Kalahi Custom Blades (KCB) Custom Longsword Review
Mar 26, 2015 8:28:02 GMT
Post by Croccifixio on Mar 26, 2015 8:28:02 GMT
Introduction
Beneath the gray sky shone a glint of grayer matter still
Of sparks that shed the crimson stain the fire of hearts do fill
The song of war and every man in steel is sung anew
Where death is met from end to end to bid their loves adieu
The Medieval European Longsword is possibly the single most iconic image in world history. Throughout the ages, the sword has always represented the pinnacle of martial virtues for nearly all cultures – prowess, skill, courage, and the stark reality of killing and dying. Such was the effect of this brilliantly engineered piece of metal that it began to take on mystical and magical properties in the eyes of society. In the Middle Ages, the sword hit its peak in terms of symbolism. For most of Western Europe, no longer was this weapon a mere instrument of death, but it also represented beliefs of a life beyond death, of a metaphysical state wherein honor, faith, strength, and the chivalrous ideals coalesced into the person of the Christian Knight, the living embodiment of milites christi.
It is in this context that the infamous tales of Roland and Durandal, Arthur and Excalibur, and Sigurd and Gram were spun by the romantics. These stories permeated the minds of the nobility throughout Europe, capturing their imagination in the steel and magic of the blade, embedding the sword into culture to beyond its functional aspirations, and into the realm of the grandest of narratives. History became defined, in more ways than one, by the point and edge of the Medieval Longsword.
Historical overview
This particular type of Longsword is atypical of Oakeshott’s usual classification. The blade profile and proportions are clearly Type XIIa, with near-parallel edges and a very gradual taper into a subdued point. However, the cross-section is decidedly a flattened diamond (as opposed to lenticular in the Type XII), which harks back to examples of Type XVIIIc. Moreover, the lack of a fuller also gives the sword the overall heft of a Type XVIIIc rather than the blade-forwardness of a Type XII. The blade’s length in relation to its grip is closest in proportion to Type XIIa, or even Type XVIa though not exact.
Full Disclosure
As my previous review stated (see my KCB Ginunting review here), Kalahi Custom Blades (KCB) is a Philippine-based company that sells swords and FMA gear both locally and internationally.
For complete disclosure, KCB is jointly owned by Allan and Karen Fami. Allan Fami is an instructor in FMA, and once I got to know him (through his business) and watched his instructional videos online, I got in touch with him in order to receive training. Since then, he has been my FMA instructor and a good friend.
I did however pay the full price for my blade.
Initial Impressions
The first time I saw the sword when Karen sent me a picture through Facebook, I was actually a bit disappointed.
Since this was my first custom piece, I didn’t really have an idea what exact specs I wanted. All I knew was that I wanted a two-handed longsword (or Greatsword/Warsword) of the Type XIIIa or XIIa variety. I scoured production swords, looking up the varied measurements of the available products online, as well as checking online catalogs of museums to get an idea of what a historically viable blade would look like and what its measurements were.
Ultimately, however, I got lazy. I ended up sending Karen various pictures of production blades that I liked: the Hanwei/Tinker Great Sword of War, the Albion Archduke/Duke, Steward, Baron, Count, Maximillian, various Del Tins and ATrims, and even some Yeshua Custom pieces that struck my eye. In particular, Ernie’s swords had always given me fits of swordlust, and I emphasized the beauty of the woodwork in Yeshua as something to be aimed for.
However, I was also limited by my budget. I had been trying to get the GSOW from KoA but never got a proper shipping quote from them (as of 25 March 2015, I've been given a quote for FedEx which is just way too much, unfortunately). I had approached Sonny previously at CSS/VA and he advised me that shipping larger swords would be very expensive, given the size of the package required. In that case, until I found a seller with good shipping rates, I was stuck with local makers/sellers. If you can imagine, that didn’t reassure me as the one shop I found selling CAS/Hanwei products was charging $555 for a Practical Katana Classic and $411 for a blunt Practical Viking.
The result is that I basically gave KCB free creative rein over my custom sword. I just hoped, at the back of my mind, that they wouldn’t make the sword too generic-looking.
When Karen sent me this picture, I wasn’t too sure what to feel about it. I couldn’t see it very clearly, but thought that the proportions were wrong, and that I wasn’t too sure what to think about those bright brass fittings.
