Ronin Katana Euro Models 7, 10, 13, and S&D Summary Review
Feb 28, 2018 8:01:29 GMT
Post by masterofossus on Feb 28, 2018 8:01:29 GMT
Introduction
I'll edit this to include some pictures, shortly - it's just too late to do it today and I wanted to get this out ASAP before the S&D sale shuts down.
Lots to go over in this review. The main thing is a review of three Ronin Katana European-line swords, and also the Scratch-and-Dent Sale for 2018 (this is an annual event for them). I purchased two European-line Scratch-and-Dents: an RK7 and an RK 10. I also, recently, purchased the RK 13 – Crusader, but this was at full-price and not an S&D. For comparison’s sake, I am also referencing the Hanwei-Tinker Longsword. This is a very popular and well-known sword in roughly the same price range (~$250 - albeit with limited availability) as the RKs, so in my view this is a fair comparison. The RK7 two-handed sword is basically a direct competitor for the HT Longsword, with similar features and (in my view) considerable overlap in the target markets. Except where noted, I will assume that the S&D nature of the two swords does not impact their function, handling, etc. I think you will agree that the flaws are insubstantial in use – they’re actually kind of funny.
Three of the swords - Bottom = RK13 - Crusader. Middle = Hanwei-Tinker Longsword. Top = RK7 - Two-Handed Sword.
I will go through the S&D issues that I found in my Initial Impressions section – if you are interested in what made these S&D ones then skip to there. and also check out the final tl;dr section.
Historical overview
RK7 – This is kind of an ahistorical take on an XVIIIb longsword, with a scent-stopper pommel. This one has pretty flat grinds, which was indeed a variant of the XVIIIb (although many were also hollow-ground). The scent-stopper is my favorite pommel-style for a longsword, and existed in history and is extremely comfortable, from a user-perspective. This is pretty close – I doubt it would have attracted much notice in the 15th century. Historical Type XVIIIs tended to have two main sections to the blade profile: the edges ran straight and parallel for about the first half of he blade, and then gradually curved inwards to the tip. This one ... kind of does that. For about the first quarter or third of the blade, these edges run parallel. After that, they start to taper together, but only gently. Then, in the last little part of the sword, the tapering becomes more abrupt and the edges come together quickly to the tip. This shape probably existed in history - there's a lot of variation in styles and individual swords - but it's not archetypal for the XVIII.
RK10 – Kriegsmesser – From a historical standpoint, this is more of a mess than a messer. Although I’m no expert in the type, and despite knowing about how varied this style of sword was, the RK10 has a number of ahistorical features. Notably, rather than the defining construction type for messers – with the tang sandwiched between slabs of hilt material (usually hardwood), this one is peened with a scent-stopper pommel which looks identical to the one used by the RK7. This is actually a significant issue because anything that had a peened pommel was legally a sword and not a messer. Also missing is the “nail” (negel) that was a frequent feature of historical messers – though I understand that some historical finds also omit this feature. There was tremendous variety in the blade style, and so there’s no “wrong” way to do the blade to my knowledge, but this one has a very gentle curvature in the final third of the blade and no “cusp” or other false-edge features that sometimes (but by no means always) existed in falchions and messers.
RK13 – Crusader – Even though this is specifically not advertised as a historical model or based on a historical sword, this is almost the spitting-image of an Oakeshott Type XIIa war sword. The fuller may run a bit long compared to historical versions – it’s closer to ¾ than 2/3 of the blade length, in my version, but it’s pretty close to the archetypal image of a warsword. This is also advertised as being connected to the Knights Templar, and has a Christian cross on each side of the wheel pommel. Again, this was a historically plausible design detail, since the Templar were active throughout the period that the Type XIIa was in use.
Hanwei-Tinker Longsword – this is a modern take on longswords, which makes no pretense of historical authenticity. It uses an ahistorical variant of a T pommel which is secured with a nut, rather than any type of peening. It also has an interesting blade profile that is wide near the guard, quickly narrows, and then runs almost parallel until near the tip, where it then narrows more aggressively to a needle-point.
Full Disclosure
I purchased the HT Longsword and the RK13 – Crusader for full price.
I purchased the RK7 Two-Handed Sword and RK10 Kriegsmesser at Ronin Katana’s annual Scratch-and-Dent Sale in 2018.
Initial Impressions
The Scratch and Dent swords were delivered to my house in a pouring rainstorm and I wasn’t able to get to them until the shipping box was thoroughly drenched. Hoping that they wouldn’t be too damaged, I opened the box and found that each was shipped in a smaller, more fitted box which had (somehow) managed to not be soaked through. I immediately got them out of their scabbard and sheath and the blades themselves seemed dry with little shipping grease and no plastic wrap or anything else on them. They seemed nice, out-of-box.
The S&D issues made themselves fairly apparent:
The S&D RK10 Kriegsmesser, on inspection, had a “bent” blade near the end. This is harder to discern in the picture I was able to take than in real-life. It can definitely be fixed without substantial effort, and I will do so shortly. Moreover, the sheath (it is a sheath and not a scabbard since it lacks a hard core) was substantially bent and had taken a set near the tip. This was potentially a function of dampness. This is actually harder to resolve than the bent blade (funnily enough) since it will be hard to get it back to straight.
I think the mangled sheath might also be a function of a more subtle issue with the blade: my kriegsmesser sharply narrows about one quarter of the way up the blade from the guard, with the spine clipping in at about a 45-degree angle for about 1/4 inch. The blade then continues normally the rest of the way. I don’t know why this would have happened – it seems like it’s a design feature, but I don’t see it in marketing images for the sword. I speculate that what may have happened is this: there was some flaw in the spine of the sword, so they decided to grind that off, but they couldn’t remove that much material from a small part of the blade without it looking weird, so they just continued that grind all the way up the spine of the blade to the tip. The sheath, then, bent and creased so badly because it’s meant for a sword that’s just slightly wider at the point (and all along the blade, up to the “ramp”). The ramp itself is slightly uneven – I might try and clean it up with a dremel – but it’s fine and not unaesthetic except under very close inspection.
