Angus Trim Tactical Leaf Blade Review
Dec 9, 2011 7:39:26 GMT
Post by steelhound on Dec 9, 2011 7:39:26 GMT
Angus Trim Tactical Leaf Blade Review
by Steelhound
12/09/2011
Introduction
I have been a fan of Angus Trim swords for a few years now, especially the Tactical Lineup, but admittedly I have never had much interest in leaf blade swords. It wasn't until I saw this picture from one of the first shipments to Tried and True Armory that I realized it was a sword that I wanted.
Seeing this Tac Leaf Blade next to some other models caught my eye with it's curves, and made me realize that it would fill a niche for a few blade types that I been wanting. I love my AT 1557 but always wanted something similar with a longer handle, and I had been thinking of picking up a cleaver-type like a falchion. Thinking this could be a good sword to satisfy both of those needs, and wanting to support Tom and Hiroshi in their new business venture, I decided to take the plunge and buy it.
Historical Overview
Leaf blade swords were most common during the Bronze and Iron Ages in Europe, but this is more of a modern fantasy design so I won't focus on ancient history.
Angus Trim started his Tactical Lineup 5 years ago in order to offer modern, tough, one-piece swords with 'bulletproof' 1/4" slab handles. Like all of his swords, they are designed for performance, CNC milled from 5160 spring steel, receive a state-of-the-art aerospace heat treat, and are ground to finish by hand. While I have read that the original Tactical models were designed for use by soldiers deployed overseas, the majority of them were larger than would be practical for modern combat, and mainly aimed at backyard cutters, tactical enthusiasts, and collectors interested in modern sword designs. I don't believe that the Tac Leaf Blade is based on any specific historical sword, but rather Gus' understanding of blade crafting in general.
The new run of the Tactical Lineup that came out earlier this year has slight changes to almost all of the models offered, and you can see some of the changes to the Leaf Blade from the pics below.
The newer version did away with the ricasso and has the blade flared out to meet a beefier guard, and the pommel ends in a triangular point rather than being flat.
Full Disclosure
I am in no way affiliated with Angus Trim or Tried and True Armory, and there was no pre-arranged agreement of a review for this sword (but I did threaten to do one a long time ago, so it's a bit overdue). Also, I have a cheap camera that won't always focus where I want it to, and I don't take the best of pictures anyways, but I have tried to highlight some of the things discussed with the images I have.
Initial Impressions
Tried and True shipped the sword out a day after payment and it arrived in a double layer of cardboard four days later. No notice of shipment or tracking # was emailed, but Tom had commented in the forums that he was shipping the next day and he was a man of his word. The grip was initially wrapped in bungee cord, which was nicely done and provided a cushioned grip while remaining secure. Unfortunately, there was a light layer of corrosion covering most of the sword, and I removed the bungee cord wrap to take care of this (on the blade as well, but didn't show up in the pictures I took at the time). Cleaned up very quickly with a 3M abrasive pad.
This was one of the first swords that Tried and True sold and I think that the initial packaging and lack of any oil or grease contributed to the corrosion during shipping. I know that they have addressed the issue since then, as my last sword from them arrived heavily greased and without any rust.
A few things that I immediately noticed about the sword was that the blade flare is slightly asymmetrical, the tip is ground to a greater angle on one face, there is a shallow depression in the blade surface, and some milling marks were visible at the waist on both sides of the handle; but, I know that Gus finishes these by hand and that some grinding irregularities occur. While I don't see any of this affecting performance, and IMO a tactical sword doesn't need to be pretty, I will say that this is not the best grind that I have seen with the ATrims that I have handled.
My first impression of the sword itself was, "Man, this is wide!" I think this had a lot to do with the thicker bungee cord wrap, as it seemed to have a very sleek profile after I removed it. The blade flares out both at the COP and the base in a pleasing flame-like shape, and has a very nice point. The long handle is wider at the top and bottom with a subtle waist in the middle. It is an extremely stable sword that exhibits very little vibration when struck at the pommel, similar to my AT 1557, and I couldn't wait to cut with it.