Still I was very excited. This would be my first 2-handed sword, my first Medieval sword, and the type of sword that I had been dreaming about since I was a child. It was my Durandal. It’s just that, unlike Roland, I wasn’t too sure if I wanted to die with it.
I met up with Karen and Allan maybe 2 months from when I first made the order. Seeing the sword in person was far different from seeing a low-resolution Facebook photo.
At once, I was struck at the size of it. I thought that based on the pictures, the sword would be too small. I was mistaken – it was almost too big for me (I’m 5’10). Since I wasn’t used to the size, I was quite intimidated.
However, once I took out the blade, I knew at once I had a keeper. The statistics will later on show that it’s quite heavy, but in my hands, it was so well-balanced! In fact, it was probably good for 1 hand if I rode a horse.
Now having said that, it wasn’t THE blade. Right away I knew I screwed up not being more specific. It lacked a fuller. I’m sure that’s the reason for the weight later on. I wanted the fuller both for its function in reducing overall weight but also for the aesthetics.
The sword also has a pretty abrupt secondary bevel, which although razor-sharp, is something I want to remove later on to prevent nicks and scratches on the edge and give the overall structure more strength for the cut. I’ve discussed this before and had been given tremendous advice on how to do this without a belt sander/grinder.
Having said that, this felt, looked, and was every bit a WAR sword. If ever I had to face a horde of angry peasants, armoured soldiers, zombies, werewolves, or even a vengeful ex-girlfriend, I knew what to reach for to give me an insurmountable advantage.
Well, this and a gun. But I don’t own a gun. :)
Well, this and a gun. But I don’t own a gun. :)
Statistics
Specs in inches:
44.75 length
33.75 blade
2 at base
7 guard
8.375 grip
3 balance
COP is __ inches from the tip (TO FOLLOW WITH VIDEO)
Weight:
1.961 kg (4.323 lbs!)
1.961 kg (4.323 lbs!)
Components
The Blade
The blade was paper-cutting sharp out of the box. It had a primary bevel, and a small secondary bevel.
While the bevel is even, I don’t like it on this particular sword. If you have a secondary bevel through the long edge of a Greatsword/Longsword like this, chances are you’ll get a chip or a ding somewhere if you bump the blade badly.
In my case, while there are no significant nicks, an area of the edge near the forte has black stuff (looks to be pitting, can’t say for sure). I plan to get that off when I re-bevel this sword, but it irks me a bit every time I see it because it looks like a chip on the blade.
These pictures aren’t representative of the sword out of the box, as I have tried to sharpen it a bit with sandpaper – hence the rough texture of some parts. I have also used this several times to cut bottles ranging from 12 oz ones to 2L hard plastic bottles. I couldn’t discern any damage, but there are spots with light scratches, and a patch that looks to have been stained by a bottle that wasn’t very clean.
Otherwise I love this blade. It’s very well-made, and flexes very well. I flexed it at a 45 degree angle and it returned true. It’s not whippy at all for such a long blade, which I would attribute to the thick center.
As for that center, here is my only major beef with this sword:
No fuller!
While I didn’t ask for a blade with a fuller, I assumed that, since all the examples forwarded had a fuller, that the smith would either forge one in or grind it out. Again, this is a mistake ON MY PART. I failed to specify exactly what I wanted.
This made the blade a bit too heavy overall. The balance is fantastic, as I’ve pointed out, but the weight tires me out during prolonged handling/cutting. I can’t sustain flourishing exercises as much as I would want.
The plus side to the situation is that the sword is decent in the thrust, though not exceptional due to the slow taper towards the point.
Speaking of which, the cross section of the blade is also somewhat confusing, as I mentioned earlier. Instead of a proper lenticular cross-section (which is what I was aiming for by asking for a XIIIa/XIIa), it’s a decidedly flattened diamond. That’s why I mentioned the XVIa or XVIIIc (or even XVIIIa) as being the true father of this blade.
This has intrigued me enough to consider a re-grind with my brand new angle grinder (a gift from my wife). Since I have no experience as a craftsman, let alone a sword smith, I don’t plan to do this anytime soon.
