Hanwei Charlemagne Saber
Mar 7, 2011 8:08:27 GMT
Post by SwordFan on Mar 7, 2011 8:08:27 GMT
Introduction
I had been looking at this sword for a while when finally I decided to go ahead and order one from KOA . Honestly I was not too sure what to expect as this was to be my first saber .As it turned out I am very glad I took the plunge and ordered this beauty .Anyhow here is a quick review of my Charlemagne Saber from Hanwei .
Historical overview
Taken from the Hanwei description:
The ''Saber of Charlemagne the Great'' is a vital part of European history, being an important artifact in the Insignia of the Holy Roman Empire, of which Charlemagne was the first Emperor. The saber is housed today, together with the rest of the imperial insignia, in the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna. The sword is of Eastern European origin, dating from the first half of the 10th century. How it became a part of the insignia is not known but its lavish decoration indicates that it was made for an important member of the nobility. It is clearly a cavalry saber, indicative of its origins in the Eurasian Steppes.
The antique saber found in Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum
Initial Impressions
I received this sword a couple of months back and one thing I clearly remember was just what a good looking sword this is up close and personal . I was a little worried that all the “gold” might make the sword look a little well “over the top” , but I was very glad to see that the gold look was not bright and shiny ,but rather dulled and made to look a little older .This makes the whole sword look really good . What really caught my eye though was the blade and just how different it was .My saber had a nice edge to it ,very sharp and it handled some bottles and mats just fine .The polish and detail on it was done really well as you will see in the pics to follow .
Statistics
Taken from Kultofathena :
CAS Hanwei’s version of the saber is faithful in detail to the weapon as it was conceived, even to the point of omitting the decorative 15th century repairs that render the original unusable. The sharpened high carbon steel blade features a broad gold-finished fuller, with intricate engraving to match that of the original. The authentic hilt construction features a rayskin-wrapped grip with a gilded brass guard and fittings, including a globate pommel that balances the sword beautifully. The wood core scabbard is covered in leather and gilded brass fittings to match the hilt.
Blade Length: 28” Long
Handle Length: 5” Long
Overall Length: 35 1/8” Long
Weight: 1lb 14oz
Thickness: 6.6mm – 5.1mm
Width: 29.1mm
Components
The Blade:
The blade is very well polished with lots of attention being paid to the detailed work on it . It has a nice sharp edge which was plenty sharp enough to handle bottles and mats .The blade itself has a lovely shape to it and is very different to anything in my collection.The blade itself is also nice and rigid .The back edge is not cutting sharp .
The Handle
The hilt construction features a good quality rayskin-wrapped grip with a gilded brass guard and fittings which are very well done and highly detailed .The curve of the Hilt was something to get used to at first ,but I must admit that it not only sits snugly in hand but is rather comfortable when handling this sword as well .
The Guard:
Not much to say here other than it features the same highly detailed pattern which is found through out this very decorative piece which can be best described in my pictures below .
The Pommel:
The Pommel features a globate pommel that balances the sword very well and features the same highly detailed pattern found throughout the sword .
The Scabbard:
The matching scabbard is wood core covered in leather and gilded brass fittings to match the hilt. The scabbard fit really well with no play or rattle at all .
Handling Characteristics
This was my first saber and I found it to be very agile and quick .It was and still is a pleasure to handle this sword because of its weight and great balance. The shape of the hilt also adds to the ease of handling making it a very comfortable piece to wield .
Cutting
Iv done some light cutting (bottle and mats) which the sword handled with ease .In fact is sailed through some mats like they were not there at all !It has a great cutting edge which kind of took me by surprise as most of my other European blades from Hanwei have come with edges that needed to be touched up . This saber however needed no attention to the edge and was ready to cut with straight out of the box . I did some thrusting with the blade through some bottles which it also handled with ease , it really has a great thrusting tip . I doubt ill be cutting anything heavier than mats with this sword though as I dont want to ruin the finish on the blade .
Conclusions
Overall I love this sword and it is actually far better than what I was expecting ,especially since it came with a decent edge . It is very decorative ,yet at the same time is not overly so as they have dulled the look somewhat in colour . The blade really is stunning as is the hilt with everything fitting tightly including the very snug scabbard .As for being a good representative of the original ,well I think considering that this is a production piece it does a fairly good job and definitely looks the part ,sure it could be more accurate I suppose ,but at the price point of $420 (at KOA) ,well I dont think its bad at all .
Pros
Sharp blade (which was a pleasant surprise) with a great polish and detailed finish
Quality fittings throughout that have been “dulled” and look great
Great handling – Very fast and agile blade
A decent looking and performing sword which does a pretty good job in replicating the look of the original
Cons
Iv yet to find any problems with mine ,but if I had to be really critical then I suppose they could have dulled the gold patterning on the blade a little to blend in a little more with the rest of the sword fittings .Like I said though this is really being very critical .
The Bottom Line
A great offering from Hanwei and if you get one with a decent edge like I did then it makes it even better . Iv never been huge on Sabers , but this one really is something different with great handling and good looks to match . A very welcomed addition to my collection .
