Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2011 19:28:12 GMT
well i have a thing for pirates, because they are awesome(alestorm, jack sparrow)
and i have a thing for swords, a big thing actually which has eaten all my money the last few years.
so i thought i would get a pirate sword like a cutlass, when i googled i found out that there are a lot less pirate swordsthan i imagined there would be.
so my question is does anyone know of good batlle ready cutlasses in the sub-300 price range. i want to get as much models as i can for comparison.
ps i found the windlass scottish cutlass and i like it, but i'm not so sure about windlass.
i also found the hanwei dutch cutlass but dont like the tip.
pps i could always go custom i remember now, like an custom blade to a shell guard.
so if anyone knows of wallhangers with removable guards that could be an option ass well
ppps. i am talking to myself
pppps. i mustn't add this much ps's again, i'm annoying myself.
|
|
Sean (Shadowhowler)
VIP Reviewer
Retired Moderator
No matter where you go, there you are.
Posts: 8,828
|
Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Jun 7, 2011 20:16:04 GMT
Hard to find in the sub-300 range for sure...
I've got one pirate looking weapon from Ben Potter's 'Privateer Armory'... and they can be had in that range... but on these lower priced ones he uses a 1/16th stock which is very thin... resulting in a very light, flexible weapon good for cutting and using quickly but not as durable as you might want and NO GO for any kind of armor for sure.
BKS makes a lot of Cutlass... but they are at the top of that 300 spectrum or more.
I like the look of that Windlass Scottish Cutlass myself... but its kinda heavy and Windlass is very hit and miss on quality. I'll have to check one of those out someday.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kilted Cossack on Jun 7, 2011 22:09:25 GMT
www.kultofathena.com/product.asp ... al+Cutlass What about the Windlass 1860 cutlass? Yeah, yeah, it's not period for the buccaneers, but Captain Jack would give it a wink and a nudge, wouldn't he? And as for the Windlass issue . . . well, I'm kind of a Windlass fan, within limits, so you might want to disregard everything I say! Windlass ain't bad. If you find the things Windlass does right, you'll find that Windlass does things right. (OK, that's kind of a tautology.) One of the big knocks on Windlass is that they use thin stock. On longer blades, this leads to the dreaded droop. Notice, please, that the cutlass referenced above has a dainty little 25/26" blade. Short blades are where Windlass shines! I've got a couple of Windlass shorties, the Qama and the Kindjal (sub 20" though), and an American Revolutionary War saber (reworked). I like the steel they were made from, and the temper they got. The one thing that leaps out at me about the Windlass 1860 cutlass is the grip length. I'm fat, maybe I've got fat hands, but the equivalent length (3 7/8") on the American Revolutionary War saber gave me a cramped, tight grip. Four and a half to five works much better for me, but I like to run my hands all over. Windlass also makes the subtly named "Pirate Captain Hanger" www.kultofathena.com/product.asp ... ain+Hanger and Hanwei more or less dupes it with the Revolutionary War hanger www.kultofathena.com/product.asp ... War+Hanger AND the VOC cutlass www.kultofathena.com/product.asp ... OC+Cutlass . (Hanwei's offerings have shorter grips, so I'd prefer the Windlass.) Hope this helps, amigo.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pogo4321 on Jun 8, 2011 4:09:36 GMT
This is one area in which you need not fear windlass. I have maybe 8 cutlasses/hangers from them and by and large they are all pretty good--with varying strengths and weakness. The main variances seems to be the fittings as the blades are a to a one good and solid and with MR or KOA sharpening they are hell on bottles. I always recommend the Pirate's Companion as a nice solid sword for those who like a slightly heavier broader blade (it is by no means a HEAVY sword). The Scottish is the meanest looking one for sure and feels quite solid--it is heavy and requires some muscle to control. The Hanwei Revolutionary hanger sems good enough--mine isn't sharp so no cutting. I find the grip a bit short and some don't like the antiqued blade. There should be a review in the review section either here or on the old site. Missed the VOC--hopefully it'll become available again. BKS makes great costume and stage pieces. Their cutlasses are not great cutters as the blades aren't designed for it. They also don't come with scabbards. If you buy BKS buy something in stock--the wait can be very long for customs. If interested in re-enactment or prop pieces you can also look at www.gggodwin.com and Loyalist Arms. Both have some nice designs, but I wouldn't plan on using them for cutting. Just for fun a pic of my BKS Pirate Arming sword:  |
|
|
|
Post by Anders on Jun 8, 2011 14:15:34 GMT
How about this one?It looks good, right price range, the company claims a solid historical construction, and historically speaking it's about as close to the Golden Age of Piracy you are likely to get in a production cutlass. I'm pretty tempted by it myself. You know, if you took the blade of the Pirate Captain Hanger and put it on the hilt of the Revolutionary War Hanger, you'd get a half-decent Pirates of the Carribbean sword.
