Fabri Armorum 17th Century Hussar Saber with Lbar hilt.
Sept 14, 2015 7:04:37 GMT
Post by StevenJ on Sept 14, 2015 7:04:37 GMT
Before I begin I want to tell a small story about how this custom project I commissioned with Fabri Armourum came to life.
I've had this Hussar Saber for almost two years now from Fabri Armourum that was originally purchased from Kult of Athena. I've redone the grip wrap and riveted the hilt through the langets to stop the cross guard from coming loose. This stage saber has served me well through multiple point fights and yield fights in my re-enactment group, the Adrian Empire. I've loved this saber and for a while I wanted a sharp one. So I had found from another company, Polish Hussar Supplies, had a similar Lbar knuckle bow Hungarian saber that looks like the Fabri I have with a scabbard. I had bought a saber from Eryk of Polish Hussar Supplies before and was impressed. The Lbar saber he sold I was not impressed with and he agreed to exchange the saber for a Tatar model he sold, which I still own and am happy with. However my strong want for a similar Lbar saber went unfulfilled. I considered the 17th century Hussar Saber Viktor Berbekucz sold but he won't take paypal or credit/ debit cards directly for orders, per his website, and I really didn't want to deal with sending a money order from my bank. So I said heck with it, I wrote Fabri Armorum an email while waiting to get my exchange saber from Eryk asking them to make me a sharp version of their Hungarian Saber with this style hilt.
(source) www.berbekuczviktor.hu/angol/54_kardok/html-kep/5451_sz02.html
Within a few days Fabri gave me an estimate for 326 euros shipped or 246 euros without shipping to the USA. I was surprised the shipping was so much considering out4events ships using GLS and not Czech Post, costs less, and comes in either the 2nd or 3rd day through GLS. Other than the shipping the price was very reasonable. They told me two months but the saber was finished in four weeks and I received it on week six. I would of gotten it on week five but they were on vacation in the shop so it took an extra week. Hey no big deal really, they still got it to my home in about six weeks which is two weeks less than they quoted me just to complete the weapon. Transactions were smooth, emails were answered within a few days, no real issues. Personally I would prefer to buy their weapons through outfit4events for their regular product line as it's cheaper, and outfit4events ships with GLS which comes far faster and cheaper to your home than Czech Post. However if I wanted something custom, I wouldn't hesitate to order directly from them again even at the added expense of Czech Post shipping. I will say though they didn't take one cent of currency from me until it was ready to ship. I don't know of many custom makes that require zero down payment.
Enough with the background story this is what arrived in the mail and it was fairly well packed.
For more photos go here imgur.com/a/4sapY
Sword was packed in a tight fitting cardboard box but the blade itself was well wrapped in plastic and paper packaging material that kept it safe in shipment. Simple but effective, though by no means elegant. The saber, like most Fabri swords, is constructed with a brass brazed pommel on on this one they did fubar it a bit as there is a fair gap when the saber pommel is looked at from underneath but other than that the fit issues were not severe. The crossguard was exceptionally tight when arrived, zero rattles. All the new Fabri swords I bought this year have super tight crossguards which is a gigantic improvement from the past where all their swords had exceptionally loose crossguards out of the box. I don't know if it's just a tight press fit or they are tack welding them/ gluing but it's working! The sword blade it self does have a tiny tiny set in one direction but is within 10 degree bend which is ok.
Stats
Weight about 1.1 kg to 1.2 kg or between 2 and 2 1/2 pounds
taper about 4mm thick at base and 3. 5 mm 12 cm from the tip or 5 inches roughly
blade is 71.5 cm or 28 1/4 inches
hilt from the end of the crossguard, not counting langet is 14 cm or 5 1/2 inches
Total length is 85.5 cm or about 33 7/16ths inches
point of balance about 12cm or 5 inches from the crossguard not langet
center of percussion is about 42 cm from where the blade starts or 16 and a half inches
So yeah the distal tapering is exceptionally minimal but the blade does handle very well and is light and agile in the hand. The stock leather wrap left much to be desired but the sword had a lot of customization potential which I did take advantage of. The blade does flex and return to true though it tends to bend in the middle of the blade which I thought odd. Though I put my other sabers to the test, being the two I have from Polish Hussar supplies, and they tend to bend in the middle also. This could be normal for sabers not sure. This reproduction is on the short side, most Hussar sabers have a 30 inch to 32 inch blade but I have found historic examples with shorter blades like this one so it's not outside the realm of possibility. Though I do wish the blade were an inch or two longer, I'm okay with it.