A last note: even though this is (presumably) hand-forged, it has very beautiful and clean lines. Alongside the balance, I’m very happy with the blade as it stands, and plan to only make minor adjustments in sharpening and maybe a profile regrind.
9 points for function, 9 for aesthetics, and 5 for historical accuracy.
BEEE-YUUU-TEEE-FOOL
The wood worked. It worked very very well. It worked so well, that I was willing to ignore the gaudy brass-plated (?) hilt and pommel. The pictures, badly taken as they are taken using only an iPhone 4s, show the beauty of the wood, the smooth and even grinding, the shine of Kamagong/Ironwood... I never thought I’d like wood without a cord-leather wrap on a Euro until I saw Ernie’s pieces, and now I’m convinced that wood DEFINITELY looks better than leather.
In terms of function, the grip is surprisingly good. I have not had issues swinging this sword and losing control of it. Of course, 2-handed grips are much less prone to slippage. Likewise, the finger grooves are very well done and fit my hands perfectly.
The fit with the hilt/guard/pommel is perfect. Any gap would be classified as microscopic, which was a pleasant surprise. Since the blade was done on a budget, I had expected fit and finish to suffer. I was wrong.
Now due to the lack of a cord-leather or even just a cord wrap, the wood had to be in one piece. I’m not sure if there’s a gap between the tang and grip, and if so how big it would be. Suffice to say that even if epoxied heavily, I wouldn’t mind. I don’t plan to change anything about the grip anyway. Who would?
10 points on function, 10 on aesthetics, 4 on historical accuracy (the type of wood wasn’t available in Medieval Europe so...).
The Guard
The guard is surprisingly pretty. I originally opined that I didn’t like the gaudy brass. I still don’t, but it looks very good with the wood. I imagine a plain steel guard would not work as well with wood. If they had done it that way, my first impression would be better, but my later opinion would not. Even my wife said that the brass looked better with the brown of the wooden grip. That means a lot, because she honestly does not like this newfound hobby and any positive comment from her about my swords is a big deal. The upswept arms are nicely done. The guard is quite thick and feels very tough. It adds much needed weight to the lower part of the sword to bring back the POB and allow faster movement from guard to guard.
Addendum: the slot for the shoulder isn't the prettiest, so I'll have to take this down a notch. Also, brass might not be the best material.
Addendum: the slot for the shoulder isn't the prettiest, so I'll have to take this down a notch. Also, brass might not be the best material.
10 points on function, 7 points on aesthetics, 7 points on historical accuracy.
The pommel was another welcome surprise. When I first got the sword, it was pretty dirty with some kind of oily grime. I’m guessing it was a mix of epoxy residue and WD40. I cleaned it up a bit and it looks much, much better. Wheel pommels are my favourite. Since this is a type J1 pommel, I like it very much (not as much as a J but I’m happy where things stand).
Now this might turn some people off, but the sword is not peened. It was pinned, threaded, and epoxied. I have a feeling this was because of the material they used on the pommel and guard. The sword would look pretty ugly if the peen didn’t blend well with the pommel. Also, I feel that this is a limitation of this specific forge, as I have yet to see a smooth peen on any of their wares. Now while threading and pinning and even epoxying are decent ways to fit and compress a pommel, nothing beats peening, as Medieval Europe showed us. Or at least, nothing screams “historically inaccurate” to me as much as an unpeened Medieval sword.
9 points on function, 10 points on aesthetics, 5 on historical accuracy.
The Scabbard
I like the scabbard, but it’s too plain. I’ve posted about the scabbard elsewhere, and my plans for it here.
Pleasantly, the wood looks good, though not of the same material as the grip. If I find the right stain, I’m sure this would look fantastic, especially if I can carve it decently. That said, it isn’t much to write about.
Each side has 3 brass rings for a suspension system. While I’d have preferred that the forge left the rings out so wrapping would be easier, it’s not a big deal in the long run, especially since I’ve decided to just carve and stain the wood.
In terms of the fit, the sword fits well at a specific side. This means that if I don’t get it right the first time, I have to pull the blade out and flip it, otherwise the fit is loose. This proved to be the handmade nature of the blade since it might not be perfectly symmetrical. Either that or the inside of the scabbard wasn’t perfectly carved.
9 points on function, 7 points on aesthetics, 5 points on historical accuracy.