Statistics
OAL: 32.75"
Blade Length: 23.25"
Grip Length: 8 5/8"
Guard Width: 3.4"
Weight: 2lbs 1.8oz (naked), 2lbs 3.5oz (w/ bungee wrap), 2lbs 5.3oz (w/ poplar scales)
POB (from front of guard): 3.5" (w/ bungee wrap), 2.75" (w/ poplar scales)
COP: around 14.5" from the guard, and is about 5" long
Components
While this sword is a one-piece construction, we'll still break it down into the three main areas of grip, guard, and blade.
Grip
The grip on the Tactical Leaf Blade is long and waisted with a triangular pommel, offering a variety of positions to hold with one hand and enough room to use two. The ATrim Tactical Longsword has a similar handle to this one, and I have read that this design may in fact contribute to a better cutting sword than a traditional tang. It measures 8 5/8" long, is 1.5" wide just below the guard, tapers to 1 3/16" wide at the waist, and is 1 5/8" wide at the pommel. Thickness is 1/4" throughout, which makes for a robust handle with enough material to safely customize by slimming down the profile if desired, as another forumite did with his. The sword comes with eleven 1/4" holes in the grip, three of them spaced out evenly along it's length for grip slab attachment or cord tie-off, and eight grouped together towards the pommel for what I assume is weight reduction to help with the balance.
As stated earlier, this particular sword came with a bungee cord wrap that is thicker and fuller than the paracord which is standard on the ATrim Tacticals. I liked it a lot, it offered a more robust grip with good cushioning and Gus had it wrapped nice and tight originally. After removing, I was unable to get the bungee cord wrapped up again like Gus had it, as the elasticity and waisted grip made it a more complex wrap, but that was good motivation to make some scales for it.
My scales are made from poplar and secured with chicago screw posts, hex-drive machine screws, a number of washers, and sections of brass tubing. These are my 1st draft scales and I put an extra attachment on in order to test out the placement for my next grip, which will only have three attachments. I've used this setup to secure scales on a number of Gus' Tacticals without any issues, although it is a bit too complex to be 'field practical.' A simpler solution would be to purchase some 1/4"x1/2" stainless chicago screw sets from your local Ace Hardware, but I personally don't care for the feel of the phillips head drive that they come with. For a permanent handle, you could also just peen some 1/4" brass rod sections and epoxy the grips on.
Guard
The guard on this sword is 7/8" long, 3.4" wide, and the lugs extend 11/16" out from the base of the blade. The guard slopes up from the handle but is flat on top, which presents a nice transition from the grip to the wider blade. At 1/4 thick, this is a very durable guard that is small enough in width to avoid snagging and accidental 'head butting,' but will definitely keep your hand from sliding onto the edge.
Blade
The blade itself is 23.25" long with a flattened diamond cross section, flaring out at the base and COP to terminate in a wicked point. The transition from the guard to the blade is rounded in profile and not sharpened for the first 1.5", allowing a finger-over-the-guard grip if desired, and has a small triangular ricasso before the blade bevels. It measures 2" wide at this point, and tapers to 1 7/16" before flaring out again to 2 1/8" at it's widest, and is 1" wide three inches before the tip. The COP is about 14.5" from the top of the guard and around 5" long. Distal taper is 50% from the 1/4"-thick base to 1.5" from the tip, and is non-linear, with less taper during the flare at the COP.
This sword came sharp enough to easily cut paper but not Tom K. sharp, providing a durable yet functional edge that I like best. The secondary bevel is noticeable but has been blended and looks very nice. As I mentioned, this sword is very stable and exhibits minimal vibration, and while being shorter it is quite a serious blade that packs some mass onto it's frame. Despite the wideness of this blade in general, it tapers to an elegant point for the last three inches that seems very durable and well suited for thrusting.
