1796 Pattern British Sergeant and Drummer Sword by Universal
May 21, 2017 22:35:34 GMT
Post by pgandy on May 21, 2017 22:35:34 GMT
This is my first Universal Sword and I am very pleased at the finish. Generally speaking they have paid more attention to detail than Windlass does, and I assume this the standard. For one, and a strong reason that I chose Universal is that edges and corners remain will defined and not washed out as is characteristic of Windlass. Also the degree of polish pleases me better than that on Windlass, it is shinny but lacks the mirror finish. Last but not least they start with thicker steel stock.
Before going on I’ll state that I have no connection with either KoA nor Universal other than being a full paying customer. In this case 393.20 USD. My country has streamlined the law and processing making it easier and cheaper for me. Now that I know, I estimate the new cost now would have been $290.45. And it’s much simpler and more realistic. Hurray!
My specs varied from KoA’s considerably
My sword KoA
Specs
Blade: 321/16” Blade: 31¼”
PoB: 63/8” PoB: 61/8”
Width: 25.5mm Width: 24.6mm
Thickness: 7.6 - 4.7mm Thickness: 7 - 3.2mm
Weight: 2.09 lb Weight: 1 lb 13.3 oz. (1.83 lb)
I ordered blunt to see if that made any difference on importing, and it was cheaper, and although KoA’s edge is sharp I don’t care for it. I found the sword handsome and to give an idea of my liking for this one, for the first time I am thinking of maintaining the polished brass, it’s a military sword and I still have some military left in me. Generally I prefer a softer patina finish. I’ve even checked with Amazon to see if Blitz cloth is still available. Not only is it but now there are multiple choices in attractive packaging. When I used them over 50 years ago there was no choice and the box was most unappealing and well under a dollar (25¢?).
All said and done at this point I have mixed emotions about the sword. On the positive side: I find it as I said handsome and is a good thrusting sword. And I suspect it will be a decent cutter. I like Universal’s finish. Come to think of there are more negatives than positives, which is strange as I like the sword.
On the negative side: It is blade heavy, more so than KoA led me to believe probably as my blade is larger than in their advertisement. This is amplified by the grip which is too small for me, which is really the big issue. I have a size 8 hand and the grip is too small for me, especially when trying to cut with it. I lack the control that would like and the sword moves in my hand. I have found that with gloves the issue is improved. When I say too small I am referring to the diameter although if a smidgen longer wouldn’t hurt, but the issue is with the diameter. I can enlarge it somewhat with tape but will hold off at this time as I enjoy looking at what I have. Also it makes no sense to work on the grip until I sharpen the blade.
The sheath is the biggest disappointment as it did not fit. If I lived elsewhere where it wouldn’t be such a hassle to receive another sword I would return it. Externally it looks great, better leather and better stitching than Windlass, and stiffer too. I prefer the frog stud and leather to a steel scabbard with rings as steel has a reputation of shortening a sharp edge life. Leather won’t rust, and the frog will allow the sword to hang vertically. In this case the sword entered the sheath and started home with a some resistance. OK it is new and that, I thought, would work itself out. However about 2½” from home the sword stopped. I could make it go home but it took 90-95% of my strength, the same on the draw. On examination I found plenty of room and no leather/blade contact on the sides. However, it is binding on the spine and cutting edge. I should be able to increase this distance by squeezing the sides of the metal throat and chape. But I am afraid if I did this that I might break a solder joint and/or the adhesive holding things together. It is evident inside the throat and appears brittle. I did apply a leather stretching compound giving it slightly less pressure on the sword and reducing the sheath to about the same stiffness as that of a Windlass. The sword was still reluctant to go the last 2½”. Using a magic marker on the blade I discovered where much of the problems laid, in the throat, so I broke out the needle files. The sword now goes home reasonable well although I wish it was freer. And I do have concerns on the affect the sheath will have on a keen cutting edge, and vise versa. Oh well, it’s not advised to store a blade in leather, so… After giving this further thought perhaps there is nothing wrong with the sheath as such, but that I received an oversized blade judging from the specs.
