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Post by Sugiyama on Sept 25, 2015 2:10:23 GMT
I'm on the search for antique saber patterns that handle nicely for solo drills, and are suitable for light cutting. I contacted Matt Easton on his website, and he mentioned that the best British swords for my purposes would be the 1821 artillery officer's sword and the 1827 Rifles sword. Do you folks have any other suggestions as far as other countries, or perhaps other British patterns?
I have no aesthetic preference, so whatever you folks like is good for me!
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Post by Afoo on Sept 25, 2015 2:55:05 GMT
The M1852 prussian saber comes to mind. I have a lighter, later version which you can see here. Cold Steel also makes a replica of this which is a decent light cutter. I would recommend that if you want something to play with, but don't want to potentially damage any antiques you might find. I got my original saber from Dave Kelly, so what I paid may not be reflective of true market prices due to his incredible generosity I actually have a Czech sword - VZ24 similar to this one. Its a bit obscure, which means the price is very volatile -it'll go for high if there is a collector who wants it, since there aren't many of them around. On the flip side, there aren't many collectors who want this sword as well. I got mine for around $275 - a bit rustier than this one, but serviceable and The 1902 US officer sword is a wonderful saber for practice and drilling - its almost like a Hutton in terms of weight, but with much better grips and finish. You can get them with varying blade lengths, so you should be careful that you don't get one thats too short or too long. CS also makes a repro of this as well, which would do the job just fine. That said, the 1902 may be a bit *too* light - feels a bit more like a toy than a sword. Note that the auction I have posted ends in 14h, and is currently sitting at $125. These swords are not rare (infact, they are still being made today), so there will be plenty of chances to get one. The M1873 Prussian Artillery Sword looks very clumsy, but its actually not bad. The short overall length does help with maneuverability, and it feels quite nice in the hand. It won't be as nimble as the 1902, but it will be more robust. Its also built like a tank, so good luck damaging it. ~~ I would suspect that any sword designed for infantry officers would be capable of the job - the 1845 french inf. officers sword, the Prussian 1889 inf. officers sword, the Swiss 1899 pattern sword etc. However, I personally have none of these items, so I cannot attest to their performance myself. You could also look into the French 1845 officers sword . They are not too hard to come by, and some could be had for a reasonable price. Note that the French 1845 comes in two flavours - the junior officers sword with curved blade, and the senior officers sword with a straight blade. I have the straight blade version (below). Its very light and great for drilling, but the blade is much too floppy for cutting. I am not sure if the junior officer's version will suffer from the same thing.
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Uhlan
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Post by Uhlan on Sept 25, 2015 13:47:50 GMT
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Post by Afoo on Sept 25, 2015 14:02:38 GMT
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Post by Dave Kelly on Sept 25, 2015 16:29:10 GMT
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Uhlan
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Posts: 3,121
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Post by Uhlan on Sept 25, 2015 17:07:45 GMT
That M1860/1906 is a good choice. Didn't you do a review on that one?
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Post by Afoo on Sept 25, 2015 17:29:48 GMT
I was under the impression you were looking for lighter sabers - my bad. The Princess of Wales saber from Universal Swords is also a good one - decent taper, and quite wonderfully made.
Britsih 1845's also come out somewhat frequently on ebay. Universal does make a replica of it though, so watch out
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Post by Sugiyama on Sept 25, 2015 18:48:41 GMT
Afoo- I do enjoy all of the models you suggested, and you are correct, I am after lighter swords in general, and IIRC while the the 1906 was very close to the original, it was not very quick in the hand. I could be wrong. I haven't heard great things about Universal's steel quality, though, citing Skallagrim's Kyu Gunto review. What has been your experience with the Princess of Wales?
I am leaning towards the Prussian and French swords suggested by Ulahn and Afoo because they're ambidextrous, and thus easier for me to use as a lefty. I'm not opposed to learning techniques and strengthening my right, though.
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Post by Afoo on Sept 25, 2015 19:33:21 GMT
I do not use it for cutting, but the steel seems okay. I do enjoy Skal's videos, but I did object to his review of the Gunto - no sword was intended to undergo that type of punishment, especially a little dress sword like that. IIRC, in his review the steel of the blade was fine, but it was the grip that loosened up. In the Princess of Wales though, the grip is pinned through the tang, so that will be less of an issue.
