English Cutler's Quillon Dagger
Nov 13, 2010 3:36:36 GMT
Post by LittleJP on Nov 13, 2010 3:36:36 GMT
My first review, bear with me
English Cutler's Quillon Dagger
Jeffery Pai Teng
November 12, 2010
I've noticed a distinct lack of daggers and the like in my collection, and I decided to rectify this right away. I made a thread, and Tod's Stuff/English cutler was recommended to me, mostly for their low prices and their high degree of craftsmanship.
It arrived in the usual bubble wrap, cardboard, and cardboard lining and doesn't appear to have suffered any shipping damage overseas from the UK.
The scabbard is made of leather, and feels very strong. It comes with two pieces of leather twine that I suppose is used to tie it to one's belt.
First thing I noticed, was it was small. The blade is about the width of my two pinkies, though the thickness of the spine makes up for that. At under 13 inches, it's something I could conceal about my person had I wanted to.
Specifications
Total Length: 12.5”
Blade Length: 8.5”
Grip Length: 4”
POB: Perfectly balanced right at the hilt
Weight: I don't have a scale that would measure such a light weight, regardless, it's VERY light.
Edge: Comes quite sharp, not the level of a scalpel, but defiantly as sharp as anything I use 2000 grit on.
The Hilt
The hilt of this dagger is made of a gorgeous rosewood, topped off with what appears to be either coloured steel or brass quillons. The quillons seem to be too small to act more than cursory hand protection, though they certainly keep the hand from slipping off the hilt and onto the blade.
The grip has a swelling in the middle, making it a very nice grip, if a little wide for my hands. It appears to be more or less perfectly round, making it somewhat difficult to align the blade in cutting.
The Blade
The blade is very narrow, with a distinct distal taper. The thick spine of this tells me that this dagger is more for the thrust than for the cut. I have no doubt it can pierce chain mail and the gaps between plate armour with ease. There is no polish, though I personally prefer this, as it helps disguise scratches much better than a mirror polish.
Handling
The appearance of this dagger is quite deceiving. The only feeling I can compare it to is one of the H/T longsword. You pick it up, expecting some heft to it, and you're shocked by how light it feels. This is a very quick weapon, making slashes from the wrists and elbows quite easy. A reverse grip is also quite comfortable in the thrust, though slashes are somewhat awkward. At the thrust, you have absolute point control, with the near non-existent weight and shorter length.
Cutting
This dagger isn't exactly built for cutting, it needs perfect edge alignment to get anything approaching a silent cut, and the round pommel makes it very difficult to keep edge alignment. Most often though, I either get very messey cuts, or incomplete slices. However, I'm not the most skillful cutter in this community, and perhaps I simply need more practice. On the stab however, it shines, effortlessly going through (unfilmed) plywood and my archery targets. I suspect my experience with foil helps me somewhat here.
Conclusion
This is a very beautiful dagger for the price, and is worth every penny. The whole piece exhibits a high degree of craftsmanship, and feels like a solid piece for my collection. It is aesthetically plain, though in my own taste, I prefer the plainer, utilitarian look of such pieces, as they remind me of the purpose of these weapons, to deal pain, injury, and death to our fellow man.
English Cutler's Quillon Dagger
Jeffery Pai Teng
November 12, 2010
I've noticed a distinct lack of daggers and the like in my collection, and I decided to rectify this right away. I made a thread, and Tod's Stuff/English cutler was recommended to me, mostly for their low prices and their high degree of craftsmanship.
It arrived in the usual bubble wrap, cardboard, and cardboard lining and doesn't appear to have suffered any shipping damage overseas from the UK.
The scabbard is made of leather, and feels very strong. It comes with two pieces of leather twine that I suppose is used to tie it to one's belt.
First thing I noticed, was it was small. The blade is about the width of my two pinkies, though the thickness of the spine makes up for that. At under 13 inches, it's something I could conceal about my person had I wanted to.
Specifications
Total Length: 12.5”
Blade Length: 8.5”
Grip Length: 4”
POB: Perfectly balanced right at the hilt
Weight: I don't have a scale that would measure such a light weight, regardless, it's VERY light.
Edge: Comes quite sharp, not the level of a scalpel, but defiantly as sharp as anything I use 2000 grit on.
The Hilt
The hilt of this dagger is made of a gorgeous rosewood, topped off with what appears to be either coloured steel or brass quillons. The quillons seem to be too small to act more than cursory hand protection, though they certainly keep the hand from slipping off the hilt and onto the blade.
The grip has a swelling in the middle, making it a very nice grip, if a little wide for my hands. It appears to be more or less perfectly round, making it somewhat difficult to align the blade in cutting.
The Blade
The blade is very narrow, with a distinct distal taper. The thick spine of this tells me that this dagger is more for the thrust than for the cut. I have no doubt it can pierce chain mail and the gaps between plate armour with ease. There is no polish, though I personally prefer this, as it helps disguise scratches much better than a mirror polish.
Handling
The appearance of this dagger is quite deceiving. The only feeling I can compare it to is one of the H/T longsword. You pick it up, expecting some heft to it, and you're shocked by how light it feels. This is a very quick weapon, making slashes from the wrists and elbows quite easy. A reverse grip is also quite comfortable in the thrust, though slashes are somewhat awkward. At the thrust, you have absolute point control, with the near non-existent weight and shorter length.
Cutting
This dagger isn't exactly built for cutting, it needs perfect edge alignment to get anything approaching a silent cut, and the round pommel makes it very difficult to keep edge alignment. Most often though, I either get very messey cuts, or incomplete slices. However, I'm not the most skillful cutter in this community, and perhaps I simply need more practice. On the stab however, it shines, effortlessly going through (unfilmed) plywood and my archery targets. I suspect my experience with foil helps me somewhat here.
Conclusion
This is a very beautiful dagger for the price, and is worth every penny. The whole piece exhibits a high degree of craftsmanship, and feels like a solid piece for my collection. It is aesthetically plain, though in my own taste, I prefer the plainer, utilitarian look of such pieces, as they remind me of the purpose of these weapons, to deal pain, injury, and death to our fellow man.