Empire Costume: I Empire General Staff Officers Sword.
Oct 15, 2015 12:52:03 GMT
Post by Uhlan on Oct 15, 2015 12:52:03 GMT
In the package I got from Mr. Guinhut yesterday was the Austrian?: sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/45946/austrian-smallsword-mucho-new-pictures , this sword and the Train d'Artillerie. This last one will be reviewed by Dave Kelly. I got to do the honours on the General Staff.
Other then being a costumer of the Guinhut firm, there is no connection of any kind that would influence or interfere with this review. Just saying.
Let us start with the blurb from the web site:
We did not invent this sword, see the drawing from catalogue of Fournera,
28 rue Neuve Saint Nicolas in Paris during first Empire.
See details: Emperor's head, bees, eagle head, just "N" is lacking, even blade is engraved with an eagle.
We made moulds from existing swords and copied best parts to give birth again to this perfect symbol of first Empire.
Web on entry of scabbard and back of guard, symbol of staff
officers...and of course, blue and gold blade, exclusive production of
Empirecostume/ Antikcostume.
Length 99 cm, blade: 82.5 cm
Silver-plated option is not available any more. Goldplated types will be possible to order again, only when really on stock.
And here is the original design they based their copie on:
Why, you may ask, why do you want to do a review about a replica Ulahn? We know you have quite a few period pieces, so why bother with a that?
Well my dear two readers, that is precisely the point. It puts me in an excellent position to compare the replica with the antiques and in so doing, give you a better insight in the merits and deficits of the sword in question.
Let me begin to make clear that the object in question is a sword, not a small sword.
That said, it is a sword as in the Spadroon meaning of the word. A light service sword for Officers, that may be used as a weapon of last resort.
As we know, the Spadroon, though highly fashionable amongst the chosen few at the time, did not really cut it. To be frank, it didn't cut anything much.
They looked fabulous and still do, but other than that, they were pretty useless, what with their floppy and compromised blades. I own a couple of them and I am sure there are specimens out there with stiffer blades, but as a general rule, they disapoint as a weapon.
The French light Officers sword for the service faired much better and the model offered by Mr. Guinhut will not disapoint you.
The 82,5 cm long blade has a broad fuller on both sides, going from the small ricasso to 45 cm up the blade. From there it is convex all the way down to the tip. It has a good flex, I'd say just right, but it is a much better stabber than the Spadroon could ever hope to be. Those fullers do the job of stiffening the blade very well. This not a dedicated cutter though, but it can be sharpened if one would desire to do so and than it could be much better at cutting then I think at the moment. I think maybe the cutting capability is comparable with that of Hanwei Bone Handle rapiers. The review index may help you with digging up that old review. The edge straight from the shop is almost serviceable.
One thing that I do not like is the thin stock. Not that it is a problem. This sword will serve you well. It is just that I have some period blades around and started making measurements.
For instance: an NCO service blade of later date still starts at 8,5 mm and tapers to 6 mm in the short distance of 5 cm. An Officers service sword from the Consulate period with a blade that is almost identical with the Guinhut blade, starts at 8 mm and at the end of the fullers it has 3,5 mm left.
The Austrian? from 1817 comes closer to the Guinhut: A fraction over 6 mm thick under the guard and it tapers to a bit over 3 mm half way down. The Guinhut blade starts at a fraction over 6 mm and at the end of the 45 cm long fullers there is a little over 4 mm left. So, there is not much tapering going on. Mr.Guinhut told me that his swords and sabres are there for re enactment only and if he would cater to the wishes of the 5 % of his costumers who want something closer to the period blades, he would have to raise prices and as a consequence would be out of business pronto. So there. Once again the people who want something closer to the real deal get snowed under by the masses, who don't give a rats ass about the finer points of our trade. But the Windlass Eglinton has an 8 mm thick blade and Universal also has a few that go into the right direction I believe, so something is changing, but it will take a while yet.
How does the Guinhut sword handle?
Here it is fun to compare the replica with the period Consulate sword, since the design of the blades comes very close.
The Guinhut weighs 566 grams. The Consulate weighs 545 grams.
Blade length of the G: 82,5 cm. The C: 82 cm.