I had been looking at this sword for a while when finally I decided to go ahead and order one from KOA . Honestly I was not too sure what to expect as this was to be my first saber .As it turned out I am very glad I took the plunge and ordered this beauty .Anyhow here is a quick review of my Charlemagne Saber from Hanwei .
Historical overview
Taken from the Hanwei description:
The ''Saber of Charlemagne the Great'' is a vital part of European history, being an important artifact in the Insignia of the Holy Roman Empire, of which Charlemagne was the first Emperor. The saber is housed today, together with the rest of the imperial insignia, in the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna. The sword is of Eastern European origin, dating from the first half of the 10th century. How it became a part of the insignia is not known but its lavish decoration indicates that it was made for an important member of the nobility. It is clearly a cavalry saber, indicative of its origins in the Eurasian Steppes.
The antique saber found in Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum
Initial Impressions
I received this sword a couple of months back and one thing I clearly remember was just what a good looking sword this is up close and personal . I was a little worried that all the “gold” might make the sword look a little well “over the top” , but I was very glad to see that the gold look was not bright and shiny ,but rather dulled and made to look a little older .This makes the whole sword look really good . What really caught my eye though was the blade and just how different it was .My saber had a nice edge to it ,very sharp and it handled some bottles and mats just fine .The polish and detail on it was done really well as you will see in the pics to follow .
Statistics
Taken from Kultofathena :
CAS Hanwei’s version of the saber is faithful in detail to the weapon as it was conceived, even to the point of omitting the decorative 15th century repairs that render the original unusable. The sharpened high carbon steel blade features a broad gold-finished fuller, with intricate engraving to match that of the original. The authentic hilt construction features a rayskin-wrapped grip with a gilded brass guard and fittings, including a globate pommel that balances the sword beautifully. The wood core scabbard is covered in leather and gilded brass fittings to match the hilt.
Blade Length: 28” Long
Handle Length: 5” Long
Overall Length: 35 1/8” Long
Weight: 1lb 14oz
Thickness: 6.6mm – 5.1mm
Width: 29.1mm
Components
The Blade:
The blade is very well polished with lots of attention being paid to the detailed work on it . It has a nice sharp edge which was plenty sharp enough to handle bottles and mats .The blade itself has a lovely shape to it and is very different to anything in my collection.The blade itself is also nice and rigid .The back edge is not cutting sharp .
The Handle
The hilt construction features a good quality rayskin-wrapped grip with a gilded brass guard and fittings which are very well done and highly detailed .The curve of the Hilt was something to get used to at first ,but I must admit that it not only sits snugly in hand but is rather comfortable when handling this sword as well .
The Guard:
Not much to say here other than it features the same highly detailed pattern which is found through out this very decorative piece which can be best described in my pictures below .
The Pommel:
The Pommel features a globate pommel that balances the sword very well and features the same highly detailed pattern found throughout the sword .
The Scabbard:
The matching scabbard is wood core covered in leather and gilded brass fittings to match the hilt. The scabbard fit really well with no play or rattle at all .
Handling Characteristics
This was my first saber and I found it to be very agile and quick .It was and still is a pleasure to handle this sword because of its weight and great balance. The shape of the hilt also adds to the ease of handling making it a very comfortable piece to wield .
Cutting
Iv done some light cutting (bottle and mats) which the sword handled with ease .In fact is sailed through some mats like they were not there at all !It has a great cutting edge which kind of took me by surprise as most of my other European blades from Hanwei have come with edges that needed to be touched up . This saber however needed no attention to the edge and was ready to cut with straight out of the box . I did some thrusting with the blade through some bottles which it also handled with ease , it really has a great thrusting tip . I doubt ill be cutting anything heavier than mats with this sword though as I dont want to ruin the finish on the blade .
Conclusions
Overall I love this sword and it is actually far better than what I was expecting ,especially since it came with a decent edge . It is very decorative ,yet at the same time is not overly so as they have dulled the look somewhat in colour . The blade really is stunning as is the hilt with everything fitting tightly including the very snug scabbard .As for being a good representative of the original ,well I think considering that this is a production piece it does a fairly good job and definitely looks the part ,sure it could be more accurate I suppose ,but at the price point of $420 (at KOA) ,well I dont think its bad at all .
Pros
Sharp blade (which was a pleasant surprise) with a great polish and detailed finish
Quality fittings throughout that have been “dulled” and look great
Great handling – Very fast and agile blade
A decent looking and performing sword which does a pretty good job in replicating the look of the original
Cons
Iv yet to find any problems with mine ,but if I had to be really critical then I suppose they could have dulled the gold patterning on the blade a little to blend in a little more with the rest of the sword fittings .Like I said though this is really being very critical .
The Bottom Line
A great offering from Hanwei and if you get one with a decent edge like I did then it makes it even better . Iv never been huge on Sabers , but this one really is something different with great handling and good looks to match . A very welcomed addition to my collection .