I don’t mind this issue, if it’s a flaw at all – I actually think it adds some character to the sword. The bent/curved blade is more of an issue, but it’s repairable with a simple jig (although I haven’t, yet – I will this weekend). The sheath bend… not a deal-breaker at all. I’m paying for a sword; not a sheath. The sheath is a throw-in, and it’s still just about as functional as I would have been otherwise. No biggie.
The S&D RK7 Two-Handed Sword was actually very difficult to inspect because I just could not get it out of the scabbard. I tried pulling pretty hard on scabbard and grip – eventually I put on some Kevlar gloves with leather wood hauling gloves over them just to be more comfortable that in the off-chance the force I was using cut through the scabbard I would have a little more material between the blade and my hands. Even with all my strength on both the throat of the sheath and the grip I couldn’t loosen it.
Wondering if I would be named King of England once I got the thing out, I eventually had to resort to wrapping the scabbard in cardboard and then putting it in my workbench vise, and then using my leg strength to force the blade out. Once the initial tension was broken… it came out fine. I have looked at it very closely, including with a magnifying lens, for about 30 minutes and have found no issues whatsoever with the blade – either from other S&D issues, from the scabbard “issue,” or from my … rather unorthodox efforts to free the blade.
The sword is perfect. I haven’t tried it back in the scabbard, but the scabbard took some minor indentations from the vise jaws (despite the thick cardboard I wrapped it in). Whatever – no biggie. I have never heard of anything like this happening before - I honestly wonder how they got the sword into the sheath in the first place (maybe the moisture made the sheath expand? But it was shocking how tight the thing was). Pretty funny story, really. If anyone knows where I now sit in the Royal Succession as a result of this, please let me know.
Statistics
Stat Table
RK7 – Two-Handed Sword (S&D) vs. Hanwei-Tinker Longsword
Blade
The RK7 appears like a nearly flat-ground Oakeshott XVIIIb. It's profile is a bit unorthodox, but not too bad: its edges remain parallel for only about the first quarter or third of the blade, and then it starts to taper very gradually. This gentle taper means that the final point is a bit more abrupt than a historical sword and not just a continuation of the rounding from halfway up the blade. The Tinker Longsword has a weird shape with a profile which starts wide at the guard, narrows quickly for the next ~4 or 5 inches, and then tapers gently until it gets nearly to the point, where it abruptly transitions to a needle point. It also has a subtle fuller than runs for maybe the first quarter of the blade. The RK7’s blade (top) is fractionally longer and noticeably meatier than the HT’s needle-point (middle) – it resembles a spearpoint knife tip in profile and size.
Grip
The RK7 (top) has an interesting waisted grip. It is completely cord-wrapped, with what seems like a fairly durable thread material that’s pretty grippy and gives good texture to ungloved hands. The hand divider is placed a little lower than looks right to me, but it’s clearly designed for the user to place their power hand partway onto the scent-stopper pommel, which has about an inch of extra usable space before finally expanding into a beautiful octagonal shape. The peen on my RK7 also turned out gorgeous. I especially like the pommel, here: not only is it beautiful – especially for the price of the sword – but it’s also highly functional. It’s ergonomic and comfortable to hold – whether you index it in the middle of your power palm or hold it so the base of your hand is anchored against it as it widens out.
The HT has a bit of a complex, rounded "box" shape to it that tapers until it gets to the pommel, which immediately flares at about a 30 degree angle to its full width. The grip on the HT is significantly longer than on the RK7 (nearly 8.9 inches long), in addition to a two-inch pommel. It is not cord-wrapped like the RK7, but also feels excellent in-hand. The pommel on the RK7 is also noticeably heavier – I wouldn’t count on the HT to pommel an opponent effectively, but the RK7 definitely could
Aesthetics, Fit and Finish
Kind of an interesting dichotomy, here: The RK7 has a mirror-finished blade, with a matte guard and pommel. The HT has a matte blade and a mirror-polished grip and pommel. Of the two, the RK7 is inarguably better put together. Aesthetics are subjective, though, and I give points both ways – I love the pommel of the RK7, for instance, but something about that weird modern blade shape and partial fuller on the HT really speaks to me and I prefer it for looks despite the more solid build, better blade polish, etc., of the RK7. Also kind of hard to overlook the HT's aesthetically disastrous nut pommel in this department – either for looks or solidity. One other point: the RK7’s gap between the blade and guard is quite tight for a production sword – let alone one that sells in the sub-$300 market. It’s just… really good.
Scabbards
The scabbard on the RK7 was the whole reason the entire sword was sold to me at a discount. It's actually a really solidly built piece that looks very nice - especially for the price range. That said, I’m unwilling to risk trying to replace the sword in it given that getting the blade out of the scabbard in the first place was harder than separating two interlocked phone books. They’re both functional. I prefer the RK’s scabbard for looks over any Windlass or Hanwei euro-sword I've had - it's really quite nice, with a good chape and throat to it and nice looking buckles and leather. If only it fit properly as opposed to holding the sword in a death-grip... but the S&D price tag was more than fair compensation for that momentary issue.
Handling Characteristics
In hand, the HT is one of the quickest blades I’ve handled – the thing weighs in at just 1.3kg! The RK7 is balanced just fractionally further forward, and weighs an extra ~260g. It is almost almost almost as fast, but it’s got noticeably more authority. It is definitely the one that I’d do cutting practice with, of the two. Everything about the blade is beefier, and the peen gives me a lot of confidence (even more than the nut construction of the HT).
RK7 Pros
The RK7 just does it right.
-Good handling
-Solid build - the grip and entire hilt assembly is tight to the blade, and the peen is a thing of beauty
-Pretty sharp out-of-box, and a good polish job to a near-mirror finish which is pretty smooth and even throughout
-Very attractive price – even at full-price this is absolutely worth it. I’d recommend it over the HT Longsword, which is an extremely popular and well-known model for people in this budget range. For a S&D? Steal. (Although, of course, your mileage may vary with S&Ds).
-Comes with a solid and good-looking scabbard (I'm attributing the anaconda-like constriction action around the blade as a feature of my S&D one rather than impugning the line with that flaw)
RK7 Cons
The con, here, was the S&D scabbard issue.