Handling: Being unsharpened I’ve mostly dry cut with it and as stated the grip is undersized for my size 8 hand. As a result my hand will start to move before the sword, more so with vertical movements than lateral. This could be caused to some extent by the grip’s palm swell. Both ends of the grip are small and it feels like possibly the palm swell acts as a pivot point, rocking the sword in my hand. By wearing gloves the issue is improved. Also by placing my thumb on the rear of the clam shell guard virtually stops excess movement. The vertical quillon post also is an aid, but my hold feels more secure pressing on the shell. I may in the future build up the grip with tape. While not at all eye pleasing it should improve the handling. The sword seems to be saying “I want to, I want to let me at it”. I believe the potential is there. And I believe that Universal’s P1796 in general handles better than this one. As I said I believe the problem is increased by what I believe to be an oversized blade. I’ll be glad to get the blade sharpened but at the moment too much is going on to even attempt the job. When I do I’ll give a follow up report. And by then I may have discovered more of the sword’s secrets.
KoA is a good company to deal with and certainly gives more detailed specifications than others. However, there is one piece of information lacking, no one else gives it either, and that is the diameter of the grip. I am not sure as to how to do this as I can think of several methods. I was surprised to find how poorly the grip fitted my hand on this sword and I’ve read other viewer’s accounts of having a sword that would not fit properly because of one’s hand size.
I took a few minutes out to make a short, very short, video and will make a follow up after sharpening. It’s in two parts, the first showing an advantage to the thrust that I have not seen in the arguments of thrust vs cut, and that is measure. The other just shows that it is an usable blade out of the box unsharpened, or using another point of view going back to thrust vs cuts out of the box, unsharpened it potentially presents a greater threat than a sharpened cutting blade. None of my blades would be able to cut through those rugs and cut the target. The jug would no doubt show blunt trauma, but no cut. As is, the P1796 passed completely through all.
This shows the well defined edges on the Universal sword.
The P1796 makes a significantly larger hole than my rapier, which has the reach advantage as can be seen, not to mention the P1796 being the potentially greater cutter. I have more confidence in the P1796’s stopping power than that of the rapier.
Some general photo shots.
Before going on I’ll state that I have no connection with either KoA nor Universal other than being a full paying customer. In this case 393.20 USD. My country has streamlined the law and processing making it easier and cheaper for me. Now that I know, I estimate the new cost now would have been $290.45. And it’s much simpler and more realistic. Hurray!
My specs varied from KoA’s considerably
My sword KoA
Specs
Blade: 321/16” Blade: 31¼”
PoB: 63/8” PoB: 61/8”
Width: 25.5mm Width: 24.6mm
Thickness: 7.6 - 4.7mm Thickness: 7 - 3.2mm
Weight: 2.09 lb Weight: 1 lb 13.3 oz. (1.83 lb)
I ordered blunt to see if that made any difference on importing, and it was cheaper, and although KoA’s edge is sharp I don’t care for it. I found the sword handsome and to give an idea of my liking for this one, for the first time I am thinking of maintaining the polished brass, it’s a military sword and I still have some military left in me. Generally I prefer a softer patina finish. I’ve even checked with Amazon to see if Blitz cloth is still available. Not only is it but now there are multiple choices in attractive packaging. When I used them over 50 years ago there was no choice and the box was most unappealing and well under a dollar (25¢?).
All said and done at this point I have mixed emotions about the sword. On the positive side: I find it as I said handsome and is a good thrusting sword. And I suspect it will be a decent cutter. I like Universal’s finish. Come to think of there are more negatives than positives, which is strange as I like the sword.
