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Post by Murffy on Jan 14, 2021 3:12:07 GMT
My sword finally arrived today. I had ordered it from KoA but a week later they got back to me and said it was back ordered. I saw the TFW site still had them so I ordered one from there instead. Here's a pic as promised in the beginner's forum:  Boy, what a wicked blade. At 496 grams (1.1 lbs), it's very quick and nimble in the hand. No flaws with fit and finish that my inexpert eyes can see. The grip is narrowish for my big hands but serviceable. The guard has a nice bronze color and is made of "darkened metal." POB is about 3.5" (8.9 cm) from the guard. Overall length is 23.1" (58.7 cm), blade is 17.3" (43.9 cm). My rusty calipers say the spine is 6 mm at the hilt and 3.8 mm near the tip. It came sharp but I imagine it can be honed a bit. The bevel looks nice and even. No real test cutting yet but I did put my safety goggles on and gave a wooden dowel a few sharp wacks. I like the scabbard better than I thought I would given that part of the blade is exposed when sheathed. No clip like other TFW scabbards and there isn't much blade retention. The middle slat thing came unglued so I'm wondering how I can re-glue it without undoing the rattan wrap. It doesn't seem like the scabbard would hold up to hard use so I'll consider it a display item. The sword does fit into my CS machete sheath so I suppose I could use that if I ever need to travel into orc-infested wastelands. Meanwhile, I'll contemplate getting or making a leather scabbard for it. |
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Post by alientude on Jan 14, 2021 3:37:53 GMT
I really dig the look of that sword, from the blade to the handle...it looks great. Congrats!
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Post by pellius on Jan 14, 2021 5:15:52 GMT
Congrats on a very nice sword.
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Post by randomnobody on Jan 14, 2021 6:09:29 GMT
I've always liked the looks of the Sansibar models, but have yet to find enough cash lying around to throw at one.
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Jan 14, 2021 14:03:14 GMT
Nice...
Do a full review when you have a few...
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Post by Murffy on Jan 14, 2021 17:29:53 GMT
Thanks, folks. I'm quite pleased with it at the moment, we'll see how it grows on me. I'm not sure if I'm qualified to do a full review but maybe I will be. It's dead of winter here in Minnesota so any water-bottle cut testing will have to wait until spring. I'm not all that great at cutting, anyway.
In anticipation of receiving the sword, I've been studying Kali a little bit. It's interesting how it differs from the saber-based style presented in Dwight McLemore's "Bowie and Big Knife Fighting System." Grist for another topic, I suppose.
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Post by pellius on Jan 14, 2021 19:56:21 GMT
Imho, if you possess the sword, you have direct personal knowledge about it, and are fully qualified to do a review.
Most folks interested in swords aren’t experts on them. Getting input from many points of view from many levels of experience and expertise makes the review library far more useful. As a non-expert myself, I’m often interested in what others with my general experience think of a sword.
No pressure or anything. Just fwiw.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 14, 2021 20:50:25 GMT
I'm glad that you latched on to one and are happy. I'll third the review request.
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pgandy
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Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on Jan 14, 2021 21:11:02 GMT
No clip like other TFW scabbards and there isn't much blade retention. The middle slat thing came unglued so I'm wondering how I can re-glue it without undoing the rattan wrap. I think placing the piece where desired and using a CA glue with low viscosity applying right at the join will do it. The thin CA will seep between the two parts. CA glues come in different viscosities. It will probably be best to buy at a hobby supply store as they tend to advertise the viscosity more. You do not want one that says “gap filling” or “gel” as they are more viscous. No need to fill the entire seam. Another approach is white glue thinned with water. It is not as strong but also dries transparent. Don’t use the white glue intended for school use. The CA would be best but also harder to come by. You may be able to add a shim to the scabbard to increase the tension on the sword. |
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Post by Murffy on Jan 14, 2021 23:37:26 GMT
All right, I'll plan on a full review in the not-too-distant future when I get to know the blade better. No clip like other TFW scabbards and there isn't much blade retention. The middle slat thing came unglued so I'm wondering how I can re-glue it without undoing the rattan wrap. I think placing the piece where desired and using a CA glue with low viscosity applying right at the join will do it. The thin CA will seep between the two parts. CA glues come in different viscosities. It will probably be best to buy at a hobby supply store as they tend to advertise the viscosity more. You do not want one that says “gap filling” or “gel” as they are more viscous. No need to fill the entire seam. Another approach is white glue thinned with water. It is not as strong but also dries transparent. Don’t use the white glue intended for school use. The CA would be best but also harder to come by. You may be able to add a shim to the scabbard to increase the tension on the sword. Good idea about the low-viscosity glue, seem like that would be just the thing. I found some watery stuff on Amazon but I'll give the hobby store a look this weekend. Given that it's winter here and dry as dust, I'm thinking now that blade retention will improve when the humidity goes up. The rig is made for a jungle environment after all. |