Getting back to my earlier story about the exchange saber, the Fabri Armourm sword happened to fit the Tatar Saber scabbard rather well that I bought from Polish Hussar Supplies. I didn't intend for this but it worked out that way!
So aside from handling the stock edge Fabri put on was a modest secondary bevel. It works but I eventually put it to the belt sander and Arkansas stones to blend it in. I did test it against tree branches doing brush work and the stock edge did cut well and was paper cutting sharp, even if a bit rough.
From a Historical aspect
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XHungarian+sab.TRS0&_nkw=Hungarian+saber&_sacat=0
You can still find a good number of 'original's on ebay. Unlike later period sabers of the 18th and 19th century, there was no standard 'regulation' pattern. Some had brass hilts, some had iron hilts, some had langets, some had no langets, some were open hilted, some had a knuckle bow, some had short langets, some had long langets, some had thumb rings whilst others didn't, some were peened and side riveted, and some had d guards. Besides the hilt, some of the originals had pattern welded blades, others had one or multiple fullers or no fullers with a great varying degree of curve and length.
I included some photos found from ebay auctions for reference.
imgur.com/a/78eie
Though none had twist warp leather on the hilt or brass brazed pommels. Also, from my understanding, most of the time the pommel was just a hollow cap that was press fit over the wood and leather grip, then peened over. Though these are minor deviations and for this price point of 246 euros sharpened it is acceptable. These weapons were used both on horse back and as well as on foot and would eventually become the inspiration for the Western European military sabers of the 18th and 19th centuries.
So after customization...
Being myself I couldn't leave well enough alone. I redid the grip, blended the secondary bevel into the rest of the sword, and side riveted the hilt with a brass rivet. Now with that said it didn't all go to plan. The original plan was to pin the rivet through the langet but alas the cross guard was assembled at a slight angle so it never evenly went through the langets on each side and after a few failed attempts, I gave up. I shortened the langets about 0.5 cm and just filled the hole with the same type of 1/8th brass rivet with steel washers. Not what I wanted but it works. Truthfully, with Fabri's updated cross guard fitments I am not concerned as I do not believe it will ever come lose. The leather was glued on atop hemp cord. I had to do a lot of tiny sections of hemp cord super glued on to stay in place alongside the langets and it gave it the raised effect I wanted. I also added a leather washer over the cross guard slot to make it a bit fancier. I haven't seen historic examples with a leather washer in the 17th century but it is a common method that was done on military sabers though later period in the Napoleonic era and after. I also did file work on the crossguard and knuckle bow to make it match the photo of the original on Viktor Berbekucz's website.
Another photo next to my Polish Hussar Chain hilted saber.
Over all I'm happy with my purchase, it has it's minor faults again like the brass solder being a bit messy on the underside of the pommel. Some Fabri swords are perfectly brazed with no gaps in the pommel where the brass was inserted, others have very noticeable gaps. It's hit and miss with them. The hilt construction is solid, the tang is at least 3/4 inches wide most of the way if not a bit wider than 3/4 inches at the base. It's very solidly put together. I have heard and seen on some of the other Fabri models where the hilt is a bit soft, though not on this one. The knuckle bow is solid and I tested it against other swords and it doesn't falter, I can't bend it in my hand either. The langets ahead of the guard are very robust as well. They langets over the grip were a bit bendy but that's ok as they have the leather and wood underneath to support it. I'm glad actually the langets were thinner over the grip section as it was a PITA to get that 1 to 2 ounce cow skin leather underneath those langets! I had to use a flat head as a chisel to bend the langets upwards, then pound them back down later to get them on.
Over all for the way it came here is how I rate it.
4 / 5 fit and finish
3.5 /5 historical accuracy
4.5 /5 handling
4 /5 value for money
So again I'm happy with it, Fabri did what I asked and in a very timely fashion with minor caveats mostly involving the cost of shipping with Czech post.
