Windlass German Hunting Saber Review
Jul 3, 2009 2:43:23 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2009 2:43:23 GMT
Windlass German Hunting Saber Review by Chris B
I've always wanted some kind of saber regardless of its origins as long as it was readily availabe and reasonably priced. The Windlass German hunting saber seemed to fit the bill. www.superiorsteel.co.nz/ had this in stock for under 300 NZD (very reasonable). Within a week it was at my door with no fuss or hastle whatsoever (ah the joys of short distance postage ;D).
My first reaction to picking it up was "hmmm it's kinda heavy". As it is my first saber I clearly had no idea what I was talking about
More on that later.
Historical Overview
This description is taken from MRL
"Although the European Hunting Swords of this age were generally fitted with 12" to 24" long blades, the Germans seemed to have a preference for big blades. In Medieval times there was rarely any difference between swords used for war or the hunt and this later period full length sword carries out that tradition. Boar and large deer hunting was a passion of the rich for centuries, but by the 1600's hunting was open to most classes, and this attractive sword would do to dispatch large prey as well as defend one from brigands. This well-balanced, well-tempered sword comes with a scabbard and will make a worthy addition to any collection. Can be seen in the book: "A Collectors Guide To Swords, Daggers, And Cutlasses" by Gerald Weland
I agree with there being very little difference between this sword and a sword of war. It could easily "do the business" if required.
With regards to historical accuracy one comes to the conclusion that this is a very loosely based replica as these pictures will show
(second from the left)
Here's the myarmoury link
www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=8101&view=next
Cheers to Hotspur and Alvin for that
. More hunting swords can be found Here
(cheers again hotspur)
Initial Impressions
Unfortunately, when I first picked it up I had no sabers to compare it too and still don't
. It was rather unresponsive at first but after a while I got used to it. I guess my expectations were flawed in terms of what to expect. My previous and only other sword at that time being MRL's Schloss Erbach Sword. You can't really compare the two.
Statistics
Overall-39 1/8" Blade-33 1/2" long, 1 1/4" wide 3/16" thick Wt.-2 lbs. 10 oz, POB 5 3/8"
The handle is approximately 5.4" long. If you had large hands this would definately be a problem.
Components
Begin the pic storm!!
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The Blade[/img]
Nice and stiff with decent flex. Someone on myarmoury described it as rather "katana like". I agree. The blade shape and curve differ alot from the original (see pictures above)
The fullers are also alot shallower and thinner then it's historical counterpart
The Handle
As you can see, the handle is one half wood and one half metal. This stays true to the original. Having said that, I'm sure the original handle is slightly longer than the MRL one.
The Guard
As you can see, the hand is well protected from naughty animals and brigands alike.
The Pommel
It's a tad blurry but yup, it's been peened. Nothing bad to say about looseness or anything of the sort.
The gap between blade and guard isn't the greatest. A bit too large for my tastes.
Scabbard
I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the scabbard. Leather, nicely stitched, matched well with the sword. A pity it doesn't have a wooden core.
The innards
About 2 mils of blade can be seen sticking out the top of the scabbard. Not a big deal though. For a windlass I'm just surprised that it fits snugly!
Handling characteristics
Over time I've come to appreciate the blade presence of this sword. I won't lie though. It does take a decently strong arm to get decent responsiveness from it. If you were up against a proper cavalry sword (figuratively speaking of course
) you may be in a spot of bother.
Test Cutting
I won't lie folks. This is the first and last time I used an accusharp on a sword. Not that the accusharp didn't do a good job, I just prefer to use a good ol' whetstone and put a bit more effort into getting a decent edge. My Erbach can attest to that.
This is a fearsome cutter. I've managed to chop milk bottles in half while the bottom half remains filled with water. Theres nothing wrong with its cutting ability that's for sure.
Conclusions
I have to say I don't have any buyers remorse for this sword. Although different from the original I find it to be an attractive piece. Who buys swords in this price range expecting massive amounts of historical accuracy?
I'd dearly like to see the handle extended perhaps one or two inches. This would (I hope) improve its responsiveness significantly.
Pros
Reasonably priced
Good cutter
Decent scabbard
Attractive
Cons
Handle may be shorter than original (I can't be certain but I have a hunch - see pics)
Very loosely based on original
Not very responsive
Hole where blade and guard meet a bit sloppy
The Bottom Line
Would I recommend this? Yes, yes I would. Although it suffers from lack of historical accuracy and other minor things (as most swords of this price range seem to suffer from) it is an interesting looker at the very least. For those of you who love cutting targets and the like, once you get used to the characteristics it will serve you well
If anyone has any questions, queries or problems don't hesitate to ask.
