pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Feb 1, 2015 23:27:17 GMT
This review has been featured on SBG! CLICK HERE to read it in its new and improved format
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Uhlan
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Post by Uhlan on Feb 2, 2015 6:08:24 GMT
Hi again.
Good review! I am really glad you got what you wanted in the end and the Pilsen did not wind up in some Goverment shack, rusting away for some weeks, waiting for clearance. Thanks also for showing us where the pressure points are and how to deal with them. Now I want to order one too. The hilt looks substantial and better made than I guessed. As with most Windlasses, they need modding. In other words, Windlass brings the basic package and it is up to the buyer to make that last effort to get something personal and adapted to ones wishes. Yes, glad to see it all worked out so well.
Cheers.
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Post by Dave Kelly on Feb 2, 2015 10:38:08 GMT
Glad this worked out for you. I bought one. Have size 11 hands. I wound up selling it cheap to get it out of the house. It is a very quick streetfighter sort of piece that was fun to handle; but "fun to handle" didn't last long enough for me.
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Post by Afoo on Feb 2, 2015 20:44:28 GMT
Glad that it worked out - it looks like quite a nice sword once everything has been fixed. That said, there are quite a few other offerings in the $200 price range from KoA if you are looking for a Rapier. Dunno how they would compare.
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Post by pussinboots on Feb 2, 2015 23:38:43 GMT
Good review! Do you have any experience with the windlass musketeer rapier? I am considering the purchase but want to know if the blade is stiff and not whippy. Atleast up to par. Thanks
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Post by Dave Kelly on Feb 2, 2015 23:50:10 GMT
My review is in the old section. Plenty stiff. Blade can also be sharpened.
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Post by pussinboots on Feb 2, 2015 23:59:54 GMT
Thank you sir
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Feb 3, 2015 1:26:37 GMT
I have no personal experience with Musketeer. However, in Beowulf's review (the link is at the top of mine) he states that the Pilsen filled the gap between his Hanwei sidesword and his Musketeer which he could only use for about 15 minutes because of the weight. Kelly brings up the weight factor in his excellent review, which I read several times. I had looked at the Musketeer hard, I mean hard. And while my macho side said go for it, I backed off every time I saw 2 lb 14 oz. The 2½ lb Pilsen is so well balanced I don’t feel it. Fatigue will set in much faster with my 2 lb Engineer machete.
PS In addition to the fatigue factor, I thought that a lighter sword would be more nimble, easier to handle, and faster. I have heavy knives that will chop and cleave very well, but would not consider using them in a tight. While slightly slower, I find the problem of reversing the direction once the swing starts is most difficult. This is not to say lighter is better as a certain amount of mass is necessary.
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Post by Beowulf on Feb 3, 2015 7:54:12 GMT
Egads!
I've been so busy lately that I was missing in action here. Pgandy, I apologize for not getting back with you. Literally 15 minutes ago I saw your PM to me and went to try and find my wife's cloth measuring tape to get you the numbers you required. Now I see the review. I wish I could have helped you with some measurements when you needed them!
My Musketeer has grown on me. It took months of handling it though. I had to build up some unused musculature since I am not a rapier guy. I am glad I kept it now and took the trouble to keep messing with it.
I can tell by your pictures my hand is larger than yours. I am guessing variance in the Pilsen being handmade is responsible for me figuring out how to use mine with minimal pain. I agree with Dave Kelly's review of it that this might be a representation of a Rapier-to-Smallsword transition now that I've had it a while. I still dig it.
cheers
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Feb 3, 2015 13:07:55 GMT
I came across the term “sword rapier” and “cutting rapier” once. And I believe the term fits the Pilsen. As it goes side swords were on the scene first. Then entered the rapier that never phased out the side sword but both were used concurrently. I don’t know which was the most popular, probably depending on time and place. Man being what man is tried to take the best features of both and incorporate into one weapon. The result was that the new weapon while falling short on the stronger points did improve on the other’s weaker points. I suppose one could compare it with a today’s combination tool such as a Swiss Army knife or a Leatherman. Both will do many things but not as well as a tool dedicated for a specific task.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Mar 4, 2015 0:50:26 GMT
It’s time to bring closure to this review. I’ll pick it up at the point that I was waiting for the arrival of rescue tape.
