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Post by vincentblack on Jun 1, 2022 20:38:53 GMT
From what I have gathered around the web, this was made by the OG Balaur Arms folks. They did their homework well. I'd give it a 8 out of 10 on Fit and finish when compared to the Knecht. Haven't cut with it yet. No, it was a KOA design that the OG Balaur Arms (OTC) made 1 prototype of then went on to rip off various people trying to sell it to them (me included).
OTC/Shazeb never designed anything.
Where's the point of balance? How well does it handle one and two handed?
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Post by cptnvimes on Jun 1, 2022 21:18:51 GMT
Speak of the devil, my order just shipped! Another thing I was thinking of... maybe make a scabbard for it. God knows when I would find time for that but it would be cool to have a scabbard.
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seth
Member
Just Peachy
Posts: 977
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Post by seth on Jun 1, 2022 21:46:12 GMT
I now have two of them. One is from Knife center and the other is straight from ColdSteel/GSM,they both come with a frog but no scabbard. That seems odd. I've never had or seen a CS sword come without a scabbard. Yeah, Cold Steel's website says: "Sold complete with scabbard, our Kriegsmesser is fast, agile, powerful, and quite a affordable if you’re looking for a Grosse Messer with a whole new look, we have it!" Maybe that's just for the "Kriegsmesser" and not the "Kreigsmesser?" Their spelling is inconsistent.
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Post by The Swordsaint on Jun 1, 2022 21:47:54 GMT
Kriegsmesser, not Kreigsmesser. (Krieg = war in German) Tell that to Cold Steel mate "Kreigsmesser " is their name for it
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Post by skelley on Jun 1, 2022 23:15:39 GMT
Aw jeez, I never even noticed it was 'kreigmesser' on the CS site. My brain must have continuously auto-corrected itself. Though to be fair, I could see myself making the same mistake.
Edit: Damn, forgot the 's' in kriegsmesser.
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Post by eastman on Jun 2, 2022 0:30:32 GMT
The main mod I'm planning on mine, when it arrives, is to shave some meat off the quillons... make it more similar to the Knecht. I actually like the design of the Nagel on the CS better than the Albion. KoA are sure taking their sweet time with shipping. Same... and they've been annoying me lately with charging me full price, when I clearly had store credit and elected to use it on my purchase.
Contact them directly. I never received the Balaur coupon, but contacted them when buying the new Balaur Longsword and they credited me for the discount.
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Post by patmourin on Jun 2, 2022 0:53:50 GMT
If they would answer their phones I would... but at least my Kriegsmesser shipped today. So that's a plus.
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pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on Jun 2, 2022 12:06:58 GMT
... KoA are sure taking their sweet time with shipping. Same... and they've been annoying me lately with charging me full price, when I clearly had store credit and elected to use it on my purchase. Thanks for the above information. I made one order from KoA under their new ownership and was disappointed with their shipping time and communications. I thought with time there might have been an improvement.
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Post by ihutch1 on Jun 4, 2022 7:14:54 GMT
Same... and they've been annoying me lately with charging me full price, when I clearly had store credit and elected to use it on my purchase. Thanks for the above information. I made one order from KoA under their new ownership and was disappointed with their shipping time and communications. I thought with time there might have been an improvement. They're not like they used to be, last order took weeks to process. My sword from Cold Steel took 2 days to ship, shipped free, and is arriving tomorrow (savings of $61 too). I'll give some more detailed stats then and report whether it comes with a scabbard, because the description says it does.
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Post by alientude on Jun 4, 2022 7:21:16 GMT
It comes with a sword frog, not a scabbard.
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Post by vincentblack on Jun 4, 2022 17:27:57 GMT
Thanks for the above information. I made one order from KoA under their new ownership and was disappointed with their shipping time and communications. I thought with time there might have been an improvement. They're not like they used to be, last order took weeks to process. My sword from Cold Steel took 2 days to ship, shipped free, and is arriving tomorrow (savings of $61 too). I'll give some more detailed stats then and report whether it comes with a scabbard, because the description says it does. Nice! I ordered mine this morning, can't wait to hear your impressions when it comes in.
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Post by cptnvimes on Jun 4, 2022 18:37:55 GMT
And KoA are out of stock on this... I get the feeling that this item is going to be a huge success for Cold Steel. Basically make something that is very similar to the Albion Knecht at a decent price (but not too cheap with a legit build style) and start printing money. Good thing I did order mine when i did. Tracking says it will be in my hands on Wednesday.
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Post by ihutch1 on Jun 4, 2022 22:05:05 GMT
Well, it arrived. My very first impression is that Cold Steel's packing and sharpening really suck.
The product looks good but was shipped with insufficient packing and no tip guard, so the tip was poking through the box and rolled over.
Quillions likewise poking out of box but no obvious damage.
Tiny sliver missing from high point on one of the grip slabs.