|
|
|
|
Post by Elheru Aran on Jun 8, 2011 16:14:22 GMT
Basically as long as you take a short, curved blade and throw on a more or less 16th-17th century hilt on there, you're probably fine... pirates weren't particularly picky about their weapons. Blackbeard may have used a hunting hanger, but pretty much any cutlass-esque sword pre-1800s and post-mid-1600's will work fine.
|
|
|
|
Post by Anders on Jun 8, 2011 17:34:27 GMT
Easier said then done, though - there really isn't a lot of production cutlasses/hangers a la 16-18th century available. Most cutlasses tend to be 19th century naval sidearms, and to me it just seems wrong to attribute those to pirates. At least not what people generally think of as pirates.
|
|
|
|
Post by Caym on Jun 9, 2011 6:02:47 GMT
|
|
Lunaman
Senior Forumite
Posts: 3,974
|
Post by Lunaman on Jun 9, 2011 19:15:36 GMT
Anders, that French Boarding saber is gorgeous! I, too, am quite tempted. :shock: I have one of the Windlass Pirate Captain Hangers for my old Sparrow outfit. Good costume piece. I like the blade and it looks the part, but the hilt is annoying. The grip is completely round and kind of slick, so it likes to turn in your hand, and the guard is not properly dished so your fingers don't have much comfort up front. Its a nice cutter for light targets when you manage the edge alignment--the easiest way I've found is to 'cheat' my thumb up onto the back:   (down there on the floor you can see the wall-hanger version, which looks much nicer, but has a painfully small grip and is, well, a wall-hanger) The Hanwei hanger has a properly dished guard and an oval grip, which looks and feels much better, but I'm not a fan of the blade taper. The scabbard looks better. I've often toyed with the idea of picking one up and grinding down the back edge until it flows into the point. I think that'd be about the best Caribbean sword you could get your hands on:  |
|
|
|
Post by Anders on Jun 9, 2011 20:43:40 GMT
Go ahead and buy it, then tell me if it's worth having.  I don't think there are any reviews of their products. It's always bothered me that for a sword that's obviously meant to cash in on the pirate craze following PoTC, the entire hilt really don't look right at all. Ever considered just making a more ergonomic grip for it? KoT says it's a threaded construction. Hm, I'd go somewhat easier on the false edge and instead slim the blade down a bit in general, leaving a bit of a clipped edge:  By the way, on that wallhanger cutlass of yours, what does the point look like? Jack's sword definitely isn't a spear point but I'm almost certain - going by close ups in the movie - that it's supposed to be ever so slightly clipped rather then a true hatched point. |
|
Lunaman
Senior Forumite
Posts: 3,974
|
Post by Lunaman on Jun 9, 2011 21:58:06 GMT
I might...we'll see. Well I've thought about it, but mine's got a big ol' honking peen on the back end, and you can't untwist the pommel because it's connected to the knuckle-bow, so I don't know what they're talking about. :lol: Yea, that's the stuff. I just did a quick hack-and-slash mockup in paint to reduce the curve of the spine and narrow the blade; I think both the repros curve too much.  The point on the wall-hanger is fairly acute, but yea, not quite a true hatched. Very subtle.   The grip is very small. It can only be pinched with the thumb and forefinger like a smallsword (which is actually pretty appropriate for the parry-riposte sword fighting in the films) but it is almost ridiculous in this aspect. I don't have large hands by any means, but the hilt disappears in my hand and the actual 'grip' area is shorter than my thumb. It needs to be just a TAD bigger to be comfortable. Some of the publicity photos show a ham-fisted hammer grip, which is nigh impossible with this sword.  |
|
|
|
Post by Anders on Jun 9, 2011 22:36:44 GMT
I think it might actually be a too pointy. Here's a picture that kinda shows the point of Jack's sword:  Best picture of it I could find right now, may dig out my DVD to find a better one. Incidentally, I often wonder how long that sword is really supposed to be - sometimes it looks rather short but sometimes I could swear it has pretty good reach. |
|
|
|
Post by Reflingar on Jun 9, 2011 22:47:25 GMT
The Windlass Captain hanger and Hanwei hanger are pretty good as pirate cultlasses at that price range... The French boarding saber from At The Royal Sword is indeed quite nice: I would go for this one in the sub-300$ range. Windlass used to have a Dutch cutlass that looked quite nice:  alas, discontinued...maybe there are still a few around? If you are willing to put on a little work and to go as far as the end of the 18th, the Windlass Pirate Cutlass (really a "cuiller-a-pot") could be cool (  the guard would have to be blackened or painted black, and the grip needs work to be comfortable... A nice website on Gentlemen of Fortune: www.gentlemenoffortune.com/swords.htmI know this is way out of the 300$ price-range, but these are worth a look: www.olddominionforge.com/swords.htmlI have to add: Aaarrrrrr |
|
Lunaman
Senior Forumite
Posts: 3,974
|
Post by Lunaman on Jun 9, 2011 22:50:29 GMT
Well, there's also forshortening to take into account. When the blade is pointing at you a bit, it doesn't look nearly as sharp:  The thing is, I firmly believe there were more than one sword model the way through these things. In the first (and dare I say, the only GOOD) movie, the sword is remarkably short. Go watch that scene, even, when he goes "Only a little..."  But in some of the publicity shots from the later movies, it's much bigger and curvier.  I think it might be as simple as having a sword of different dimensions for the photoshoots, versus the stunt swords for fighting. The only version I want is the shorter, straighter sword from the first film. The wall-hanger would make me pretty happy, were it a real sword. Regrinding the Hanwei I think is the closest I could manage (though I admit my mock-up was rushed and too pointy, yes.) |
|
|
|
Post by Kilted Cossack on Jun 10, 2011 4:04:50 GMT
This has turned into quite the enjoyable thread.
