Scorpion Swords Black Asp Review With Pics and Cutting Video
Nov 4, 2012 22:00:00 GMT
Post by f.m. on Nov 4, 2012 22:00:00 GMT
Black Asp Kopis By Chris Palmer, Scorpion Swords, Knives, and Bows
Introduction
This review was a long time coming, due to moving around a lot and trying to find a new place to handle, sharpen, and store my swords, let alone cut with them.
Historical overview
This sword is somewhat based on a kopis/falcata, and would be historically plausible in shape and design, but has some fantasy in it's pedigree as well. From what I understand it was designed by a history professor named D. Toalster and realized through Scorpion. This is one of his older models, but has the same fit and finish as any of his other pieces. It appears to be a heavy slasher with a sharp point, which fulfills the kopis/falcata form well.
Full Disclosure
I don't have any connections to Chris or Scorpion swords, bows and knives and paid full price for this online. It took about 5 weeks to arrive and I didn't do the initial unpacking, as I had it shipped to my parents' house.
Initial Impressions
part 1-
It came in a standard shipping box from USPS, which is really more of a triangle. It had packing peanuts inside surrounding the sword and appeared fairly intact. There were 2 issues with it though: about the last inch or so towards the tip had a slight twist to it, probably wouldn't affect cutting much but you can feel and see it..the twist was only a couple degrees but there. The other issue, as seen in my “group” photo compared to the website photo, is the width of the edge bevel, mine came about ¾ inch wide, but the photos of “ghost's” Black Asp, the kult of athena photos, and the photos of the Scorpion website all (at the time) made it out to be a little over an inch or so wide, almost halfway up the width of the blade.
Normally, this wouldn't be a concern, but the wide, thin primary bevel was one of the bigger reasons I wanted the Black Asp. I liked the aesthetics and lower angle of entry the thinner, wider bevel provided. I courteously emailed Chris for advice and gave a detailed description, and he agreed to fix the issue at no additional cost if I shipped it back to him.
Part 2- It shipped in the same kind of container, and got here within a couple weeks with a somewhat ironic message on the side of the box, gave me a chuckle as I pulled it out-I'll explain why in the stats. The sword was much better at this point, with about an inch wide edge bevel and a straight tip.. All issues resolved, 100% satisfied. I made a nice wood scabbard for it thereafter, keeping it simple, tough, and elegant just like the sword.
Statistics
Blade Length: A hair over 20 inches, very wide and a uniform 3/16 inch thick.
Handle/Tsuka Length: about 4 ½ inches of grip area not including the downward extending parts, about 7 inches overall.
Overall Length: about 27 inches
Guard/Tsuba Width: about 2 ½ inches where it extends downward for and aft of the grip.
POB (Point of Balance): about 5 inches up the blade. Feels about right, tons of blade presence but not excessive given it's design.
COP (Center of Percussion): lol. There is absoultely no vibration to this blade, so the entire length has no bounciness.
Weight: about 2 lbs 14 oz.
Components
The Blade
It's a 3/16” thick piece of 1095 flat stock all around except at the edge bevel, and who needs distal taper anyway . It's got square edges along the spine and that makes it rather blocky looking, so what I plan on doing in the near future is gently rounding the corners of the spine with a file and some sandpaper, and blending the shoulders of the bevel a bit more as I sharpen the edge.
Bottom line here is it's a big, brutal, chunky piece of very hard, tough 1095 steel with an edge that is paper cutting sharp, with a slight secondary bevel. Not slip right through paper, hair popping sharp, but I’ll make it that way soon enough. It's got some alluring curves too I must say. The primary bevel has some small but even concentric grinding wheel marks on it, which are fine enough that I have no problem with them.
The Handle
The handle is 2 thick slabs of wood with a walnut-ish stain, rounded nicely with about 4 ½ or so inches of grippable area..plenty of room for larger hands, but it fits my average hands well too. The front and rear of the handle extend downward as you can see, and that does a good job of locking in a secure grip. It's riveted on very securely, and I think it might be glued on underneath as well.