Handling Characteristics
OK, this is where the Tac Leaf Blade really shines in my eyes. As it arrived with the bungee cord grip, the best way that I can describe it is well balanced. The weight of 2lbs 3.5oz is right on the cusp of being light for a single-hand use, but it's also heavy enough to pack a significant punch without seeming overly cumbersome. While not necessarily a very fast sword in one hand, it's not slow either. With the thicker guard lugs on this version and flared blade base, the POB is back at 3.5" and makes for easy handling and good control, while the mass at the COP helps to facilitate a strong cut. The wide, flat handle makes edge alignment very natural, and I don't think that grip slabs are necessary to make this sword comfortable in hand (especially with the bungee cord wrap). The width of the blade, especially at the flair, also seems to help with edge alignment during the swing, acting as kind of an aerodynamic stabilizer and giving very good audible feedback.
Choking back with a single hand grip really adds to the blade presence and makes it much easier to get up to speed; I personally like to have the base of my hand at the waist in the handle for this effect, and gripping one-handed at the bottom really adds some presence (although a little harder to control). This long handle also serves to give this shorter blade the reach of a longer sword if desired.
With two hands, this sword becomes a screaming demon. The short blade, long handle, and light weight make two-handed use almost effortless, and the blade is stable enough to not be overpowered in the cut. Statistically, this sword is almost identical to a production ko-katana that I own, but the difference in handling is night and day, with the Tac Leaf Blade feeling very alive in hand.
The flattened diamond cross section, tip geometry, and overall stability of this sword make for very easy thrusting. While I didn't include any video examples of this, I have a big Rubbermaid bin with thicker walls that has become my de-facto thrust-tester, and the Tac Leaf Blade has been the most impressive sword I own for thrusting into it (with a slight edge over my AT 1557).
I do love to put grips on Gus' Tactical Swords, so even though I didn't think it was necessary for this one I went ahead and did it anyways. It added some to the weight and brought the POB back to 2.75", but I found that the sword still handles very well with one hand and it made no difference with two. I do think it feels better in hand this way, but IMO not as necessary with this model as with some of the other Tacticals.
Test Cutting
All right, I'll say a few things before we get to my first cutting video here. First of all, I am an untrained amateur with a tendency to over-power my cuts, and could stand to practice my form a bit more. My goals with cutting at this time are simply to successfully cut the target, without cutting myself or anything else. Secondly, I am not very comfortable with putting my face out on the net, and this has kept me from posting any cutting vids so far. In order to include one here I have compromised by going with a 'unibomber' theme in order to retain some anonymity.
You can see from one of my first cuts that this sword is not too picky about edge alignment, and I really enjoy cutting with the back edge. While I have not cut tatame yet, the Tac Leaf Blade has made short work of 3" and 4" diameter mailing tubes, and I think that it would have no problem cutting mats as well.
Conclusions
I purchased the Tac Leaf Blade not knowing if I would like it, and was very surprised by how much I do. It's an extremely sturdy, versatile, and well-balanced sword that I would classify as a modern 'cleave-and-thrust' design. I do have other swords that are faster in hand and offer a sleeker blade for more finesse cutting, but if the undead rose from their graves today, this is the sword that I would take with me without a doubt. It's a compact sword that would be easy to carry yet is still robust enough to deliver a telling blow, the long handle offers a variety of grip options and reach, and it has a great point for thrusting. All-around great Zombie killer.
Pros
- versatile design
- well-balanced
- great thrusting ability
- very stable, sturdy one-piece construction
- gives the option for handle customization
Cons
- some grinding irregularities with this sword
- arrived with significant surface corrosion
- flat, wider grip may not appeal to some
The Bottom Line
This is a fun sword, extremely functional and very tough. It can fill the niche for a variety of sword types, and even if you are not attracted to the looks of it, I highly recommend buying one for performance alone. The Tac Leaf Blade can be found here at Tried&True Armory: triedandtruearmory.com/zc/index. ... ucts_id=15, and is one of the best values in their Tactical Lineup. Thanks for reading, and big thanks to A. Jordan for helping me to get my pics up here!
by Steelhound
12/09/2011
Introduction
I have been a fan of Angus Trim swords for a few years now, especially the Tactical Lineup, but admittedly I have never had much interest in leaf blade swords. It wasn't until I saw this picture from one of the first shipments to Tried and True Armory that I realized it was a sword that I wanted.
