Angus Trim Thorpe Falchion
May 25, 2011 3:33:37 GMT
Post by Greg on May 25, 2011 3:33:37 GMT
Here is number 1.
This was the first falchion competed by Gus and shipped out.
I felt like I should tell you this because there are some cosmetic flaws and things that he probably learned from that did not show up on Tom's falchion. So when I start nit picking, just keep in mind that this was the first and there were bound to be mistakes.
History:
As many of you might know, I'm not one for the historical parts of the blades. Well, the falchion, I feel, is a special case. This guy was the AK-47 of the middle ages. Now, when I say middle ages, I don't just mean a couple hundred years or so. I'm talking 11th century all the way through the 16th century.
Granted, we could argue that the falchion would need it's own classification system like the Oakeshott system for cruciform swords. Well, I would agree. To call a sword a falchion would be the same as calling a plant a tree. Sure a tree IS a plant, but there are many different types of trees... get what I'm saying? Kinda?
The falchion kept it's popularity among the solidering folk because it worked well outside of combat too. Not only did you have a sword to maim and dismember your foes with, but there is speculation that it was used as a camp tool as well.
There are 3 types of falchion groups.
The Cleaver, which resembles the common machete:
The Maciejowski, which resembles something from the mind of H.P. Lovecraft:
And the Clipped (aka Cusped) ((aka Flanged... but I just made that up... literally))
All of these have examples of the edge being on one side or the other, curved or straight, etc. To me, this just goes to show that people loved this weapon and were looking for different ways to harness the power of a thick spine and swollen fobile.
Thorpe:
Allow me to show you something:
This is an image I found of the silhouette of the actual "Thorpe" Falchion. Above that is a quick picture I snapped of Gus's falchion. The variation in length is primarily because the original Thorpe only had a 3.9" grip where Trim's falchion has a sporting 4.25" (For which I am thankful)
By studying the above picture, we can deduce that the overall profile would be pretty close to how the Thorpe WAS. It seems to me that if the lengths match almost exactly right now, then it might have been longer with a sharper point. But who knows. The fact of the matter is that Gus took the measurements of the current Thorpe and made a FANTASTIC working blade based on the numbers.
Speaking of the numbers...
Stats
Total Weight: 2 lb 10.3oz
*Blade Weight: 8oz
Total Length: 38"
Blade Length: 31.375"
Blade Width: 1.875" parallel sides until 2" past fuller termination. Flange width: 2.125"
Blade Thickness: Base=.25", Flange= .125"
**Percussion Node: Blade= 19.5" from guard, Hilt= .375" from guard
Pommel and Guard measurements irrelevant.
* aka "Tip weight" which I've brought up before. And this will be the last time that I mention it. The falchion has a tip weight of 8oz, which should put it up there with the VA Practical Longsword as far as single handed handling characteristics. Well, having JUST compared them both, they feel nothing alike. The falchion feels almost identical to the H/T EMSHS... almost. Oddly enough, the falchion, even with it's heavier everything, feels more lively in hand. At first, I thought it was because of the grips each has on it. But I've made a new grip for my EMSHS, so it rules that out. So lets face is, the ATrim Thorpe is badass. (Teehee, I pushed the limits of the language we can use on this forum... just as a special treat to all of you who read this long ass paragraph... I did it again!
**The percussion nodes on the blade side mean little. The whole blade is on big sweet spot. I demonstrate this in the video at the 6:00 mark. The hilt node is actually riding a bit high. Higher then Gus's standard .5". As close as I can tell, it's at the .375". Again, this does not seem to affect the ability to cut... other then in a good way.
Parts
Well, this is where I'm gonna pick some nits. Again, let me remind you that this is likely the very first prototype that Gus made. It arrived at my house a week or two before Tom's was finished. So here are the nits:
The Blade, namely, the flange:
The above image tries to show an uneven bevel right at the flange. After talking with Tom, I had discovered that Gus was thinking about extending the short edge down past the tip of the flange, but had decided against it for now. It looks like Gus might have started that bevel, but then stopped.
Next up, we have the shoulders.
For any of you that have owned an ATrim, this seems rather rare. The structure is fine. The shoulders are rounded and will not create a fracture point for the sword. But the odd angles and overall non round-y-ness really struck me as odd, and uncharacteristic of Gus's work.
Below is a similar grind to Tom's falchion:
I really didn't notice this until I disassembled the blade. This will likely only show up on mercenary models because of the lower grade of polishing.
Next geometry nit is a small wave at the ricasso, only on the right side of the blade. It was difficult to capture with a picture, so I took a video of it instead:
If I got out the digital calipers, it would probably show me a 1/100" of a variation in the surface. But noticing something THIS small on a blade speaks volumes to how even the rest of the polish is. In fact, if this were a Windlass or VA sword, this small wave wouldn't even be noticed. So, hats off to Gus for almost achieving perfection, it's closer then I've ever come.
Hilt:
Again, none of this really matters. I don't think a "standard" has even been set for the falchion yet. I really think the Type-2 guard works incredibly well tho, and I'm glad that Gus forced the type K pommel on me, because even tho I really like it, I would have never thought to choose it given the choice.
The grip has it's ups and downs.
First off, WONDERFUL work on hiding the edges under the guard and pommel. FANTASTIC job of beveling the leather along the seam to where you can not even feel it. But the cord under-wrap is... off? My best guess is that two different types of string were used when making this grip. The under-wrapped string seems to be thicker then the string used to tool the leather to give it the texture that we all love.
This does not detract from it's handling, and is noticeable only by tho's looking for nits.
Multimedia
I have high resolution images for anyone wanting a new desktop. However, some of the focusing is a bit off, and is only noticeable at high res.
And now my least favorite part of this review, the video. Why is it my least favorite? Because it does not do the blade any justice to how well it can cut. Well, I'll take part of that back. I filmed all the sections in the wrong order. I should have warmed up with the .5L bottles, then moved to the 2L parade, and closed out the day with the tatami.
Instead, I did tatami one day, some small bottles the next, and the 2L parade the day after that.
And CRAP... I forgot to add in my southpaw and hardwood dowel video. Well, I'll post the vid I got, then upload the other one... deal with it.
Conclusion:
Would I buy this sword again? Hell #*!^@%& YES!
You don't need anything more then that, but if you REALLY want pros and cons, here they are.
Pros:
It's awesome. Hands down. It's weight is only a thinly veiled disguise for how responsive the blade is. This is a perfect mix between grace and power.
Cons:
Some cosmetic issues. It was the very first, so Gus really hadn't figured everything out yet. Oh, and this didn't really come up, but I'm not the biggest fan of the last inch of the sword. If mine snaps off in some freak accident, I won't mind to much... unless that shard comes back and pokes my eye out! Then I'd probably mind.
Thanks for reading!
And don't forget to check out Tom's review over in the Vendor section:
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