Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2015 16:03:26 GMT
Introduction
I recently have been looking at cutlasses and sabers and I finally decided that I wanted to purchase one. My first stop was the Windlass website because they have a decent selection of swords at relatively low prices. The swords that stood out to me most were the Naval Cutlass, the English Cutlass, the Light Cavalry Saber, and the Heavy Cavalry Saber. Then I found the Hungarian Saber. It struck me as being a simplistic, yet effective design. However, it was out of my $150 price range, and very little is known about it, and I didn't want to risk spending that much money on something that isn't worth it. I put it aside and continued looking at the other sabers. I was leaning towards the Naval Cutlass, when the Hungarian Saber appeared as the Deal of the Day on the Museum Replicas website. For $122 shipped and sharpened, it was too good of a deal to pass up. I ordered it on Sunday using 3 day select shipping, and it arrived on Wednesday.
Historical Overview
I have no clue as to the historical aspects of this sword.
Full Disclosure
I did not pay full price for this sword as I bought it for half price through Museum Replica's Deal of the Day sale. I am relatively new to sword collecting, so please excuse any missed details. Also, this is my first review, so please excuse any grammatical errors.
Initial Impressions
I was initially worried because the bottom half of the box had been crushed during transit, but my fears were misplaced because the sword was triple wrapped in bubble wrap, thick foam, and heavy shipping paper. When I pulled the sword out of the swathe of bubble wrap, I was struck by the overall brightness and simplistic beauty of the sword, with its shiny brass fittings and glossy black leather scabbard. I was worried that the brass guard would disrupt the comfort of the handle, but the guard smoothly transitioned into the handle. I was impressed by the balance and weight of the sword, which caused it to feel natural in the hand. I would suggest using gloves when handling this, and the leather on the grip can be slippery. The brass fittings are lacquered to prevent them from tarnishing.
Statistics
Blade Length: 30"
Handle Length: 6"
Grip Length: 4"
Overall Length: 36"
Overall Length w/ scabbard: 37 3/4"
Guard Width: 4 1/2"
Blade Thickness at spine: 3/16"
POB: 5"
Weight: 2 lbs. 11oz
Components
The Blade
The blade has a slight curvature and swells toward the tip before tapering to a point. The blade has a mirror polish. The blade came sharpened to a hair shaving edge with a slight secondary bevel. A slight distal taper is present on both the spine and the cutting edge. The blade is blunt until an inch above the guard, so that you can wrap a finger over the guard. The blade was mostly stiff, but is capable of being flexed.
The Handle
The handle is a comfortable rounded rectangle that tapers to a circle just before the pommel. The handle is wrapped in a slick leather and is stitched on the front near your knuckles. Part of the brass guard runs into the handle and smoothly transitions into the handle.
The Guard
The guard is a brass bar with flared ends that intersects an oval which covers parts of the blade and transitions into the handle.
The Pommel
The pommel is a smooth tear drop shape. The blade is neatly peened on the pommel. The area around the peen is not lacquered and shows slight signs of tarnish.
The Scabbard The scabbard is your standard glossy black stiff leather windlass sheath. It has nice shiny brass accents. The stitching is in the middle of the scabbard. The scabbard is a little loose and has a slight rattle near the tip.
Handling Characteristics This sword is a joy to handle. It is capable of powerful hewing cuts and thrusts, yet is nimble and well balanced. Every swing with this sword produces a loud whooshing noise.
Test Cutting This sword shears through anything in its path. This handles both light and hard targets with ease.
Conclusions In the end, I was happy with this sword, but I was disappointed with the loose scabbard. For the retail price, the package could have been better, but it was a steal at the price I got it. I would definitely buy from this manufacturer again.
Pros -sharp blade -distal taper -good heat treat -lacquered brass fittings
Cons -secondary bevel -slightly loose scabbard -slick handle -rough leather stitching
The Bottom Line Overall, this is a fantastic sword, especially for the price I got it at. I would definitely recommend this to a friend.
