Windlass Scimitar (lotsa pix!)
Apr 21, 2011 20:29:48 GMT
Post by Elheru Aran on Apr 21, 2011 20:29:48 GMT
Introduction
Well, I recently purchased this sword from Little_JP when he was selling a number of his swords. My observations of the transactions are in my seller review thread; to sum it up, it took some time to actually get shipped out to me, and when it was arrived, a crack that he had mentioned in the grip had worsened. I don't know if it was like that when he had it or if that happened during shipping, so I won't point fingers.
I know this scimitar has already been reviewed, but there's no review on *this* version of the site yet
So, here goes!
Historical Overview
I'm not too familiar with historical swords in general. I have a basic working knowledge though, and this scimitar honestly doesn't really fit any profile. In fact, it almost seems more like a Western saber of the 1800's than a 1600s scimitar!
That said, the grip is a "Mameluke" form, tapering in a more or less Turkish style to a sizeable knob at the end. The quillions are fairly long compared to the width of the blade, which is another Turkish characteristic. However, the grip is kind of short for my hand, which points vaguely at Persian characteristics; their grips tend to be smaller than the norm for Western swords, to my understanding.
The blade is interesting from a historical perspective. A proper 'scimitar' typically has a more or less extreme curvature so that it appears to be a curved blade over its whole length.
This, on the other hand, has a straight blade for about half its length before curving upward gently. In a sense, if it had a yelman-- a false upper edge, typically along the last 1/3 of the blade-- it'd almost be a Turkish kilji.
For the whole of it I would label it more or less 'typically' Turkish than Arab, Egyptian, North African, or Persian. However, we have to bear in mind that: a.) scimitars were quite frequently made or refitted to the owner's liking, and b.) there was consequently a huge variety of scimitars and hilt/guard/whatever types. Some types can be labeled with confidence as belonging to specific areas, but others are more hazy. When you throw trade into the mix, travel, spoils of war, booty, etc, then it's not beyond the realm of probability for, say, a Turkish kilji to end up with an Indian disc-pommel tulwar hilt, or an Arab saif to show up in Persia, or a Morroccan flyssa to appear in Greece...
Full Disclosure
I have no association whatsoever with Windlass Steelcrafts and this is the only product of theirs that I've ever purchased that I know of, and I got it used.
Initial Impressions
It arrived with the quillions poking out of the box. Whoopsie. I was worried about that, but once I opened it up, it looked to be all right. Bright blade, surprisingly blade-heavy. I've since handled it enough that I've gotten used to it. The scabbard is leather, but looks fine, and I like that there are rings and everything included with it. There's some fine scratching on the blade from being sharpened with a belt sander. I'll include pictures as I go.
Statistics
Borrowing these from KoA. This sword seems to be fairly close to these numbers, for whatever that's worth. If I disagree with any of them I'll comment after the KoA numbers.
Overall: 36", blade 30.5"
Weight: 1.2 I think it's closer to 1.5 or 1.8, as I have no scale handy however this may just be an effect of its POB
Edge: Unsharpened mine has MRL factory-sharpened edge, belt sander
POB: 9" may be more like 10" on mine
Thickness: 4.3mm-3.6mm This may be the 'average' thickness. On mine, it's approximately 4.5mm all the way from the base to about 5-6"below the tip. Typical Windlass lack of distal taper.
Width: 29.5mm I call it the round 30mm or 3 cm, just under an inch and a quarter
Grip length: 3.5 this is if you don't count the ball-pommel, which I suppose is okay. Should've paid more attention to this number...
Price on KoA: $175.95 before shipping and sharpening. I purchased it used and already sharpened for $140 before shipping; a decent-if-high price, I think. If I was selling this as I received it, I'd charge maybe $120 before shipping. I'm happy enough with what I got, though, so don't look for it on the classifieds anytime soon
Components
~Blade
Fairly nice. A bit heavy to my hand, but the short grip is probably a major contributing factor to that. It's quite bright, mirror-polished before it was sharpened; I think I'll tone it down with a satin finish once I sharpen it up a little better.
