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Post by kevinhughes on Nov 29, 2015 4:35:55 GMT
Has anybody handled the 1934 Polish Cavalry Sabre (Szabla wz 1934) I have been hunting the internet for a quality sharp Reproduction but most of the manufacturers are based in Poland and My lack of Polish language skills and the limitations of computer translations make it difficult. Here is one that looks promising: www.szablapolska.com/index.php/szabla-wz-1934Unfortunately, there are no specs on this reproduction so I can not tell what steel is used, sharpness weight, etc. I have sent an Email and I am waiting to hear back. My other two options are to buy an original, which is difficult to find and expensive, or to have one custom made, which would be expensive, but maybe not so much as an original. with regards to the second option, does anybody know of a custom swordmaker that would tackle this sort of job? |
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Post by Afoo on Nov 29, 2015 5:31:52 GMT
I believe one of our members had one listed on ebay a few weeks ago.
They are hard to come by on e-bay, and there are a lot of fakes out there so be careful. I remember reading somewhere a review for a Polish sabre repro which was quite negative about it. It was a while ago, so I cannot remember if it was on this forum or elsewhere. Best take a look at the reviews section to see if its still there.
The one you show here looks quite reasonable in terms of build quality, and the stock of the blade is adequately thick at the base. The key questions are what is the taper like (ie: thickness in the middle and near the tip), and whether it is stainless or carbon steel. As far as I am aware, very few repros in the sub-500 dollar range will come close to matching the originals in terms of handling, so I would not hope for too much here
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Nov 29, 2015 17:33:09 GMT
You can find several on eBay for less than half that price. I know nothing of their quality and they are replicas.
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Post by kevinhughes on Nov 29, 2015 19:09:50 GMT
I believe one of our members had one listed on ebay a few weeks ago. They are hard to come by on e-bay, and there are a lot of fakes out there so be careful. I remember reading somewhere a review for a Polish sabre repro which was quite negative about it. It was a while ago, so I cannot remember if it was on this forum or elsewhere. Best take a look at the reviews section to see if its still there. The one you show here looks quite reasonable in terms of build quality, and the stock of the blade is adequately thick at the base. The key questions are what is the taper like (ie: thickness in the middle and near the tip), and whether it is stainless or carbon steel. As far as I am aware, very few repros in the sub-500 dollar range will come close to matching the originals in terms of handling, so I would not hope for too much here That one lists for 3500 zloty which is about $860 dollars. That is roughly the price of an arms and armor replica. I know that higher price does not equal quality, but The higher price makes me hope that it is not a stainless steel wallhanger. Surprisingly, I was unaware of these swords until I saw a fake on Ebay while looking at new listings. The price ($150.00) was too good to be true and after a little research I knew it was fake by looking at the langets, which were not flush with the guard and appeared to be welded on. I have also read that the grain of the wood in the original handle was 15 degrees off line so that the screws would not pass through the same grain of wood. I have noticed this in photos of authentic 1934's, and most fakes do not have this feature. That being said, the fake one was still impressive looking and it sparked my interest in the original. |
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Post by kevinhughes on Nov 29, 2015 19:26:02 GMT
I have looked at other swords on the site, and after translating, it states that the blades are hardened spring steel, and suitable for fencing. It does not say whether they are sharp and a few swords do have their weights listed (one is listed at .75 KG) which do not appear to be too heavy.
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Nov 29, 2015 19:31:53 GMT
The cheap ebay fakes have poor blade geometry, possibly poor overall weight. Maybe bad heat treatment. The replica you linked to looks like it has good blade geometry. For European sabres (and also many sabres from elsewhere), the base of the blade should be quite thick, and the region near the tip should be quite thin. Taper in thickness from about 9mm down to under 2mm is pretty common. Unless the blade thins enough, the tip will be much too heavy, and handling will suffer badly. The taper looks OK in the photos, but numbers would be good.
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Post by bfoo2 on Nov 29, 2015 21:55:04 GMT
Thanks for sharing! I wasn't aware of these guys until you brought it up (and I'm sure few others did too) Hard to draw any solid conclusions from the pictures on the site. Just going through the pictures, it seems like some of their products taper to a very thin foible ( like this one), whereas others look like 1/4 inch sheet metal ( this one) Other bad news: It looks like the 1934 you're interested in also suffers from welded-on-langet syndrome (with some pretty brutal machine/cut marks on them to boot). On the upside, their hussar swords reassure me that at least one sword manufacturer remembers what langets are for. Also, thumb-ring! EDIT: I found a picture showing the taper on one of their products ( here). It doesn't look bad, actually (sorry for posting links instead of actual pictures. I'm not sure what the copyright is on them...) |
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Post by adtharp on Nov 29, 2015 22:02:40 GMT
I have an original in near mint - it was part of a pair that were an attic find. The other was sold for $2500 about 7 years ago.
It is my favorite sword in my collection and has inspired quite a bit of Polish saber fascination. I have yet to pick up a replica, but I am skeptical of anything coming close.
I was hoping to find something to prctice with when I pick up the new Polish saber book, I would be very interested in any reviews....
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Post by bfoo2 on Nov 29, 2015 22:04:30 GMT
I'm curious about these guys. Only problem is that I'm just curious, not "$860 dollars" curious  |
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Post by S. Thomas on Dec 2, 2015 5:56:49 GMT
The one you show here looks quite reasonable in terms of build quality, and the stock of the blade is adequately thick at the base. The key questions are what is the taper like (ie: thickness in the middle and near the tip), and whether it is stainless or carbon steel. As far as I am aware, very few repros in the sub-500 dollar range will come close to matching the originals in terms of handling, so I would not hope for too much here Of course, you do realise that PLN 3500 is about USD $867.41... |
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Post by Afoo on Dec 2, 2015 6:34:38 GMT
The one you show here looks quite reasonable in terms of build quality, and the stock of the blade is adequately thick at the base. The key questions are what is the taper like (ie: thickness in the middle and near the tip), and whether it is stainless or carbon steel. As far as I am aware, very few repros in the sub-500 dollar range will come close to matching the originals in terms of handling, so I would not hope for too much here Of course, you do realise that PLN 3500 is about USD $867.41... Yes, but I did not see the price listed,since "Cena 3500 złotych" means nothing to me. Kevin Hughes already pointed out the correct price soon after I made that post. I think the consensus seems to be that this could be a decent, high end repro. However, without numbers, it is still a huge gamble to take |
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