But first I wish to correct an error. I said “after losing a generous 1/16” from the point“. That should have been 1/8”. I have two tapes and one has index marks every 1/16” and the other 1/8”. I got them confused.
The rescue tape finally arrived. For those, like me, not familiar with rescue tape it is a plastic tape looking much like electrical tape and has no adhesive. It is applied by stretching like Teflon thread seal tape. I like the lack of adhesive. I have used electrical tape for decades to do wrappings and at times with age have found the adhesive seeping out onto the surface. I think in some cases the tape shrank exposing the adhesive and in other cases the oils, such as WD-40, that I use got under the tape and attacked the adhesive. There can also the problem of residual adhesive after removing. In the last few years I have also been using friction tape, aka hockey tape. With this tape the adhesive is on the surface to begin with and all too often transfers to my hands in the form of an unsightly, tacky black substance. Talc powder helps to prevent this. Also I can experience a puckering at the edges while wrapping with both electrical and friction tape. None on those problems presented with the rescue tape. The only issue that I didn’t like was that with its glossy black finish it appeared to be what it is – plastic. The problem was solved by hitting it with matte black spray paint.
I applied the rescue tape over the existing friction tape causing the grip to become larger than I liked. I couldn’t peel the rescue tape off but it popped off with a light cut using an X-acto blade. I was going to peel sufficient friction tape off so that after reapplying the rescue tape the grip would have been the same diameter as with the original friction tape wrap. However, while peeling I got a wild hair and decided to remove all of the tape and start from scratch. Once I got down to the original leather covered grip I found that the rapier no longer had slippage in my hand. I believe that by removing what metal I did my hand fit better solving the problem. Needless to say no more tape was added and I am using the leather grip. This also added more precious space between the grip and quillion block.
I noticed from time to time after removing the tape a sharp pain on my thumb while doing some moves. There was a step up from the leather grip to the quillion that my thumb was catching so I knocked the edge off. There are photos below of the before and after. Not only did that eliminate any further pain my hand, in general felt more comfortable. With those two changes no further problems exist.
Before
After
I now like the rapier very much and have done a 180 from my initial opinion questioning my wisdom in choosing the Pilsen. I find it lively and easy to control. Not only that, but it now feels like an extension of my arm. I don’t think that I could have gotten a rapier in that price range that I would like more.
I do have two minor, insignificant if you will, issues. One is that the grip while functional and comfortable would feel better with a reverse hour glass shape, a bulge if you will, in the middle. The other is that the quillion block should be larger. There is no interference with my hand now but a larger block would allow more people to be comfortable with the rapier and it would give better protection. Both are very minor issues.
As for the sheath, I stated that I would prefer a stud near the throat to better secure it in a frog. I now have a frog and find the stud not needed, although I would still prefer one. The other issue that I found was unexpected and that is with the leather band covering the join of the two pieces of leather snags the five straps on the frog that secures the rapier when sliding the sheath in or out. At first I had to work each strap individually over the band. Now with more experience and the leather being better broken in I can rotate the sheath back and forth while passing over the band making life easier.
Just a couple of after thoughts:
In my earlier military days when I was a cadet part of the sword drill was “Return Sword”. This was executed by bringing the forearm up parallel to the ground with the sword vertical, tip up. The thumb was brought up putting the quillion in the web of the hand. Then the blade was rotated to the ground by gravity in a counter clock wise direction pivoting on the quillion until the blade was in line parallel with the scabbard, then inserted. I am glad to say that I can do the same move with the Pilsen. It took some practice because the quillion block, something that is absent on a cadet sword, gets in the way. It is much easier to return the Pilsen in that manner rather than extending my reach farther while bending my wrist in an awkward position while holding the grip.