Seeing this Tac Leaf Blade next to some other models caught my eye with it's curves, and made me realize that it would fill a niche for a few blade types that I been wanting. I love my AT 1557 but always wanted something similar with a longer handle, and I had been thinking of picking up a cleaver-type like a falchion. Thinking this could be a good sword to satisfy both of those needs, and wanting to support Tom and Hiroshi in their new business venture, I decided to take the plunge and buy it.
Historical Overview
Leaf blade swords were most common during the Bronze and Iron Ages in Europe, but this is more of a modern fantasy design so I won't focus on ancient history.
Angus Trim started his Tactical Lineup 5 years ago in order to offer modern, tough, one-piece swords with 'bulletproof' 1/4" slab handles. Like all of his swords, they are designed for performance, CNC milled from 5160 spring steel, receive a state-of-the-art aerospace heat treat, and are ground to finish by hand. While I have read that the original Tactical models were designed for use by soldiers deployed overseas, the majority of them were larger than would be practical for modern combat, and mainly aimed at backyard cutters, tactical enthusiasts, and collectors interested in modern sword designs. I don't believe that the Tac Leaf Blade is based on any specific historical sword, but rather Gus' understanding of blade crafting in general.
The new run of the Tactical Lineup that came out earlier this year has slight changes to almost all of the models offered, and you can see some of the changes to the Leaf Blade from the pics below.
The newer version did away with the ricasso and has the blade flared out to meet a beefier guard, and the pommel ends in a triangular point rather than being flat.
Full Disclosure
I am in no way affiliated with Angus Trim or Tried and True Armory, and there was no pre-arranged agreement of a review for this sword (but I did threaten to do one a long time ago, so it's a bit overdue). Also, I have a cheap camera that won't always focus where I want it to, and I don't take the best of pictures anyways, but I have tried to highlight some of the things discussed with the images I have.
Initial Impressions
Tried and True shipped the sword out a day after payment and it arrived in a double layer of cardboard four days later. No notice of shipment or tracking # was emailed, but Tom had commented in the forums that he was shipping the next day and he was a man of his word. The grip was initially wrapped in bungee cord, which was nicely done and provided a cushioned grip while remaining secure. Unfortunately, there was a light layer of corrosion covering most of the sword, and I removed the bungee cord wrap to take care of this (on the blade as well, but didn't show up in the pictures I took at the time). Cleaned up very quickly with a 3M abrasive pad.
This was one of the first swords that Tried and True sold and I think that the initial packaging and lack of any oil or grease contributed to the corrosion during shipping. I know that they have addressed the issue since then, as my last sword from them arrived heavily greased and without any rust.
A few things that I immediately noticed about the sword was that the blade flare is slightly asymmetrical, the tip is ground to a greater angle on one face, there is a shallow depression in the blade surface, and some milling marks were visible at the waist on both sides of the handle; but, I know that Gus finishes these by hand and that some grinding irregularities occur. While I don't see any of this affecting performance, and IMO a tactical sword doesn't need to be pretty, I will say that this is not the best grind that I have seen with the ATrims that I have handled.
My first impression of the sword itself was, "Man, this is wide!" I think this had a lot to do with the thicker bungee cord wrap, as it seemed to have a very sleek profile after I removed it. The blade flares out both at the COP and the base in a pleasing flame-like shape, and has a very nice point. The long handle is wider at the top and bottom with a subtle waist in the middle. It is an extremely stable sword that exhibits very little vibration when struck at the pommel, similar to my AT 1557, and I couldn't wait to cut with it.
