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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2009 5:50:41 GMT
Called CS to order my Horseman's basket hilt today. They are sold out, you lucky dogs who got them! The lady running the phones did say they have put the Scottish Broadsword for $99.95 in its place! Weird, no? I think that's kind of cool, though. Anyway, I just wanted to pass this along in case anyone was interested.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Dec 8, 2009 6:02:51 GMT
Thanks! and thank you again for clueing me in to the Horseman deal, though I didn't pick one up
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2009 17:57:37 GMT
I just got the same phonecall and agreed to the switch ($99 for a Cold Steel blade is still a good deal IMO). The blade looks to be just slightly shorter and thicker with a short ricasso a few ounces of weight shaved off. Has anyone here reviewed this weapon yet?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2009 18:03:09 GMT
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Post by Kilted Cossack on Dec 8, 2009 19:11:37 GMT
I was tempted by the "schiv." The basket pushed me over the edge; tonight I explain to my wife what she's getting me for my birthday.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2009 21:05:04 GMT
Thanks for the fast link to the review Laithoron the Dethelf. And thanks guys for the hot tip about CS sale.
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Post by Kilted Cossack on Dec 17, 2009 12:47:38 GMT
Micro-review.
Hey, I had to open it to make sure it wasn't a DS for my daughter, right? I couldn't justify pics, or vids, and it's now wrapped back up and under the tree, but I did open it up and check it out, umm, just because, yeah, that's it. Just because.
The Cold Steel Scottish broadsword came well packaged in a cardboard box inside another cardboard box. The blade was oiled---very gummy oil in the "frigid" Houston winter weather---and wrapped in plastic. The basket hilt was in a separate plastic bag. A nice plastic plug was on the tip of the blade.
General description: Now that I know that Cold Steel sources some of its swords (the European ones) from India, I can describe this sword as "Windlass Plus." The scabbard is reminiscent of Windlass, but upgraded---the chape and drag are blackened, and seem to fit better than my other Windlass scabbards. The sword also fits the scabbard quite well, snugging in tightly without interfering with the draw.
The blade is the triple fullered version depicted in Cold Steel's website. The fullers are roughly equal in length---two shorter fullers with a longer central fuller. The blade is sharpened along the front forty percent, with a secondary bevel. The grip is wrapped with ray skin and twisted wire, and feels good in the hand. The basket won't convince anyone it's from Vince Evans, and I've read some derisive commentary on its shape at other sword fora, but qualifies as "Scott-ish" if not Scottish.
It's a heavy sucker! I only did a quick grip and lift comparison with my other swords: Windlass American Revolution Saber, Hanwei Practical Mongol (I mean, Kung Fu Sword), VA AT303S, Hanwei Side Sword, and Kris Cutlery Korean sword. The blade hefts like the KC Korean, only, you know, double edged. It's heavier than the saber and Kung Fu sword and AT303S by a goodly margin.
At the price paid, I'm tickled all giddy.
Note: Cold Steel also included a Kudu knife, a poly punch dagger and a blunt/flexy training knife with the shipment.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2009 14:26:41 GMT
I want that kudu ! lol they havent gotten back to me with a shipping quote so im not sure if im getting one
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2009 5:11:48 GMT
Mine just arrived this afternoon. It's got a lot more heft to it than I was expecting given the weight listed on Cold Steel's website, but it certainly feels sturdy.
I've noticed that if I try to grip the hilt the way I would my sword-rapier, that the knuckle at the base of my index finger ends up wedged uncomfortably against the lining of the basket. I experimented a bit and found that if I rotate my grip a bit (so that the inside of my wrist is closer to the rim of the basket), then it works quite well. Assuming you want your thrusts to be parallel to the floor/ribs, this change seems to favor an underhand thrust quite nicely while making an overhand thrust more difficult unless you really duck into a lunge.
The only other thing I've noticed about gripping this sword is that the cone-shaped pommel contacts my wrist when I slash. Unlike with a Viking sword, where we can allow the flat pommel to slide in front of the wrist, that doesn't seem to be working for me as well here. However, I found that donning the leather gauntlets I bought from Excalibur Leather does an admirable job of making this a non-issue.
Tom: Did you have any other insights into gripping this sword that you didn't already share in your review? I'm looking forward to doing some cutting practice this weekend, and I'm wondering if there are any other interesting dynamics that I should factor in.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Dec 18, 2009 6:02:20 GMT
Laithoran, hmmmmmm you know I never had a problem with the Horseman's basket hilt sword hitting me like that and I've never held the Scottish one. it sounds to me like maybe you are using a deep fencing hand-shake like grip try switching to more of a hammer grip, that should give you more room for that pommel. if that doesn't work, I'm not sure because you are right, the basket is going to be more restricting and I hear the Scottish basket is a lot smaller than the one I have. I'm also not at home right now so I can't pull out my horseman's and play around with it to get any ideas. I'd say fiddle with your grip until it works.
sorry I'm not more halp than that. good luck and please let us know if you find something that works.
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Post by alanschiff on Dec 18, 2009 6:43:15 GMT
I also missed the horseman and opted for the Scottish sword. I got it Tuesday and my thoughts are pretty much the same. It's balanced pretty well and doesn't feel that heavy to me, but it does weigh 3.5 pounds, making it my heaviest sword. I found that I have the same problem with the basket as Laithoron, and I have small hands. My solution was to grip it lower down the grip, more in the middle of the basket. I don't have any problems with the pommel.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2009 7:58:52 GMT
Tom: You know, it didn't occur to me until I read the words "deep fencing hand-shake like grip" that not everyone holds a hammer fully into their grip like I do. As such, I was always kinda scratching my head trying to figure out how a handshake and hammer grip were different.
You'd think between all the carpentry projects I did in Boy Scouts as a kid, and the home-improvement projects that I worked on after college that someone might have corrected me by now. I'll have to give my Dad a hard time about this at Christmas as payback for all the years of teasing me about not being able to put a nail into a 2x4 with as few hammer-strokes as him! *laughs*)
Now that I finally know what people are talking about when they say "hammer grip", I'll give it a shot when I get home in the morning and see if that helps. Thanks, and +1.
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Post by sparky on Dec 20, 2009 23:29:39 GMT
I have yet to find anything with the on-site search feature. Always figured it was me. ;D Probably partly is
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2009 3:37:32 GMT
Tom: You know, it didn't occur to me until I read the words "deep fencing hand-shake like grip" that not everyone holds a hammer fully into their grip like I do. As such, I was always kinda scratching my head trying to figure out how a handshake and hammer grip were different. You'd think between all the carpentry projects I did in Boy Scouts as a kid, and the home-improvement projects that I worked on after college that someone might have corrected me by now. I'll have to give my Dad a hard time about this at Christmas as payback for all the years of teasing me about not being able to put a nail into a 2x4 with as few hammer-strokes as him! *laughs*) Now that I finally know what people are talking about when they say "hammer grip", I'll give it a shot when I get home in the morning and see if that helps. Thanks, and +1. As someone who's looking into getting a basket hilt after I get my longsword, and who suffers from big fat hand syndrome, I'm curious to know. How did this work out for you?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2009 23:16:45 GMT
i was lucky enough to pick up the CS horsemans baskethilt broadsword before they were sold out. then once they replaced the sold out broadsword with the scottish one, i ordered one of those too. 2 great swords for only 200$? tremendous bargain if you ask me.
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Post by Kilted Cossack on Dec 28, 2009 0:49:12 GMT
paladin:
have (2) swords, will travel? nice score. The fancy pants guards alone ought to be worth that!
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