New Atlantean model from They-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named...

The Windlass/MRL Atlantean is not so bad.
The strange unique contruction is questionable, but I've seen no proof of failing yet.
It's no good idea to cut with a 7-8 lb. sword, even with an Albion.
The guard/pommel on mine are not crap, the sword looks decent.
I would buy it again until I see another Atlantean under 4 lb.

What about no pommel at all ? How important is a peened pommel on a machete which takes far more abuse than a sword usually does. I still think how the grip is attached to the tang is more important. If the grip and tang is strong it won't put any real pressure on the pommel. Just my opinion.

 

Pommel & guard are hollow pot metal! The pommel on my Windlass popped right away, it wasnt even screwed on, just stuck on with some kinda rubber ring! That thing is DANGEROUS; i nearly sent that massive blade flying away during a swing!

Right. So with any of these Conan swords without a peened pommel, you shouldn't grab the pommel while wielding the sword.

But I don't hold the pommel when I cut, so it wouldn't be an issue for me. If it has a wide strong tang that is riveted to the scales, as appears to be the case in the Ryansword model, then it should hold up to cutting, as long as you keep your hands together on the grip.

Holg, how long is the grip (between the guard and pommel) on your Conan sword?

Holg, I don't know what sword you had, but guard and pommel on my Atlantean are massive and heavy, surely some kind of pot metal, but with much copper.
The pommel indeed is only put on, sitting on the grip steel tube, theoretically it can fall of, but it's very tight.
And if it really drops the rest of the construction is as tight as before, because the pommel is not part of it.
Blade, guard and grip steel tube are held together by a solid thread nut like H/T.

Ya know  i like my swords with scales an' rivets, righdoo? xD

your sword you got from me has LOTS of rivets. hehehehhehehe

   

 Still take Jeffrey's

Hey those are nice ;)

Actually Wes, I think the Albion atlantean pommels are screw on. That little short stub on the end of the tang was threaded on one or two of the moat blades I got from them. When I measured the lengths of the blades/tangs, they also seemed too short to extend all the way through the pommel for a peen. Never saw what appeared to be a peen in any of the pictures I've seen of them assembled either. And I seem to recall someone asking them directly a while ago and being told that they were screwed on. Could be wrong though.

Something I am certain of is that there is a lot of misunderstanding of pommel attachment methods in general. Peened by itself means absolutely nothing. Peening a pommel which was originally designed to be screwed on is very often less secure than just screwing it on because there is less material interfacing to hold the pommel on. The thing which makes a pommel attachment good is that it's keyed. Because you can't screw on a keyed pommel, they are generally peened. So at one time, a peen was evidence of a good pommel attachment, not so now that pommels held on with a round rod at the end of the tang are also often peened. A pommel nut screwed on to the end on top of a pommel which is keyed to the tang can be as strong as a peen.

A peen or a thread keeps a pommel from sliding off the back of the tang, but that's not where the major stress is on a pommel/tang interface. The stress is where the tang enters the pommel and comes from the fore and aft movement of the tang as the sword is used. When you swing a sword, move it from a cut to a guard, and especially when you cut or otherwise impact something with it, the blade vibrates. When the blade stops or slows suddenly as often happens when cutting or striking, the pommel still wants to keep moving in the other direction, that's just inertia. It can't because it's attached to the blade at the end of the tang. This puts a large stress on the end of the tang where it enters the pommel. A round rod the same thickness as the blade here is a weak point whether it is threaded or peened. A keyed pommel and tang uses a wider, generally tapered, section of the tang here where it enters the pommel. This substantial extra width, along with having the pommel very tightly fit so as not to allow any movement, is what makes the pommel/tang interface strong and secure.

A pinned and epoxied grip will prevent the blade from flying off if the pommel breaks loose, but it won't prevent the pommel from breaking loose in the first place.