Cold Steel Polish Saber Review
Jul 7, 2018 23:22:06 GMT
Post by elbrittania39 on Jul 7, 2018 23:22:06 GMT
Introductions
Ahh the Cold Steel Polish Saber. The white whale to my Captain Ahab. I hunted this sword for the better part of this past year. It was always sold out when I could afford it, or available when I didn't have the funds. But now, its mine which means y'all get a review.
Disclaimer
I have not been paid or given a free review sample to make this. This sword also has modifications made to the distal taper which will absolutely skew my perception of the handling. This piece was bought/traded for by me from forum member Lemal who in turn had the distal modified by James Curry.
Historical Overview
The Szabla (or Polish Saber) originated from the sabers of Hungary which gained popularity from the 16th century onward. These swords went through several drastically different iterations of the next two centuries, including cross guards without knuckle bows, chain guards, L guards, curved unconnected knuckle bows, and finally the curved connected knuckle bows that persisted well into the modern age of saber. For further reading, I'd highly recommend The Polish Saber by Richard Marsden.
By far the most distinct historical event associated with the use of the Szabla was the Battle of Vienna, September 12th 1683. Up until this date, the Ottoman Empire had been laying siege to the Habsburg city of Vienna, and its defenders were rapidly dwindling in strength and numbers. However, the fall of the city was averted by the arrival of a large relief army, led by the John III Sobieski, King of Poland. Led by the King himself and the famed Polish Winged Hussars, the relief army staged the largest cavalry charge in all of history, with 18,000 mounted cavalry smashing the Ottoman army. The Siege was lifted in a matter of hours, and the Ottoman Empire would never again recover the strength to threaten Western Christendom.
Stats
Weight: I dont have a sensitive enough scale, but about 2.5 pounds
Overall Length: 37 Inches
Blade Length: 31 Inches
PoB: 6 Inches
Steel: 1055
Thickness: ~6mm- ~2mm
(Reminder these stats WILL be affected by the post retail modified distal taper!)
Components
Blade
The blade is excellent. Sharply curved, double fullered with an asymmetrical point. I wish the fullers were deeper, but they aren't worse than the normal budget repro fullers. The distal taper is excellent thanks to curry, and the blade now sports a false edge that does not come sharpened on the retail. It sharpens easily enough to cut water bottles. My only concern with the blade is edge retention and durability, which will both reveal themselves given more time.
Guard
Floating knucklebow? Straight rear quillon? langets? thumbring? Yup, its a Szabla all right. Seems sturdy enough, and some nice brass decorations to boot. The thumbring is properly aligned and has a ton of extra room. I consider that a good thing as the extra space above the thumb is not a hindrance and could stop you from breaking it if the blade twists oddly during cutting.
Grip
Super nice, even next to the rest of the sword. The leather is sturdier and harder than some other cold steel sabers I've tried. The wire is tight and the whole thing is flush with a backstrap which sports the same decorations as the guard. The curved shape is very comfortable and compliment the handling. Only complaint here is that it just kinda ends rather than having a swell into a cap as was common. Still a superior grip even with that lacking. The whole thing is held on by a nut which didnt budge during my first cutting session.
Scabbard
Its not bad, but not as nice as the rest. It is the simple cold steel leather scabbard with plastic throat inserts and some basic metal hardware. It holds the sword alright, if a bit on the loose end. The red leather and grip is not as gaudy as many promotional images make it look, and is a few shades darker and deeper in person.
Handling
Having handled at least a dozen comparable priced repro sabers, I'm happy to report that this is the best of the bunch. Whether this is due to its base design or Curry's mods I cannot say for sure, but either way I really like it. It feels heavy at a standstill but becomes very responsive and fluid given any momentum. The modest 31 inch blade also helps avoid the extra slop a lot of its like tend to have. Cuts feel natural but good luck thrusting. This S shape blade wants nothing to do with it.
Closing Thoughts
You can probably tell by now I really like it. Definitely worth the wait. Star rankings are always a little dubious, but if you were to ask given its retail price of 255, I'd give it a 4.5/5. My score comes from great decorations, responsive blade, modest size, and sheer uniqueness to this market niche. To earn that extra half star, I'd like to see any of the following: a wood core scabbard, end capped grip, and a harder steel like 1075.
Thanks for reading, feel free to drop any questions down below.
