Is it bad etiquette to resurrect a long dead thread, even if it is your own? lol
I thought someone might still be waiting for an update to see how I liked my sword XD HA!
Not really. Honestly, I actually forgot this forum existed.
I got disheartened back then when I couldn't find a HEMA group anywhere near me, and my interest in swords faded.
Something recently sparked the interest again, and I randomly stumbled upon this forum and remembered I was a member.
So I figured I'd give an update on my experience 7+ years ago.
As it turned out, the Cold Steel 1860 was indeed a massive disappointment. I remember being very upset at the product I received (or, rather, the condition of said product, given the price I paid).
I bought it from Kult of Athena.
When it was delivered, I thought it odd that the sword was not in the scabbard. Instead, they were wrapped separately.
Within seconds it became obvious why.
To this day I really cannot understand how the thing even made it through the manufacturers QC.
The sword wasn't shipped
in the scabbard because it was impossible to even put it in the scabbard!
At the mouth of the scabbard, there is a rim assembly which was installed backwards and welded!
The sword will only go in if that piece is facing the proper direction, otherwise it binds up after so many inches. On top of that, the plastic liner inside was bowed in a strange way that made the blade snag it if you attempted to put it in.
Not to mention that CS apparently doesn't mark their swords, or at least not this one. So I'm left wondering if I even received what I ordered, since there is no way to identify it.
I contacted KoA, told them the problem, and returned it for an exchange. They sent me back a sword whose blade and brass handguard had marks and dings in many places. Not only that, but even though the scabbard rim was now in the appropriate orientation, the plastic lining was still all screwed up and split halfway down. So the blade would still get hung up on the plastic and unable to go more than halfway into the scabbard.
Needless to say, I was very unhappy.
I contacted them again and talked about the ridiculousness of the entire situation. They confirmed that the CS 1860 Heavy cavalry saber is the exact same sword as the Windlass 1840, from the same factory, with minor differences.
They also told me that my expectations were out of line for a sword in this price range, which is a little insulting being as what they sent me was a defective product the first time, and then a defective product that was also beaten up the second time.
It only reinforced the FACT that my expectations were Not out of line when I returned the CS for
TWO Windlass sabers. Both of which were immensely better swords at half the price of the cold steel.
I paid the difference for sharpening the 2 swords, and they did an okay-ish job, I guess. Not like I had the knowledge to do it myself back then.
I exchanged the Cold Steel 1860 heavy cavalry for the correctly named Windlass equivalent, 1840 heavy cavalry,
and the Confederate cavalry officer's saber.
Both of these swords are awesome and proof to me that my quality expectations are exactly where they ought to be, and that Cold Steel really takes advantage of marketing and rips people off.
The 1840 is the exact same sword as the CS. The only differences are that the Windlass is peened, where the CS has a weird screw thing, and the Windlass has markings while the CS is blank and unidentifiable.
The one other difference is that Windlass, in this instance, seemed to have good quality control, whereas cold steel must have employed blind monkeys to check quality of the product (at least, 7 years ago).
The scabbard was functional, but missing the plastic liners which hold the blade securely.
Idk if that was a mistake or on purpose, but at that point I was sick of the headaches and called it good enough.
The Confederate cavalry officer's saber was perfect. Not a single flaw to note, and its scabbard is perfect as well. No rattle, holds the sword very securely.
I have to admit, I abused these swords just a little bit in the beginning. Went to a buddy's property and started chopping palms, tall stalky weeds and things other than water bottles lol. They became not quite as sharp, and the blades got stained with sap and whatnot. But it was fun.
I tried to clean them but I just couldn't remove all the discoloration. Idk if there's a trick to it, but they can still do their job even if they aren't quite as pretty as they were new.
My interests have changed slightly, now that I'm back into swords again. I still like sabers, but now I seem to be really into rapiers, and longswords a bit.
I'll probably start nosing around again and try to find the people who know rapiers very well. I bought a Darkwood economy hilt rapier to practice with (even if on my own, until I find HEMA people and this covid stuff ends). But I'd like to have a sharp as well.
I also bought a Ronin Katana Italian Longsword, and it is pretty sweet.