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Post by tsmspace on Apr 15, 2020 4:31:25 GMT
when I was younger, I imagined a thing that a sword should be. It should be like a xiphos, it should be heavy for penetration, and it should be thick and strong. I mean, exactly how thick is one of those things like, you don't really know, but if it doesn't work that means it needed to be thicker. I didn't think it needed to be the same kind of sharp as modern razor blades. Through life, I was disappointed to find that nowhere could I see such a product produced. There just wasn't one. Everything was something different than I had imagined. but for 40$ I thought I would try and see what this "crimson raging bull" funny-soard would be like,, after all it must be spring steel of some kind as it is claimed to be, and also it's like a mall-ninja sword in that the entire profile of the sword is single piece steel. It has some scales on the tang, but the tang is full size. www.budk.com/Crimson-Fighting-Bull-Sword-And-Sheath-Spring-Stee-46096well, for 40$ I couldn't be more pleased. It is amazing. It must be 3 lbs or so in weight, it feels like a tank-breaker. If feels good, and has a reasonable single-bevel edge. (no secondary bevel) the sword is working on plastic bottles, although doesn't feel like the edge will bite paper like a razor does. Interestingly that is exactly what I thought a sword was, because that's what a durable edge would feel like, and swords are not for delicate cutting, you carry a knife for that, instead, they are for blows. |
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Apr 15, 2020 5:03:27 GMT
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Post by tsmspace on Apr 15, 2020 7:14:06 GMT
yup. so what do you think about a 3 lb "gladius/xiphos" with a two-handed grip?? it does feel like it won't hold an edge like many blades will, however considering tradition, there were probably many a swordsman who's blade did not, but did cut with them. my interest is in learning about who to properly use it for different cutting tasks. For example, slashes will be on the front belly towards the tip, but chops into tougher materials should probably be on the inner belly (not the center belly, just below it) much like the curvature of an axe. the very center of the belly is also a chop, but perhaps the appropriate chop is still just below the center of the belly, while slashes are just above, with the belly center being a sort of "false start", needing to be sharp, but never being the actual beginning of contact. the tip should still be good for tip slashes, and the base of the blade,,,, for pull-cutting,, like a draw-knife?? you would use the very start of the blade as the "tip" of the draw cut if gouging into something like wood or a carcass,, else you would saw toward the tip if you were trying to cut a sheet of something, how much is written about the "battlefield manufacturing" and how different blades would be used?? nothing?? stab at their exposed parts?? |
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Post by tsmspace on Apr 15, 2020 7:25:12 GMT
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Post by MOK on Apr 15, 2020 8:41:04 GMT
"Stab at their exposed parts" is more or less the general idea of how to use sharp weapons, yes. It gets somewhat more complicated when they're trying to do unto you first, though.  It's largely that "unknown temper" that makes these budget thingies suspect, because the hardening and tempering are what makes a steel blade good or bad, NOT the type of steel in its own right. What you have here is an alleged piece of some kind of medium or high carbon steel that, if properly treated, can be made very hard yet very springy. But the question is, was it treated properly? And the answer is, I dunno. It might be hard enough to hold an edge yet pliable enough to flex without deforming or breaking... or it might be too hard and brittle and snap at a random time and place when you swing it (or too soft and bend on impact, which over time will work harden it at a specific spot until it snaps). And the devil of it is, you can never know which it is until it does break.Aside from that, it kinda looks like a bargain bin priced approximation of the Zombie Tools Diphos... I actually do like the look of the overall design, or at least the profile shape of it. |
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Post by treeslicer on Apr 15, 2020 10:07:04 GMT
What is it about some of these cheap swords being so heavy? I noticed the same thing about the Viking, though most of its excess baggage is in the solid and chunky stainless steel hilt fittings. I'm considering engraving deep patterns into them to shed some of the mass.
