Windlass Medieval Falchion
May 29, 2011 5:57:03 GMT
Post by roostermule on May 29, 2011 5:57:03 GMT
Windlass Medieval Falchion
Review by Roostermule
Introduction
I've always had an interest in the falchion. I'm a huge fan of single edged swords and, as a kid, fell in love with what I saw as Europe's answer to the sabers of the East. For my birthday, my wife buys me a sword every year and every year I waited and watched, just narrowly missing the Windlass Medieval Falchion on the Museum Replicas “Deal of the Day”. I almost missed it again this year, but for a kind and watchful forumite mentioning it in a thread. My wife so graciously jumped on the sword, and with shipping and the SBG discount, we paid less than a hundred bucks for it (making it even more attractive). I was practically shaking with anticipation when she got it for me, however, due to inclement weather, it would be nearly two agonizing weeks before it finally made it to my hands courtesy of the lovely UPS lady. I will add pictures later, but wanted to share this review as soon as possible.
Historical Overview
Falchion, in general, don't really have a specific time period, location, or even a particular style. Existing examples include the Conyer's falchion, a machete type, and the Thorpe falchion. The latter example spawned the Windlass Medieval Falchion, as well as many other fine blades. As best as I can tell, the Windlass is a pretty direct copy of the Thorpe, visually. The original weighs in at just under 2 lbs., and comes from England around the 14th century. I can pretty well assume that, while visually the Windlass strongly resembles the Thorpe, it isn't an exact replica and is much heavier than the original, even if you factor in the loss of metal over the centuries.
Full Disclosure
I am not, in any way, shape, or form, associated with Museum Replicas or Windlass Steelcrafts. I purchased this sword because I was a fan of the style and the sword was deeply discounted through the Deal of the Day. This is my first real review, and I do not have as much experience with these or any other type of sword as other, more knowledgeable reviewers.
Initial Impressions
The sword came coated in a layer of protective oil and wrapped in plastic. The scabbard came wrapped separately from the rest of the sword. Once I wiped the blade down, I did a little dry handling before I sharpened it. It was heavy, but moves pretty smoothly and recovers relatively quickly. It feels a bit like a heavy machete, the way it moves. This thing is a beast. It sings like the fat lady when you tap the blade with your fingernail and readily took an edge with the accusharp without much work, and has held that edge wonderfully. Getting this thing was a pain. Bad weather in Georgia made for a long wait, but MRL representatives made sure my sword was tracked down at the UPS hub. UPS expedited my shipping because of the wait. Once you get passed the wait time, it was an overall good experience.
Statistics
As best as I can tell, the specs are pretty accurate from the Kult of Athena, so I'll be using them to fill in this information.
Blade: 28”
Handle: ~4”
Overall Length: 34”
Guard Width: ~14”
PoB: 4 11/16”
Weight: 2 lb. 12 oz.
Blade
The blade of this falchion is of the “cusped” type. The blade is 28” long and terminates in a clip point for the last probably 10 inches. It has a single fuller, running along the back edge of the sword. This thing loves to sing when it's cutting. It's very polished, and holds an edge well. No real issues here.
Handle
A little on the thin side and covered in a decent black leather over wood. For smaller hands, this may not be an issue, but my giant meathooks make it a little small. Nothing a little leather lace can't fix, but still a little bothersome.
Guard
Like the Thorpe falchion, the quillons are slightly curved upwards toward the blade, flattened and pierced with a cross at both sides. The pierce work could have been a little better, but I think the small imperfections in the shape give it a little character.
Pommel
This sword appears to have a Type J pommel. The chamfers on this have a tendency to dig the palm of your hand, but a decent pair of gloves fix that problem pretty well.
Scabbard
The scabbard is pretty plain. Black leather, steel throat and chape, very tight fit. The sword doesn't fall out when turned upside down. Not much else I can ask for from a stock scabbard.
Handling Characteristics
I haven't really handled many swords, much less of this type. However, from descriptions I have heard, I imagine this is how a falchion is supposed to handle. With so many variations, I don't really know how I would judge it anyway. It's very heavy, but feels like it could slice through just about anything if it had the mind to do so. It moves quick and turns on a dime. I'm a reasonably large guy (6'1”, ~300 lb) and pretty strong, but this thing still feels heavy in my hand. About the same as my DSA Medieval Knight. Heavy, but not unmanageable.
Test Cutting
I didn't get video or pictures, but I did take it out to test cut today. I used a number of different bottle types, from thin walled water bottles to a thick walled Churro container. Against everything it faced, the falchion came out ahead. Even my oldest nemesis, the thick walled Gatorade bottle, fell before it. Almost every cut was a silent cut, and the few that weren't were tip cuts. I'll be making a video or two to add at a later date.
Conclusion
Pros:
Affordable! Even without the discount from SBG or the Deal of the Day, this sword is a steal at under 200 bucks.
Mostly comfortable. I recommend gloves to prevent pommel dig, but otherwise sits well in the hand.
Unique style. This one's the talk of my collection and keeps getting compliments. Even my wife, who says they all look the same to her, is in love with it.
Pretty ring when flicked or, more importantly, on a cut.
Cons:
Pommel digs.
Heavy. This could fatigue you pretty quickly if you use it for awhile.
Thin grip could make it uncomfortable for larger hands.
Bottom Line
Bottom line, I would buy this sword at it's full price. This is easily my favorite in my collection. While I love falchion, and hope this is the first of many joining my collection, this is my new go-to sword for cutting. This has replaced my DSA as my go-to sword and I look forward to many cutting sessions of it's singing. I would recommend this sword to anyone interested in it as a part of their collection. It's no Atrim or Albion, but a good solid cutter and an excellent value.