RK7 Bottom Line
The RK7 is a great longsword. It’s in the same price range as the HT Longsword, and it loses slightly in terms of speed and nimbleness to that model, but it gets it back for being much better built – it’s much more authoritative in the cut and very nearly as quick. The tip is well-supported and makes me very confident of the build quality. Also, some people may prefer the aesthetic package – I think it’s a mixed bag, but the scent-stopper pommel is wonderful and the mirror polish is really good for a model at this price point. I’d honestly recommend this thing over the HT to someone trying to decide between the two – and that’s not a knock on the HT (which I love) but a statement of how much I like the RK7.
Outstanding value. Also, surprisingly historical for the price range. I honestly have nothing but good things to say about this. This is an excellent addition to almost any collection.
RK10 Kriegsmesser (S&D)
Blade
This is a pretty interesting blade – it’s basically a beefy saber blade. In terms of length, 33” is definitely in the longsword range. The curvature is very gentle and only begins in the final ~1/3 of the blade. It’s mirror-polished and sports a pretty nice fuller which is straight and narrow but fairly deep. The fuller extends for about the first 2/3 of the blade.
This may be a function of my particular sword being a S&D version, but my blade has a cut-off about ¼ of the way down the blade where it angles towards the cutting edge for a fraction of an inch. The spine then “straightens out” relative to the fuller, and continues to the point unabated. Because the scabbard also seems slightly misfit, I think that this was plausibly an effort to redress some flaw in the spine of the blade there. My sword has a blade that is 33.125” long, which isn’t far off from the advertised 33.5” spec, so I can’t be sure but it seems like a plausible reading of the evidence. If my theory is correct, then the reduced material did not reduce the overall weight of the sword below the advertised 3 lbs, 3oz. – my sword is basically dead on in weight.
In any case, I think it adds some character.
What’s amazing, though, is that there’s a ghost hamon that extends for all but the last ~1/2 inch of the tip of the blade. At the base of the blade, the ghost hamon is thicker and extends about 1/3 of the way through the blade. It narrows gently for the entire length of the sword and finally disappears only in the last tiny bit of the tip. That’s awesome, though – I’ve always wanted a ghost hamon like this that actually seems useful since it indicates that the edge is actually a little harder than the spine! That this was a S&D is hilarious! and very fortunate for me. (It continues well past where it seems to terminate in the picture - that's a trick of the light I had to use to show it at all - but the ghost hamon goes very nearly through the entire length of the blade and runs off it only in the last inch or so).
The Grip, Guard, and Pommel
The grip, guard, and pommel all seem borrowed from the RK7. I … like this from a functional perspective, but I’d personally prefer a more historically-based grip. Especially for a sword advertised as a messer, I’d prefer the sandwiched and riveted tang construction. If sold as a falchion or some other type of sword? Maybe - I don't know the range of historical swords of this type. However, this is undoubtedly a very, very well-built grip assembly. The peen is excellent – as it was on the RK7 – and from a functional standpoint it checks the boxes. It retains the cord-wrapping and the waisting of the RK7. The guard is also a transplant from the RK7, which leads to a bit of an issue because the blade is too thick on the spine edge of the blade and too thin in the middle (where the central ridge of the RK7 blade would be) and on the edge of this sword. So they had to widen out the guard cavity on the one side in order to accommodate the thicker kriegsmesser’s spine, and they're still left with some gaps in the middle and towards the cutting edge. It’s definitely acceptable for a sword in this price range, but it's not perfect.
Handling
I’m honestly surprised at how nicely this sword handles. It’s even usable one-handed. It weighs in at 1.5kg, but its POB is well within 4” from the cross, and it feels lightweight and quick. I was easily able to change directions, start, and stop the blade. It feels “different” (but not bad) than a normal longsword in a way that I can’t really describe. Maybe it’s just psychological, but something about it just doesn’t seem normal. I like handling it, but I don’t love handling it the way I love the RK7 and the HT. Solid cutter, too, from my early experiments. It's really quite good out-of-the-box in that regard.
RK10 Pros
-Surprisingly good handling
-Good build quality – beautifully peened and very solid
-Pretty sharp out-of-box
-Very fairly priced
-Mine even had a nigh-perfect ghost hamon – and it was a S&D?!?!
RK10 Cons
- Completely ahistorical
- Obviously reused hilt assembly from the RK7 doesn’t impact functionality, but hurts the aesthetics (gap in the guard at the center and towards the cutting edge) and just… looks weird on a messer blade
RK10 Bottom Line
If this sword were made with a complex hilt/guard based on one of the “Swiss sabres” or even with a negel incorporated onto the slab/rivet grip assembly, then I would think it was absolutely, totally fantastic and would serve a market niche that I wish were filled (I don't think such a sword exists on the manufactured market? Hopefully I'm wrong about that?). As it is, it’s a nice, solid, well-made sword that boasts good handling. If it speaks to you then you won't go wrong with it – it just kills the CS Great Messer (another option sorta in this price range) in terms of build quality and functionality. But if you don't love it from looking at the pictures, then I won't tell you that you need to go buy one. It’s just so ahistorical that to my eye it just looks “odd” instead of beautiful. You'll get your money's worth for full asking price, but this doesn't scream value to me the way the RK7 does.
RK13 – Crusader
Before I get started on this one, let me say that this is my first Type XIIa sword, so I have no experience with these things. In fact, my knowledge of everything prior to the Type XV (which is a radically different sort of sword) is entirely in one-handed weapons. So I’m comparing this with much later swords that were built around incorporating thrusts into fighting, even when they offered some cutting capability. Please keep that in mind throughout this review – especially in the handling and the bottom line on this one.
Even though this sword is not based on any specific historical sword, the RK13 (bottom) really looks in profile and stats exactly like the Oakeshott Typology archetype of a Type XIIa – a cut-devoted two-handed sword which was prominent around the 12th to 13th centuries. So from the perspective of someone who’s never held one before, it actually seems pretty historically accurate, to me. In this regard, it is probably the best of the lineup in this review.
RK 13 Blade
The RK13 is basically an Oakeshott Type XIIa sword, with maybe a slightly longer (shallow) fuller that runs about three-quarters of the blade rather than two-thirds of it, and (perhaps) a tip that's fractionally more pointed to theoretically allow for thrusting. It sports nearly a 36” blade, which is very wide and tapers only gently until near the tip. It is also quite thick for nearly the entire length of the blade.
Like the other RK blades, it’s polished to a near-mirror finish.