Statistics
OAL: 32.75"
Blade Length: 23.25"
Grip Length: 8 5/8"
Guard Width: 3.4"
Weight: 2lbs 1.8oz (naked), 2lbs 3.5oz (w/ bungee wrap), 2lbs 5.3oz (w/ poplar scales)
POB (from front of guard): 3.5" (w/ bungee wrap), 2.75" (w/ poplar scales)
COP: around 14.5" from the guard, and is about 5" long
Components
While this sword is a one-piece construction, we'll still break it down into the three main areas of grip, guard, and blade.
Grip
The grip on the Tactical Leaf Blade is long and waisted with a triangular pommel, offering a variety of positions to hold with one hand and enough room to use two. The ATrim Tactical Longsword has a similar handle to this one, and I have read that this design may in fact contribute to a better cutting sword than a traditional tang. It measures 8 5/8" long, is 1.5" wide just below the guard, tapers to 1 3/16" wide at the waist, and is 1 5/8" wide at the pommel. Thickness is 1/4" throughout, which makes for a robust handle with enough material to safely customize by slimming down the profile if desired, as another forumite did with his. The sword comes with eleven 1/4" holes in the grip, three of them spaced out evenly along it's length for grip slab attachment or cord tie-off, and eight grouped together towards the pommel for what I assume is weight reduction to help with the balance.
As stated earlier, this particular sword came with a bungee cord wrap that is thicker and fuller than the paracord which is standard on the ATrim Tacticals. I liked it a lot, it offered a more robust grip with good cushioning and Gus had it wrapped nice and tight originally. After removing, I was unable to get the bungee cord wrapped up again like Gus had it, as the elasticity and waisted grip made it a more complex wrap, but that was good motivation to make some scales for it.
My scales are made from poplar and secured with chicago screw posts, hex-drive machine screws, a number of washers, and sections of brass tubing. These are my 1st draft scales and I put an extra attachment on in order to test out the placement for my next grip, which will only have three attachments. I've used this setup to secure scales on a number of Gus' Tacticals without any issues, although it is a bit too complex to be 'field practical.' A simpler solution would be to purchase some 1/4"x1/2" stainless chicago screw sets from your local Ace Hardware, but I personally don't care for the feel of the phillips head drive that they come with. For a permanent handle, you could also just peen some 1/4" brass rod sections and epoxy the grips on.
Guard
The guard on this sword is 7/8" long, 3.4" wide, and the lugs extend 11/16" out from the base of the blade. The guard slopes up from the handle but is flat on top, which presents a nice transition from the grip to the wider blade. At 1/4 thick, this is a very durable guard that is small enough in width to avoid snagging and accidental 'head butting,' but will definitely keep your hand from sliding onto the edge.
Blade
The blade itself is 23.25" long with a flattened diamond cross section, flaring out at the base and COP to terminate in a wicked point. The transition from the guard to the blade is rounded in profile and not sharpened for the first 1.5", allowing a finger-over-the-guard grip if desired, and has a small triangular ricasso before the blade bevels. It measures 2" wide at this point, and tapers to 1 7/16" before flaring out again to 2 1/8" at it's widest, and is 1" wide three inches before the tip. The COP is about 14.5" from the top of the guard and around 5" long. Distal taper is 50% from the 1/4"-thick base to 1.5" from the tip, and is non-linear, with less taper during the flare at the COP.
This sword came sharp enough to easily cut paper but not Tom K. sharp, providing a durable yet functional edge that I like best. The secondary bevel is noticeable but has been blended and looks very nice. As I mentioned, this sword is very stable and exhibits minimal vibration, and while being shorter it is quite a serious blade that packs some mass onto it's frame. Despite the wideness of this blade in general, it tapers to an elegant point for the last three inches that seems very durable and well suited for thrusting.