I found two sources on eBay selling this sword, one for $371 and the other for $365 dollars. Shipping added another $70. One vendor states that they found this rare rapier in an old antique weapons catalogue and felt that they should reproduce it. Both vendors are using the same photos and it is clearly a Windlass. Just goes to show to use caution on eBay.
Again, I have no regrets, like my choice and think I did well in picking this one. It needed unexpected work but I found that to be a good learning curve.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Mar 22, 2015 23:56:25 GMT
I did not make a video during my initial testing comparing a katana and the Pilsen. I had started on several occasions to recreate the test but was not motivated because of the katana’s failure to cut a bottle through a rug. Actually it was not the katana’s failure as such but the impact shock on the katana. It was significant to the point I considered it bordering abuse, if not abuse, and didn’t want to subject the katana to that again. This morning I decided to do the video omitting the katana for cutting. I know, my timing was a bit off with the thrust, and on a good day I can do it at 10’. But I can hole the target at 9½’ any day. I cannot remember the name of the 16th Italian master whose works that I read but he discouraged cutting with a rapier saying amongst other things that cutting was a two count movement while a thrust was one. I can tell you from stick fighting, in class and the street, that a cut is much easier to block than a thrust, which is also faster. You can see from the video that the rapier is faster, has better penetration, not to mention superior reach. This is not to bad mouth a katana, I love them. However…
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Feb 7, 2016 22:08:20 GMT
Today I realized that I had not followed through on the cutting ability of this rapier. So I found two empty juice boxes that graciously volunteered and did a quick demo. While not up to amputations, hindering superficial cuts are entirely within its capabilities. I would certainly hate to catch this in my throat or neck and it is fully capable of removing an ear or worse. However, it’s primary attribute is thrusting and that it excels at. As stated originally it completely penetrated a jug with three layers of protection that my katana failed to cut with one layer.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Aug 2, 2017 19:58:40 GMT
The Pilsen gave up another of its secrets that maybe of interest to some out there. And that is the ability to trap blades. I think this is a bi-product, for a lack of a better word, of its design and not the primary objective. There is a gap between the guard block and blade. I believe this was to allow the rapier to mate better with the sheath by allowing the sheath’s mouth to pass. The gook that you see on the rapier is auto wax that I put on as a preservative. I do not bother to wipe it down to a shine because this way I know when it’s there and not. Works fine but argumentatively not eye pleasing. That gap is enough to allow a blade to pass and then get caught giving the Pilsen user some milliseconds to react. Of course this doesn’t work with an incoming thrust, I hate those. But if the opponent has a cutting blade and attempts to use it as such all kinds of possibilities open up. I works with both dorsal and ventral sides of the Pilsen.
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Ifrit
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More edgy than a double edge sword
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Post by Ifrit on Aug 2, 2017 21:47:38 GMT
Awesome review man. I think I just found the next sword on my list
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Aug 2, 2017 23:02:59 GMT
Thanks Djinnobi .
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Post by Afoo on Aug 3, 2017 4:18:14 GMT
Nice find. My schiavona has two "teeth" sticking out of the front. I thought they were stylistic, but turns out they too have a blade-trapping function.
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venetiandux
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Post by venetiandux on Aug 7, 2017 16:26:05 GMT
Nice find. My schiavona has two "teeth" sticking out of the front. I thought they were stylistic, but turns out they too have a blade-trapping function. May I see this?
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Post by Afoo on Aug 7, 2017 22:39:06 GMT
Here, though its also in the Schiavona review literally two posts down :P Those two front mandibles are small, but combined with the angled shape of the guard lets it trap a blade very well. Works best against broad blades similar to itself, which makes sense
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