However, unlike the other RK blades here, the grinding process on mine just wasn’t as good as I’d like. The fuller wanders all over the place on both sides of the blade. It was hard for me to photograph this, but in person, and looking down the blade, it looks really bad. There’s also kind of a good-sized gap between the blade and the guard. It’s not horrible – I’ve seen Windlass put out worse – but it’s not great. The polish job is pretty ripply, which you can feel, and the reflections it throws are a little distorted, but I've seen and enjoyed much worse.
The blade is adequately sharp for the entire length.
The Grip, Guard, and Pommel
The grip (bottom) is really nicely executed on this sword. It’s a leather(-like material? Can’t tell) over cord, which provides good grip and texture.
The pommel is a fairly beefy wheel-shaped one, and has a fairly well-done Christian cross-shape on both sides (incorporating a bit of a “Templar” theme). Style points for that. The peen is nice but not beautiful like on the other two RKs I reviewed – it’s smooth, but there’s just some slight discoloration.
In handling… I have fairly small hands, but even to me the grip feels a bit cramped. The edges on the wheel pommel are not comfortable against the base of my left (power) hand in a normal grip, so I tend to give myself a bit of a gap between that hand and the pommel. But that brings my hands a bit too close together. The wheel’s edges are also a little abrupt to hold without gloves, so if you choke down with your power hand to give yourself another couple of inches (and I do tend to do that when I dry-handle this sword), it still doesn’t feel great. I feel like the grip contributes to the awkward feeling of the sword – even if it is historically accurate.
RK13 Handling
This is where the sword was most disappointing. After dry-handling, I was shocked at how light the thing was on my scale since it's under 3 pounds for (almost) a 36" blade. It's actually only twenty grams heavier than the lightning-quick HT Longsword, and significantly lighter than the RK7. However, the awkward handling is explained by the POB, which is well over 6 inches from the guard. Compared to the Renaissance-longswords I'm more familiar with, this is quite a bit further forward than I’m used to.
I don’t know if historical Type XIIa’s handled this way, but compared to the later Renaissance-era longswords that I favor this feels very blade-heavy and slow. That may also be a function of the relatively tight real-estate on the grip, but somehow in handling this thing just doesn’t speak to me that much. Ever since I got it and dry-handled it, it’s pretty much gone to the bottom of my list of swords that I want to pick up and heft around. Maybe someone who actually likes XIIa’s and has used others, in the past, can shed more light on this and just tell me that this is part-and-parcel of the type, but to me it’s just not the right balance.
RK13 Pros
-The blade profile looks really nice – the sword is just the embodiment of the Oakeshott archetype of a XIIa – it’s definitely a very iconic blade type, and the little crosses on the wheel pommel are a nice touch
- Adequately sharp
- Reasonably priced
- Very ruggedly built - solid construction
RK13 Cons
- Compared to the other longswords here it just feels sluggish – maybe this is just part of the Type XIIa and I need to accept it and get used to it, but my first impression of it was that it was slow and blade-heavy
- I love the profile, but aesthetically my particular model doesn’t hold up to close inspection, either: wandering fuller is the worst offense, but the mirror polish on this one is considerably worse and more "ripply" than the two S&D Euros I just got, and it commits some other minor offenses in this regard, too.
RK13 Bottom Line
Someone who loves Type XIIa’s or other two-handed cut-only swords might get more out of this one, but for me the sluggish handling excludes it from getting regular use in my rotation. It’s definitely well-built. It’s got a gorgeous, iconic profile, and it seems a lot more historically accurate than it’s sold as being… but I just can’t recommend it unless you really love the period. It's not comfortable enough in handling to recommend over a model based on a Type XVa, XVIa, XVII, XVIIIb, etc. longsword, and it commits too many minor little aesthetic sins to really recommend for display. Sorry – that’s my opinion.
tl;dr
- All Swords
I love the HT Longsword, but IMO the RK7 is an even better package at a similar price: it’s not quite as fast, but it handles just fine and it’s got better bones and (literally) better polish. It also seems more historically grounded, if that’s a consideration, and the pommel is great.
I also recommend the RK10 Kriegsmesser for people who are interested. It’s not a historically grounded sword, but it seems like a good cutter out-of-box, and if it speaks to you then I say go for it: it’s well-built and handles much better than I had assumed it would – even useable one-handed (the only RK sword of these that can make that claim).
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend the RK13 Crusader unless you are deadset on its typology. From an aesthetic standpoint it gets full points for the profile – it’s the spitting image of an archetypal Type XIIa with the minor exception of the fuller looking a hair too long – but on close examination it just has so many little flaws and deductions that I can’t recommend it as a display sword. The fuller wanders all over (really my main concern), there’s a pretty decent gap between blade and guard, and its mirror polish isn’t as good as on the other RK’s I got – and those were S&D’s! Also, this may be due to my unfamiliarity with Type XIIa’s, but for me the grip feels cramped and the wheel pommel makes it uncomfortable to choke down with the power hand. That combines with the blade-heavy POB to make this feel sluggish for a two-hander. So it doesn't really excel as either a user, or as a looker... it's hard for me to think of someone who would just love this thing.
Ronin Katana Scratch and Dent Sale
Lastly, based on this experience I highly recommend the RK Scratch-and-Dent Sale. I know it’ll be over by the time I post this thread, and I get that there's some rolling of the dice involved, but I got two outstanding swords for my money:
The Kriegsmesser was a S&D, but the major flaw it suffers (curved blade) is user-repairable, and the potential flaw it has (the weird cut-in about a third of the way up the blade) doesn’t detract and IMO adds character to the blade. It also has a near-perfect “ghost hamon” which runs over 95% of the length of the blade. I would, honestly, pay more for this particular sword than for a normal, non-S&D sword that lacks the ghost-hamon. So obviously it was a huge (and very fortunate) bargain at the S&D price!
The RK7 Longsword I ordered had a flaw that has no bearing on either aesthetics or function: only the scabbard was implicated. Everything about the sword is perfect: blade, grip, guard. The pommel is beautifully peened. This one was definitely worth full price, let alone the S&D one. Again, this was a phenomenal bargain - an outstanding value made even better.