Handling Characteristics
OK, this is where the Tac Leaf Blade really shines in my eyes. As it arrived with the bungee cord grip, the best way that I can describe it is well balanced. The weight of 2lbs 3.5oz is right on the cusp of being light for a single-hand use, but it's also heavy enough to pack a significant punch without seeming overly cumbersome. While not necessarily a very fast sword in one hand, it's not slow either. With the thicker guard lugs on this version and flared blade base, the POB is back at 3.5" and makes for easy handling and good control, while the mass at the COP helps to facilitate a strong cut. The wide, flat handle makes edge alignment very natural, and I don't think that grip slabs are necessary to make this sword comfortable in hand (especially with the bungee cord wrap). The width of the blade, especially at the flair, also seems to help with edge alignment during the swing, acting as kind of an aerodynamic stabilizer and giving very good audible feedback.
Choking back with a single hand grip really adds to the blade presence and makes it much easier to get up to speed; I personally like to have the base of my hand at the waist in the handle for this effect, and gripping one-handed at the bottom really adds some presence (although a little harder to control). This long handle also serves to give this shorter blade the reach of a longer sword if desired.
With two hands, this sword becomes a screaming demon. The short blade, long handle, and light weight make two-handed use almost effortless, and the blade is stable enough to not be overpowered in the cut. Statistically, this sword is almost identical to a production ko-katana that I own, but the difference in handling is night and day, with the Tac Leaf Blade feeling very alive in hand.
The flattened diamond cross section, tip geometry, and overall stability of this sword make for very easy thrusting. While I didn't include any video examples of this, I have a big Rubbermaid bin with thicker walls that has become my de-facto thrust-tester, and the Tac Leaf Blade has been the most impressive sword I own for thrusting into it (with a slight edge over my AT 1557).
I do love to put grips on Gus' Tactical Swords, so even though I didn't think it was necessary for this one I went ahead and did it anyways. It added some to the weight and brought the POB back to 2.75", but I found that the sword still handles very well with one hand and it made no difference with two. I do think it feels better in hand this way, but IMO not as necessary with this model as with some of the other Tacticals.
Test Cutting
All right, I'll say a few things before we get to my first cutting video here. First of all, I am an untrained amateur with a tendency to over-power my cuts, and could stand to practice my form a bit more. My goals with cutting at this time are simply to successfully cut the target, without cutting myself or anything else. Secondly, I am not very comfortable with putting my face out on the net, and this has kept me from posting any cutting vids so far. In order to include one here I have compromised by going with a 'unibomber' theme in order to retain some anonymity.
You can see from one of my first cuts that this sword is not too picky about edge alignment, and I really enjoy cutting with the back edge. While I have not cut tatame yet, the Tac Leaf Blade has made short work of 3" and 4" diameter mailing tubes, and I think that it would have no problem cutting mats as well.
Conclusions
I purchased the Tac Leaf Blade not knowing if I would like it, and was very surprised by how much I do. It's an extremely sturdy, versatile, and well-balanced sword that I would classify as a modern 'cleave-and-thrust' design. I do have other swords that are faster in hand and offer a sleeker blade for more finesse cutting, but if the undead rose from their graves today, this is the sword that I would take with me without a doubt. It's a compact sword that would be easy to carry yet is still robust enough to deliver a telling blow, the long handle offers a variety of grip options and reach, and it has a great point for thrusting. All-around great Zombie killer.
Pros
- versatile design
- well-balanced
- great thrusting ability
- very stable, sturdy one-piece construction
- gives the option for handle customization
Cons
- some grinding irregularities with this sword
- arrived with significant surface corrosion
- flat, wider grip may not appeal to some
The Bottom Line
This is a fun sword, extremely functional and very tough. It can fill the niche for a variety of sword types, and even if you are not attracted to the looks of it, I highly recommend buying one for performance alone. The Tac Leaf Blade can be found here at Tried&True Armory: triedandtruearmory.com/zc/index. ... ucts_id=15, and is one of the best values in their Tactical Lineup. Thanks for reading, and big thanks to A. Jordan for helping me to get my pics up here!