Peserey Handicrafts basic caucasian shashka

Full Disclosure
I paid the full price for this weapon and i am not afilliated in any way with the seller. Note that i bought it over a year ago. Hamit (the maker) rised his prices since then.

Pictures






The maker
This shashka was made by Hamit Esen in Turkey. He is the only person behind the Peserey Handicrafts brand. Hamit is of circassian origin (since the russian expansion into the caucasus turkey has the biggest circassian diaspora). 

Initial Impressions
I received the shashka 2-3 weeks after placing my order. Thats quick! It came in a box fashioned out of two panels of styrofoam. Nothing to look at but very secure. After unsheathing the shashka i was slightly irritated. The blade was thoroughly covered in dust and had a few fingerprints on it. Seemed not so good to me. However just after this first impression i gave the blade a few swings and came to the pleasant conclusion that it is the real deal!

Statistics
I will compare the actual measurements with the ones i ordered.

Blade Length:
75 cm (ordered 75)

Handle Length:
16.5 cm overall, 10 cm recess where its meant to be gripped

Overall Length:
91.5 cm

Blade width at base:
30.2 mm

Blade width at tip right before the hatchet point begins:
25.5 mm

Blade width at COP:
28.3 mm

Curvature:
3.5 cm

POB (Point of Balance):
21 cm

COP (Center of Percussion, approximated):
beginnig from the last third of the blade up to 8cm from the tip

Weight:
550g (ordered 500-600 grams)

blade thickness at the base:
4.8 mm

blade thickness half up the blade:
3.8 mm

blade thickness at the beginnig of the last quarter of the blade:
2.8 mm

blade thickness 8 cm from tip:
2.0 mm

blade thickness at tip:
1.3 mm

One can see that my requirements were met exactly. Moreover the is a good deal of distal taper. The POB is also historical.

Components
You can count them with three fingers..

Grips:
Made of black horn in the traditional riveted construction like on a knife. The grip came with some scratches but i was more concerned with the noticable gap between the gripslabs and the tang. When shining in with a flashlight i could even see the upper rivets. Not good from a structural perspective although historical (they used to cut saberblades at the base thus putting the grip where there might have been a ricasso). Also the grip is rather rather (not completely) round which also is historical but makes edge alignment harder. However this form facilitates fast draw cutting.

Rivets:
The rivets are made of brass. One has gap where the material to flatten it out lacked apparently.

Blade:

The blade material is supposedly 1075 steel hardened to 48 HRC. Hamit grinds the blades from steel blanks. The blade is well curved, has a single elliptical fuller and terminates in a hatchet point. It has a secondary bevel and came right about paper cutting sharp. The hatchet point had a bevel but wasn‘t sharp (i could run my finger with pressure on it). It is suprisingly stiff and when bending it the bend begins only from the last third. As Hamit states on his etsy page the finish on the blade is rough and clearly unpolished. It looks like a real fighting weapon which can be used without being concerned about damaging a valuable posession. Correct edge alignment is indicated with a loud swoosh (louder than most of the other blades i own both replicas and antiques)


The Scabbard:
First things first: i absoluty love its form! It has definetely the sleekest shape of all the scabbards i own. After the cup where the handle slides in it quickly becomes lenticular and forms almost two bewels by itself. It weighs only 236 grams! The leather on it is glued on, soft and has a big grain. The seam is clearly visible. On a few places glue stains can be seen. What i didnt like were the brass parts. The brass sheet is very thin and has silver discolorations. Since buying the shashka the fittings have developed a nice patina which makes an overall antique look. I like them now. The suspension ring is rather thin and looks a bit cheap. The scabbard fit is rather loose, the shashka isnt held in it and there is some considerable rattling going on. However one has to mind that in order to perform the traditional quick draw techniques especially without holding the scabbard it cant be tight.

Handling Characteristics
Sadly i didnt have the pleasure to handle an antique shashka but through all my research i would say that it matches the descriptions. It is a light, very fast blade with a forward balance making it a hard hitter despite its lightness. With its hatchet point lack of any handguard and smooth grip thrusting doesnt seem to be a good idea. Making cuts from the scabbard is rather easy with this sword. When making a lunge i can deliver 2 cuts using the whole arm to a target 2,5 meters from my initial position in ca. one second. Those would most likely disable an opponent and surely break an incoming attack. I came to the the conclusion that in the range of 2-2.5 meters in most hands the shashka would be a better implement to defend from a sudden attack than a pistol. Breaking the attack of an opponent with a gun (holstered when attack begins) in a second with the attacker this close would require years of training. That´s something for the Jerry Miculeks and special forces guys in this world. To all the others go get your shashka…

Test Cutting
First things first i am not a cutting pro. Not even an experienced backyard cutter. So take my assesment with a grain of salt. My first cutting session with the sword was when it was „factory sharp“. It took branches and poolnoodles with no problems but i really struggled with cutting tatami. All in all i was a bit disappointed by my results. Despite the shashkas reputation i was only able to achieve average results with it when compared to my other swords (Number one is my landsknecht emporium günther). Since then i have sharpened the shashka to almost shaving sharp and now it cuts even tatami which isnt secured to the stand with a peg. 

Conclusions
All in all i am glad with my purchase. This shashka definitely isn‘t a refined beauty but it has good handling and historically accurate measurements. Right now Hamits shahskas are the best option out there. I can fully recommend him as a maker. Note also that you can customize the shashka to a high degree (curvature, lenght, weight, polishing, widness of blade, fullers, engraving etc.). Making times right now are at least 3-4 months. Hamit made a name for himself since i bought this shashka and has now a considerable backlog.