It's hard to see in these pictures but the cloudy bits along the blade (that aren't actually reflections of clouds above) are where it was slightly scratched up by the belt sander...
The edge is definitely a secondary bevel. I'll try to smooth that out.
It's got a nice sharp point to it...
Spine is fairly thick and there's almost zero distal taper. Pretty typical for Windlass, as I understand it. This photo is almost up to the tip; you can see the termination of the fuller there.
Something that surprised me, that I hadn't gathered from the original photos, was that the blade is comparatively thin-- in this photo, the back of my hand is resting on the guard...
~Guard
Cast metal of unknown type, but possibly the same material as used on scabbard fittings. Haven't checked to see if it's magnetic or not. It's painted or lacquered, I think; there's definitely some form of clear coating on it. Feels quite smooth. The design is not particularly to my liking, but I'll manage; I would have preferred something more plain like what Windlass puts on the Cold Steel version of this scimitar.
It mates nicely with the blade, no rattle. Honestly, my only real complaint about it is that I don't like the design on it, and when you're attacking the aesthetics, that means it's perfectly fine otherwise...
~Grip and Pommel
Now this is the part which makes-or-breaks the scimitar for me, honestly.
For my hands (and I grant you I've got gorilla hands), it's just kind of tight.
I don't know about you but I like a little space between my little finger and the pommel. Perhaps this will help you understand as well...
Yes, it's REALLY skinny right up there at the guard! It's only like 5/8" or 3/4" wide. I honestly have no idea if this is historically accurate; however, I would've far preferred for it to be a bit thicker at this point. IF I keep this grip, I'll definitely wind some wire around this area to bulk it out.
Why IF, you inquire? Allow me...
Looks bad, right? It is. But, I'm thinking that with epoxy, and if I drill through the grip and pommel and insert a wooden peg or rivet it with a bit of brass rod, I can make it more like this...
Not so bad now? Yeah.
However, ultimately I think I will just have to knock this grip off and make a new one. Something along the lines of an Arab sayf, I think.
~Scabbard
Plain leather. Kind of bland. But I like it well enough, so no real complaints. Plus, I think I should be able to tool the leather a bit...
I'm also thinking about engraving or etching the fittings. Yeah... gonna pimp this baby out, booyah!
Handling Characteristics
I honestly am not sure how a scimitar should handle. It feels like it should cut with authority, though, with how heavy the blade feels. POB is at like 10" out from the guard; makes it feel quite weighty. This is definitely part of the reason why I want a heavier/longer grip...
Test Cutting
I didn't do a whole lot of test cutting with it as the edge isn't that great. However, it did go like 3/5 of the way through a heavy carpet tube diagonally on a pretty strong cut. Not bad. I expect with a better edge, slightly longer grip, and practice, it'll be just fine.
Conclusions
Pros
--A rarely seen historical sword type
--Comes from a known manufacturer
--Even at probably $200 from KoA if you have it shipped and sharpened, it's still not a terrible price. I won't say it's worth that much, but I can say it's a good enough sword and definitely different from your standard katana or Western sword.
--A fairly attractive package overall
Cons
--Watch that wood grip, it may crack on you as mine did
--Won't come sharpened unless you ask for it.
--Somewhat ahistorical form that doesn't really match up with anything out there.
--Leather scabbard
Bottom Line
If you see this sword come up used, go for it. If you want to buy it new, go for it (though if I were you I wouldn't get it at any price over $200 for sure). For the price I got it at, I'm happy enough with it and look forward to playing around with customizing it. I would recommend it to most people. I might recommend the Cold Steel version over this; I believe their grip would be stronger and I think aesthetically the guard on that one is better. Plus, of course, it comes sharper. You do pay more for that, though.
So, I hope you enjoyed this review... have a nice day!