Of course, I can’t guarantee that your experience will match mine - this is the ultimate YMMV type of deal, but my experience with it was extremely positive. Best of luck if you do decide to get in on this, too!
I'll edit this to include some pictures, shortly - it's just too late to do it today and I wanted to get this out ASAP before the S&D sale shuts down.
Lots to go over in this review. The main thing is a review of three Ronin Katana European-line swords, and also the Scratch-and-Dent Sale for 2018 (this is an annual event for them). I purchased two European-line Scratch-and-Dents: an RK7 and an RK 10. I also, recently, purchased the RK 13 – Crusader, but this was at full-price and not an S&D. For comparison’s sake, I am also referencing the Hanwei-Tinker Longsword. This is a very popular and well-known sword in roughly the same price range (~$250 - albeit with limited availability) as the RKs, so in my view this is a fair comparison. The RK7 two-handed sword is basically a direct competitor for the HT Longsword, with similar features and (in my view) considerable overlap in the target markets. Except where noted, I will assume that the S&D nature of the two swords does not impact their function, handling, etc. I think you will agree that the flaws are insubstantial in use – they’re actually kind of funny.
Three of the swords - Bottom = RK13 - Crusader. Middle = Hanwei-Tinker Longsword. Top = RK7 - Two-Handed Sword.
I will go through the S&D issues that I found in my Initial Impressions section – if you are interested in what made these S&D ones then skip to there. and also check out the final tl;dr section.
Historical overview
RK7 – This is kind of an ahistorical take on an XVIIIb longsword, with a scent-stopper pommel. This one has pretty flat grinds, which was indeed a variant of the XVIIIb (although many were also hollow-ground). The scent-stopper is my favorite pommel-style for a longsword, and existed in history and is extremely comfortable, from a user-perspective. This is pretty close – I doubt it would have attracted much notice in the 15th century. Historical Type XVIIIs tended to have two main sections to the blade profile: the edges ran straight and parallel for about the first half of he blade, and then gradually curved inwards to the tip. This one ... kind of does that. For about the first quarter or third of the blade, these edges run parallel. After that, they start to taper together, but only gently. Then, in the last little part of the sword, the tapering becomes more abrupt and the edges come together quickly to the tip. This shape probably existed in history - there's a lot of variation in styles and individual swords - but it's not archetypal for the XVIII.
RK10 – Kriegsmesser – From a historical standpoint, this is more of a mess than a messer. Although I’m no expert in the type, and despite knowing about how varied this style of sword was, the RK10 has a number of ahistorical features. Notably, rather than the defining construction type for messers – with the tang sandwiched between slabs of hilt material (usually hardwood), this one is peened with a scent-stopper pommel which looks identical to the one used by the RK7. This is actually a significant issue because anything that had a peened pommel was legally a sword and not a messer. Also missing is the “nail” (negel) that was a frequent feature of historical messers – though I understand that some historical finds also omit this feature. There was tremendous variety in the blade style, and so there’s no “wrong” way to do the blade to my knowledge, but this one has a very gentle curvature in the final third of the blade and no “cusp” or other false-edge features that sometimes (but by no means always) existed in falchions and messers.
RK13 – Crusader – Even though this is specifically not advertised as a historical model or based on a historical sword, this is almost the spitting-image of an Oakeshott Type XIIa war sword. The fuller may run a bit long compared to historical versions – it’s closer to ¾ than 2/3 of the blade length, in my version, but it’s pretty close to the archetypal image of a warsword. This is also advertised as being connected to the Knights Templar, and has a Christian cross on each side of the wheel pommel. Again, this was a historically plausible design detail, since the Templar were active throughout the period that the Type XIIa was in use.
Hanwei-Tinker Longsword – this is a modern take on longswords, which makes no pretense of historical authenticity. It uses an ahistorical variant of a T pommel which is secured with a nut, rather than any type of peening. It also has an interesting blade profile that is wide near the guard, quickly narrows, and then runs almost parallel until near the tip, where it then narrows more aggressively to a needle-point.
Full Disclosure
I purchased the HT Longsword and the RK13 – Crusader for full price.
I purchased the RK7 Two-Handed Sword and RK10 Kriegsmesser at Ronin Katana’s annual Scratch-and-Dent Sale in 2018.
Initial Impressions
The Scratch and Dent swords were delivered to my house in a pouring rainstorm and I wasn’t able to get to them until the shipping box was thoroughly drenched. Hoping that they wouldn’t be too damaged, I opened the box and found that each was shipped in a smaller, more fitted box which had (somehow) managed to not be soaked through. I immediately got them out of their scabbard and sheath and the blades themselves seemed dry with little shipping grease and no plastic wrap or anything else on them. They seemed nice, out-of-box.
The S&D issues made themselves fairly apparent:
The S&D RK10 Kriegsmesser, on inspection, had a “bent” blade near the end. This is harder to discern in the picture I was able to take than in real-life. It can definitely be fixed without substantial effort, and I will do so shortly. Moreover, the sheath (it is a sheath and not a scabbard since it lacks a hard core) was substantially bent and had taken a set near the tip. This was potentially a function of dampness. This is actually harder to resolve than the bent blade (funnily enough) since it will be hard to get it back to straight.
I think the mangled sheath might also be a function of a more subtle issue with the blade: my kriegsmesser sharply narrows about one quarter of the way up the blade from the guard, with the spine clipping in at about a 45-degree angle for about 1/4 inch. The blade then continues normally the rest of the way. I don’t know why this would have happened – it seems like it’s a design feature, but I don’t see it in marketing images for the sword. I speculate that what may have happened is this: there was some flaw in the spine of the sword, so they decided to grind that off, but they couldn’t remove that much material from a small part of the blade without it looking weird, so they just continued that grind all the way up the spine of the blade to the tip. The sheath, then, bent and creased so badly because it’s meant for a sword that’s just slightly wider at the point (and all along the blade, up to the “ramp”). The ramp itself is slightly uneven – I might try and clean it up with a dremel – but it’s fine and not unaesthetic except under very close inspection.
I don’t mind this issue, if it’s a flaw at all – I actually think it adds some character to the sword. The bent/curved blade is more of an issue, but it’s repairable with a simple jig (although I haven’t, yet – I will this weekend). The sheath bend… not a deal-breaker at all. I’m paying for a sword; not a sheath. The sheath is a throw-in, and it’s still just about as functional as I would have been otherwise. No biggie.
