United Cutlery Combat Commander Saber Knife
Mar 26, 2018 23:28:48 GMT
Post by wlewisiii on Mar 26, 2018 23:28:48 GMT
Introduction
I have always been fascinated by swords and knives. Over the past few months I have begun practicing HEMA with first I.33 style sword and buckler and more recently military saber. My budget is terribly limited so my most expensive acquisition up to this point has been a Windlass Steelcrafts 1860 US Light Cavalry Saber. I wanted to find a more modern take on the saber concept as well as something that I could bash about with for less money than my very nice Windlass blade. While searching for something else on Amazon, I discovered the UC Combat Commander Saber Knife (just sword from here on) for the silly low price of $41. I found some rather negative reviews but also some more positive thoughts on it and decided that the risk was low enough for the potential and went ahead an ordered it.
.
Historical overview
This particular saber is a mostly modern “Tactical” take on the classic military cut and thrust saber of the 19th century. It has a blade that is more reminiscent of a katana than the classical saber but the overall look and feel is still that of classic military saber. It is three inches shorter than either the 1860 US or 1796 British light cavalry sabers and 2 oz & 5 oz lighter respectively. Though there are complaints on the Amazon page for the sword about it being heavy or unwieldy, it is actually on the smaller end of the military saber spectrum.
Full Disclosure
I am a noob at both sword exercises as well as at reviewing swords. Hopefully this will be of use to someone else who is looking for the absolute cheapest blade that is still worth buying. The blade was purchased by me and I am receiving nothing for this review. My interest has turned to military saber and this one caught my eye.
Initial Impressions
Being from Amazon, the packaging was well done, a larger box with lots of paper wadding to hold the inner box from the manufacturer. Inside the box the blade was in it's scabbard but with a oil coated plastic wrapper on the blade, several humidity absorbing packets and a single slip of paper saying, essential, be careful, it's not a toy and keep it oiled. The oil cleaned off easily and I wiped it down with my preferred CLP, FrogLube. It looks as if there is a slight curve to the right as I hold the sword up but it is so slight that I am not sure it is not a trick of my eyes. Even if it is real, it is slight enough that for my purposes (and at this cost) I will not complain.
Statistics
Blade Length: 30”
Handle Length:6”
Overall Length: 36”
Guard Width:2”
POB (Point of Balance): 8” from front of guard
COP (Center of Percussion): 21” from front of guard
Weight: 1 lb 12.5 oz (~800 grams) – 2 lbs 5 oz in scabbard.
Components
Being a modern tactical sword, it looks similar to but not quite like it’s historical precedents. It is made of a 1065 carbon steel. It is tempered but I do not know the the Rockwell rating. The blade vaguely recalls both a katana and a saber. It is a flat ground blade with no distal taper – in this it is more reminiscent of a machete than a sword. It is finished in a flat black that reminds me of a dark bluing but that’s not quite what it is. The tip comes to a chisel point. In a way, that's where the katana look mostly comes from. There is no ricasso as such. The blade widens at the back and comes onto a line with the bar of the hilt and is sharpened to right up to where it meets the guard. The back edge just comes back to the guard with no change from up forward. There is not false edge; this is not a big loss really.
The grip is a P shaped single bar hilt. The upper quillion is swept slightly forward giving a place for the thumb. I think this helps the handling considerably. Metal on the guard bar and along the back of the grip with a softer textured grip described by the maker as “The handle is fiber filled ABS with a soft textured TPR covering and is as tough as they get!” It has a good look and feel and is long enough that even while wearing gloves I am able to place my thumb on the top and grip it to aim the point. There is a lanyard hole at the end of the grip that would probably be more practical than, say, the sword knot I bought from an ACW reenactment sutler for my 1860 saber. Though there is no doubt that a leather sword knot has a certain cool factor in it's favor.
The Scabbard
The scabbard is nylon with PVC liners at the top and bottom to prevent cutting of the material. It is fairly heavy and seems to be well made. There is a single long belt loop at the top, again more like a machette than a sword, with a snap to hold the handle in place. It is for hanging on the left side with a cross body draw by the right hand.
Photos
Handling Characteristics
The sword itself comes to hand for me quite nicely. I do saber solo and work with the exercises in O'Rourke & from the AHF workbook on the Ten Lessons from the 1824 edition of Art of Defense on Foot. The blade being just a bit shorter and lighter works well for me. The balance was surprisingly pleasant to me considering that with my limited experience, it seemed like the POB was rather far forward. I have learned better now It does make a delightful "swish" as it cuts the air and perhaps it's simply a sign of my Noob-ness but I find that entertaining as I do a moulinet with the sword.