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pgandy
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Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on Jan 15, 2021 12:59:07 GMT
All right, I'll plan on a full review in the not-too-distant future when I get to know the blade better. I think placing the piece where desired and using a CA glue with low viscosity applying right at the join will do it. The thin CA will seep between the two parts. CA glues come in different viscosities. It will probably be best to buy at a hobby supply store as they tend to advertise the viscosity more. You do not want one that says “gap filling” or “gel” as they are more viscous. No need to fill the entire seam. Another approach is white glue thinned with water. It is not as strong but also dries transparent. Don’t use the white glue intended for school use. The CA would be best but also harder to come by. You may be able to add a shim to the scabbard to increase the tension on the sword. Good idea about the low-viscosity glue, seem like that would be just the thing. I found some watery stuff on Amazon but I'll give the hobby store a look this weekend. Given that it's winter here and dry as dust, I'm thinking now that blade retention will improve when the humidity goes up. The rig is made for a jungle environment after all. CA glue is fast drying. However FYI there is an accelerator that can be applied. If you ever decide to use it applying with a skewer stick is the easiest. Just a drop will do it and the glue is instantly cured. I think now some type of applicator is supplied. I’m still using a bottle I got years ago w/o an applicator. A little goes a long ways, as I said a drop will do it. If not familiar with CA you might want to practice first. |
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Post by Murffy on Jan 18, 2021 20:01:57 GMT
Fyi, I got some low-viscosity glue and it worked great. Thanks for the tip.
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Post by kjakker on May 17, 2021 1:46:56 GMT
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Post by Murffy on May 17, 2021 16:17:05 GMT
Yeah, mine is light and quick and a pretty fierce cutter with the tip against my rug striking dummy. I don't think it would make a very good machete, although I haven't tried it out in that role. I did, however, get a molle machete sheath (Rothco) which turned out to be a good fit. Once I took out the cheesey internal sleeve, i found I can slide the sansibar's scabbard into it and mount it on my day pack ...  |
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Post by Adventurer'sBlade on May 17, 2021 21:32:30 GMT
Yeah, mine is light and quick and a pretty fierce cutter with the tip against my rug striking dummy. I don't think it would make a very good machete, although I haven't tried it out in that role. I did, however, get a molle machete sheath (Rothco) which turned out to be a good fit. Once I took out the cheesey internal sleeve, i found I can slide the sansibar's scabbard into it and mount it on my day pack ... Very cool, I have the same day pack and sometimes carry a Condor Yoshimi or APOC Yataghan strapped on just like that. I find it can draw over the shoulder easily, although I would have the blade facing the other direction for that. |
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Post by Murffy on May 17, 2021 23:19:14 GMT
Yeah, mine is light and quick and a pretty fierce cutter with the tip against my rug striking dummy. I don't think it would make a very good machete, although I haven't tried it out in that role. I did, however, get a molle machete sheath (Rothco) which turned out to be a good fit. Once I took out the cheesey internal sleeve, i found I can slide the sansibar's scabbard into it and mount it on my day pack ... Very cool, I have the same day pack and sometimes carry a Condor Yoshimi or APOC Yataghan strapped on just like that. I find it can draw over the shoulder easily, although I would have the blade facing the other direction for that. Yeah, the wooden scabbard sticks out further if I flip it around in the molle sheath, but I can just mount it on the other side of the pack. I'm still working on a good way to secure the wooden scabbard in the sheath. I saw your review of the APOC and liked the pack in it. A little searching online and I found what I assumed was the same one. I'm tempted to get that Yataghan but wonder if maybe it's a bit handle-heavy as some have claimed. |
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Post by Adventurer'sBlade on May 18, 2021 0:58:06 GMT
Very cool, I have the same day pack and sometimes carry a Condor Yoshimi or APOC Yataghan strapped on just like that. I find it can draw over the shoulder easily, although I would have the blade facing the other direction for that. Yeah, the wooden scabbard sticks out further if I flip it around in the molle sheath, but I can just mount it on the other side of the pack. I'm still working on a good way to secure the wooden scabbard in the sheath. I saw your review of the APOC and liked the pack in it. A little searching online and I found what I assumed was the same one. I'm tempted to get that Yataghan but wonder if maybe it's a bit handle-heavy as some have claimed. Yeah, the SOG ninja. Not as nice as a maxpedition or kelty but I've been using mine for like 5 years and none of the buckles or zippers have broken yet. So pretty good value. Obviously I like the Yataghan but yeah, balance is biased to the handle. Maybe try the Brutus and review it for us if you want something with more blade presence. |
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