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Post by markus313 on Feb 3, 2023 17:26:44 GMT
My saber arrived today. Very awesome. Very well made. True to the original. It's 91 grams lighter than the antique Osborn&Gunby I used to own. It seems the hilt parts are less massive, they still seem strong enough, though. The fullers are a bit less crisp, perhaps. The pob is one inch further up the blade. Handling feels about the same, from memory. Handles much better than the Cold Steel model. Very good sharpening on this one. Slices 80 g copy paper easily. Good edge geometry. Rather blunt at the forte, which is a good thing. Sharpened back edge, almost as sharp as main edge. Blade flexes just right. Well put together. Everything straight and solid. The slight misalignment of the backstrap doesn’t affect handling at all. Otherwise very good fit&finish. Very well-made steel scabbard. An awesome, awesome job by Windlass on this saber. A quantum leap in the world of mass-produced repro sabers. Highly recommended.
Stats below. Stats for my antique on page one of this thread:
I have ordered another one, which is expected to arrive in a week. Attachments:
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Post by markus313 on Feb 5, 2023 12:30:59 GMT
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Post by eastman on Feb 5, 2023 15:58:13 GMT
good review
since every review I've seen comments about the grip alignment, it makes me wonder if Windlass is trying to exactly reproduce a slightly crooked original?
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Post by markus313 on Feb 5, 2023 16:33:46 GMT
The grip on mine is perfectly straight, in line with the blade. The backstrap is slightly tilted towards the left, no problems with handling though.
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Post by snubnoze on Feb 5, 2023 21:45:30 GMT
Well dang. I've been trying to stay away from buying swords, but I want a Sabre to practice cutting with and this looks like a great option, especially if markus313 is giving it the thumbs up... |
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Post by markus313 on Feb 7, 2023 19:14:30 GMT
Oh, thank you, Snubnoze. Yeah, these sabers will make for great cutters. I got my other saber today. It’s just as good as the other – though there is some variation. I have experienced these variances with any Windlass model I had multiple exemplars of. The most noticeable differences are: the weight – it’s 34 grams lighter than the first one; the flex – it’s more flexible, and flexes more towards the forte, but still good; the curvature – it’s quite a bit more curved than the other. I have made a stats chart for all my 1796 sabers (see below). The sword handles great. The backstrap is just a bit tilted towards the left, just like on the other. Otherwise the fit&finish is good. Just as sharp as the other. Did a bit of light cutting with the second one, on thick walled cardboard tubes and thick insulation foam tubes. Great cutter. 100% satisfied with both swords. Attachments:
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Post by alientude on Feb 10, 2023 15:50:29 GMT
Here's my review of this sword:
And my measurements: |
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Post by markus313 on Feb 10, 2023 20:25:36 GMT
Thank you for the video, Alientude. Always great to get to know other’s thoughts on a sword I like. So, a little update. Had some more sword fun with the lighter, more flexible 1796. Call me idiot or whatever. Some of you may know I like to “test” my blades (test, ah well, not really…). Had an old office chair I chopped, slashed and stabbed at with the saber. I thought that chair resembled/offered some realism, lol (plywood pieces, several layers of fabric, the padding and leather and so on). The saber did quite well, and showed a lot of flex, especially when thrusting. I then decided to “modify” it. So I cut off some of the foible and went to the grinding belt. After a rough reprofiling and sharpening (took care not to overheat the blade) I went to the chair again (hadn't polished the resharpened part of the blade, it was already quite sharp though). That modified 1796 felt like the best thing in the world to me. On for some more slashing, stabbing, chopping (no, no footage). The edge did show almost no signs of usage. All tight and solid. Like before, some thrusts didn’t penetrate. After closer inspection I noticed a bend in the blade – I don’t know when during my “test” that occurred, I suspect it must’ve been a close-range stab that failed to penetrate. The bend wasn’t that bad, though, had the tip lift off a flat surface around 8 or 9 mm. Thought I might be able to bend it back over my knee. I gripped with both hands quite close together just around the point of the bend and slowly bent the blade over my knee. Immediately, the blade cracked at the spine. 39 cm from the guard. Blade thickness at that point is 3,27 mm. Not sure what to make of this, tbh. Could the heat treatment have been better? Logic result of the blade shape/profile (deep fullers, square spine etc.) Wrong technique when trying to re-bend? Too harsh of “testing” (obviously, lol). Result of “modding”? Saw many an antique (especially heavily curved sabers) with bent blades. Idk. Just to let y’all know. Yeah, call me an idiot. Still a large part of the sword fun to me  Oh, I still use the saber for dry handling. Until the top flies off to cut my jugular vein. |
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Post by curiomansion on Feb 10, 2023 22:43:18 GMT
Thank you for the video, Alientude. Always great to get to know other’s thoughts on a sword I like. So, a little update. Had some more sword fun with the lighter, more flexible 1796. Call me idiot or whatever. Some of you may know I like to “test” my blades (test, ah well, not really…). Had an old office chair I chopped, slashed and stabbed at with the saber. I thought that chair resembled/offered some realism, lol (plywood pieces, several layers of fabric, the padding and leather and so on). The saber did quite well, and showed a lot of flex, especially when thrusting. I then decided to “modify” it. So I cut off some of the foible and went to the grinding belt. After a rough reprofiling and sharpening (took care not to overheat the blade) I went to the chair again (hadn't polished the resharpened part of the blade, it was already quite sharp though). That modified 1796 felt like the best thing in the world to me. On for some more slashing, stabbing, chopping (no, no footage). The edge did show almost no signs of usage. All tight and solid. Like before, some thrusts didn’t penetrate. After closer inspection I noticed a bend in the blade – I don’t know when during my “test” that occurred, I suspect it must’ve been a close-range stab that failed to penetrate. The bend wasn’t that bad, though, had the tip lift off a flat surface around 8 or 9 mm. Thought I might be able to bend it back over my knee. I gripped with both hands quite close together just around the point of the bend and slowly bent the blade over my knee. Immediately, the blade cracked at the spine. 39 cm from the guard. Blade thickness at that point is 3,27 mm. Not sure what to make of this, tbh. Could the heat treatment have been better? Logic result of the blade shape/profile (deep fullers, square spine etc.) Wrong technique when trying to re-bend? Too harsh of “testing” (obviously, lol). Result of “modding”? Saw many an antique (especially heavily curved sabers) with bent blades. Idk. Just to let y’all know. Yeah, call me an idiot. Still a large part of the sword fun to me Oh, I still use the saber for dry handling. Until the top flies off to cut my jugular vein. We thank you for your service! Given the level of abuse, I'm not too disappointed in the results, but sorry for your loss! If the blade does break, make yourself a nice knife or hangar with whatever is left! |
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Feb 11, 2023 0:42:41 GMT
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