Windlass German Knight Sword
Nov 24, 2012 18:47:38 GMT
Post by Sir Thorfinn on Nov 24, 2012 18:47:38 GMT
My First Review...
Windlass German Knight Sword
Introduction
I have been searching for a hand and a half sword for a while, looking for bargains, and I saw this on EBay, so I took a chance. I got this sword for 125.00 USD, and other forumites said it’s been discontinued about a year, and was a 200.00+ sword when readily available. I found it here: www.theknightshop.co.uk/catalog/ ... -1538.html for 165 EU, or www.darkknightarmoury.com/p-328 ... sword.aspx 195.00 (out of stock)
Historical overview
I tried to find period examples of this particular sword, but came up with very little. (edit: the pommel and cross may be from a type XIIIa) It seems composed of numerous bits and pieces from various swords covering about a 200 year period. So while not ‘period accurate’, it’s a handsome sword. From the EBay sales ad:
“Germany was known as a sword making center and German swords saw service all across Europe. It was not unusual for a French or English knight or man-at-arms to own a German sword. This hand-and-a-half design boasts carved steel furniture with a wood grip covered in leather married to a long, high carbon, well tempered blade that can be used with one or two hands with ease. Includes scabbard. “
Full Disclosure
I am not affiliated with EBay, Windlass, or any commercial weapon manufacturers. If I were, I’d have so many things to play with….
Initial Impressions
Sword was nicely packed, the blade was covered with the usual shipping grease. A bit of Goo Gone uncovered the blade nicely. There was a very tiny amount of surface rust that I removed easily with polishing paste. The scabbard fit is tight, no rattle, but probably a bit too tight if you want to draw this fast. My initial impression was a solid heavy cutter. Very attractive sword, and I can’t complain about the price. The scabbard is nice, the stitching is not ruler straight, but it’s tight. The handle is some kind of leather wrapped wood, nicely stitched on, but the grip is a little large for my hands. The pommel appears threaded, as there are no peen marks. The only misrepresented thing in the ad, this is not a stainless sword. (Thank goodness)
Statistics
Blade Length: 36” (measured from cross)
Handle Length: 5 ½” + 2 ½” pommel, so 8” grippable
Overall Length: 44 ½”
Guard Width: 9”
POB (Point of Balance): 4 ¾”
COP: 23” from cross
Weight: 3lbs 8oz. (edit: confirmed on my food scale)
Components
The Blade: Oakeshott XVIIIc? (I’m no expert here) Nice blade, straight flat ground sides, obviously handmade, very little distal taper (to my eye). The edge was a smooth 1mm, so not sharp. When received, it still had the Windlass 3d sticker on it. It still says ‘Windlass, made in India” sticker near the cross. The temper seems good, I did some milk bottle cutting with it, gave my daughter a shot at one, she missed and hit the stacked logs I was using for a stand. She hit so hard, the top one came off like the old ‘tablecloth trick’ (weighed about 15lbs) and the milk bottle fell straight down and stayed on the now top log. The sword rang like a bell, and shows absolutely no damage, just a bit of wood goo. So IMO it’s a great blade.
The Handle: Some kind of wood core, leather wrapped on the outside, stitched parallel to the edge. Some people this annoys, I kind of like it. Very tight fit and finish on the leather and handle.
The Guard: 9” straight steel guard, ends turned towards the point. Nice even decorative grinds around the guard. Very nice, it’s one of the reasons I was drawn to this sword.
The Pommel: Looks like a T3, but an oval cross section. Very nice, appears it may be threaded. If it’s peened, they ground the peen to blend very nicely.
The Scabbard: Simple brown leather scabbard, stitched down the backside, fairly straight for a stock Windlass scabbard. Nice plain metal fittings. Tight fit, no slop, maybe too tight.
Handling Characteristics
This sword in my mind is too heavy to use one handed well. This may be a combination of my small hands, the larger grip, weight and balance etc. However, adding a hand to the grip and the sword came into its own. I can’t say the sword floats, it has tip presence. It flows nicely thru any moves I subjected it to; although a fast reverse in direction was a clumsy strain. (probably my poor form) To quote my daughter, “That’s a BIG sword”.