Cheers
Chris B
I've always wanted some kind of saber regardless of its origins as long as it was readily availabe and reasonably priced. The Windlass German hunting saber seemed to fit the bill. www.superiorsteel.co.nz/ had this in stock for under 300 NZD (very reasonable). Within a week it was at my door with no fuss or hastle whatsoever (ah the joys of short distance postage ;D).
My first reaction to picking it up was "hmmm it's kinda heavy". As it is my first saber I clearly had no idea what I was talking about
More on that later.Historical Overview
This description is taken from MRL
"Although the European Hunting Swords of this age were generally fitted with 12" to 24" long blades, the Germans seemed to have a preference for big blades. In Medieval times there was rarely any difference between swords used for war or the hunt and this later period full length sword carries out that tradition. Boar and large deer hunting was a passion of the rich for centuries, but by the 1600's hunting was open to most classes, and this attractive sword would do to dispatch large prey as well as defend one from brigands. This well-balanced, well-tempered sword comes with a scabbard and will make a worthy addition to any collection. Can be seen in the book: "A Collectors Guide To Swords, Daggers, And Cutlasses" by Gerald Weland
I agree with there being very little difference between this sword and a sword of war. It could easily "do the business" if required.
With regards to historical accuracy one comes to the conclusion that this is a very loosely based replica as these pictures will show
(second from the left)Here's the myarmoury link
www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=8101&view=next
Cheers to Hotspur and Alvin for that
. More hunting swords can be found Here(cheers again hotspur)
Initial Impressions
Unfortunately, when I first picked it up I had no sabers to compare it too and still don't
. It was rather unresponsive at first but after a while I got used to it. I guess my expectations were flawed in terms of what to expect. My previous and only other sword at that time being MRL's Schloss Erbach Sword. You can't really compare the two.Statistics
Overall-39 1/8" Blade-33 1/2" long, 1 1/4" wide 3/16" thick Wt.-2 lbs. 10 oz, POB 5 3/8"
The handle is approximately 5.4" long. If you had large hands this would definately be a problem.
Components
Begin the pic storm!!
Nice and stiff with decent flex. Someone on myarmoury described it as rather "katana like". I agree. The blade shape and curve differ alot from the original (see pictures above)
The fullers are also alot shallower and thinner then it's historical counterpart
The Handle
As you can see, the handle is one half wood and one half metal. This stays true to the original. Having said that, I'm sure the original handle is slightly longer than the MRL one.
The Guard
As you can see, the hand is well protected from naughty animals and brigands alike.
The Pommel
It's a tad blurry but yup, it's been peened. Nothing bad to say about looseness or anything of the sort.
The gap between blade and guard isn't the greatest. A bit too large for my tastes.
Scabbard
I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the scabbard. Leather, nicely stitched, matched well with the sword. A pity it doesn't have a wooden core.
The innards
About 2 mils of blade can be seen sticking out the top of the scabbard. Not a big deal though. For a windlass I'm just surprised that it fits snugly!
Handling characteristics
Over time I've come to appreciate the blade presence of this sword. I won't lie though. It does take a decently strong arm to get decent responsiveness from it. If you were up against a proper cavalry sword (figuratively speaking of course
) you may be in a spot of bother.Test Cutting
I won't lie folks. This is the first and last time I used an accusharp on a sword. Not that the accusharp didn't do a good job, I just prefer to use a good ol' whetstone and put a bit more effort into getting a decent edge. My Erbach can attest to that.
This is a fearsome cutter. I've managed to chop milk bottles in half while the bottom half remains filled with water. Theres nothing wrong with its cutting ability that's for sure.
Conclusions
I have to say I don't have any buyers remorse for this sword. Although different from the original I find it to be an attractive piece. Who buys swords in this price range expecting massive amounts of historical accuracy?
I'd dearly like to see the handle extended perhaps one or two inches. This would (I hope) improve its responsiveness significantly.
Pros
Reasonably priced
Good cutter
Decent scabbard
Attractive
Cons
Handle may be shorter than original (I can't be certain but I have a hunch - see pics)
Very loosely based on original
Not very responsive
Hole where blade and guard meet a bit sloppy
The Bottom Line
Would I recommend this? Yes, yes I would. Although it suffers from lack of historical accuracy and other minor things (as most swords of this price range seem to suffer from) it is an interesting looker at the very least. For those of you who love cutting targets and the like, once you get used to the characteristics it will serve you well
If anyone has any questions, queries or problems don't hesitate to ask.
Cheers
Chris B