The Guard
the forward part of the grip widens out into the width of the blade, about 2 ½ inches, and provides protection from sliding up the blade when you stab.
The Pommel
The aft part of the grip widens again into a hook shape.
The Scabbard
I ordered it without the leather sheath, and opted to make my own scabbard for it. Followed the KISS method. The pretty curves made it a hard blade to make a scabbard for but it ended up fitting really securely in the end.
Handling Characteristics
It feels good in a firm, close handshake grip with your wrist kept strong. Extends out and swings into a nice arc and is surprisingly quick to recover for how short and heavy it is. You can't help but smile or make an intense face when you swing it. It feels somewhere between a short sword and a tomahawk in the swing because of the blade presence and absence of vibration. Definitely powerful in the swing given it's weight and length..Tons of blade presence.
Test Cutting (if applicable)
Here it is with the stock edge, rough paper cutting sharp..cutting some assorted targets
Conclusions
Customer service with Scorpion was top notch, and I'll definitely buy from Chris Palmer again in the future. Very honest and transparent about his stuff and very good quality and workmanship at his price range.
Pros
Powerful feeling that belies its stats, very “handy” feel. Great quality materials, extremely sturdy construction, in the end I got exactly what I ordered and am very happy with it.
Cons
This is a hard section to write, as my initial nigglings were quickly resolved by the maker, and the sword is now exactly what I ordered. The only issue I can possibly bring up at this point is the fit and finish, but even that is exceptionally good for the price point. The man hours it takes to put that final grind, sand, and polish work in are what makes the price jump up the most, and I think Chris has reached a wonderful compromise between fit and finish vs. price. As mentioned before, I'm going to round the spine a little and sand the blade to an even matte finish, blending the flat, shoulders, and edge.
BUT-This fit and finish stuff would have probably tacked another $100 worth of man hours onto the price if it came that way, and I'm ok with doing this last little bit myself. Again, really no complaints here, more of an observation.
The Bottom Line
I would recommend this sword, and its maker Chris Palmer's other products. Very tough, durable if not slightly utilitarian in design and finish- but at an amazing price. His stuff is a great buy and if one is willing to put in a little work to bring it up to whatever level of polish they want, they'll get an amazing blade period.
Introduction
This review was a long time coming, due to moving around a lot and trying to find a new place to handle, sharpen, and store my swords, let alone cut with them.
Historical overview
This sword is somewhat based on a kopis/falcata, and would be historically plausible in shape and design, but has some fantasy in it's pedigree as well. From what I understand it was designed by a history professor named D. Toalster and realized through Scorpion. This is one of his older models, but has the same fit and finish as any of his other pieces. It appears to be a heavy slasher with a sharp point, which fulfills the kopis/falcata form well.
Full Disclosure
I don't have any connections to Chris or Scorpion swords, bows and knives and paid full price for this online. It took about 5 weeks to arrive and I didn't do the initial unpacking, as I had it shipped to my parents' house.
Initial Impressions
part 1-
It came in a standard shipping box from USPS, which is really more of a triangle. It had packing peanuts inside surrounding the sword and appeared fairly intact. There were 2 issues with it though: about the last inch or so towards the tip had a slight twist to it, probably wouldn't affect cutting much but you can feel and see it..the twist was only a couple degrees but there. The other issue, as seen in my “group” photo compared to the website photo, is the width of the edge bevel, mine came about ¾ inch wide, but the photos of “ghost's” Black Asp, the kult of athena photos, and the photos of the Scorpion website all (at the time) made it out to be a little over an inch or so wide, almost halfway up the width of the blade.
Normally, this wouldn't be a concern, but the wide, thin primary bevel was one of the bigger reasons I wanted the Black Asp. I liked the aesthetics and lower angle of entry the thinner, wider bevel provided. I courteously emailed Chris for advice and gave a detailed description, and he agreed to fix the issue at no additional cost if I shipped it back to him.
Part 2- It shipped in the same kind of container, and got here within a couple weeks with a somewhat ironic message on the side of the box, gave me a chuckle as I pulled it out-I'll explain why in the stats. The sword was much better at this point, with about an inch wide edge bevel and a straight tip.. All issues resolved, 100% satisfied. I made a nice wood scabbard for it thereafter, keeping it simple, tough, and elegant just like the sword.