Test Cutting
I was able to cut paper easily. When I attempted to cut bottles I ran into a number of small annoyances. I really don't have a good space to attempt cutting and when I did I partly cut into the 16 oz soda bottle and smacked it away as well. I have come to the belief that I'm not swinging hard enough and that the blade is possibly turning somewhat I as I strike so there is a bit of blade flat hitting the bottle immediately after the cutting edge. So since it is my feeling that the problem lies more behind the grip than it does in front of it. As a result when the snow has finished melting and I have a better area to work with, I'll return to the test cutting issue.
Conclusions
Overall I am favorably inclined towards this piece. Obviously it is cheap cheap cheap and yet it is also a reminder that being inexpensive does not inherently mean that it is bad. This so simple, basic and sturdily made that, again like a machete, it should be nigh unbreakable and need only very basic maintenance.
Pros
- Nice shape to the blade.
- weight is quite similar to historical military sabers. The 1796 Light Cavalry Pattern weighed 950 grams in a recent Matt Easton video where he weighed a number of Napoleonic Era swords.
- Handles well while going through my sword exercises.
- Cost allows me to not be concerned with being cautious about the blade. I could buy several more for the cost of one Windlass 1860 US Light Cavalry Saber which is the least expensive one in their line currently.
Cons
- edge could be sharper but I am not convinced that problem cutting was not behind the grip rather than in front of it.
- Scabbard unusable for left handed users
-
The Bottom Line
In the end, the Combat Commander Saber is an interesting and mostly successful take on the modern tactical sword idea. I’m not sure I’d be as happy with it at it’s full MSRP of $99 but at $41 through Amazon, it has a whole lot of bang for the buck. At that price I could recommend it to someone interested in the concept.
It’s obviously not a historical sword. For those who prefer an accurate copy of a historical pattern, this would not be an appropriate choice.
It is not going to replace either of my Windlass swords - the US 1860 Light Cavalry Saber or the Cobra Kindjal but it is a very nice addition to my small collection for it's price.
I hope this has been of some use to someone else here.
I have always been fascinated by swords and knives. Over the past few months I have begun practicing HEMA with first I.33 style sword and buckler and more recently military saber. My budget is terribly limited so my most expensive acquisition up to this point has been a Windlass Steelcrafts 1860 US Light Cavalry Saber. I wanted to find a more modern take on the saber concept as well as something that I could bash about with for less money than my very nice Windlass blade. While searching for something else on Amazon, I discovered the UC Combat Commander Saber Knife (just sword from here on) for the silly low price of $41. I found some rather negative reviews but also some more positive thoughts on it and decided that the risk was low enough for the potential and went ahead an ordered it.
.
Historical overview
This particular saber is a mostly modern “Tactical” take on the classic military cut and thrust saber of the 19th century. It has a blade that is more reminiscent of a katana than the classical saber but the overall look and feel is still that of classic military saber. It is three inches shorter than either the 1860 US or 1796 British light cavalry sabers and 2 oz & 5 oz lighter respectively. Though there are complaints on the Amazon page for the sword about it being heavy or unwieldy, it is actually on the smaller end of the military saber spectrum.
Full Disclosure
I am a noob at both sword exercises as well as at reviewing swords. Hopefully this will be of use to someone else who is looking for the absolute cheapest blade that is still worth buying. The blade was purchased by me and I am receiving nothing for this review. My interest has turned to military saber and this one caught my eye.
Initial Impressions
Being from Amazon, the packaging was well done, a larger box with lots of paper wadding to hold the inner box from the manufacturer. Inside the box the blade was in it's scabbard but with a oil coated plastic wrapper on the blade, several humidity absorbing packets and a single slip of paper saying, essential, be careful, it's not a toy and keep it oiled. The oil cleaned off easily and I wiped it down with my preferred CLP, FrogLube. It looks as if there is a slight curve to the right as I hold the sword up but it is so slight that I am not sure it is not a trick of my eyes. Even if it is real, it is slight enough that for my purposes (and at this cost) I will not complain.