The S&D RK7 Two-Handed Sword was actually very difficult to inspect because I just could not get it out of the scabbard. I tried pulling pretty hard on scabbard and grip – eventually I put on some Kevlar gloves with leather wood hauling gloves over them just to be more comfortable that in the off-chance the force I was using cut through the scabbard I would have a little more material between the blade and my hands. Even with all my strength on both the throat of the sheath and the grip I couldn’t loosen it.
Wondering if I would be named King of England once I got the thing out, I eventually had to resort to wrapping the scabbard in cardboard and then putting it in my workbench vise, and then using my leg strength to force the blade out. Once the initial tension was broken… it came out fine. I have looked at it very closely, including with a magnifying lens, for about 30 minutes and have found no issues whatsoever with the blade – either from other S&D issues, from the scabbard “issue,” or from my … rather unorthodox efforts to free the blade.
The sword is perfect. I haven’t tried it back in the scabbard, but the scabbard took some minor indentations from the vise jaws (despite the thick cardboard I wrapped it in). Whatever – no biggie. I have never heard of anything like this happening before - I honestly wonder how they got the sword into the sheath in the first place (maybe the moisture made the sheath expand? But it was shocking how tight the thing was). Pretty funny story, really. If anyone knows where I now sit in the Royal Succession as a result of this, please let me know.
Statistics
Stat Table
RK7 – Two-Handed Sword (S&D) vs. Hanwei-Tinker Longsword
Blade
The RK7 appears like a nearly flat-ground Oakeshott XVIIIb. It's profile is a bit unorthodox, but not too bad: its edges remain parallel for only about the first quarter or third of the blade, and then it starts to taper very gradually. This gentle taper means that the final point is a bit more abrupt than a historical sword and not just a continuation of the rounding from halfway up the blade. The Tinker Longsword has a weird shape with a profile which starts wide at the guard, narrows quickly for the next ~4 or 5 inches, and then tapers gently until it gets nearly to the point, where it abruptly transitions to a needle point. It also has a subtle fuller than runs for maybe the first quarter of the blade. The RK7’s blade (top) is fractionally longer and noticeably meatier than the HT’s needle-point (middle) – it resembles a spearpoint knife tip in profile and size.
Grip
The RK7 (top) has an interesting waisted grip. It is completely cord-wrapped, with what seems like a fairly durable thread material that’s pretty grippy and gives good texture to ungloved hands. The hand divider is placed a little lower than looks right to me, but it’s clearly designed for the user to place their power hand partway onto the scent-stopper pommel, which has about an inch of extra usable space before finally expanding into a beautiful octagonal shape. The peen on my RK7 also turned out gorgeous. I especially like the pommel, here: not only is it beautiful – especially for the price of the sword – but it’s also highly functional. It’s ergonomic and comfortable to hold – whether you index it in the middle of your power palm or hold it so the base of your hand is anchored against it as it widens out.
The HT has a bit of a complex, rounded "box" shape to it that tapers until it gets to the pommel, which immediately flares at about a 30 degree angle to its full width. The grip on the HT is significantly longer than on the RK7 (nearly 8.9 inches long), in addition to a two-inch pommel. It is not cord-wrapped like the RK7, but also feels excellent in-hand. The pommel on the RK7 is also noticeably heavier – I wouldn’t count on the HT to pommel an opponent effectively, but the RK7 definitely could
Aesthetics, Fit and Finish
Kind of an interesting dichotomy, here: The RK7 has a mirror-finished blade, with a matte guard and pommel. The HT has a matte blade and a mirror-polished grip and pommel. Of the two, the RK7 is inarguably better put together. Aesthetics are subjective, though, and I give points both ways – I love the pommel of the RK7, for instance, but something about that weird modern blade shape and partial fuller on the HT really speaks to me and I prefer it for looks despite the more solid build, better blade polish, etc., of the RK7. Also kind of hard to overlook the HT's aesthetically disastrous nut pommel in this department – either for looks or solidity. One other point: the RK7’s gap between the blade and guard is quite tight for a production sword – let alone one that sells in the sub-$300 market. It’s just… really good.
Scabbards
The scabbard on the RK7 was the whole reason the entire sword was sold to me at a discount. It's actually a really solidly built piece that looks very nice - especially for the price range. That said, I’m unwilling to risk trying to replace the sword in it given that getting the blade out of the scabbard in the first place was harder than separating two interlocked phone books. They’re both functional. I prefer the RK’s scabbard for looks over any Windlass or Hanwei euro-sword I've had - it's really quite nice, with a good chape and throat to it and nice looking buckles and leather. If only it fit properly as opposed to holding the sword in a death-grip... but the S&D price tag was more than fair compensation for that momentary issue.
Handling Characteristics
In hand, the HT is one of the quickest blades I’ve handled – the thing weighs in at just 1.3kg! The RK7 is balanced just fractionally further forward, and weighs an extra ~260g. It is almost almost almost as fast, but it’s got noticeably more authority. It is definitely the one that I’d do cutting practice with, of the two. Everything about the blade is beefier, and the peen gives me a lot of confidence (even more than the nut construction of the HT).
RK7 Pros
The RK7 just does it right.
-Good handling
-Solid build - the grip and entire hilt assembly is tight to the blade, and the peen is a thing of beauty
-Pretty sharp out-of-box, and a good polish job to a near-mirror finish which is pretty smooth and even throughout
-Very attractive price – even at full-price this is absolutely worth it. I’d recommend it over the HT Longsword, which is an extremely popular and well-known model for people in this budget range. For a S&D? Steal. (Although, of course, your mileage may vary with S&Ds).
-Comes with a solid and good-looking scabbard (I'm attributing the anaconda-like constriction action around the blade as a feature of my S&D one rather than impugning the line with that flaw)
RK7 Cons
The con, here, was the S&D scabbard issue.
RK7 Bottom Line
The RK7 is a great longsword. It’s in the same price range as the HT Longsword, and it loses slightly in terms of speed and nimbleness to that model, but it gets it back for being much better built – it’s much more authoritative in the cut and very nearly as quick. The tip is well-supported and makes me very confident of the build quality. Also, some people may prefer the aesthetic package – I think it’s a mixed bag, but the scent-stopper pommel is wonderful and the mirror polish is really good for a model at this price point. I’d honestly recommend this thing over the HT to someone trying to decide between the two – and that’s not a knock on the HT (which I love) but a statement of how much I like the RK7.
