Windlass Sword of the 30 Years War
Aug 13, 2018 4:16:47 GMT
Post by Afoo on Aug 13, 2018 4:16:47 GMT
Windlass Sword of the 30 Years War? Is that even a thing *checks KoA*. Why the f*ck is afoo writing a review about a discontinued Windlass product? Has he lost his mind?
I'm not debating that this is not the case. However, there are still some reasons why this review may be relevant. This sword it still available (allegedly) from Southern Swords. I should also point out that I got this sword this Winter on the second hand market, so they are still available to some degree. Perhaps you or someone else on the forums will run into the chance to buy one yourself, and sincerely wished a review was available. Luckily, I am here to help.
History
In the days of old, there were several reviews and articles about this sword on the forums, though they now appear to have vanished into the ether. I remember that they gave an overall favourable impression of the sword, though alas I do not recall any of the historical detail with enough accuracy to repeat here. From my understanding, this can be typed as a Saxon-style hilt, which was commonly used in military swords of the 17th century. As such, the originals tended to er on the more robust and rugged side of the spectrum, though I believe general consensus was that the Windlass copy was a bit under-built relative to the originals. That said, my expertise lies outside this field, so I will cease my exposition on the topic while I am still ahead.
Sword of the 30 years war (bottom) next to the CS Mortuary (Top)
The Sword
The sword itself is a mixed bag for me. From the description and the overall design aethetic, I was expecting a stout arming sword, somewhat akin to the Windlass Munich. What I got instead was something more akin to a rapier. Thats what you get for not reading the item description on the MRL website I suppose. Its not a full-on rapier, but it definitely represents a more transitory design. The blade is 3.1 cm wide at the base, which is no slouch, but the profile taper and diamond cross section makes it feel lighter than the stats suggest. The heavy pommel shifts the PoB right to the front ring of the guard, further reducing the felt weight of the blade.
This itself is not necessarily a bad thing - its a good blade and feels nice in the hand - just not what I expected. If you think of this as a short, stout rapier rather than as an arming or side sword, then it makes more sense. If you think of this in the context of an artillery sidearm, then it does make even more sense - its like the Prussian 1873 of the 1600's - a shorter, stouter, more compact version of the full-on Saxon-hilted rapiers found elsewhere on the battlefield.
Blade size of the Mort. vs the 30 Yrs War
The Hilt
The hilt and grips are simultaneously the high and low points of this sword. I was interested in this sword because of the Saxon-style hilt; it has a very clean, simple, yet functional look to it, and since this sword went out of production, there are currently no other similar designs available in the sub-$400 market.
I'm here for some Sax, son (get it?)
The quillons are very robust, and their great length adds to the visual flair of the sword. The quillons do allow it to bully around any swords which share the same stand as it, so I have to give it the occasional time out. The outside facing rings (the ones protecting the outside of the hand) are reasonably robust and well done. However, the bars protecting the inside of the hand are a bit thin. I do not have confidence in their ability to block another weapon at all. They are also a bit cramped - not so much that it interferes with handling or comfort - they just look a bit comical with all my fingers crammed in there like clowns in a VW. This is not inconsistent with its intended role as a sidearm, and I can easily imagine the guard being reduced in order to facilitate everyday carrying. While this compromise increased the comedy factor of the grip, it does not hinder hand protection as much as you would expect - all my fingers feel pretty safe, especially consideration how small and slim the hilt is.The quillon blcok is well done, and fingering the ricasso is very comfortable.
Size of the Saxon guard vs that of the Cromwell
Outside rings are reasonably proportioned, and give good protection
Inside rings are a bit thin, though like a fig leaf on a Renaissance statue, they just barely manage to cover all of my fingers.
The weakest part of this package is the grip. I like how MRL says that the grip is wrapped in "genuine ray skin". Someone needs to go over there and remind them that a ray is an aquatic animal, and not something that can be formed from what appears to be the leftovers of a road paving project. I believe Kelly had to get his re-gripped because he was getting tired of looking at that sad patch of road tar. I think I can live with it, but its definitely a low point.
What kind of Rayskin is this?