Width of the G: 23,5 mm. The C: 20,5 mm.
POB on the G: 15,5 cm. On the C: 8,5 cm!!!!!!!
The period sword handles like a dream. One can wield it all day long, while chatting with friends and drinking beer at the same time.
The Guinhut will make you aware of your wrist doing that. It is far from lively, not dead yet, but getting there. Compared with the Consulate the dynamics are very different. The greater mass takes its toll, though the low weight will make things easier for them that do not know oldies. I think most costumers may find it very adequate really. And do not do beer while swinging the sword please! It was just a matter of speach.
Where it is better, is in that it will definitely cut things. The period blade is strictly for stabbing with the occasional draw cut thrown in.
The Guinhut is much slower in the recovery and point control is under par compared to the Consulate piece too. That one just follows your eyes like a laser. Again something the average owner of a GSO will hardly notice.
What is annoying is the flat grip on the Guinhut, which does not fill the hand. Any which way you hold it, it will slip and it needs some sanding too, because it just does feel coarse. A thicker grip would be nice, but not in the works, so constant use of leather gloves is advised. Then it behaves much better. Even the coarsness of the grip turns into a bonus. The hilt has ample room for the gloved hand.
For anyone without access to a comparable antique: The General Staff will handle just fine. Better than most on the replica market. After all it weighs just 566 grams and scoring 100% hits on ping pong balls suspended from the cieling is not everyones cup of tea anyway!
General appearance.
Sure, that blue and gild is the main attraction here, but the rest of the sword is done very well too.
There is even the Solingen mark on the spine. WOW!
A nice, floppy, good quality leather scabbard, with well made fittings. The scabbard has a Turkish ladder at the back, not the metal one, but punched into the leather, which is a nice period touch.
Here I have to deviate a bit. If you would visit the Napoleonic swords page at Guinhut: en.empirecostume.com/napoleonic-sabres-and-swords-c76.htm you will find two ,, Sabre Oriental''. Now, in the pictures of both of them you will see that the Turkish ladder is from metal, which is alright, but that they are placed on the front, while it was just a way to cover and strengthen the seam in the leather at the back. Small mistake, but if you are into catering to the re enactment crowd and one of the ,,Sabre'' will cost you about $1000, this is not quite done and huge. I emailed Mr. Guinhut about this mistake, but he went schtum on that one.
Back to the GSO sword again.
For the average consumer this sword looks fabulous I think. Mucho gleaming gold everywhere, in 22 Karat hard plate (not flash) by the looks of it and a nice dark stained hardwood grip with a well done diamond pattern. Oh Yummy!
The plating is flawless. There are no lifting spots, nor dark spots. Good job.
Everything is put together well. Everything is clean. Most certainly worth the bucks, even with the cost of transport to the States on top.
Considering that, I would advise the folks from over seas to wait a bit or email KOA to find out whether Universal will ever add this offering to their catalogue. That saves in shipping and what is more, you can send it back in case something is wrong. For instance, I discovered there is light, but active rust on the ricasso, right on the blue on mine. I do not care much, but for our friends from the USA or Canada, that might be a huge bummer.
So, I can see this sword might attract quite a few people who want something better looking than the general offerings of Universal or Weapon Edge at KOA. They have some nice but uninspiring NCO swords over there, but this is really something else.
For me though, this sword is just what it is, a replica done very well, but when compared to originals, there are so many things that are off, I hardly know where to begin. And, a big and, it would be unfair to compare the casting of the hilt parts for instance, to the work done on the originals.
Replicas will always lose out, because the quality of old cannot be replicated anymore for the price bracket we have here. Oh, there are engravers and chasers capable of doing all that needs to be done, but than this sword would fetch something in the order of $700. Time is money.
So, in conclusion I would say that I am inclined to give a positive judgement on this Guinhut piece. For the price paid one gets a really nice, well put together, sturdy sword, that may not be the fasted in this world, but most certainly not the slowest either. It will cut light targets and last you a long time. As such I see it as a sound investment.
