|
|
Post by Kilted Cossack on Jan 9, 2011 2:11:55 GMT
Guys:
Howdy, again! I've got a question about Scottish basket hilts---which I realize cover a decent enough span of time, with a fair amount of variation, but still. Just how heavy are they, in general? Reason I ask is, I picked up a Cold Steel basket hilted broadsword last year when they were on blowout for (about) $100. I honestly mostly got it for the fittings, figuring that I could rob them for some other blade.
In its factory form, the CS basket is the proverbial crowbar. I held a few guards and assayed a few cuts in the garage, and boy howdy does it get wearying, and quickly. Then I swapped out to my only other equivalently sized sword---a Valiant arming sword, AT303S. The arming sword felt like a feather by way of comparison.
Am I right in assuming that the CS basket is, like most CS swords, just a piggy crowbar, and that a well made basket hilt would have been more like the arming sword in feel? (Allowing for the whole "basket hilt" part.)
|
|
Lunaman
Senior Forumite
Posts: 3,974
|
Post by Lunaman on Jan 9, 2011 3:18:25 GMT
Well, the CS basket could indeed be a clunker, but you also have to keep in mind that the AT303S arming sword is a feather regardless--the Valiant Arming sword is VERY light and fast for its size. Certainly on the far light end of historical examples. 'Bought three pounds, usually a bit under that weight. A lot of that weight is in the basket and the blade should taper to be fairly thin at the end, making for a sword that should feel pretty "handy." Can't be certain the CS is a crowbar without handling it (though it is heavier than the 'general' rule I just stated), but a well-made basket hilt should feel like a good arming sword. Just not THAT arming sword. The VA is a bit too feather-light to be analogous to a full basket hilt. Here's a nice, well-made basket hilt by Armour Class as an example: Cup and Ring Basket-hilt |
|
|
|
Post by Kilted Cossack on Jan 9, 2011 13:50:09 GMT
And every day I learn something more!
I have three straight, double edged swords. In order of increasing blade presence, they are, respectively, the Hanwei side sword, the AT303S and the CS basket hilt. The Hanwei's pommel is quite weighty and the balance is such that it inclines heavily towards the thrust. (Given the hollow plastic handle, this is probably a good thing.) The AT303 is, as you say, pretty much a feather, and the CS is, well, not a feather.
|
|
Luka
Senior Forumite
Posts: 2,848
|
Post by Luka on Jan 10, 2011 20:39:36 GMT
|
|
TomK
Member
Senior Forumite
Posts: 2,377
|
Post by TomK on Jan 10, 2011 21:29:58 GMT
that's a great article Luka.
I own a CS horseman and it is pretty darned stout but still a good deal for under or at $100. she's a beast but the blade isn't all that bad, it is the basket that really weighs it down. yeah there's better out there but basket hilted swords are pretty rare in the production market and usually only found in the higher price range.
also the CS horseman's Broad sword is more closesly modeled after a Schiovona (did I spell that right?) than a scottish basket hilt it just has the wrong pommel and a not very well designed pattern for the basket or it would be a schivona. in fact the Windlass Schiovona seems to use the same basket, blade and grip with only the pommel being different. some people have bought Cold Steel swords in the past and found Windlass marks on the blade. . .
anyway, yeah the CS broadsword is a bit of a tank and the VA 303 is a feather.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kilted Cossack on Jan 10, 2011 23:21:29 GMT
Tom:
Don't tell the ghosts of my ancestors, but I'd actually hoped to pick up a copy of the Horseman's broad sword for its very (to my eyes) Schiavona stylings, but I ended up with the basket hilt instead. At least on the basket hilt, the hilt itself doesn't seem to overpower the rest of the blade---it feels heavy and dead pretty much throughout. (And I don't think the smith had ever heard of "distal taper" either.)
Luka:
Fascinating article, a real eye opener, and appreciated.
|
|
TomK
Member
Senior Forumite
Posts: 2,377
|
Post by TomK on Jan 11, 2011 1:32:55 GMT
sorry I thought you were talking about the Horseman's Broad, I don't know the other sword.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kilted Cossack on Jan 11, 2011 14:39:20 GMT
Tom:
I couldn't say for sure, but having examined pictures, I think the blade is the same and only the hilting is different. I should point out that the CS basket hilt's basket is made from a single piece of stamped/folded sheet steel, and thus is doubtless lighter than the more intricate, more elegant historic basket hilts or the higher end reproductions. The horseman's/Schiavona always looked to me to have substantially more steel to its guard.
|
|
TomK
Member
Senior Forumite
Posts: 2,377
|
Post by TomK on Jan 11, 2011 16:58:23 GMT
yeah its hard to say since I've only seen one of them. the horseman's has a lot of steel around the hand for sure.
|
|