And it wouldn't be a finished review without the sharp Hussar saber next to the blunt Fabri stage sword for comparison!
No cutting or handling videos yet, I do plan on them in the future however.
I've had this Hussar Saber for almost two years now from Fabri Armourum that was originally purchased from Kult of Athena. I've redone the grip wrap and riveted the hilt through the langets to stop the cross guard from coming loose. This stage saber has served me well through multiple point fights and yield fights in my re-enactment group, the Adrian Empire. I've loved this saber and for a while I wanted a sharp one. So I had found from another company, Polish Hussar Supplies, had a similar Lbar knuckle bow Hungarian saber that looks like the Fabri I have with a scabbard. I had bought a saber from Eryk of Polish Hussar Supplies before and was impressed. The Lbar saber he sold I was not impressed with and he agreed to exchange the saber for a Tatar model he sold, which I still own and am happy with. However my strong want for a similar Lbar saber went unfulfilled. I considered the 17th century Hussar Saber Viktor Berbekucz sold but he won't take paypal or credit/ debit cards directly for orders, per his website, and I really didn't want to deal with sending a money order from my bank. So I said heck with it, I wrote Fabri Armorum an email while waiting to get my exchange saber from Eryk asking them to make me a sharp version of their Hungarian Saber with this style hilt.
(source) www.berbekuczviktor.hu/angol/54_kardok/html-kep/5451_sz02.html
Within a few days Fabri gave me an estimate for 326 euros shipped or 246 euros without shipping to the USA. I was surprised the shipping was so much considering out4events ships using GLS and not Czech Post, costs less, and comes in either the 2nd or 3rd day through GLS. Other than the shipping the price was very reasonable. They told me two months but the saber was finished in four weeks and I received it on week six. I would of gotten it on week five but they were on vacation in the shop so it took an extra week. Hey no big deal really, they still got it to my home in about six weeks which is two weeks less than they quoted me just to complete the weapon. Transactions were smooth, emails were answered within a few days, no real issues. Personally I would prefer to buy their weapons through outfit4events for their regular product line as it's cheaper, and outfit4events ships with GLS which comes far faster and cheaper to your home than Czech Post. However if I wanted something custom, I wouldn't hesitate to order directly from them again even at the added expense of Czech Post shipping. I will say though they didn't take one cent of currency from me until it was ready to ship. I don't know of many custom makes that require zero down payment.
Enough with the background story this is what arrived in the mail and it was fairly well packed.
For more photos go here imgur.com/a/4sapY
Sword was packed in a tight fitting cardboard box but the blade itself was well wrapped in plastic and paper packaging material that kept it safe in shipment. Simple but effective, though by no means elegant. The saber, like most Fabri swords, is constructed with a brass brazed pommel on on this one they did fubar it a bit as there is a fair gap when the saber pommel is looked at from underneath but other than that the fit issues were not severe. The crossguard was exceptionally tight when arrived, zero rattles. All the new Fabri swords I bought this year have super tight crossguards which is a gigantic improvement from the past where all their swords had exceptionally loose crossguards out of the box. I don't know if it's just a tight press fit or they are tack welding them/ gluing but it's working! The sword blade it self does have a tiny tiny set in one direction but is within 10 degree bend which is ok.
Stats
Weight about 1.1 kg to 1.2 kg or between 2 and 2 1/2 pounds
taper about 4mm thick at base and 3. 5 mm 12 cm from the tip or 5 inches roughly
blade is 71.5 cm or 28 1/4 inches
hilt from the end of the crossguard, not counting langet is 14 cm or 5 1/2 inches
Total length is 85.5 cm or about 33 7/16ths inches
point of balance about 12cm or 5 inches from the crossguard not langet
center of percussion is about 42 cm from where the blade starts or 16 and a half inches
So yeah the distal tapering is exceptionally minimal but the blade does handle very well and is light and agile in the hand. The stock leather wrap left much to be desired but the sword had a lot of customization potential which I did take advantage of. The blade does flex and return to true though it tends to bend in the middle of the blade which I thought odd. Though I put my other sabers to the test, being the two I have from Polish Hussar supplies, and they tend to bend in the middle also. This could be normal for sabers not sure. This reproduction is on the short side, most Hussar sabers have a 30 inch to 32 inch blade but I have found historic examples with shorter blades like this one so it's not outside the realm of possibility. Though I do wish the blade were an inch or two longer, I'm okay with it.
