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Post by Neovenetar on Nov 5, 2011 21:46:33 GMT
Well, I think they knew that the blade wouldn't break. I mean they were the ones who forged and designed them, unlike say the president of cold steel, who did have some part in designing the swords, but didn't literally forge them himself.
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Lunaman
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Post by Lunaman on Nov 5, 2011 21:54:02 GMT
The blade DID break. And it did so while a man was striking a solid concrete barrier with it, with poor edge alignment, AFTER it had been bent past the steel's yield point in a vice, and he sent half of the sharpened blade flying through the air toward people whose only protection was a pair of sunglasses. Moronic at best.
Even a person who forges a blade won't know PRECISELY when it will fail after being pushed beyond its normal bounds.
YES, the blades are cool. YES, they are durable. But also: YES the tests were dangerous and stupid.
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Marc Kaden Ridgeway
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Post by Marc Kaden Ridgeway on Nov 5, 2011 22:06:07 GMT
I really like the duece and the spit... if they were less I'd have to have one probably.
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Post by Neovenetar on Nov 5, 2011 22:15:44 GMT
I suppose the test was a little stupid, but I suppose they simply don't care if you know what I mean. "When you're preparing for the zombies, you don't have time to be safe!" is the kind of thing I think zombie tools would say :lol:
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Lunaman
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Post by Lunaman on Nov 5, 2011 22:18:25 GMT
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jhart06
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Post by jhart06 on Nov 5, 2011 22:32:00 GMT
^Agreed
I like on of the pieces they made. Which is retired/discontinued. The rest of them are meh, to me. Plus, the antics in the videos, especially in the destructive testing.. Not my cup of tea, but not bad items.
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Post by SkyChi on Nov 6, 2011 4:13:59 GMT
I had been eyeballing them for a while anyhow. The cash savings on the one listed here was the final straw. It'll look good mounted crossed blades with the Hammered Apokatana I ordered over my fireplace.
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Aaron
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Post by Aaron on Nov 6, 2011 4:17:29 GMT
Agreed 100% Marc, those two are the ones that appeal to me the most.
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Post by SkyChi on Nov 6, 2011 4:25:15 GMT
The Spit is pretty wicked for sure. At nearly $500 delivered I'm not likely to pull the trigger any time soon either.
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ghost
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Post by ghost on Nov 6, 2011 4:31:20 GMT
No one has a complaint about the weight vs blade length? All seem like really nice wrist breakers. Only one I would consider is the Hellion and Vakra...everything else looks way too heavy.
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Nov 6, 2011 4:49:59 GMT
There's no mention of a POB, but here's something important to consider: "Like all ZT blades, the Hellion a full-tang construction of American-milled 5160 steel, with aluminum slab handles..." Everything but their little throwing has thick aluminum slabs for grips. I know aluminum is pretty light, but it's still rather hefty; luckily, almost all the heft is near the grip. Obviously, I can't say anything without getting my hands on one (and I wouldn't mind getting a hold of their d'Capitan 2012 or even the Apokatana), but I doubt they're wrist breakers.
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Post by Lukas MG (chenessfan) on Nov 6, 2011 15:20:51 GMT
I was wondering about the weight aswell and came to a similar conclusion. Aluminum IS heavier than normal wooden scales. On most of these blade it's probably a good thing to have more mass towards the hilt. Now I can't speculate about distal taper, (they're talking about distal taper on their website so at least they know what that is) but I guess they overbuild their blades intentionally. These are tactical blades, not historical swords and I think these guys assume they will also be used as tools and abused. Nobody is gonna use these blades like a longsword a la liechtenauer or like a traditional katana. It would be mostly brutal hacking and wide swings (that's at least the way they use them themselves) and there the additional weight could be a good thing.
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Nov 6, 2011 15:58:09 GMT
Great (or sick) minds think alike... cuz those are the two I like most as well. :lol:
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Post by SkyChi on Nov 6, 2011 17:43:05 GMT
I think it's pretty obvious the Deuce model is a hacking/chopping blade. At 4lbs most humans aren't going to wield it one handed or with much finesse. Probably cut up some firewood around camp or behead slow moving Zombies pretty well but you wouldn't use it fencing.
The Apoc on the other hand is within the realm of some practical use as a sword. With a Total Length of 37.5'', Blade/Handle Length of 26''/9'', Steel Width of .204'' & Weight of 2.75lbs it is not out of line with many Katana or other style swords.
I know that the two Zombie Tools pieces I have personally handled (Hellion & Urban Bone Machete) were well executed. Clean uniform grinds, sharp and felt good in my hand. Both were usable tools but neither would be my first pick of weapons to defend against Zombies. This is the Fantasy Sword Forum, right? :?
I also know that Chris, one of the owners, was very helpful with all my questions and they are made in the USA. That means something to me. Their sense of humor and testing methods may be a little over the edge but that doesn't bother me personally. They are making some tough blades and having fun doing it.
I should have the Deuce tomorrow and the Apok in about three weeks. I'll offer my opinion of them and some detailed pics then.
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Post by Elheru Aran on Nov 7, 2011 20:14:02 GMT
Design wise these swords are somewhat derivative of existing concepts. The primary thing they do is taking a blade shape like the machete, and then throw a recurve and sharp corners on it. This is especially notable with their Urban Bone Machete and Phalanx models. The Apokatana and Vakra are merely full-tanged 'tactical' versions of the katana and kukri. The D'Capitan, now, that is a genuinely different design, even if it strikes me as being a single-handed knuckle-guarded version of their Apokatana. The Spit and Reaper weapons are different as well-- you don't see long-hafted weapons too often in the tacticool genre.
Nevertheless, these things just aren't to my taste when it comes down to it. And the lack of concern for safety I see in their videos turns me off.
What they could do to increase my interest (and I'm sure other people would be interested in too)-- offer plainer versions of their weapons without the silly zombie-blood acid etching, wood or Micarta grips instead of aluminum scales. Their Hellion, for example, looks like a modern falcata or kopis; that's one style of blade I've been interested in having. The visuals it has right now, however, beyond the blade shape-- its finish and fittings-- just turn me right off.
It's a bit unfortunate that they decided to go with the 'zombie' aesthetic, honestly-- while I'm certain that sells a fair number of weapons, the fad is going to pass, and I think they would do better in the long run by selling them simply as 'tactical' weapons. They can even keep the zombie-etch and the hammered texture as options... if I could get some of their weapons without those options, I might be more interested. Until then, I think I'll be looking at Scorpion Swords and Hanwei for my tacticool fix...
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Post by Orion on Nov 9, 2011 23:42:17 GMT
I look forward to your impressions!
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Post by Njarf on Nov 30, 2011 4:16:26 GMT
I looked at their site today and found this. It's called the Ferrous Wolf and is a type of tac-viking sword. It's their first blade with a fuller and they say it has full distal taper. Looks nice and a step up from their other offerings.
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jhart06
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Post by jhart06 on Nov 30, 2011 4:20:52 GMT
Ok., now THAT might have my eye.
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Lunaman
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Post by Lunaman on Nov 30, 2011 4:23:58 GMT
That does look like a step up. I'm not a fan of the ricasso area paired with those fittings, but those are aesthetic quibbles. The distal taper is clearly evident from the narrowing of the fuller. Looks like they might become a source for tactical euros, too.... interesting.
Hmmm.
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Talon
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Post by Talon on Nov 30, 2011 5:38:54 GMT
i think that looks pretty awesome for a zombie tool blade
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