MRL Christus Imperat Rapier Review
Jun 15, 2018 19:03:46 GMT
Post by rjodorizzi on Jun 15, 2018 19:03:46 GMT
Full Disclosure: I paid full price for this item purchased (with the lovely SBG discount) from Museum Replicas, I have no association with either MR or Windlass.
About the Sword (from the manufacturer):
"A rapier of this identical form and proportions is currently housed in The Royal Armouries (formerly the Tower of London)."
Overall Length 47"
Blade Length 40-1/2"
Blade Width 1"
Blade Thickness 3/16"
Weight 3lbs
Grip Length 3-1/2"
Material 1065 High Carbon Steel
Initial Impressions: MR always has pretty consistent, and relatively, fast shipping. I've had my eyes on this piece for a long time as I didn't have a rapier in my collection and really liked the look of this one. When it came back in stock, and with the aforementioned SBG discount, I decided to pounce! First thought off the bat was that it looked REALLY nice and was WAYYYYY heavier than I expected. While I know that rapiers aren't necessarily the lightning fast items depicted in film, I didn't expect this to have the weight it did.
The Sheath: Typical Windlass sheath. Serviceable but nothing to scream home about. It does have some nice ornamentation on the chape and locket (apologies if that's not correct terminology, my brain fails me today.) Other than that, it holds the blade (not upside down) and has the usual, expected, rattle from windlass.
The Grip: I love wire wraps, they are durable, provide a solid grip and to my eye are gorgeous. The wire has no play and provides plenty of purchase. I would not worry about this becoming slippery at all, however, to no surprise it is FAR more comfy to utilize with gloves.
The highlight of the piece is the elaborate guard. You can see with this in hand shot that it's VERY large. While it certainly grants me more than enough space, I found that some of the bars ridges really bit into my hand when using the finger loop spot.
I thought maybe I just needed to get more used to this style of sword, but eventually decided to give it a few runs on the finger loop and the bar that was over my knuckles. Once I did that I find the blade to be far more usable. That being said the piece is ornate and gorgeous. The hefty guard sits well and the hand and really gives an insane amount of point control. I find that I'm able to direct the point exactly where I want it to go.
The blade: I'm not super acquainted with Rapier blades (outside of stage combat) but the length, width all seem to be appropriate. The blade does have some of that tell tale Windlass whip but I don't find it to be detrimentally so. The most striking feature of the blade is the long fuller with an etched "Christus Imperat" (christ commands) present on both sides like the historical this example this is taken from. The blade was ordered unsharpened as I wanted to use it as a fair piece and knowing that I can easily sharpen a windlass product without too much concern. The point came plenty sharp enough to utilize in thrusting.
Handling: As mentioned the blade sits it's weight low which gives you an incredible command of the point. While I can't imagine whistling this through the air a la Princess Bride, it does have a commanding thrust and could easily, when sharpened, have a decent cut. I have done a few practice thrusts at boxes and some overripe melons and the blade performed expertly. This blade makes it almost too easy to deliver thrusts exactly where you want them every time.
Fit and Finish: The blade was tightly assembled and had no signs of loosening throughout usage. The only noticeable rattle seems to be the blade against the hilt. When slapping the pommel the blade makes contact but this isn't that concerning to me. Of all the windlass pieces I've owned through the years, this one ranks top for solid assembly. The finish on the hilt is also rough in a few spots, but in this price range I don't see anything I consider unacceptable.
Final thoughts: I wanted a pretty, functional, rapier for the first one I added to my collection and the Christus Imperat delivers. Now that I've addressed the only real "issue" (bars grinding my knuckles) this makes a lovely addition to my armory and I would recommend it to others looking for a rapier in this price point. Medieval Review also has a great video review that I'd recommend watching if you are interested in this piece.
PROs:
Beautiful design
Tight construction
Amazing point control
CONs:
Rough finish on hilt
Rattle of blade on clamshell
Edges on some of the bars may be painful if you have big hands requiring Captain Dremel's intervention