Oh, before it slips my mind again: do not store the sword upright while in the scabbard. Make it lay flat somewhere. These floppy leather scabbards will break otherwise. They cannot support the weight. THE point where it all goes wrong sits right above the chape. Condition the leather with some Vaseline too. That will keep it in good shape if you do not store it near a source of heat. Do that and you can kiss any leather goodby.
Cheers.
Other then being a costumer of the Guinhut firm, there is no connection of any kind that would influence or interfere with this review. Just saying.
Let us start with the blurb from the web site:
We did not invent this sword, see the drawing from catalogue of Fournera,
28 rue Neuve Saint Nicolas in Paris during first Empire.
See details: Emperor's head, bees, eagle head, just "N" is lacking, even blade is engraved with an eagle.
We made moulds from existing swords and copied best parts to give birth again to this perfect symbol of first Empire.
Web on entry of scabbard and back of guard, symbol of staff
officers...and of course, blue and gold blade, exclusive production of
Empirecostume/ Antikcostume.
Length 99 cm, blade: 82.5 cm
Silver-plated option is not available any more. Goldplated types will be possible to order again, only when really on stock.
And here is the original design they based their copie on:
Why, you may ask, why do you want to do a review about a replica Ulahn? We know you have quite a few period pieces, so why bother with a that?
Well my dear two readers, that is precisely the point. It puts me in an excellent position to compare the replica with the antiques and in so doing, give you a better insight in the merits and deficits of the sword in question.
Let me begin to make clear that the object in question is a sword, not a small sword.
That said, it is a sword as in the Spadroon meaning of the word. A light service sword for Officers, that may be used as a weapon of last resort.
As we know, the Spadroon, though highly fashionable amongst the chosen few at the time, did not really cut it. To be frank, it didn't cut anything much.
They looked fabulous and still do, but other than that, they were pretty useless, what with their floppy and compromised blades. I own a couple of them and I am sure there are specimens out there with stiffer blades, but as a general rule, they disapoint as a weapon.
The French light Officers sword for the service faired much better and the model offered by Mr. Guinhut will not disapoint you.
The 82,5 cm long blade has a broad fuller on both sides, going from the small ricasso to 45 cm up the blade. From there it is convex all the way down to the tip. It has a good flex, I'd say just right, but it is a much better stabber than the Spadroon could ever hope to be. Those fullers do the job of stiffening the blade very well. This not a dedicated cutter though, but it can be sharpened if one would desire to do so and than it could be much better at cutting then I think at the moment. I think maybe the cutting capability is comparable with that of Hanwei Bone Handle rapiers. The review index may help you with digging up that old review. The edge straight from the shop is almost serviceable.
One thing that I do not like is the thin stock. Not that it is a problem. This sword will serve you well. It is just that I have some period blades around and started making measurements.
For instance: an NCO service blade of later date still starts at 8,5 mm and tapers to 6 mm in the short distance of 5 cm. An Officers service sword from the Consulate period with a blade that is almost identical with the Guinhut blade, starts at 8 mm and at the end of the fullers it has 3,5 mm left.
The Austrian? from 1817 comes closer to the Guinhut: A fraction over 6 mm thick under the guard and it tapers to a bit over 3 mm half way down. The Guinhut blade starts at a fraction over 6 mm and at the end of the 45 cm long fullers there is a little over 4 mm left. So, there is not much tapering going on. Mr.Guinhut told me that his swords and sabres are there for re enactment only and if he would cater to the wishes of the 5 % of his costumers who want something closer to the period blades, he would have to raise prices and as a consequence would be out of business pronto. So there. Once again the people who want something closer to the real deal get snowed under by the masses, who don't give a rats ass about the finer points of our trade. But the Windlass Eglinton has an 8 mm thick blade and Universal also has a few that go into the right direction I believe, so something is changing, but it will take a while yet.
How does the Guinhut sword handle?
Here it is fun to compare the replica with the period Consulate sword, since the design of the blades comes very close.
The Guinhut weighs 566 grams. The Consulate weighs 545 grams.
Blade length of the G: 82,5 cm. The C: 82 cm.
Width of the G: 23,5 mm. The C: 20,5 mm.
POB on the G: 15,5 cm. On the C: 8,5 cm!!!!!!!
The period sword handles like a dream. One can wield it all day long, while chatting with friends and drinking beer at the same time.
