Purpleheart Armory Hickory Roundel Dagger(Many pictures)
Jul 11, 2012 3:00:16 GMT
Post by MEversbergII on Jul 11, 2012 3:00:16 GMT
Introduction
While I've been a dabbler in the Historic European Martial Arts for many years, it was not until recently that I was able to organize a group for more formal study. It is small but growing and we are fortunate to have a few motivated individuals involved besides myself. This current formation is actually a reboot with several new members, and it was decided our first "weapon" would be the dagger. This being a somewhat indecisive group, I stepped up and proscribed the Purpleheart daggers I am reviewing below. I ordered four at once, and will be distributing them to three of the members who ordered with me. Here is the link to the original Purpleheart page: Hickory Roundel Dagger
There is a Cherry version, but though it has a nice design, it costs $10 more.
Historical overview
Where there's weapons, there tend to be training weapons. People have an unfortunate tendency to die if you poke them with real daggers, so naturally I wanted something less lethal.
Rondel daggers were very common in the middle ages, appearing in various forms from around 1350, if not before. I could give you everything I know, but instead I will link you to something that is more informative: My Armoury's Spotlght: The Rondel Dagger
A historical example:
These come in forms ranging from a triangular or square sectioned spike to a flattened, double edged blade. The common feature are the two round disks that keep your hand secure on the weapon.
Full Disclosure
I don't have any bias that would colour my review. I am not affiliated nor employed by Purpleheart. In fact, they would not be allowed to employ me at all, as you will learn I am actually a sentient Venus Flytrap.
Initial Impressions
All four came bundled together in some shrink wrap, which was enclosed in corrugated cardboard. Pretty generally safe and sound; took some effort to get the package open. The first thing I noticed, as is usual for me, was the smell. These have a pleasant scent of linseed oil - which is to be expected.
Visually they're plain, but not boring. These are turned from a single piece and feature a raiser at the grip for better traction and visual appeal.
Statistics
Blade Length: 12"
Handle Length: 6"
Overall Length: 18"
Guard Width: 1&5/8"
POB (Point of Balance): 6&6/8" from the pommel cap (6/8" from guard).
COP (Center of Percussion): n/a
Weight: Aprox .75 LB
Components
This item is turned from a single piece of hickory, so really there's only one component: The dagger. Here's another picture to emphasize:
As you can see, it's somewhat conic in blade and truncates in a large ball. The pommel and guard are similar and somewhat toric, and the grip features a set of raisers. More details (that there are) are below.
The Blade
The "blade" is a cone truncating in a large ball. It has a sharp taper, beginning at 1&1/4" at the base and ending at 5/8" just before the ball. The ball itself is 1" wide. There's a maker's mark, a close up of which is in the "Guard" section.
The Handle
The handle is somewhat cylindrical, slightly tapering towards the guard. There are two raisers; these are comfortable even in my tiny hands.
The Guard
There is not much of a guard to speak of. As seen above, it's basically a ball just wide enough to prevent hand slippage. Preliminary tests have shown this to work perfectly. All my good shots of the guard are above, but if someone wants a close up I can certainly oblige. As mentioned in the "Blade" section, there is a maker's mark.
The Pommel
There's more substance to the pommel than the guard. It's somewhat bowl shaped, or shaped like a Chinese tea-cup. The bottom portion is flat, and has tooling marks from the lathe it was turned on.
The Scabbard
There were no scabbards with our wasters.
Handling Characteristics
This waster handles very well. It is weighted far back near the guard so it tracks fairly well. Like all wood, it feels "dead" in the hand. Fortunately, it's weight is very low. It is easy to heft through dry handling. The grip feels like it wants to pivot upwards in an underhand grip, however. It could be the manner in which I hold the item; experience will tell.
Test Cutting
It doesn't have an edge, so I couldn't test cut anything. However, it did handle well in two person drills, which is as close as a waster gets to a "test cut". In the future there will be videos showing them in use.
EDIT: My study group and I have given these some use in drill and light sparring. They performed admirally, and my initial concern of the smooth exterior slipping due to sweat has proven unfounded. These don't bounce as much as a larger wooden sword would at impact. They handle well and are easy enough to maneuver. Of the seven people in the group, not one had any complaints.
Conclusions
For a mere 20USD, this is a fantastic item. There's nothing on it to come loose, and it's very large. Bang for buck value is 1:1. If you like darker woods, go for the cherry at 30USD. Purpleheart was easy to work with, even though I managed to bungle my order twice (first time an incorrectly typed address, second time an incorrectly typed credit card number).
Pros
*Inexpensive
*Hard-wearing Hickory
*Good weight
*Good performance in drill
Cons
*Slight upwards bias from far-back POB in a hammer grip
The Bottom Line
This is a great deal. If you are interested in training dagger, don't skip out on a pair of these. Purpleheart is easy to work with and friendly, and this product is top notch. My girlfriend and I own one each, and we now have two owners in the study group. I may actually buy another pair, just to have extras - just in case we have some on-lookers who want to join in our drills.
This is my first review for the new forum, and I hope it was clear and concise. Let me know what you think of the review (because of YOU the next one could be better!), as well as any and all questions about the item and its use you may have.
Until next time,
M.
NOTE: Should have put this in "Other Weapon Reviews", d'oh.