Unknown Claymore Review
Mar 10, 2007 6:11:07 GMT
Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2007 6:11:07 GMT
Review of a claymore I received from 'Gary Henderson' from Niagara Falls, NY; off of ebay, for $125 shipped. I have no idea who made this sword, if it is production or done by an individual. It is one of the most attractive and well proportioned 2-handers I've had the pleasure of seeing.
Given the price tag for a sword this size, I'm very pleased with it even if i was just to use it as a wallhanger. But for those of you who know me, I'm not that kind of person. I've used this sword in steel-on-steel theatrical combat done renaissance faire style. The edge has taken its fair share of dings and dents. It's even over time developed a beautiful antiquated patina of rust. I'm sometimes tempted to clean it off, but I never do - it adds character.
Anyway, it's kindof a bruiser of a sword, weighing in at 6 lbs, 56'' long overall. It has a leather wrapped ricasso which aids in half-swording. In fact, the PoB is exactly at the end of the ricasso, which those of you with a good eye will notice puts it a fair bit away from the cross. It actually balances perfectly for half-swording techniques, and that's how I use it. It's rather sluggish when held 'normally', though it's not too bad.
Anyway, before I used it much, I decided I'd test it out for durability. It's got a pretty decent spring temper, being able to be flexed quite far without taking a set. The ricasso is very thick underneath that leather, so it bends mostly in the bare-bladed section. it will take a set if I bend it too far, but to put it back I just bend it a bit the other way(which isn't good, but i've retempered it with the method discussed in the ranger sword review, and that's helped, as it can be flexed further now without taking a set).
Overview of the Hilt:
Closeup of the Cross:
Sword in Hand:
next I wanted to check the tang. I realized it was a pommel nut, and with a pair of pliers removed the pommel...
Hmmm... A secondary nut, this one of the 'hexagonal' variety, along with a washer, whilest the pommel is actually 2 pieces. Interesting. Well, time to take it the rest of the way apart...
The overall disassembly:
the tang:
Thickness of tang:
Not a bad tang on this sword. It's all one piece, no welds, and it appears to have been ground down by hand until a perfect fit was attained in the grip. As for the rest of the assembly...
A two-piece cross-guard assembly! Cool!
And here's the grip itself. Wood with thin-ish shiny black leather over it. It's got two wooden protrusions which fit into the 'langets' piece of the crossguard.
And the fit(forgive the blurriness, one-handed camera-work):
Overall, it went right back together very easily. It's super tight(thanks to TWO pommel nuts). Other than the only satisfactory temper(it takes a set when hit too hard against another object, but only a little, and only when hit HARD), the only real flaw is that the drilled threads in the pommel nut is not centered.
But it fits together all straight and sound, so i guess I can't complain. Especially for a sword like this for only $125.
I'm happy with it, even though it is kindof a mystery to me...
Given the price tag for a sword this size, I'm very pleased with it even if i was just to use it as a wallhanger. But for those of you who know me, I'm not that kind of person. I've used this sword in steel-on-steel theatrical combat done renaissance faire style. The edge has taken its fair share of dings and dents. It's even over time developed a beautiful antiquated patina of rust. I'm sometimes tempted to clean it off, but I never do - it adds character.
Anyway, it's kindof a bruiser of a sword, weighing in at 6 lbs, 56'' long overall. It has a leather wrapped ricasso which aids in half-swording. In fact, the PoB is exactly at the end of the ricasso, which those of you with a good eye will notice puts it a fair bit away from the cross. It actually balances perfectly for half-swording techniques, and that's how I use it. It's rather sluggish when held 'normally', though it's not too bad.
Anyway, before I used it much, I decided I'd test it out for durability. It's got a pretty decent spring temper, being able to be flexed quite far without taking a set. The ricasso is very thick underneath that leather, so it bends mostly in the bare-bladed section. it will take a set if I bend it too far, but to put it back I just bend it a bit the other way(which isn't good, but i've retempered it with the method discussed in the ranger sword review, and that's helped, as it can be flexed further now without taking a set).
Overview of the Hilt:
Closeup of the Cross:
Sword in Hand:
next I wanted to check the tang. I realized it was a pommel nut, and with a pair of pliers removed the pommel...
Hmmm... A secondary nut, this one of the 'hexagonal' variety, along with a washer, whilest the pommel is actually 2 pieces. Interesting. Well, time to take it the rest of the way apart...
The overall disassembly:
the tang:
Thickness of tang:
Not a bad tang on this sword. It's all one piece, no welds, and it appears to have been ground down by hand until a perfect fit was attained in the grip. As for the rest of the assembly...
A two-piece cross-guard assembly! Cool!
And here's the grip itself. Wood with thin-ish shiny black leather over it. It's got two wooden protrusions which fit into the 'langets' piece of the crossguard.
And the fit(forgive the blurriness, one-handed camera-work):
Overall, it went right back together very easily. It's super tight(thanks to TWO pommel nuts). Other than the only satisfactory temper(it takes a set when hit too hard against another object, but only a little, and only when hit HARD), the only real flaw is that the drilled threads in the pommel nut is not centered.
But it fits together all straight and sound, so i guess I can't complain. Especially for a sword like this for only $125.
I'm happy with it, even though it is kindof a mystery to me...