Test Cutting
My apologies for not filming this, some of it was classic newbie cutting hilarity. I did some milk bottle cutting using a stack of unsplit logs as a stand. Even dull this blew thru standard gallon milk bottles. I gave my daughter a shot at one, she missed and hit the stacked logs I was using for a stand. She hit so hard, the top log came off like the old ‘tablecloth trick’ (weighed about 15lbs) and the milk bottle fell straight down and stayed on the now top log. The sword rang like a bell, and shows absolutely no damage, just a bit of wood goo. We had tremendous problems cutting thru anything firmer than a junk milk bottle. I hit a 2l soda bottle so hard it rocketed 2 houses over landing in the middle of their yard. I almost got their yappy dog. Ah, there is always a next time….But the sword shows no damage from my testing, a little goo gone and polish, and it’s back to factory.
Conclusions
I am very pleasantly surprised by this sword. On a dynamite day, EBay sales are a crap shoot. This turned out ok. I think the blade is a bit too shiny, and needs a good matte finish. The handle hardware could be improved significantly by blueing. The sheath…is ok, the leather dye color is slightly different from the handle. So for the price, this is an amazing sword. I don’t have much experience with 200-300.00 Euros, but at 200, my opinion would not change. If only everything in that price point were as sturdy. If I keep it, I’m going to redo the handle, get a better sheath, and blue the hardware. So as is, it’s a great sword in desperate need of an edge. As a project blade, you could make this spectacular.
Pros
Great price, too bad it’s discontinued.
Very sturdy construction (log test)
Very tight fit and finish (even after the log test)
Good blade temper
Cons
Handle is too large
Sheath and handle color slightly mismatched
Dubious ‘period’ design (might just be my lack of knowledge)
My technique is awful (can’t be me…must be the sword right?)
Fairly shiny, needs scotch brite love…
The Bottom Line
Would I buy another, you bet! Really my only complaints are very minor. This is a great sword, and I feel like I stole it off EBay. I think there is great potential to make this a spectacular project sword.
Windlass German Knight Sword
Introduction
I have been searching for a hand and a half sword for a while, looking for bargains, and I saw this on EBay, so I took a chance. I got this sword for 125.00 USD, and other forumites said it’s been discontinued about a year, and was a 200.00+ sword when readily available. I found it here: www.theknightshop.co.uk/catalog/ ... -1538.html for 165 EU, or www.darkknightarmoury.com/p-328 ... sword.aspx 195.00 (out of stock)
Historical overview
I tried to find period examples of this particular sword, but came up with very little. (edit: the pommel and cross may be from a type XIIIa) It seems composed of numerous bits and pieces from various swords covering about a 200 year period. So while not ‘period accurate’, it’s a handsome sword. From the EBay sales ad:
“Germany was known as a sword making center and German swords saw service all across Europe. It was not unusual for a French or English knight or man-at-arms to own a German sword. This hand-and-a-half design boasts carved steel furniture with a wood grip covered in leather married to a long, high carbon, well tempered blade that can be used with one or two hands with ease. Includes scabbard. “
Full Disclosure
I am not affiliated with EBay, Windlass, or any commercial weapon manufacturers. If I were, I’d have so many things to play with….