|
|
Alan Schiff
Registered
Manufacturers and Vendors
Posts: 469
|
Post by Alan Schiff on Jun 10, 2011 5:03:43 GMT
I've handled both the Windlass pirate's companion and the pirate captain's hanger. I liked the pirate's companion and thought that the grip was comfortable. It felt pretty sturdy and well-balanced. I liked the look of the pirate captain hanger but as stated previously, the grip is round and slick, so it likes to spin in the hand. I also own the Windlass Dutch cutlass and, if you can find one, heartily recommend it. In fact I like it so much that I nominated it as one of the swords they bring back in the thread where we were asked for suggestions.
Also, pirates used pretty much whatever they could get their hands on, so don't overlook straight-bladed swords of the period either.
Hope that helps,
Alan
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2011 14:11:22 GMT
that dutch cutlads is just about perfect, a shame it is discontinued.  i think i'm going to look where to go pick it up second-hand. if anyone knows a good place where they are sold i woyuld be more than happy. |
|
|
|
Post by Anders on Jun 10, 2011 16:26:40 GMT
Good point, no pun intended. Like I said, I need to look through the movies again and see if I can find any good close ups of the sword.
Wouldn't surprise me - it's not unheard of to simply make new props when starting the production of a new movie, so sometimes the details will differ.
Hey, the fourth one is good.
Well, it's okay.
Well, a least it's not World's End. >_>
Like I said, I have a hard time judging, though I generally peg it at anything from 25" to 28".
You can't really trust publicity posters like that one. They are heavily edited and sometimes they'll actually edit the entire sword into a different one, thinking most people won't bother to tell one pointy-stabby thing from another. I've seen posters based on the exact same photo were the hero appears to hold a noticably different sword in either one. That picture in particular always gave me that kind of vibe - note the unnatural edge-sideways way he's holding it, and how the curve very conveniently keeps the blade away from the edge of the poster. Plus, even in the actual At World's End movie, I'm pretty sure Jack's sword didn't look like that.
You do have a point - a movie would use multiple props for the same sword: Usually at least one "hero" sword for close ups and several stunt weapons out of aluminum or carbon fiber for the fight scenes. They shouldn't be noticably different in shape or dimensions, though.
|
|
|
|
Post by Anders on Jun 12, 2011 18:57:04 GMT
Okay, I've gone through the first three PotC movies, and this is by far the best picture of the point of Jack's sword I could find:  Going by Luna's pictures above, I do think the wallhanger repro is slightly too pointy. Still, it's not too far off. I definitely expected it to be stubbier. Here's some pictures illustrating the lenght:   The blade seems to be about as long or slightly longer then his own arm. I'm guesstimating about 24", keeping in mind Johnny Depp is slightly shorter then me. |
|
Lunaman
Senior Forumite
Posts: 3,974
|
Post by Lunaman on Jun 12, 2011 20:14:39 GMT
Anders, that is an impressive feat of detective work, and you deserve some karma for it! +2. The wallhanger blade is just shy of 23.75 inches.  I agree that the point is a lil' too "pointy"--looks like the top edge could be brought down more. The fuller and termination also look different, much narrower on the repro. With the 25" blade on the Hanwei Revolutionary War hanger, I'd say one could certainly turn it into a darn good version of the Sparrow sword by grinding down to the desired taper. Awesome. |
|
I agree that the point is a lil' too "pointy"--looks like the top edge could be brought down more. The fuller and termination also look different, much narrower on the repro. 