Statistics
Blade Length: 30”
Handle Length:6”
Overall Length: 36”
Guard Width:2”
POB (Point of Balance): 8” from front of guard
COP (Center of Percussion): 21” from front of guard
Weight: 1 lb 12.5 oz (~800 grams) – 2 lbs 5 oz in scabbard.
Components
Being a modern tactical sword, it looks similar to but not quite like it’s historical precedents. It is made of a 1065 carbon steel. It is tempered but I do not know the the Rockwell rating. The blade vaguely recalls both a katana and a saber. It is a flat ground blade with no distal taper – in this it is more reminiscent of a machete than a sword. It is finished in a flat black that reminds me of a dark bluing but that’s not quite what it is. The tip comes to a chisel point. In a way, that's where the katana look mostly comes from. There is no ricasso as such. The blade widens at the back and comes onto a line with the bar of the hilt and is sharpened to right up to where it meets the guard. The back edge just comes back to the guard with no change from up forward. There is not false edge; this is not a big loss really.
The grip is a P shaped single bar hilt. The upper quillion is swept slightly forward giving a place for the thumb. I think this helps the handling considerably. Metal on the guard bar and along the back of the grip with a softer textured grip described by the maker as “The handle is fiber filled ABS with a soft textured TPR covering and is as tough as they get!” It has a good look and feel and is long enough that even while wearing gloves I am able to place my thumb on the top and grip it to aim the point. There is a lanyard hole at the end of the grip that would probably be more practical than, say, the sword knot I bought from an ACW reenactment sutler for my 1860 saber. Though there is no doubt that a leather sword knot has a certain cool factor in it's favor.
The Scabbard
The scabbard is nylon with PVC liners at the top and bottom to prevent cutting of the material. It is fairly heavy and seems to be well made. There is a single long belt loop at the top, again more like a machette than a sword, with a snap to hold the handle in place. It is for hanging on the left side with a cross body draw by the right hand.
Photos
Handling Characteristics
The sword itself comes to hand for me quite nicely. I do saber solo and work with the exercises in O'Rourke & from the AHF workbook on the Ten Lessons from the 1824 edition of Art of Defense on Foot. The blade being just a bit shorter and lighter works well for me. The balance was surprisingly pleasant to me considering that with my limited experience, it seemed like the POB was rather far forward. I have learned better now It does make a delightful "swish" as it cuts the air and perhaps it's simply a sign of my Noob-ness but I find that entertaining as I do a moulinet with the sword.
Test Cutting
I was able to cut paper easily. When I attempted to cut bottles I ran into a number of small annoyances. I really don't have a good space to attempt cutting and when I did I partly cut into the 16 oz soda bottle and smacked it away as well. I have come to the belief that I'm not swinging hard enough and that the blade is possibly turning somewhat I as I strike so there is a bit of blade flat hitting the bottle immediately after the cutting edge. So since it is my feeling that the problem lies more behind the grip than it does in front of it. As a result when the snow has finished melting and I have a better area to work with, I'll return to the test cutting issue.
Conclusions
Overall I am favorably inclined towards this piece. Obviously it is cheap cheap cheap and yet it is also a reminder that being inexpensive does not inherently mean that it is bad. This so simple, basic and sturdily made that, again like a machete, it should be nigh unbreakable and need only very basic maintenance.
Pros
- Nice shape to the blade.
- weight is quite similar to historical military sabers. The 1796 Light Cavalry Pattern weighed 950 grams in a recent Matt Easton video where he weighed a number of Napoleonic Era swords.
- Handles well while going through my sword exercises.
- Cost allows me to not be concerned with being cautious about the blade. I could buy several more for the cost of one Windlass 1860 US Light Cavalry Saber which is the least expensive one in their line currently.
Cons
- edge could be sharper but I am not convinced that problem cutting was not behind the grip rather than in front of it.
- Scabbard unusable for left handed users
-
The Bottom Line
In the end, the Combat Commander Saber is an interesting and mostly successful take on the modern tactical sword idea. I’m not sure I’d be as happy with it at it’s full MSRP of $99 but at $41 through Amazon, it has a whole lot of bang for the buck. At that price I could recommend it to someone interested in the concept.
It’s obviously not a historical sword. For those who prefer an accurate copy of a historical pattern, this would not be an appropriate choice.
It is not going to replace either of my Windlass swords - the US 1860 Light Cavalry Saber or the Cobra Kindjal but it is a very nice addition to my small collection for it's price.
I hope this has been of some use to someone else here.