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Post by susieqz on Dec 11, 2019 16:52:30 GMT
i know nothing about swords but i know weapons. i have several beautiful handguns, made with care n precision. that's probably too high a standard, but i have buck hunting knives,
so i'll use those as a standard.
FIT N FINISH
the windlass falchion has a very good mirror finish. in fact, the whole sword loos great on the wall, if you don't look close. but the ugly gap between sword n guard is unacceptable. worse, if you sight down the blade, there is a slight angle between hilt n blade. i should have returned this. i give windlass a FAIL. this is your fault.
i know this is sloppy work. windlass knows this is sloppy work, but they won't fix this because you guys keep buying from them. a boycott is needed.
the sheath is ornate but has no way to attach it to a belt. worthless.
thr condor does not try to be a wall hanger. it's looks are utilitarian, giving it the kind of beauty my guns have. it is a tool n looks like a tool.
the blade is blued n so far hasn't scratched after heavy use. i can fix bluing anyway.
more important, the blade passes thru the guard with just a hairline crack. superior work. you have to tell me if this work as easier to do, because if i understand it what i've read, this is not a sword it's a messer. the over large grips are well fastened with 3 rivits passing thru the full tang. this looks muc like a yo ho ho n a bottle of rum sword. the looks may not be for everyone, but i'll grade this an A minus. it has a narrow blood grove n there is a slight bobble on one side, but hardly noticable. the blade comes very sharp. no need to pay for sharpening.
the sheath is perfect for my needs. not period authentic, it has a modern belt loop. the leather is thick n well stitched. i give it an A plus.
COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS
the falchion has a bowie like clipped point that could certainly cut right thru ribs. as to cutting, it should cut off an arm with no problem.
so, if an intruder burst in, would i want this sword to fight my way to a gun? nope. windlass took a great design n added so much weight that it's just an axe pretending to be a sword. it's just too slow n a nimble intruder could avoid my swing. its best use would be chopping firewood.
i give it a FAIL. on the other hand, the cutlass is nimble n quick. i doubt it could remove an arm, but if i hit an arm holding a weapon, the arm would be useless n the weapon would fall. i'd feel safe with this cutlass.
people have aid this cutlass won't stab. i disagree. if i sharpen the clipped point, it could give a leathal stab.
CONCLUSION
condor gave me twice the sword at half the price. this is the sword you want oon your belt/
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Dec 11, 2019 18:11:27 GMT
I’m glad that you like the Condor, I thought you would. As for messer vs sword; a messer is a type of sword originally made by Germans. Often a messer and a falchion have the same type of blade but the difference between the two is in the grip. A messer has my favourite grip, I love them as they are quite strong. That Condor should give you reasonable penetration after sharpening, not as good as a sword in general but adequate. Be careful when sharpening the point. Condor makes a good knife. I lucked out and manage to get their Engineer Bolo on a trip to the States and am impressed with it. Thanks for bringing us up to date. Now maybe you will stop putting the bad mouth on machetes. Hehe
I prefer cutlasses to sabres and many other types of swords as they areusually fast and nimble. Having said that I have a CS English Backsword gifted to me that’s hard to beat.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2019 18:13:26 GMT
I really love condors work. I been meaning to get more stuff from them. When you own one, you know it's meant for work and built really well
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Post by Jordan Williams on Dec 11, 2019 19:09:27 GMT
this is your fault.
i know this is sloppy work. windlass knows this is sloppy work, but they won't fix this because you guys keep buying from them. a boycott is needed. Agreed. Windlass is a crap company at this point which has barely managed to squeak out a good sword design in years. Terrible dynamics, terrible geometry, terrible fit. They're shiny, and readily available. Cheap? They're a good chunk of my paycheck and you get effing crappy customer service and terribly designed swords. It's not hard to make a sword. If a dumbass like me can manage one than so can windlass. Empire Costume makes a sabre so well balanced I pick it up sometimes in choice over originals and it costs around what you might shell out for a "higher end" windlass and the price is only inflated because of shipping rates. Windlass sucks. I'm not a snob, but they really do suck.
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Post by howler on Dec 11, 2019 20:06:34 GMT
I really love condors work. I been meaning to get more stuff from them. When you own one, you know it's meant for work and built really well Love Condor, but boy did the prices creep up these last years. Some of the machete designs are unique so you may have to bite the bullet on the ones nobody else offers, but there are better choices out there for the price of the knives they offer, particularly in 1075 steel, and on smaller knives no less.
