Testing method of Lancelot-style perfect balance sword

Very interesting, will have to try with some of my stuff.

Might try a couple models, won't be bold enough to record it, but will definitely come back with anything I find. I've got a couple I like to handle a certain way already, should be interesting to see how this balance method lines up with those preferences...

Edit:

Not sure how "correctly" I'm doing this, but some results are pretty surprising. 

Just from the few options I had readily available, I tried out what I like to think is a pretty decent spectrum of size and type.  I tested my Hanwei Russian Shashka prototype, a customized Dynasty Forge Musha, a Musashi Swords Zetsurin, an ATrim 1315, a Hanwei William Marshall, and my antique Khyber knife and naginata-naoshi wakizashi.

Of the lot, the best performers were the ATrim and the naoshi.  For the ATrim, chocked up into the guard was best, stayed almost flat the whole time.  On the naoshi, anywhere from right under the tsuba to about an inch down was "close enough" (odd because I usually grip it lower when I feel like giving it a swing) to level.  Unsurprisingly, big difference between the Musha and Zetsurin, with the former doing the wave in a pretty big way as the tip lagged behind, versus very little movement along the Zetsurin.  When I tried the Marshall, the tip barely moved.  At all.  Unsurprising again, as this thing is way too heavy and has horrendous handling. 

I had a tough time keeping the shahska upright (guess I was gripping too loosely, grip wanted to roll around) but for the most part, it wasn't too bad.  Choked up to the very tip of the grip the tip was fairly stationary, but did eventually follow and on some attempts was actually in sync quite well.  Again, clearly I'm doing something a little off.

Biggest surprise of all was the Khyber, which I adore with a choked-up grip, thumb and forefinger resting over the ferulle to almost have them wrapped around the blade itself, which is my preferred way of wrangling its very forward balance into some decently quick handling, or so I thought, until trying this out showed the tip to move so very little throughout.  My Marshall was noticeably worse, but the Khyber was most certainly second in tip-heaviness.

I'm curious, do you still have your Hanwei Shashka?  If so, how does it rate when YOU try it?  I'm not sure if I'm doing it right, so I may be skewing my own results...

Just edited my last post to include observations, since nobody else had posted yet I didn't want to double-post. Check it out and get back to me.

Yeah, I've always thought the AT1315 handled very well, my only complaint about it is the guard is much wider than I like. I can twirl it from the wrist as easily as putting in a full-force swing and it stops exactly where I want it to every time. On the other hand, the Marshall...well, let's not talk about that one. (should be enough to say that my arm nearly cramped twice while attempting the test)

I'd like to try my basket-hilted katana, but can't figure out how to go about the whole basket hilt part. Probably over-thinking it, but nonetheless.

Crazy thing is, my favorite sword to play with is the Khyber, which I think handles very well the way I do it. Whether it's the way it's supposed to be held I couldn't possibly say, but even though I knew it to be very blade-heavy (balances over seven inches into a 23-inch blade with a five-inch hilt, if that) I was quite surprised at how "poorly" (as subjective as one might wish to be) it performed through this test.

Very thought-provoking stuff.

Absolutely. I think I tend to prefer tip-heavy, to an extent, as I like to just wind up and let the sword go, just guiding it along its way more than actively moving it. Of course, there is always "too much of a good thing," as evidenced by the Marshall. There is no "guiding" that sword, you have to muscle it around to make it do what you want, and stopping it is a chore. Hanwei's shashka is probably the second "worst" sword by this measure, in that it's kind of a challenge to redirect and stop, but not overly so.  I think, in active handling, the Zetsurin is probably the "lightest" sword, as far as how I perceive its motion. That is, to put it another way, it has minimal feedback? It just goes where I put it, and nowhere else. I barely notice that I'm holding it, it sits that lightly. Next best is probably my Hanwei Practical Katana, but that one's out of reach currently and I can't be bothered to get it down.

I definitely see where you're coming from , though.

Another thing this has really brought to my attention is how very loose a lot of my hilts are...I need to do something about that.

this is an interesting test but I'm not sure I agree with it yet. only given it a few minutes of thought so I'm not ready to say yes or no or debate but my initial impression is that I don't agree to some extent.