Overall average is 7.7 (116/150). 47/50 for function, 43/50 for aesthetics, 26/50 for historical accuracy. If we take historical accuracy out of the picture, then it gets a whopping 9.0 (90/100) average. Quite nice for me, since I’d go for an Albion if I wanted a historically accurate replica.
Handling Characteristics
As I’ve discussed handling, I don’t have much more to say. The sword is overall heavy but deft in the hands – it moves and tracks well for its size, and is definitely an authoritative cutter. That said, I wouldn’t want to be using it against a fast weapon. Maybe I need to get plate armor to complement this warsword.
Addendum: I forgot to mention that the aft pivot point in the handle hits below the metal "riser." This make the sword more comfortable to wield with some distance between both hands (the off hand being placed near the pommel). A further video should demonstrate my point more clearly.
Addendum: I forgot to mention that the aft pivot point in the handle hits below the metal "riser." This make the sword more comfortable to wield with some distance between both hands (the off hand being placed near the pommel). A further video should demonstrate my point more clearly.
Test Cutting
I have a short video, but my cutting was atrocious except for a really nicely aligned strike against a 1.5L bottle. I’ve cut with this weapon numerous times, and it cuts very sweetly against small bottles. Against large ones, I need really good alignment or else the sword bounces off. My theory is that (1) I am a bad (European) swordsman and (2) the weight makes the sword tiring to carry, and affects my swings greatly. In fact, I cut very well with this during the first 5-10 minutes of an unfilmed cutting session. After that, it was a crowbar in my hands.
That shows the greatest limitation of this sword, as executed. Because of the absence of a fuller, the blade is too heavy for its profile (despite excellent distal taper) and what it’s meant to do (principally a cutting blade). This means that the pommel, grip, and guard were made a bit heavier to compensate and give the sword balance. The final result is a beautiful, functional, and deadly blade... for a very strong knight. I’m no pushover, but using and carrying this sword definitely tires me out/gives me muscle burn.
Addendum: I will add a better and longer video that shows my so that the proportion of the sword can be seen from a better perspective.
Addendum: I will add a better and longer video that shows my so that the proportion of the sword can be seen from a better perspective.
Conclusions
This is a very, very nice sword. I can’t stress enough how much of a joy it was to receive, use, and pay for. This transaction has also given me additional insight – when going for a custom, be as specific as you can be unless the swordsmith knows your taste well. Don’t think that the maker will get annoyed, because you are, after all, having it custom-made. Some makers have a policy of maintaining creative freedom and I respect that. I encourage it, in fact, as non-sword smiths might not make good blade designers (as as general rule). I don’t fault KCB at all for what they churned out. I’d buy this sword again in a heartbeat.
However, instead of “the one,” I got a great sword (no pun intended). Not a bad trade off, but could have been better.
Scores give you the tale of the tape: 7.7 if you want a historical piece. 9.0 if you want a functional piece.
I end this review with a simple fact:
This sword was worth PHP 12,000 ($266 USD), and I got it at a discount due to my other purchases. At this price, it is an amazing, one-off piece. A custom from A&A is probably at least 5 times that amount. Admittedly, an A&A, or an ATrim, or customs from Yeshua, and even VA/CSS are much better and/or far prettier (not even gonna mention the upper echelon of smiths).
But at this price point, the sword competes with mass-produced gems like the H/T GSOW/Bastard/Longsword and some Windlass models (Roven). For a custom longsword. Kinda eye-opening for me as well. KCB reminds me of a local version of Huawei. And that’s a good thing. A really good thing. I hope they continue the quality shown to me thus far.
Pros (Bad-Poor-Decent-Good-Great)
Good blade.
Good handling.
Great looks.
Great price.
Cons
Poor weight management (sounds like I’m talking about myself)
Poor historicity of materials, design, and construction
Added note: Needs a little work on the blade for edge-sensitive people.
The Bottom Line
If you’re feeling a bit adventurous on a longsword, but can’t scrape together the funds to buy a Count, go for KCB. Just make sure to give as many details as you can when you have a custom done, as I learned in this sword. Recommended? Definitely.
Pics with my collection back then (September 2014 - February 2015). I've since added a few pieces.
Pics with my collection back then (September 2014 - February 2015). I've since added a few pieces.