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Post by Dave Kelly on Sept 25, 2015 21:04:49 GMT
Sorry forgot you are a southpaw :( Cold Steel makes a left hand prussian that's a good light sword. Could be sharper if you want to cut. Austrian 1861 infantry is a good sword. The Prince of Wales is a good sword. Polish style. 1050 carbon steel. Full tang.
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Post by Afoo on Sept 25, 2015 22:10:13 GMT
This model of sword may also appeal to you. Its a prussian pipe-back sword, but with a stirrup guard for your left-handed needs. I have several swords which I believe share a similar blade type (1889 Argentine cavalry sword), and it handles wonderfully Here is a cheaper, much more beat-up version. This has also been on the market for a while, so they may be looking to move it if given an offer. Looks gross, but performance should be similar? www.ebay.ca/itm/German-Germany-WWI-WW1-Carl-Eickhorn-Solingen-Cavalry-Officers-Sword-Scabbard-/161277663587?hash=item258ce5d963EDIT: What does Dave think of the 1904 from CS (left handed of course) as a light cutter?
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Post by Dave Kelly on Sept 26, 2015 8:12:04 GMT
This model of sword may also appeal to you. Its a prussian pipe-back sword, but with a stirrup guard for your left-handed needs. I have several swords which I believe share a similar blade type (1889 Argentine cavalry sword), and it handles wonderfully Here is a cheaper, much more beat-up version. This has also been on the market for a while, so they may be looking to move it if given an offer. Looks gross, but performance should be similar? www.ebay.ca/itm/German-Germany-WWI-WW1-Carl-Eickhorn-Solingen-Cavalry-Officers-Sword-Scabbard-/161277663587?hash=item258ce5d963EDIT: What does Dave think of the 1904 from CS (left handed of course) as a light cutter? Stay away from it. Austrian 19th Century Cavalry swords are generally blocky and poorly balanced. 1904 looks good, but the pipeback blade doesn't balance well, consequently sabre feels like 3 lbs instead of 2.2 lbs. I own a WWI production model and the antique feels exactly the same way! Course if someone had Wurtemburg 1855 Dragoons to trade I'm more than willing to talk... :)
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Post by Afoo on Sept 26, 2015 14:14:36 GMT
If you really feel that way about it, I am more than happy to buy it off you ;)
Seems like Sugiyama has quite the number of options to choose from :P
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Post by Sugiyama on Sept 27, 2015 5:17:36 GMT
I do like all of these options! Feel free to recommend sabers for either hand, as I am as experienced in saber treatises with my left as I am with my right ;).
What are searches you guys use to find sabers like this? I've just been using "(region/country) saber" with some success.
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Post by Afoo on Sept 27, 2015 5:23:59 GMT
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Post by aronk on Sept 27, 2015 5:40:55 GMT
Well, if you can get one at a reasonable price, a Frog M1822 LC would cut the mustard quite nicely.
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Sept 27, 2015 5:44:12 GMT
That looks good for a lefty (like me)
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Uhlan
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Post by Uhlan on Sept 27, 2015 13:13:52 GMT
German sabres have the year of issue on the blade. Some on the spine, most on the ricasso. That is a crown, WII and year. Try to find out the year of issue. After 1914 quality went down hill. After 1915 this is very obvious for some models. The IOD M1889 got iron hilts instead of bronze, in others shortcuts were made. This one is dated 1897 so there should be no problems with build quality.
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Post by vinland on Sept 29, 2015 5:21:36 GMT
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2015 13:58:54 GMT
The beehive should be for Samuel Hoppe of Solingen 1853-1870. These degen are quite common but desirable in this condition. Quite often the scabbards are gone or damaged. These are smaller than they look in photos They are the weight of many dress type swords and more a bdage than anything else. A nice complete clean example. If someone can make out the etching, it probably points to one German state or another and one service or another. It is a fixed vs folding guard, so definitely before 1881. I don't know the tricks to distinguish between the infantry, postal services or diplomatic forms.
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