Pictures soon to come
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2015 17:27:51 GMT
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Post by StevenJ on Aug 6, 2015 19:22:06 GMT
www.fioredeiliberi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20276&sid=0ff259c113cf7ff0ddd6c082f67ca229&start=20For additional reference ^^ I have looked at the Windlass Hungarian saber a few times but I own an Avar style Saber for stage fighting already from Fabri Armoum. It's a good style but I prefer the later 15th to 17th century Hussar Sabers. The one you have is based on a 14th century example I believe. The Huns used Sabers from the dark ages up until the 12th or 13th century, then stopped. The Hungarians then went back to the Saber in the late 15th early 16th century or so since the Ottomon Turks were using them so heavily. The Windlass one you have was made just like the earlier dark age/ early medieval Hungarian / Avar sabers. It's a good weapon over all.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Aug 6, 2015 19:23:49 GMT
Thanks for the report.
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Post by The Lone Stranger on Aug 6, 2015 21:25:44 GMT
Thanks for reviewing this sword; it's a nice one. What targets did you cut with it? Seems to me the grip is a good candidate for customization.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2015 21:28:35 GMT
I cut water bottles, thick newspaper rolls, attempted cutting hanging paper, a small sapling, and a 2 by 4
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Scott
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Post by Scott on Aug 7, 2015 6:20:06 GMT
Thanks for the review. Good to know it's a decent sword. I almost got one of these on deal of the day, always next time I guess.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2015 11:41:01 GMT
I almost didn't get it either, but I'm really glad that I did. It's a fantastic sword for the deal of the day price, but only OK at the normal price. You would want to see something a bit nicer for $200 IMO. That's also what I think of the Windlass XIV, but then I'm just spoiled by museum replica's DOTD. In the end it's a great sword and a good cutter. As long as you're happy with it,the price doesn't matter too much.
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Post by Dave Kelly on Aug 7, 2015 13:10:53 GMT
Chinese weapons influenced it's trading and territorial neighbors. Hunnic migrations were a composite of displaced peoples that had some long term influence mostly in eastern europe and the ukraine. More important you can read up on Mongol and Islamic invasions of Europe. 12th and 13th centuries saw Turkic and Mongol organized efforts sweeping westwards and introducing a variety of steppes sabres that would be the basic for eastern european adoption. Western europe didn't adopt sabres until the 18th century when eastern mercenaries started to look for work in western royal courts. ( One of the earliest known enlistments was a company of Lithuanian Uhlan/Tartars sent to Denmark about 1650. After 3 months of their raucous incivility they were packed back on a ship to Lithuania :) )The shamshir and kilij styled sabres are the best known for their conversion to mainstream european military arms. www.berbekuczviktor.hu/angol/angol.htmlViktor's site is well worth a look as he does a very broad list of historical sabre types. His with handles most of his English transactions and they have adopted paypal for transactions ( leastways had done so last time I visited. There are 4 swords I want very much from them, but keep wandering afield. Always next year....
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Aug 7, 2015 13:26:07 GMT
Great review!
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Post by StevenJ on Aug 7, 2015 17:09:47 GMT
Dave Kelly, since when did Viktor B accept paypal? It's the reason I won't buy from him because his website says bank transfer or cash. Maybe you are referring to his off the shelf website which has limited selection. Also the Huns had Sabers in the late dark ages as well in the 9th 10th century roughly.
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Post by Dave Kelly on Aug 7, 2015 18:35:05 GMT
It's been a year since I talked to VB about buying. Either I'm confusing him with another vendor or they reverted. I have done 3-4 bank transfers. The process is very simple. 5 mins in your bank with customer service and it's done. The drawback is that you have to have the cash on hand to execute the transaction. First time I did it the clerk literally withdrew the vendors fee only and all conversion and bank fees were deducted from the base sum. Got a panicky email from the forge telling me their pmt was short 10% of what they expected and they couldn't handle that. Got the mistake corrected the next day and the bank acknowledged they goofed and sent the balance at no cost to me. The other transfers were glitch free.
The Huns as an historical entity dissolved before the end of the 5th Cent when Attila sons were defeated and killed by the Gepids. By the 6th Cent the Avarian group of Mogolian/Turkic peoples took their place; thus the Avarian Sabre.
Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm up to my ass in early Italian history at the moment and don't even want to get lost among Bulgars, Pechinegs, Turc and Mongols...OH MY.
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Post by StevenJ on Aug 7, 2015 20:53:35 GMT
Thanks Dave, credit and debit is much easier which is why I prefer dealing with Outfit4events, Wulflund, or Fabri directly since they take paypal at nominal fee. The Hungarians did use sabers such as the ones listed above in the late dark ages. The were examples of ones in the link I posted in the very first reply.
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