Getting back to my earlier story about the exchange saber, the Fabri Armourm sword happened to fit the Tatar Saber scabbard rather well that I bought from Polish Hussar Supplies. I didn't intend for this but it worked out that way!
So aside from handling the stock edge Fabri put on was a modest secondary bevel. It works but I eventually put it to the belt sander and Arkansas stones to blend it in. I did test it against tree branches doing brush work and the stock edge did cut well and was paper cutting sharp, even if a bit rough.
From a Historical aspect
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XHungarian+sab.TRS0&_nkw=Hungarian+saber&_sacat=0
You can still find a good number of 'original's on ebay. Unlike later period sabers of the 18th and 19th century, there was no standard 'regulation' pattern. Some had brass hilts, some had iron hilts, some had langets, some had no langets, some were open hilted, some had a knuckle bow, some had short langets, some had long langets, some had thumb rings whilst others didn't, some were peened and side riveted, and some had d guards. Besides the hilt, some of the originals had pattern welded blades, others had one or multiple fullers or no fullers with a great varying degree of curve and length.
I included some photos found from ebay auctions for reference.
imgur.com/a/78eie
Though none had twist warp leather on the hilt or brass brazed pommels. Also, from my understanding, most of the time the pommel was just a hollow cap that was press fit over the wood and leather grip, then peened over. Though these are minor deviations and for this price point of 246 euros sharpened it is acceptable. These weapons were used both on horse back and as well as on foot and would eventually become the inspiration for the Western European military sabers of the 18th and 19th centuries.
So after customization...
Being myself I couldn't leave well enough alone. I redid the grip, blended the secondary bevel into the rest of the sword, and side riveted the hilt with a brass rivet. Now with that said it didn't all go to plan. The original plan was to pin the rivet through the langet but alas the cross guard was assembled at a slight angle so it never evenly went through the langets on each side and after a few failed attempts, I gave up. I shortened the langets about 0.5 cm and just filled the hole with the same type of 1/8th brass rivet with steel washers. Not what I wanted but it works. Truthfully, with Fabri's updated cross guard fitments I am not concerned as I do not believe it will ever come lose. The leather was glued on atop hemp cord. I had to do a lot of tiny sections of hemp cord super glued on to stay in place alongside the langets and it gave it the raised effect I wanted. I also added a leather washer over the cross guard slot to make it a bit fancier. I haven't seen historic examples with a leather washer in the 17th century but it is a common method that was done on military sabers though later period in the Napoleonic era and after. I also did file work on the crossguard and knuckle bow to make it match the photo of the original on Viktor Berbekucz's website.
Another photo next to my Polish Hussar Chain hilted saber.
Over all I'm happy with my purchase, it has it's minor faults again like the brass solder being a bit messy on the underside of the pommel. Some Fabri swords are perfectly brazed with no gaps in the pommel where the brass was inserted, others have very noticeable gaps. It's hit and miss with them. The hilt construction is solid, the tang is at least 3/4 inches wide most of the way if not a bit wider than 3/4 inches at the base. It's very solidly put together. I have heard and seen on some of the other Fabri models where the hilt is a bit soft, though not on this one. The knuckle bow is solid and I tested it against other swords and it doesn't falter, I can't bend it in my hand either. The langets ahead of the guard are very robust as well. They langets over the grip were a bit bendy but that's ok as they have the leather and wood underneath to support it. I'm glad actually the langets were thinner over the grip section as it was a PITA to get that 1 to 2 ounce cow skin leather underneath those langets! I had to use a flat head as a chisel to bend the langets upwards, then pound them back down later to get them on.
Over all for the way it came here is how I rate it.
4 / 5 fit and finish
3.5 /5 historical accuracy
4.5 /5 handling
4 /5 value for money
So again I'm happy with it, Fabri did what I asked and in a very timely fashion with minor caveats mostly involving the cost of shipping with Czech post.
And it wouldn't be a finished review without the sharp Hussar saber next to the blunt Fabri stage sword for comparison!
No cutting or handling videos yet, I do plan on them in the future however.