Outstanding value. Also, surprisingly historical for the price range. I honestly have nothing but good things to say about this. This is an excellent addition to almost any collection.
RK10 Kriegsmesser (S&D)
Blade
This is a pretty interesting blade – it’s basically a beefy saber blade. In terms of length, 33” is definitely in the longsword range. The curvature is very gentle and only begins in the final ~1/3 of the blade. It’s mirror-polished and sports a pretty nice fuller which is straight and narrow but fairly deep. The fuller extends for about the first 2/3 of the blade.
This may be a function of my particular sword being a S&D version, but my blade has a cut-off about ¼ of the way down the blade where it angles towards the cutting edge for a fraction of an inch. The spine then “straightens out” relative to the fuller, and continues to the point unabated. Because the scabbard also seems slightly misfit, I think that this was plausibly an effort to redress some flaw in the spine of the blade there. My sword has a blade that is 33.125” long, which isn’t far off from the advertised 33.5” spec, so I can’t be sure but it seems like a plausible reading of the evidence. If my theory is correct, then the reduced material did not reduce the overall weight of the sword below the advertised 3 lbs, 3oz. – my sword is basically dead on in weight.
In any case, I think it adds some character.
What’s amazing, though, is that there’s a ghost hamon that extends for all but the last ~1/2 inch of the tip of the blade. At the base of the blade, the ghost hamon is thicker and extends about 1/3 of the way through the blade. It narrows gently for the entire length of the sword and finally disappears only in the last tiny bit of the tip. That’s awesome, though – I’ve always wanted a ghost hamon like this that actually seems useful since it indicates that the edge is actually a little harder than the spine! That this was a S&D is hilarious! and very fortunate for me. (It continues well past where it seems to terminate in the picture - that's a trick of the light I had to use to show it at all - but the ghost hamon goes very nearly through the entire length of the blade and runs off it only in the last inch or so).
The Grip, Guard, and Pommel
The grip, guard, and pommel all seem borrowed from the RK7. I … like this from a functional perspective, but I’d personally prefer a more historically-based grip. Especially for a sword advertised as a messer, I’d prefer the sandwiched and riveted tang construction. If sold as a falchion or some other type of sword? Maybe - I don't know the range of historical swords of this type. However, this is undoubtedly a very, very well-built grip assembly. The peen is excellent – as it was on the RK7 – and from a functional standpoint it checks the boxes. It retains the cord-wrapping and the waisting of the RK7. The guard is also a transplant from the RK7, which leads to a bit of an issue because the blade is too thick on the spine edge of the blade and too thin in the middle (where the central ridge of the RK7 blade would be) and on the edge of this sword. So they had to widen out the guard cavity on the one side in order to accommodate the thicker kriegsmesser’s spine, and they're still left with some gaps in the middle and towards the cutting edge. It’s definitely acceptable for a sword in this price range, but it's not perfect.
Handling
I’m honestly surprised at how nicely this sword handles. It’s even usable one-handed. It weighs in at 1.5kg, but its POB is well within 4” from the cross, and it feels lightweight and quick. I was easily able to change directions, start, and stop the blade. It feels “different” (but not bad) than a normal longsword in a way that I can’t really describe. Maybe it’s just psychological, but something about it just doesn’t seem normal. I like handling it, but I don’t love handling it the way I love the RK7 and the HT. Solid cutter, too, from my early experiments. It's really quite good out-of-the-box in that regard.
RK10 Pros
-Surprisingly good handling
-Good build quality – beautifully peened and very solid
-Pretty sharp out-of-box
-Very fairly priced
-Mine even had a nigh-perfect ghost hamon – and it was a S&D?!?!
RK10 Cons
- Completely ahistorical
- Obviously reused hilt assembly from the RK7 doesn’t impact functionality, but hurts the aesthetics (gap in the guard at the center and towards the cutting edge) and just… looks weird on a messer blade
RK10 Bottom Line
If this sword were made with a complex hilt/guard based on one of the “Swiss sabres” or even with a negel incorporated onto the slab/rivet grip assembly, then I would think it was absolutely, totally fantastic and would serve a market niche that I wish were filled (I don't think such a sword exists on the manufactured market? Hopefully I'm wrong about that?). As it is, it’s a nice, solid, well-made sword that boasts good handling. If it speaks to you then you won't go wrong with it – it just kills the CS Great Messer (another option sorta in this price range) in terms of build quality and functionality. But if you don't love it from looking at the pictures, then I won't tell you that you need to go buy one. It’s just so ahistorical that to my eye it just looks “odd” instead of beautiful. You'll get your money's worth for full asking price, but this doesn't scream value to me the way the RK7 does.
RK13 – Crusader
Before I get started on this one, let me say that this is my first Type XIIa sword, so I have no experience with these things. In fact, my knowledge of everything prior to the Type XV (which is a radically different sort of sword) is entirely in one-handed weapons. So I’m comparing this with much later swords that were built around incorporating thrusts into fighting, even when they offered some cutting capability. Please keep that in mind throughout this review – especially in the handling and the bottom line on this one.
Even though this sword is not based on any specific historical sword, the RK13 (bottom) really looks in profile and stats exactly like the Oakeshott Typology archetype of a Type XIIa – a cut-devoted two-handed sword which was prominent around the 12th to 13th centuries. So from the perspective of someone who’s never held one before, it actually seems pretty historically accurate, to me. In this regard, it is probably the best of the lineup in this review.
RK 13 Blade
The RK13 is basically an Oakeshott Type XIIa sword, with maybe a slightly longer (shallow) fuller that runs about three-quarters of the blade rather than two-thirds of it, and (perhaps) a tip that's fractionally more pointed to theoretically allow for thrusting. It sports nearly a 36” blade, which is very wide and tapers only gently until near the tip. It is also quite thick for nearly the entire length of the blade.
Like the other RK blades, it’s polished to a near-mirror finish.