The sharpening looks a blind monkey did it. Steep secondary bevel and the grind actually makes a dip into the width of the blade about 1/3 up from the guard, giving a slightly parabolic aspect to the profile. Very amateur.
The 'scabbard' is indeed just a frog, and not a good one like the old Lutel version. It seems pretty useless, so this is definitely a sword you'll want to make a proper scabbard for.
Still for $355, this is good value. Distal taper looks decent, stock starts off thick enough.
Mass: 1503g/3.3lbs Taper: 1/3=7mm, 2/3=4.6mm, 3/3=2.5mm POB: 108mm/4.25in
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Post by vincentblack on Jun 4, 2022 22:45:59 GMT
Thanks for the info, hopefully mine will show up without any part of the sword sticking out, that's unacceptable. Not to mention it could end up getting a worker injured handling the package. So the tip was damaged as a result of that? I'd be sending it back to them if that happens to mine.
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Post by cptnvimes on Jun 4, 2022 23:49:52 GMT
I can't believe that after all those years nobody came up with a clever trick to ship blades without damage... Of the top of my head I would say... put a piece of PVC or sturdy cardboard pipe around the blade (a little longer so the tip doesn't stick out) problem solved. Heck I would pay extra for that option just to make sure the blade doesn't get damaged. Now I'm fretting about the state of my sword.
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Post by ihutch1 on Jun 5, 2022 0:03:56 GMT
It was easy to correct with a file and a stone, but shouldn't have happened in the first place. Other companies use little plastic covers/cups that slip over the tip to prevent this.
The sharpening is the real disappointment since I can't fix the dip in the profile. It is what it is.
For $355 it is nicely made though.
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Post by skelley on Jun 5, 2022 1:44:57 GMT
Thanks for the above information. I made one order from KoA under their new ownership and was disappointed with their shipping time and communications. I thought with time there might have been an improvement. They're not like they used to be, last order took weeks to process. My sword from Cold Steel took 2 days to ship, shipped free, and is arriving tomorrow (savings of $61 too). I'll give some more detailed stats then and report whether it comes with a scabbard, because the description says it does. How long ago was that if I may ask? My last order, in April I think, took 3 days to ship and another 3 days to arrive so I was quite happy with the speed after their extreme backlog last year. Well, it arrived. My very first impression is that Cold Steel's packing and sharpening really suck. The product looks good but was shipped with insufficient packing and no tip guard, so the tip was poking through the box and rolled over. Quillions likewise poking out of box but no obvious damage. Tiny sliver missing from high point on one of the grip slabs. The sharpening looks a blind monkey did it. Steep secondary bevel and the grind actually makes a dip into the width of the blade about 1/3 up from the guard, giving a slightly parabolic aspect to the profile. Very amateur. The 'scabbard' is indeed just a frog, and not a good one like the old Lutel version. It seems pretty useless, so this is definitely a sword you'll want to make a proper scabbard for. Still for $355, this is good value. Distal taper looks decent, stock starts off thick enough. Mass: 1503g/3.3lbs Taper: 1/3=7mm, 2/3=4.6mm, 3/3=2.5mm POB: 108mm/4.25in Very sorry to hear about the tip but glad it was an easy fix for you. Disappointing about the sharpening as well. For the price point, I always felt CS had some of the better edges out of the box but I suppose, like most things, that can vary. But I'm glad you're happy with it. I was debating about ordering one but maybe next time. Looking forward to hearing more.
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Post by ihutch1 on Jun 5, 2022 1:51:05 GMT
How long ago was that if I may ask? My last order, in April I think, took 3 days to ship and another 3 days to arrive so I was quite happy with the speed after their extreme backlog last year. Yeah, the backlog may explain it. It was October/November last year. The edge itself feels pretty sharp, the bevel is just so steep and the line uneven. If this is what it's like, I would prefer an unsharpened option and do it myself. What's been done can't really be undone. All of this said, my end position remains positive. To have something like this made in the west couldn't be less than $550-600 at the lowest.
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Post by eastman on Jun 5, 2022 15:25:13 GMT
recent orders in 2022 have been faster to ship from KoA than my 2021 orders did.
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Post by patmourin on Jun 5, 2022 19:32:00 GMT
Just got my kriegsmesser today. Can confirm it comes with a black leather frog. The frog seems to be of decent leather and construction. Now to have a scabbard made.
The construction on mine is excellent. It came Albion sharp, not dull. The edge was fine, but at the very tip, last millimeter or so, the edge was slightly rolled. No big different in cutting performance or thrusting performance, this thing will pierce through a lot, despite the minor rolled tip. And this one came from KoA very well packaged and wrapped, so I would assume the rolled edge came from the Factory.
Overall I would give it a 9.8/10.
blade length: 33.5” grip length from the top of the cross guard to the pommel: 11” cross guard: 10 6/8” weight: 3lbs 5.1oz
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