Empire Costume French Infantry Officer's Sabre FINISHED
Mar 31, 2015 23:12:00 GMT
Post by aronk on Mar 31, 2015 23:12:00 GMT
Introduction:
After hearing Dave Kelley's approving remarks about Empire Costume's latest swords, I thought I would pick one up for myself. Looking through the selection, this little (and I mean little) beauty stuck out. Blued and gilt sabres have always appealed to me. Empire claims that it is based on an original they had on hand. One month and $280 plus shipping later, it appeared on my doorstep. The experience of working with Empire Costume was excellent.
Unfortunately, there is a dearth of readily accessible information about this sword online. However, what I was able to find is that it was issued to line infantry officers of Napoleon's Grande Armée, including officers of , chasseur a pied, voltigeur, carabinier, and grenadier companies. If anyone has better information, it would be greatly appreciated, as my knowledge base is in British swords.
Disclosure:
I have no affiliation with Empire Costume or their suppliers. I have not been compensated for this review.
Initial Impressions:
This sword is short. Blade is a bit over 29", with an overall length of 34" The entire sword is shorter than the blade of one of my M1822s. Handling is tip heavy, but not grossly so. Good packaging, fairly secure. Had a coat of some kind of protective waxy material on the blade that was removed readily.
Measurements:
Overall length: 35"
Grip length: 5.5"
Blade length: 29"
Guard width: 5"
Point of balance: 6" from hilt
Point of percussion:_ about 20" from hilt
Weight: 20.45 oz (about 1.3 lb)
Blade width at guard: 3 cm
Blade width at guard: 3 cm
Blade width at point of balance: 2.5 cm
Blade width at point of percussion: 2.6 cm
Blade width 1" from tip: 2 cm
Blade thickness at guard: 7 mm
Blade thickness at point of balance: 5.5 mm
Blade thickness at point of percussion: 5 mm
Blade thickness 1" from tip: 3 mm
Thickness of guard: 1.1 cm
I haven't been able to nail down a consistent length for the real thing online, but the Universal version is three inches longer as I recall. Taper appears to be slightly ahistorical from my research, but not overly so. Blade is a bit thinner than it should be at the base.
Fit and finish:
A beautiful sword overall, and excellent fit and finish for this price point. However, there are some minor flaws in the brass, as illustrated. The blueing and gilding is very goo though. Scales are real wood, some kind of dye has probably been used to simulate the original ebony. Scabbard is very nice. Typical floppy leather construction with a very well done seam up the back. Brass fitting are good, and the frog stud looks quite serviceable. Langets are functional, quite a surprise on a repro. One issue that has me concerned is fact that the waster is very, very loose on the hilt. In fact, it flew off a few times during handling tests. Not certain what to think of that. I will have to come up with some way to fix it in place. Overall, however, fit and finish are good. I would give it 6.5-7/10.
Handling:
A bit nose heavy thanks to having a PoB more suited to a cavalry sabre than an infantry weapon, but it handles surprisingly well. I've never handled an original, but I suspect that it would handle slightly better than this piece. Good thrusts and cuts against cardboard, even with the unsharpened blade. I have to say though, that the grips are not incredibly comfortable in heavy use. More an issue with the design than the repro though. Of course, my M1822s have been spoiling me lately, so perhaps I may be a bit pickier than usual. Overall, not bad for a repro at this price point.
Conclusions:
Small, but stunningly beautiful. Other than the minor blemishes and the issue with the washer, this is quite a looker. Handling is nothing to write home about, but the sword is no dirty great cleaver like a Universal. Quite manageable. My experience with Empire was excellent, and I plan to return to Empire to purchase their Dragoon pallasch.
After hearing Dave Kelley's approving remarks about Empire Costume's latest swords, I thought I would pick one up for myself. Looking through the selection, this little (and I mean little) beauty stuck out. Blued and gilt sabres have always appealed to me. Empire claims that it is based on an original they had on hand. One month and $280 plus shipping later, it appeared on my doorstep. The experience of working with Empire Costume was excellent.
Unfortunately, there is a dearth of readily accessible information about this sword online. However, what I was able to find is that it was issued to line infantry officers of Napoleon's Grande Armée, including officers of , chasseur a pied, voltigeur, carabinier, and grenadier companies. If anyone has better information, it would be greatly appreciated, as my knowledge base is in British swords.
Disclosure:
I have no affiliation with Empire Costume or their suppliers. I have not been compensated for this review.
Initial Impressions:
This sword is short. Blade is a bit over 29", with an overall length of 34" The entire sword is shorter than the blade of one of my M1822s. Handling is tip heavy, but not grossly so. Good packaging, fairly secure. Had a coat of some kind of protective waxy material on the blade that was removed readily.
Measurements:
Overall length: 35"
Grip length: 5.5"
Blade length: 29"
Guard width: 5"
Point of balance: 6" from hilt
Point of percussion:_ about 20" from hilt
Weight: 20.45 oz (about 1.3 lb)
Blade width at guard: 3 cm
Blade width at guard: 3 cm
Blade width at point of balance: 2.5 cm
Blade width at point of percussion: 2.6 cm
Blade width 1" from tip: 2 cm
Blade thickness at guard: 7 mm
Blade thickness at point of balance: 5.5 mm
Blade thickness at point of percussion: 5 mm
Blade thickness 1" from tip: 3 mm
Thickness of guard: 1.1 cm
I haven't been able to nail down a consistent length for the real thing online, but the Universal version is three inches longer as I recall. Taper appears to be slightly ahistorical from my research, but not overly so. Blade is a bit thinner than it should be at the base.
Fit and finish:
A beautiful sword overall, and excellent fit and finish for this price point. However, there are some minor flaws in the brass, as illustrated. The blueing and gilding is very goo though. Scales are real wood, some kind of dye has probably been used to simulate the original ebony. Scabbard is very nice. Typical floppy leather construction with a very well done seam up the back. Brass fitting are good, and the frog stud looks quite serviceable. Langets are functional, quite a surprise on a repro. One issue that has me concerned is fact that the waster is very, very loose on the hilt. In fact, it flew off a few times during handling tests. Not certain what to think of that. I will have to come up with some way to fix it in place. Overall, however, fit and finish are good. I would give it 6.5-7/10.
Handling:
A bit nose heavy thanks to having a PoB more suited to a cavalry sabre than an infantry weapon, but it handles surprisingly well. I've never handled an original, but I suspect that it would handle slightly better than this piece. Good thrusts and cuts against cardboard, even with the unsharpened blade. I have to say though, that the grips are not incredibly comfortable in heavy use. More an issue with the design than the repro though. Of course, my M1822s have been spoiling me lately, so perhaps I may be a bit pickier than usual. Overall, not bad for a repro at this price point.
Conclusions:
Small, but stunningly beautiful. Other than the minor blemishes and the issue with the washer, this is quite a looker. Handling is nothing to write home about, but the sword is no dirty great cleaver like a Universal. Quite manageable. My experience with Empire was excellent, and I plan to return to Empire to purchase their Dragoon pallasch.