The Guinhut will make you aware of your wrist doing that. It is far from lively, not dead yet, but getting there. Compared with the Consulate the dynamics are very different. The greater mass takes its toll, though the low weight will make things easier for them that do not know oldies. I think most costumers may find it very adequate really. And do not do beer while swinging the sword please! It was just a matter of speach.
Where it is better, is in that it will definitely cut things. The period blade is strictly for stabbing with the occasional draw cut thrown in.
The Guinhut is much slower in the recovery and point control is under par compared to the Consulate piece too. That one just follows your eyes like a laser. Again something the average owner of a GSO will hardly notice.
What is annoying is the flat grip on the Guinhut, which does not fill the hand. Any which way you hold it, it will slip and it needs some sanding too, because it just does feel coarse. A thicker grip would be nice, but not in the works, so constant use of leather gloves is advised. Then it behaves much better. Even the coarsness of the grip turns into a bonus. The hilt has ample room for the gloved hand.
For anyone without access to a comparable antique: The General Staff will handle just fine. Better than most on the replica market. After all it weighs just 566 grams and scoring 100% hits on ping pong balls suspended from the cieling is not everyones cup of tea anyway!
General appearance.
Sure, that blue and gild is the main attraction here, but the rest of the sword is done very well too.
There is even the Solingen mark on the spine. WOW!
A nice, floppy, good quality leather scabbard, with well made fittings. The scabbard has a Turkish ladder at the back, not the metal one, but punched into the leather, which is a nice period touch.
Here I have to deviate a bit. If you would visit the Napoleonic swords page at Guinhut: en.empirecostume.com/napoleonic-sabres-and-swords-c76.htm you will find two ,, Sabre Oriental''. Now, in the pictures of both of them you will see that the Turkish ladder is from metal, which is alright, but that they are placed on the front, while it was just a way to cover and strengthen the seam in the leather at the back. Small mistake, but if you are into catering to the re enactment crowd and one of the ,,Sabre'' will cost you about $1000, this is not quite done and huge. I emailed Mr. Guinhut about this mistake, but he went schtum on that one.
Back to the GSO sword again.
For the average consumer this sword looks fabulous I think. Mucho gleaming gold everywhere, in 22 Karat hard plate (not flash) by the looks of it and a nice dark stained hardwood grip with a well done diamond pattern. Oh Yummy!
The plating is flawless. There are no lifting spots, nor dark spots. Good job.
Everything is put together well. Everything is clean. Most certainly worth the bucks, even with the cost of transport to the States on top.
Considering that, I would advise the folks from over seas to wait a bit or email KOA to find out whether Universal will ever add this offering to their catalogue. That saves in shipping and what is more, you can send it back in case something is wrong. For instance, I discovered there is light, but active rust on the ricasso, right on the blue on mine. I do not care much, but for our friends from the USA or Canada, that might be a huge bummer.
So, I can see this sword might attract quite a few people who want something better looking than the general offerings of Universal or Weapon Edge at KOA. They have some nice but uninspiring NCO swords over there, but this is really something else.
For me though, this sword is just what it is, a replica done very well, but when compared to originals, there are so many things that are off, I hardly know where to begin. And, a big and, it would be unfair to compare the casting of the hilt parts for instance, to the work done on the originals.
Replicas will always lose out, because the quality of old cannot be replicated anymore for the price bracket we have here. Oh, there are engravers and chasers capable of doing all that needs to be done, but than this sword would fetch something in the order of $700. Time is money.
So, in conclusion I would say that I am inclined to give a positive judgement on this Guinhut piece. For the price paid one gets a really nice, well put together, sturdy sword, that may not be the fasted in this world, but most certainly not the slowest either. It will cut light targets and last you a long time. As such I see it as a sound investment.
Oh, before it slips my mind again: do not store the sword upright while in the scabbard. Make it lay flat somewhere. These floppy leather scabbards will break otherwise. They cannot support the weight. THE point where it all goes wrong sits right above the chape. Condition the leather with some Vaseline too. That will keep it in good shape if you do not store it near a source of heat. Do that and you can kiss any leather goodby.
Cheers.