On the negative side: It is blade heavy, more so than KoA led me to believe probably as my blade is larger than in their advertisement. This is amplified by the grip which is too small for me, which is really the big issue. I have a size 8 hand and the grip is too small for me, especially when trying to cut with it. I lack the control that would like and the sword moves in my hand. I have found that with gloves the issue is improved. When I say too small I am referring to the diameter although if a smidgen longer wouldn’t hurt, but the issue is with the diameter. I can enlarge it somewhat with tape but will hold off at this time as I enjoy looking at what I have. Also it makes no sense to work on the grip until I sharpen the blade.
The sheath is the biggest disappointment as it did not fit. If I lived elsewhere where it wouldn’t be such a hassle to receive another sword I would return it. Externally it looks great, better leather and better stitching than Windlass, and stiffer too. I prefer the frog stud and leather to a steel scabbard with rings as steel has a reputation of shortening a sharp edge life. Leather won’t rust, and the frog will allow the sword to hang vertically. In this case the sword entered the sheath and started home with a some resistance. OK it is new and that, I thought, would work itself out. However about 2½” from home the sword stopped. I could make it go home but it took 90-95% of my strength, the same on the draw. On examination I found plenty of room and no leather/blade contact on the sides. However, it is binding on the spine and cutting edge. I should be able to increase this distance by squeezing the sides of the metal throat and chape. But I am afraid if I did this that I might break a solder joint and/or the adhesive holding things together. It is evident inside the throat and appears brittle. I did apply a leather stretching compound giving it slightly less pressure on the sword and reducing the sheath to about the same stiffness as that of a Windlass. The sword was still reluctant to go the last 2½”. Using a magic marker on the blade I discovered where much of the problems laid, in the throat, so I broke out the needle files. The sword now goes home reasonable well although I wish it was freer. And I do have concerns on the affect the sheath will have on a keen cutting edge, and vise versa. Oh well, it’s not advised to store a blade in leather, so… After giving this further thought perhaps there is nothing wrong with the sheath as such, but that I received an oversized blade judging from the specs.
Handling: Being unsharpened I’ve mostly dry cut with it and as stated the grip is undersized for my size 8 hand. As a result my hand will start to move before the sword, more so with vertical movements than lateral. This could be caused to some extent by the grip’s palm swell. Both ends of the grip are small and it feels like possibly the palm swell acts as a pivot point, rocking the sword in my hand. By wearing gloves the issue is improved. Also by placing my thumb on the rear of the clam shell guard virtually stops excess movement. The vertical quillon post also is an aid, but my hold feels more secure pressing on the shell. I may in the future build up the grip with tape. While not at all eye pleasing it should improve the handling. The sword seems to be saying “I want to, I want to let me at it”. I believe the potential is there. And I believe that Universal’s P1796 in general handles better than this one. As I said I believe the problem is increased by what I believe to be an oversized blade. I’ll be glad to get the blade sharpened but at the moment too much is going on to even attempt the job. When I do I’ll give a follow up report. And by then I may have discovered more of the sword’s secrets.
KoA is a good company to deal with and certainly gives more detailed specifications than others. However, there is one piece of information lacking, no one else gives it either, and that is the diameter of the grip. I am not sure as to how to do this as I can think of several methods. I was surprised to find how poorly the grip fitted my hand on this sword and I’ve read other viewer’s accounts of having a sword that would not fit properly because of one’s hand size.
I took a few minutes out to make a short, very short, video and will make a follow up after sharpening. It’s in two parts, the first showing an advantage to the thrust that I have not seen in the arguments of thrust vs cut, and that is measure. The other just shows that it is an usable blade out of the box unsharpened, or using another point of view going back to thrust vs cuts out of the box, unsharpened it potentially presents a greater threat than a sharpened cutting blade. None of my blades would be able to cut through those rugs and cut the target. The jug would no doubt show blunt trauma, but no cut. As is, the P1796 passed completely through all.
This shows the well defined edges on the Universal sword.
The P1796 makes a significantly larger hole than my rapier, which has the reach advantage as can be seen, not to mention the P1796 being the potentially greater cutter. I have more confidence in the P1796’s stopping power than that of the rapier.
Some general photo shots.