However, unlike the other RK blades here, the grinding process on mine just wasn’t as good as I’d like. The fuller wanders all over the place on both sides of the blade. It was hard for me to photograph this, but in person, and looking down the blade, it looks really bad. There’s also kind of a good-sized gap between the blade and the guard. It’s not horrible – I’ve seen Windlass put out worse – but it’s not great. The polish job is pretty ripply, which you can feel, and the reflections it throws are a little distorted, but I've seen and enjoyed much worse.
The blade is adequately sharp for the entire length.
The Grip, Guard, and Pommel
The grip (bottom) is really nicely executed on this sword. It’s a leather(-like material? Can’t tell) over cord, which provides good grip and texture.
The pommel is a fairly beefy wheel-shaped one, and has a fairly well-done Christian cross-shape on both sides (incorporating a bit of a “Templar” theme). Style points for that. The peen is nice but not beautiful like on the other two RKs I reviewed – it’s smooth, but there’s just some slight discoloration.
In handling… I have fairly small hands, but even to me the grip feels a bit cramped. The edges on the wheel pommel are not comfortable against the base of my left (power) hand in a normal grip, so I tend to give myself a bit of a gap between that hand and the pommel. But that brings my hands a bit too close together. The wheel’s edges are also a little abrupt to hold without gloves, so if you choke down with your power hand to give yourself another couple of inches (and I do tend to do that when I dry-handle this sword), it still doesn’t feel great. I feel like the grip contributes to the awkward feeling of the sword – even if it is historically accurate.
RK13 Handling
This is where the sword was most disappointing. After dry-handling, I was shocked at how light the thing was on my scale since it's under 3 pounds for (almost) a 36" blade. It's actually only twenty grams heavier than the lightning-quick HT Longsword, and significantly lighter than the RK7. However, the awkward handling is explained by the POB, which is well over 6 inches from the guard. Compared to the Renaissance-longswords I'm more familiar with, this is quite a bit further forward than I’m used to.
I don’t know if historical Type XIIa’s handled this way, but compared to the later Renaissance-era longswords that I favor this feels very blade-heavy and slow. That may also be a function of the relatively tight real-estate on the grip, but somehow in handling this thing just doesn’t speak to me that much. Ever since I got it and dry-handled it, it’s pretty much gone to the bottom of my list of swords that I want to pick up and heft around. Maybe someone who actually likes XIIa’s and has used others, in the past, can shed more light on this and just tell me that this is part-and-parcel of the type, but to me it’s just not the right balance.
RK13 Pros
-The blade profile looks really nice – the sword is just the embodiment of the Oakeshott archetype of a XIIa – it’s definitely a very iconic blade type, and the little crosses on the wheel pommel are a nice touch
- Adequately sharp
- Reasonably priced
- Very ruggedly built - solid construction
RK13 Cons
- Compared to the other longswords here it just feels sluggish – maybe this is just part of the Type XIIa and I need to accept it and get used to it, but my first impression of it was that it was slow and blade-heavy
- I love the profile, but aesthetically my particular model doesn’t hold up to close inspection, either: wandering fuller is the worst offense, but the mirror polish on this one is considerably worse and more "ripply" than the two S&D Euros I just got, and it commits some other minor offenses in this regard, too.
RK13 Bottom Line
Someone who loves Type XIIa’s or other two-handed cut-only swords might get more out of this one, but for me the sluggish handling excludes it from getting regular use in my rotation. It’s definitely well-built. It’s got a gorgeous, iconic profile, and it seems a lot more historically accurate than it’s sold as being… but I just can’t recommend it unless you really love the period. It's not comfortable enough in handling to recommend over a model based on a Type XVa, XVIa, XVII, XVIIIb, etc. longsword, and it commits too many minor little aesthetic sins to really recommend for display. Sorry – that’s my opinion.
tl;dr
- All Swords
I love the HT Longsword, but IMO the RK7 is an even better package at a similar price: it’s not quite as fast, but it handles just fine and it’s got better bones and (literally) better polish. It also seems more historically grounded, if that’s a consideration, and the pommel is great.
I also recommend the RK10 Kriegsmesser for people who are interested. It’s not a historically grounded sword, but it seems like a good cutter out-of-box, and if it speaks to you then I say go for it: it’s well-built and handles much better than I had assumed it would – even useable one-handed (the only RK sword of these that can make that claim).
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend the RK13 Crusader unless you are deadset on its typology. From an aesthetic standpoint it gets full points for the profile – it’s the spitting image of an archetypal Type XIIa with the minor exception of the fuller looking a hair too long – but on close examination it just has so many little flaws and deductions that I can’t recommend it as a display sword. The fuller wanders all over (really my main concern), there’s a pretty decent gap between blade and guard, and its mirror polish isn’t as good as on the other RK’s I got – and those were S&D’s! Also, this may be due to my unfamiliarity with Type XIIa’s, but for me the grip feels cramped and the wheel pommel makes it uncomfortable to choke down with the power hand. That combines with the blade-heavy POB to make this feel sluggish for a two-hander. So it doesn't really excel as either a user, or as a looker... it's hard for me to think of someone who would just love this thing.
Ronin Katana Scratch and Dent Sale
Lastly, based on this experience I highly recommend the RK Scratch-and-Dent Sale. I know it’ll be over by the time I post this thread, and I get that there's some rolling of the dice involved, but I got two outstanding swords for my money:
The Kriegsmesser was a S&D, but the major flaw it suffers (curved blade) is user-repairable, and the potential flaw it has (the weird cut-in about a third of the way up the blade) doesn’t detract and IMO adds character to the blade. It also has a near-perfect “ghost hamon” which runs over 95% of the length of the blade. I would, honestly, pay more for this particular sword than for a normal, non-S&D sword that lacks the ghost-hamon. So obviously it was a huge (and very fortunate) bargain at the S&D price!
The RK7 Longsword I ordered had a flaw that has no bearing on either aesthetics or function: only the scabbard was implicated. Everything about the sword is perfect: blade, grip, guard. The pommel is beautifully peened. This one was definitely worth full price, let alone the S&D one. Again, this was a phenomenal bargain - an outstanding value made even better.
Of course, I can’t guarantee that your experience will match mine - this is the ultimate YMMV type of deal, but my experience with it was extremely positive. Best of luck if you do decide to get in on this, too!