Statistics
Blade Length: A hair over 20 inches, very wide and a uniform 3/16 inch thick.
Handle/Tsuka Length: about 4 ½ inches of grip area not including the downward extending parts, about 7 inches overall.
Overall Length: about 27 inches
Guard/Tsuba Width: about 2 ½ inches where it extends downward for and aft of the grip.
POB (Point of Balance): about 5 inches up the blade. Feels about right, tons of blade presence but not excessive given it's design.
COP (Center of Percussion): lol. There is absoultely no vibration to this blade, so the entire length has no bounciness.
Weight: about 2 lbs 14 oz.
Components
The Blade
It's a 3/16” thick piece of 1095 flat stock all around except at the edge bevel, and who needs distal taper anyway . It's got square edges along the spine and that makes it rather blocky looking, so what I plan on doing in the near future is gently rounding the corners of the spine with a file and some sandpaper, and blending the shoulders of the bevel a bit more as I sharpen the edge.
Bottom line here is it's a big, brutal, chunky piece of very hard, tough 1095 steel with an edge that is paper cutting sharp, with a slight secondary bevel. Not slip right through paper, hair popping sharp, but I’ll make it that way soon enough. It's got some alluring curves too I must say. The primary bevel has some small but even concentric grinding wheel marks on it, which are fine enough that I have no problem with them.
The Handle
The handle is 2 thick slabs of wood with a walnut-ish stain, rounded nicely with about 4 ½ or so inches of grippable area..plenty of room for larger hands, but it fits my average hands well too. The front and rear of the handle extend downward as you can see, and that does a good job of locking in a secure grip. It's riveted on very securely, and I think it might be glued on underneath as well.
The Guard
the forward part of the grip widens out into the width of the blade, about 2 ½ inches, and provides protection from sliding up the blade when you stab.
The Pommel
The aft part of the grip widens again into a hook shape.
The Scabbard
I ordered it without the leather sheath, and opted to make my own scabbard for it. Followed the KISS method. The pretty curves made it a hard blade to make a scabbard for but it ended up fitting really securely in the end.
Handling Characteristics
It feels good in a firm, close handshake grip with your wrist kept strong. Extends out and swings into a nice arc and is surprisingly quick to recover for how short and heavy it is. You can't help but smile or make an intense face when you swing it. It feels somewhere between a short sword and a tomahawk in the swing because of the blade presence and absence of vibration. Definitely powerful in the swing given it's weight and length..Tons of blade presence.
Test Cutting (if applicable)
Here it is with the stock edge, rough paper cutting sharp..cutting some assorted targets
Conclusions
Customer service with Scorpion was top notch, and I'll definitely buy from Chris Palmer again in the future. Very honest and transparent about his stuff and very good quality and workmanship at his price range.
Pros
Powerful feeling that belies its stats, very “handy” feel. Great quality materials, extremely sturdy construction, in the end I got exactly what I ordered and am very happy with it.
Cons
This is a hard section to write, as my initial nigglings were quickly resolved by the maker, and the sword is now exactly what I ordered. The only issue I can possibly bring up at this point is the fit and finish, but even that is exceptionally good for the price point. The man hours it takes to put that final grind, sand, and polish work in are what makes the price jump up the most, and I think Chris has reached a wonderful compromise between fit and finish vs. price. As mentioned before, I'm going to round the spine a little and sand the blade to an even matte finish, blending the flat, shoulders, and edge.
BUT-This fit and finish stuff would have probably tacked another $100 worth of man hours onto the price if it came that way, and I'm ok with doing this last little bit myself. Again, really no complaints here, more of an observation.
The Bottom Line
I would recommend this sword, and its maker Chris Palmer's other products. Very tough, durable if not slightly utilitarian in design and finish- but at an amazing price. His stuff is a great buy and if one is willing to put in a little work to bring it up to whatever level of polish they want, they'll get an amazing blade period.