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Apr 15, 2020 10:59:21 GMT
yup. so what do you think about a 3 lb "gladius/xiphos" with a two-handed grip?? it does feel like it won't hold an edge like many blades will, however considering tradition, there were probably many a swordsman who's blade did not, but did cut with them. my interest is in learning about who to properly use it for different cutting tasks. For example, slashes will be on the front belly towards the tip, but chops into tougher materials should probably be on the inner belly (not the center belly, just below it) much like the curvature of an axe. the very center of the belly is also a chop, but perhaps the appropriate chop is still just below the center of the belly, while slashes are just above, with the belly center being a sort of "false start", needing to be sharp, but never being the actual beginning of contact. the tip should still be good for tip slashes, and the base of the blade,,,, for pull-cutting,, like a draw-knife?? you would use the very start of the blade as the "tip" of the draw cut if gouging into something like wood or a carcass,, else you would saw toward the tip if you were trying to cut a sheet of something, how much is written about the "battlefield manufacturing" and how different blades would be used?? nothing?? stab at their exposed parts?? Short swords are usually used together with a shield so they usually have single hand grips. Beside this thought I think you can combine blade types and grip forms however you want. Zombie Tools makes many swords with relative short blades, long grips and not little weight, f. e. the Diphos as MOK said, so it's possible. I like tacticool swords in any form. Stick'em with the pointy end... The greatest danger of using a decorative sword is that blade or tang are too brittle and break, soft steel isn't that dangerous. During the first thousand years of steel-sword-making the blades weren't quenched and relative soft. |
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Post by tsmspace on Apr 15, 2020 15:47:40 GMT
yup. so what do you think about a 3 lb "gladius/xiphos" with a two-handed grip?? it does feel like it won't hold an edge like many blades will, however considering tradition, there were probably many a swordsman who's blade did not, but did cut with them. my interest is in learning about who to properly use it for different cutting tasks. For example, slashes will be on the front belly towards the tip, but chops into tougher materials should probably be on the inner belly (not the center belly, just below it) much like the curvature of an axe. the very center of the belly is also a chop, but perhaps the appropriate chop is still just below the center of the belly, while slashes are just above, with the belly center being a sort of "false start", needing to be sharp, but never being the actual beginning of contact. the tip should still be good for tip slashes, and the base of the blade,,,, for pull-cutting,, like a draw-knife?? you would use the very start of the blade as the "tip" of the draw cut if gouging into something like wood or a carcass,, else you would saw toward the tip if you were trying to cut a sheet of something, how much is written about the "battlefield manufacturing" and how different blades would be used?? nothing?? stab at their exposed parts?? Short swords are usually used together with a shield so they usually have single hand grips. Beside this thought I think you can combine blade types and grip forms however you want. Zombie Tools makes many swords with relative short blades, long grips and not little weight, f. e. the Diphos as MOK said, so it's possible. I like tacticool swords in any form. Stick'em with the pointy end... The greatest danger of using a decorative sword is that blade or tang are too brittle and break, soft steel isn't that dangerous. During the first thousand years of steel-sword-making the blades weren't quenched and relative soft. therefore my steel sword MAY be relatively similar to an early sword. After all 3 lbs IS a weight of SOME one handed swords. |
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Post by tsmspace on Apr 15, 2020 15:52:06 GMT
What is it about some of these cheap swords being so heavy? I noticed the same thing about the Viking, though most of its excess baggage is in the solid and chunky stainless steel hilt fittings. I'm considering engraving deep patterns into them to shed some of the mass.
well some people want it to be heavy. They want to feel like it will hit. so I suppose when people are spending on the cheap, they don't have much experience, and won't be so worried about it's cutting capability. A thin blade that will hold a nice edge is inherently very expensive to make if it will not break. So a long thin razor,, it won't exist at lower prices. The closest thing will be a mall-ninja sword. (I suggest bk906) ,,, although you won't find many collectors of swords who will say anything OTHER than don't buy those, they will likely break dangerously. I certainly don't think you should go banging those into eachother, but for slicing bottles they perform incredibly. ,,, actually it's really amazing for sub 20$ what sort of slice the bk906 offers. actually, it might blow your mind. |
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Post by nddave on May 9, 2020 15:35:13 GMT
Short swords are usually used together with a shield so they usually have single hand grips. Beside this thought I think you can combine blade types and grip forms however you want. Zombie Tools makes many swords with relative short blades, long grips and not little weight, f. e. the Diphos as MOK said, so it's possible. I like tacticool swords in any form. Stick'em with the pointy end... The greatest danger of using a decorative sword is that blade or tang are too brittle and break, soft steel isn't that dangerous. During the first thousand years of steel-sword-making the blades weren't quenched and relative soft. therefore my steel sword MAY be relatively similar to an early sword. After all 3 lbs IS a weight of SOME one handed swords. Well yea those that are over 32" in blade length with a base width around 2". In regards to the sword you purchased I mean if its your style and appealing to you then sure go for it and enjoy. Though I think you answered your own question when you asked why there are no historical examples of heavy, broad but short two handed swords. Mainly because the practicality of such a sword isn't very feasible in the sense of using such a sword in a dual or open battle. Now that doesn't mean that our ancient ancestors were the be all know all and I'm sure there are plenty of sword designs that either slipped under their radar or were too complex and were over their heads. Still there's usually a reason for everything and thats why most fantasy inspired weapons are just thay fantasy because they're simply impractical. I mean I guess there is historical evidence of short two handed swords in China if you count the the Dadao and Liuyedao. But those are quite different than your sword and more cleaver like with broad thick single edged blades. |
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