Overall
In general, I think this is a pretty nice sword, if not what I expected. The pictures on KoA or MRL make it look like a sidesword or arming sword, but don't let that fool you. Focus on its design as a transitional rapier for artillery officers or other non-frontline troops, then it makes a lot more sense. Its really just a stout and sturdy sword which leans a bit more to the rapier side of the spectrum, but is still a lot of fun. Another way of thinking about it is a slightly more robust version of the Hanwei side sword with a Saxon style guard and a bit more emphasis on poking vs cutting
As always, full images here
I'm not debating that this is not the case. However, there are still some reasons why this review may be relevant. This sword it still available (allegedly) from Southern Swords. I should also point out that I got this sword this Winter on the second hand market, so they are still available to some degree. Perhaps you or someone else on the forums will run into the chance to buy one yourself, and sincerely wished a review was available. Luckily, I am here to help.
History
In the days of old, there were several reviews and articles about this sword on the forums, though they now appear to have vanished into the ether. I remember that they gave an overall favourable impression of the sword, though alas I do not recall any of the historical detail with enough accuracy to repeat here. From my understanding, this can be typed as a Saxon-style hilt, which was commonly used in military swords of the 17th century. As such, the originals tended to er on the more robust and rugged side of the spectrum, though I believe general consensus was that the Windlass copy was a bit under-built relative to the originals. That said, my expertise lies outside this field, so I will cease my exposition on the topic while I am still ahead.
Sword of the 30 years war (bottom) next to the CS Mortuary (Top)
The Sword
The sword itself is a mixed bag for me. From the description and the overall design aethetic, I was expecting a stout arming sword, somewhat akin to the Windlass Munich. What I got instead was something more akin to a rapier. Thats what you get for not reading the item description on the MRL website I suppose. Its not a full-on rapier, but it definitely represents a more transitory design. The blade is 3.1 cm wide at the base, which is no slouch, but the profile taper and diamond cross section makes it feel lighter than the stats suggest. The heavy pommel shifts the PoB right to the front ring of the guard, further reducing the felt weight of the blade.
This itself is not necessarily a bad thing - its a good blade and feels nice in the hand - just not what I expected. If you think of this as a short, stout rapier rather than as an arming or side sword, then it makes more sense. If you think of this in the context of an artillery sidearm, then it does make even more sense - its like the Prussian 1873 of the 1600's - a shorter, stouter, more compact version of the full-on Saxon-hilted rapiers found elsewhere on the battlefield.
Blade size of the Mort. vs the 30 Yrs War
The Hilt
The hilt and grips are simultaneously the high and low points of this sword. I was interested in this sword because of the Saxon-style hilt; it has a very clean, simple, yet functional look to it, and since this sword went out of production, there are currently no other similar designs available in the sub-$400 market.
I'm here for some Sax, son (get it?)
The quillons are very robust, and their great length adds to the visual flair of the sword. The quillons do allow it to bully around any swords which share the same stand as it, so I have to give it the occasional time out. The outside facing rings (the ones protecting the outside of the hand) are reasonably robust and well done. However, the bars protecting the inside of the hand are a bit thin. I do not have confidence in their ability to block another weapon at all. They are also a bit cramped - not so much that it interferes with handling or comfort - they just look a bit comical with all my fingers crammed in there like clowns in a VW. This is not inconsistent with its intended role as a sidearm, and I can easily imagine the guard being reduced in order to facilitate everyday carrying. While this compromise increased the comedy factor of the grip, it does not hinder hand protection as much as you would expect - all my fingers feel pretty safe, especially consideration how small and slim the hilt is.The quillon blcok is well done, and fingering the ricasso is very comfortable.
Size of the Saxon guard vs that of the Cromwell
Outside rings are reasonably proportioned, and give good protection
Inside rings are a bit thin, though like a fig leaf on a Renaissance statue, they just barely manage to cover all of my fingers.
The weakest part of this package is the grip. I like how MRL says that the grip is wrapped in "genuine ray skin". Someone needs to go over there and remind them that a ray is an aquatic animal, and not something that can be formed from what appears to be the leftovers of a road paving project. I believe Kelly had to get his re-gripped because he was getting tired of looking at that sad patch of road tar. I think I can live with it, but its definitely a low point.
What kind of Rayskin is this?
Overall
In general, I think this is a pretty nice sword, if not what I expected. The pictures on KoA or MRL make it look like a sidesword or arming sword, but don't let that fool you. Focus on its design as a transitional rapier for artillery officers or other non-frontline troops, then it makes a lot more sense. Its really just a stout and sturdy sword which leans a bit more to the rapier side of the spectrum, but is still a lot of fun. Another way of thinking about it is a slightly more robust version of the Hanwei side sword with a Saxon style guard and a bit more emphasis on poking vs cutting
As always, full images here