Initial Impressions
Sword was nicely packed, the blade was covered with the usual shipping grease. A bit of Goo Gone uncovered the blade nicely. There was a very tiny amount of surface rust that I removed easily with polishing paste. The scabbard fit is tight, no rattle, but probably a bit too tight if you want to draw this fast. My initial impression was a solid heavy cutter. Very attractive sword, and I can’t complain about the price. The scabbard is nice, the stitching is not ruler straight, but it’s tight. The handle is some kind of leather wrapped wood, nicely stitched on, but the grip is a little large for my hands. The pommel appears threaded, as there are no peen marks. The only misrepresented thing in the ad, this is not a stainless sword. (Thank goodness)
Statistics
Blade Length: 36” (measured from cross)
Handle Length: 5 ½” + 2 ½” pommel, so 8” grippable
Overall Length: 44 ½”
Guard Width: 9”
POB (Point of Balance): 4 ¾”
COP: 23” from cross
Weight: 3lbs 8oz. (edit: confirmed on my food scale)
Components
The Blade: Oakeshott XVIIIc? (I’m no expert here) Nice blade, straight flat ground sides, obviously handmade, very little distal taper (to my eye). The edge was a smooth 1mm, so not sharp. When received, it still had the Windlass 3d sticker on it. It still says ‘Windlass, made in India” sticker near the cross. The temper seems good, I did some milk bottle cutting with it, gave my daughter a shot at one, she missed and hit the stacked logs I was using for a stand. She hit so hard, the top one came off like the old ‘tablecloth trick’ (weighed about 15lbs) and the milk bottle fell straight down and stayed on the now top log. The sword rang like a bell, and shows absolutely no damage, just a bit of wood goo. So IMO it’s a great blade.
The Handle: Some kind of wood core, leather wrapped on the outside, stitched parallel to the edge. Some people this annoys, I kind of like it. Very tight fit and finish on the leather and handle.
The Guard: 9” straight steel guard, ends turned towards the point. Nice even decorative grinds around the guard. Very nice, it’s one of the reasons I was drawn to this sword.
The Pommel: Looks like a T3, but an oval cross section. Very nice, appears it may be threaded. If it’s peened, they ground the peen to blend very nicely.
The Scabbard: Simple brown leather scabbard, stitched down the backside, fairly straight for a stock Windlass scabbard. Nice plain metal fittings. Tight fit, no slop, maybe too tight.
Handling Characteristics
This sword in my mind is too heavy to use one handed well. This may be a combination of my small hands, the larger grip, weight and balance etc. However, adding a hand to the grip and the sword came into its own. I can’t say the sword floats, it has tip presence. It flows nicely thru any moves I subjected it to; although a fast reverse in direction was a clumsy strain. (probably my poor form) To quote my daughter, “That’s a BIG sword”.
Test Cutting
My apologies for not filming this, some of it was classic newbie cutting hilarity. I did some milk bottle cutting using a stack of unsplit logs as a stand. Even dull this blew thru standard gallon milk bottles. I gave my daughter a shot at one, she missed and hit the stacked logs I was using for a stand. She hit so hard, the top log came off like the old ‘tablecloth trick’ (weighed about 15lbs) and the milk bottle fell straight down and stayed on the now top log. The sword rang like a bell, and shows absolutely no damage, just a bit of wood goo. We had tremendous problems cutting thru anything firmer than a junk milk bottle. I hit a 2l soda bottle so hard it rocketed 2 houses over landing in the middle of their yard. I almost got their yappy dog. Ah, there is always a next time….But the sword shows no damage from my testing, a little goo gone and polish, and it’s back to factory.
Conclusions
I am very pleasantly surprised by this sword. On a dynamite day, EBay sales are a crap shoot. This turned out ok. I think the blade is a bit too shiny, and needs a good matte finish. The handle hardware could be improved significantly by blueing. The sheath…is ok, the leather dye color is slightly different from the handle. So for the price, this is an amazing sword. I don’t have much experience with 200-300.00 Euros, but at 200, my opinion would not change. If only everything in that price point were as sturdy. If I keep it, I’m going to redo the handle, get a better sheath, and blue the hardware. So as is, it’s a great sword in desperate need of an edge. As a project blade, you could make this spectacular.
Pros
Great price, too bad it’s discontinued.
Very sturdy construction (log test)
Very tight fit and finish (even after the log test)
Good blade temper
Cons
Handle is too large
Sheath and handle color slightly mismatched
Dubious ‘period’ design (might just be my lack of knowledge)
My technique is awful (can’t be me…must be the sword right?)
Fairly shiny, needs scotch brite love…
The Bottom Line
Would I buy another, you bet! Really my only complaints are very minor. This is a great sword, and I feel like I stole it off EBay. I think there is great potential to make this a spectacular project sword.