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Post by susieqz on Dec 11, 2019 21:22:48 GMT
pgandy, my cutlass is a machete?
guys, i'm done buying reproductions. are there any inexpensive originals that handle as well as my cutlass?
if i had the money, i'd specialize in swords that have been in battle, but i'l settle for swords that were actually made to kill people, like my guns. reproductions are just not the same.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Dec 11, 2019 22:30:48 GMT
pgandy, my cutlass is a machete? With that blade yes. Windlass is not all bad. Their quality control leaves something to be desired. In the case of your falchion you should have returned it. I have some very good Windlasses that I value, the Type XIV, M1840, and Agincourt immediately come to mind. I found their German Bastard Sword at 4¼ lbs a bit on the heavy side but got use to it. That one offers good hand protection and the weight is an aid to cut, it has cut through whatever I offered including a pig’s leg and holds an edge. I’ve picked carefully and have been lucky on receiving good ones. The Pilsen Rapier started out on a bad foot but now I like it after some hand work. I could do without the M1860 Officers Model. It’s a good cutter but falls short in handling. They do a better job with their knives I believe, I like everyone I’ve received.
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Dec 11, 2019 22:56:35 GMT
It's fair to call the Condor a machete, given the thinness of the blade. "Machete" doesn't mean "junk", so what of it? There was a nice table comparing thicknesses of originals and replicas of the Dutch klewang/US 1917 cutlass, and a bunch of other hangers etc: in sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/post/781115/thread (the red entries in the table are antiques). The Condor is thinner-bladed and a but lighter, but closer to the originals than the typical overweight crowbar-like replica. the windlass falchion has a very good mirror finish. in fact, the whole sword loos great on the wall, if you don't look close. but the ugly gap between sword n guard is unacceptable. worse, if you sight down the blade, there is a slight angle between hilt n blade. Mirror polish I don't care about. If the gap in the guard is a gap due to the hole in the guard being wider or longer than the blade, it isn't ideal but IMO isn't a big deal (and is not unusual on old swords, and for some types is common). Both of these are entirely legitimate things to praise/blast it for from an aesthetic viewpoint, but don't affect function. Whether this is an aesthetic or functional problem depends on how big the angle is (and which way, depending on your handedness). Does it affect the handling of the sword? If not, it's just an aesthetic problem. the sheath is ornate but has no way to attach it to a belt. worthless. Inconvenient, but not that hard to add a simple one-point suspension (which was a common historical falchion suspension). ("Ornate"? Isn't this a very simple basic scabbard?) The great sin of the Windlass falchion (and of many, many, many repro falchions) is that it's too heavy and ill-handling. Too many repros appear to be designed to the incorrect stereotype of "falchions are brutal choppers", rather than like real falchions. IMO, boycotting Windlass isn't the solution. Boycotting their bad products, and buying their good ones (if you want them) is a solution.
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Post by Jordan Williams on Dec 11, 2019 23:20:08 GMT
pgandy, my cutlass is a machete? guys, i'm done buying reproductions. are there any inexpensive originals that handle as well as my cutlass? if i had the money, i'd specialize in swords that have been in battle, but i'l settle for swords that were actually made to kill people, like my guns. reproductions are just not the same. If you watch ebay and learn the fakes, you can find swords that were made for fighting, and designed by people who put as much care into it as your pistols. Of course, add in a culture which rarely wants to restore old blades and sees it as sacrilegious and you get you pistols but buried in muck for like 100 years sometimes. "Antique sword", "old curved sword", "Antique insert whatever model you want" search terms work for finding good deals sometimes.
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Post by Jordan Williams on Dec 11, 2019 23:20:52 GMT
For example I once got a klewang billed as am old curved sword for 50 bucks.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2019 0:08:18 GMT
pgandy, my cutlass is a machete? guys, i'm done buying reproductions. are there any inexpensive originals that handle as well as my cutlass? if i had the money, i'd specialize in swords that have been in battle, but i'l settle for swords that were actually made to kill people, like my guns. reproductions are just not the same. Well. It is, but isn't. Condor doesn't really make machetes in the traditional sense, with a flexible blade and what not. Many compare them to swords or giant knives
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2019 0:11:24 GMT
I really love condors work. I been meaning to get more stuff from them. When you own one, you know it's meant for work and built really well Love Condor, but boy did the prices creep up these last years. Some of the machete designs are unique so you may have to bite the bullet on the ones nobody else offers, but there are better choices out there for the price of the knives they offer, particularly in 1075 steel, and on smaller knives no less. Yea i got my kukri machete back when she was 60$ CAD. Now the prices are 120$ CAD. She's worth every penny I spent, but damn that 100% price jump wasn't needed
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Post by susieqz on Dec 12, 2019 0:24:17 GMT
thanks for the info, timo. it's amazing that one sword can vary so much in weight n still be called the same name. the bad angle doesn't really interfere with function because the weight makes it unfunctional anyway. i'm serious when i say it's best suited for chopping wood.