Review by Roostermule
Introduction
I've always had an interest in the falchion. I'm a huge fan of single edged swords and, as a kid, fell in love with what I saw as Europe's answer to the sabers of the East. For my birthday, my wife buys me a sword every year and every year I waited and watched, just narrowly missing the Windlass Medieval Falchion on the Museum Replicas “Deal of the Day”. I almost missed it again this year, but for a kind and watchful forumite mentioning it in a thread. My wife so graciously jumped on the sword, and with shipping and the SBG discount, we paid less than a hundred bucks for it (making it even more attractive). I was practically shaking with anticipation when she got it for me, however, due to inclement weather, it would be nearly two agonizing weeks before it finally made it to my hands courtesy of the lovely UPS lady. I will add pictures later, but wanted to share this review as soon as possible.
Historical Overview
Falchion, in general, don't really have a specific time period, location, or even a particular style. Existing examples include the Conyer's falchion, a machete type, and the Thorpe falchion. The latter example spawned the Windlass Medieval Falchion, as well as many other fine blades. As best as I can tell, the Windlass is a pretty direct copy of the Thorpe, visually. The original weighs in at just under 2 lbs., and comes from England around the 14th century. I can pretty well assume that, while visually the Windlass strongly resembles the Thorpe, it isn't an exact replica and is much heavier than the original, even if you factor in the loss of metal over the centuries.
Full Disclosure
I am not, in any way, shape, or form, associated with Museum Replicas or Windlass Steelcrafts. I purchased this sword because I was a fan of the style and the sword was deeply discounted through the Deal of the Day. This is my first real review, and I do not have as much experience with these or any other type of sword as other, more knowledgeable reviewers.
Initial Impressions
The sword came coated in a layer of protective oil and wrapped in plastic. The scabbard came wrapped separately from the rest of the sword. Once I wiped the blade down, I did a little dry handling before I sharpened it. It was heavy, but moves pretty smoothly and recovers relatively quickly. It feels a bit like a heavy machete, the way it moves. This thing is a beast. It sings like the fat lady when you tap the blade with your fingernail and readily took an edge with the accusharp without much work, and has held that edge wonderfully. Getting this thing was a pain. Bad weather in Georgia made for a long wait, but MRL representatives made sure my sword was tracked down at the UPS hub. UPS expedited my shipping because of the wait. Once you get passed the wait time, it was an overall good experience.
Statistics
As best as I can tell, the specs are pretty accurate from the Kult of Athena, so I'll be using them to fill in this information.
Blade: 28”
Handle: ~4”
Overall Length: 34”
Guard Width: ~14”
PoB: 4 11/16”
Weight: 2 lb. 12 oz.
Blade
The blade of this falchion is of the “cusped” type. The blade is 28” long and terminates in a clip point for the last probably 10 inches. It has a single fuller, running along the back edge of the sword. This thing loves to sing when it's cutting. It's very polished, and holds an edge well. No real issues here.
Handle
A little on the thin side and covered in a decent black leather over wood. For smaller hands, this may not be an issue, but my giant meathooks make it a little small. Nothing a little leather lace can't fix, but still a little bothersome.
Guard
Like the Thorpe falchion, the quillons are slightly curved upwards toward the blade, flattened and pierced with a cross at both sides. The pierce work could have been a little better, but I think the small imperfections in the shape give it a little character.
Pommel
This sword appears to have a Type J pommel. The chamfers on this have a tendency to dig the palm of your hand, but a decent pair of gloves fix that problem pretty well.
Scabbard
The scabbard is pretty plain. Black leather, steel throat and chape, very tight fit. The sword doesn't fall out when turned upside down. Not much else I can ask for from a stock scabbard.
Handling Characteristics
I haven't really handled many swords, much less of this type. However, from descriptions I have heard, I imagine this is how a falchion is supposed to handle. With so many variations, I don't really know how I would judge it anyway. It's very heavy, but feels like it could slice through just about anything if it had the mind to do so. It moves quick and turns on a dime. I'm a reasonably large guy (6'1”, ~300 lb) and pretty strong, but this thing still feels heavy in my hand. About the same as my DSA Medieval Knight. Heavy, but not unmanageable.
Test Cutting
I didn't get video or pictures, but I did take it out to test cut today. I used a number of different bottle types, from thin walled water bottles to a thick walled Churro container. Against everything it faced, the falchion came out ahead. Even my oldest nemesis, the thick walled Gatorade bottle, fell before it. Almost every cut was a silent cut, and the few that weren't were tip cuts. I'll be making a video or two to add at a later date.
Conclusion
Pros:
Affordable! Even without the discount from SBG or the Deal of the Day, this sword is a steal at under 200 bucks.
Mostly comfortable. I recommend gloves to prevent pommel dig, but otherwise sits well in the hand.
Unique style. This one's the talk of my collection and keeps getting compliments. Even my wife, who says they all look the same to her, is in love with it.
Pretty ring when flicked or, more importantly, on a cut.
Cons:
Pommel digs.
Heavy. This could fatigue you pretty quickly if you use it for awhile.
Thin grip could make it uncomfortable for larger hands.
Bottom Line
Bottom line, I would buy this sword at it's full price. This is easily my favorite in my collection. While I love falchion, and hope this is the first of many joining my collection, this is my new go-to sword for cutting. This has replaced my DSA as my go-to sword and I look forward to many cutting sessions of it's singing. I would recommend this sword to anyone interested in it as a part of their collection. It's no Atrim or Albion, but a good solid cutter and an excellent value.