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ sword moves with it, and realize this sword is indeed a delight to swing! Together with the blade length, the Sword of Guy has quite an imposing presence and reach, too.
I would consider the scabbard a tad too heavy, though – blame it on the heavy leather belts and cast brass fittings that were permanently attached, if you will. This arrangement makes the entire scabbard assembly rather cumbersome as the belt are not dis-mountable.
The sword fits very loosely inside the scabbard, quite unlike most Windlass swords. Perhaps the two were made separately, and the manufacturer wanted to factor in some allowance for the blades, just in case.
Conclusion
Windlass Sword of Guy
Historical Accuracy: 3.5/5 (Blade Typology)
Handling: 4/5
Fit & Finish: 5/5 (Fittings on the blade, NOT the blade-scabbard fitting)
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 5/5 (sub-150USD).
Overall: 4.3/5
I took Shadowhowler earlier advice that it may seem dubious if I were to award 5/5 in terms of Structural Integrity because I had not even cut with the sword, as much as I’d like to. So I gave it a '4'. Not that there's any problem present currently
This sword is subtle and there's nothing glamorous in it compared to some other movie swords, yet it’s somewhat elegant when you look closely. It’s really a joy to behold this sword, especially for the price with which it was purchased and I shall enjoy this sword for many years to come.