jordan how do i learn about fakes?
i can't believe my cutlass is an ag tool. i was thinking it was related to sabres. that's only by my untrained eyes, of course.
howler, $100 for a good condor sword seems inexpensive to me.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Dec 12, 2019 0:45:00 GMT
Timo has a good suggestion regarding the sheath. Here’s another, just shove it between your belt and whatever, pants?. I have sheaths with no loop, some from companies with a better reputation than Windlass. Another is to buy a frog. Personally I have objections form that thing slapping and/or swinging in the breeze. A baldric will serve better in some cases. If I got in a fight most likely I'd pitch the sheath anyway. From a MRL ad.
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Post by howler on Dec 12, 2019 0:50:23 GMT
thanks for the info, timo. it's amazing that one sword can vary so much in weight n still be called the same name. the bad angle doesn't really interfere with function because the weight makes it unfunctional anyway. i'm serious when i say it's best suited for chopping wood. jordan how do i learn about fakes? i can't believe my cutlass is an ag tool. i was thinking it was related to sabres. that's only by my untrained eyes, of course. howler, $100 for a good condor sword seems inexpensive to me. I got my Condor Dadao for like 60-something bucks and it is a brutal two hand chopper (with great leather sheath included). I was more thinking about the heavy machete and knives than the swords in my price critique, as the prices went WAY up over the last few years. I do know that the CS Cutlass machete is historically similar, size and handling wise, to the naval originals, good reviews, and you can score them for under $30.
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Post by susieqz on Dec 12, 2019 0:53:34 GMT
thanks for the suggestion, but i won't carry the falchion unless i wanna cut wood.
i'll carry the cutlass because it moves fast. a sluggish sword is of no use to me. i will practice with it, but only for strength training.
what is a frog?
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Post by Jordan Williams on Dec 12, 2019 1:52:24 GMT
pgandy, my cutlass is a machete? guys, i'm done buying reproductions. are there any inexpensive originals that handle as well as my cutlass? if i had the money, i'd specialize in swords that have been in battle, but i'l settle for swords that were actually made to kill people, like my guns. reproductions are just not the same. Well. It is, but isn't. Condor doesn't really make machetes in the traditional sense, with a flexible blade and what not. Many compare them to swords or giant knives I've had some old stiff machetes. Actually, old machetes had proper distal taper and some are quite nice! Nothing like the modern idea of a machete which is a cheapo sheet of steel with an edge grind.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Dec 12, 2019 2:03:07 GMT
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Post by howler on Dec 12, 2019 2:04:29 GMT
Well. It is, but isn't. Condor doesn't really make machetes in the traditional sense, with a flexible blade and what not. Many compare them to swords or giant knives I've had some old stiff machetes. Actually, old machetes had proper distal taper and some are quite nice! Nothing like the modern idea of a machete which is a cheapo sheet of steel with an edge grind. Particularly the Chinese stuff (as opposed to some of the decent S. American brands & Ontario), only good thing is the next to nothing price which gives you the ability to not care while smashing on rock and whatnot. A lot of the Condor models are almost hatchet like (Goloks, Parangs, Bolo, etc...) with convex edges, German 1070 steel and killer leather sheaths. A lot of the models I paid $30 for...hell, the sheath is worth that, but like was said, the prices have gone up. Sword wise, I can't say Condor is known for balanced, high quality swords, as I only own the Dadao, a brutal axe like two hander, but nothing that will make you feel like Errol Flynn.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2019 2:05:47 GMT
Well. It is, but isn't. Condor doesn't really make machetes in the traditional sense, with a flexible blade and what not. Many compare them to swords or giant knives I've had some old stiff machetes. Actually, old machetes had proper distal taper and some are quite nice! Nothing like the modern idea of a machete which is a cheapo sheet of steel with an edge grind. Well now I know another antique I gotta invest in! I say thank you in a loud anger! 👺
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