1796 Saber, Heavy or Light?

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MGodfrey
Member

Posts: 20

1796 Saber, Heavy or Light? Oct 5, 2011 5:49:06 GMT

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Post by MGodfrey on Oct 5, 2011 5:49:06 GMT

Hey guys, I'm in a bit of a dilemma.

I had ordered a Cold Steel 1796 LCS from KoA a little over a year ago? and the one I received had cracks in the blade so I exchanged it for a Hanwei Cromwell sword. I don't want this to reflect badly on them at Kult as all of my other swords purchased there came without a hitch and in excellent condition and the exchange was very quick. The Cold Steel sword looked like it left the factory that way.

But I really, really, really wanted that Cold Steel 1796...
www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=CS88SS&name=Cold+Steel+1796+Light+Cavalry+Saber

Now they are back ordered(with steel scabbard) at KoA but I have also been looking over at Military Heritage and I see both the "Light" and the "Heavy" 1796 cav's available so my biggest question would be as to their overall quality and shipping times.

Also, for anyone who has handled both the "Light" and "Heavy", what was the more wieldy of the two and which seemed more "durable"?

Or maybe I could just have Kult inspect the sword before they ship? I dunno?

I really want one of these two swords but I don't want to get another dud.

Dave Kelly
Senior Forumite

Posts: 3,628

1796 Saber, Heavy or Light? Oct 5, 2011 10:48:01 GMT

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Post by Dave Kelly on Oct 5, 2011 10:48:01 GMT

Cold Steel doesn't say who their sword makers are. A lot of their swords are contracted thru Windlass.

Military Heritage insists that they don't do business with WeaponEdge. Their swords are manufactred by Beaver and Beaver on their back lot pond and are far superior to anything you get from India. ( Drink enough Molson's and you might believe that. )

If I was going to buy another 1796 light, I'd hold out for Ryan Whitlager to get them back in stock at KoA or you could try TrueSwords ( another SBG Forum vetted seller I like ).

The only 1796 Heavy out on the market is a WeaponEdge product. If you can't find them in North America there are several european options; but that significantly raises the costs.

WE messes with their carbon steel. Hardness is rumored to float from mid 40s to 50. All of that is weapons grade, but WE discourages anything but LIGHT cutting.

As to handling: none of these swords are historically accurate. The costs of proper grinding and balancing is beyond the price point of these swords. Though all tend to lack taper.

The light saber is a slasher. The heavy is an ols style broadsword chopper. Choose your poison.

Introduc harioli. Praeterea oportet esse harioli. Et quidam etiam arbustis.

( Bring in the clowns. There ought to be clowns. And some Shrubbery too. )

kurokaze
Member

Posts: 116

1796 Saber, Heavy or Light? Oct 5, 2011 15:50:54 GMT

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Post by kurokaze on Oct 5, 2011 15:50:54 GMT

I recently purchased a cold steel 1796 light with a steel scabbard from KOA. Ay the time they had QC issues with the ones they had in stock and waited on fulfilling my order until they were able to receive more. Likely (just speculation) they only got a limited number in, and so all the ones they were shipped already had been ordered. They were very pleasant to deal with via email, however, so you might contact them to find out when they will be back in stock. Also, the sword had definitely been opened and inspected by KOA before shipping out.

As for handling, it is actually not as bad as you might expect. Definitely not tapered properly when compared to measurements of originals, but it feels very responsive during cutting. Then again, the reports on this are all over the map, and I could have just gotten lucky.

"There are various kinds of spirit involved in letting go the hilt.
There is the spirit of winning without a sword. There is also the spirit of holding the long sword but not winning. The various methods cannot be expressed in writing. You must train well."
-Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin no Sho

Dave Kelly
Senior Forumite

Posts: 3,628

1796 Saber, Heavy or Light? Oct 5, 2011 20:40:46 GMT

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Post by Dave Kelly on Oct 5, 2011 20:40:46 GMT

for handling, it is actually not as bad as you might expect. Definitely not tapered properly when compared to measurements of originals, but it feels very responsive during cutting. Then again, the reports on this are all over the map, and I could have just gotten lucky.

The CS weighs in at 2.5 lbs. That not a bad number for a medium weigh sword. You can watch the CS swordmanship tapes and see that this '96 is an agile cutter conforming to 19th Cent standards.

But the historical 96s were "light" sabers weighing in from 1.75- 2.0 lbs. They were VERY fast slashing weapons.

The repro is a good, usable weapon. Just be aware that it doesn't represent the historical weapon in performance.

Introduc harioli. Praeterea oportet esse harioli. Et quidam etiam arbustis.

( Bring in the clowns. There ought to be clowns. And some Shrubbery too. )

kurokaze
Member

Posts: 116

1796 Saber, Heavy or Light? Oct 5, 2011 20:53:01 GMT

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Post by kurokaze on Oct 5, 2011 20:53:01 GMT

Dave Kelly wrote

I would definitely trust Mr. Kelly's advice in this area, as he has actually handled an original, and has impeccable knowledge in this area. It's definitely too heavy for an original, but overall a very nice modern sword.

MGodfrey
Member

Posts: 20

1796 Saber, Heavy or Light? Oct 5, 2011 22:55:40 GMT

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Post by MGodfrey on Oct 5, 2011 22:55:40 GMT

Cool, thanks guys. Yeah, I called and talked to them when I exchanged my first 96. They were very cool about it and the turnaround was quick.

I'll take Mr. Kelly's advice and try to contact Ryan Whitlager and see if they can check it before they ship. Hopefully it was a rare lemon.

As for the weight and balance I don't mind a bit of muscle building. I'm a big guy anyway. Just so long as their are no cracks!

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