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Post by wobatt on Jan 11, 2024 14:58:46 GMT
Has anyone got experience with the Windlass French 1801 Cuirassier sword?
How good of a reproduction is it? Is it historically accurate? Does it handle well?
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Post by mrstabby on Jan 11, 2024 15:07:22 GMT
That sword is new, as in just now becoming available, so you are likely not going to find many with personal experience yet.
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Post by pellius on Jan 11, 2024 15:37:47 GMT
I have no personal experience or expertise with the original or this repro, so take this for the very little it is worth. MRL claims the blade has distal taper, which is great. The overall weight seems okay, too. I didn’t see a PoB listed. The Windlass looks nice, but appears to have the classic repro “micro-grip” and length-squished guard. Compared to Pino’s original in the article linked below, the Windlass hilt might be a couple inches too short. Probably won’t matter unless you want to wield it using a saber grip while wearing gauntlets (which, of course, you will). Hard to tell for sure; I subtracted blade length from overall length for each, then converted from inches to whatever a “centimeter” is. So my math might be wrong. The ricasso looks a bit oversized to me, too, but that’s just a nit-pick. Also, 1/4” thick at the base seems a little thin to me, but I don’t know for sure. Pino’s article discussing an original: sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/59634/notes-french-cuirassiers-dragoons-swordsIf you get one, please let us know your impressions! Windlass has made a couple of real gems lately. Another original to compare: www.antique-swords.com/zz10-an-xiii-waterloo-french-cuirassier-troopers/
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Post by wobatt on Jan 11, 2024 18:41:54 GMT
Thanks for your reply.
A quick comparison of the available stats with unit conversion...
| Original | Original | Windlass | Windlass | Overall length | 113cm | 44.5" | 109cm | 43" | Blade length
| 97cm | 38.2" | 95cm | 37.5" | Grip length
| 16cm | 6.3" | 14cm | 5.5" | Blade width at base
| 3.5cm | 1.375" | 3.5cm | 1.375" | Weight | 1360g | 3lbs | 1446g | 3lbs 3oz
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I make the grip 2cm (0.8") shorter overall.
I'll probably wait until someone who knows about this type of sword has done a review before I decide if I will buy one, but it looks quite good so far.
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Post by mrstabby on Jan 11, 2024 19:54:58 GMT
Thanks for your reply.
A quick comparison of the available stats with unit conversion...
| Original | Original | Windlass | Windlass | Overall length | 113cm | 44.5" | 109cm | 43" | Blade length
| 97cm | 38.2" | 95cm | 37.5" | Grip length
| 16cm | 6.3" | 14cm | 5.5" | Blade width at base
| 3.5cm | 1.375" | 3.5cm | 1.375" | Weight | 1360g | 3lbs | 1446g | 3lbs 3oz
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I make the grip 2cm (0.8") shorter overall.
I'll probably wait until someone who knows about this type of sword has done a review before I decide if I will buy one, but it looks quite good so far.
The values Winldass releases can be off by a lot, so going from these values alone won't always tell you what you'll get unfortunately. As far as I know, their sabers are of good quality. In the end, we'll only know how it handles if someone buys it.
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Post by curiomansion on Jan 11, 2024 19:59:47 GMT
So who's gonna be the Guinea Pig?
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Post by mrstabby on Jan 11, 2024 20:06:49 GMT
I am still waiting on my first sabers to see if I like sabers. So, not me for now. It looks quite attractive though.
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bas
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Posts: 346
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Post by bas on Jan 12, 2024 3:58:02 GMT
What do you want from the sword? As a wall hanger, it's ok. The appearance is close to the original, however there are some glaringly obvious mistakes with this reproduction:
- The pommel cap is too proud.
- The ricasso is of the typical Windlass reproduction, on the originals, the fuller is almost right down to the guard.
- The scabbard is incorrect, it's of the m1816 type
- The tip of the blade is incorrect, it's the m1816 spear point, the originals had a hatchet tip. This is less of an issue on the original An XI, as a lot were changed retroactively, but why do it on a replica?
If you want this sword for cutting.... just move along, these are not cutting swords, they are short lances on a sword hilt. What's more, the originals are already monsters of a sword if this one is another 100grams in weight it'll be a beast.
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Jan 14, 2024 4:46:36 GMT
I'm tempted because I always wanted a straight saber-sword. Afaik the French call everything with a saber-hilt "saber", even straight swords. If it just wouldn't be so darn heavy. I own the Patton repro which is very hilt heavy, at least not blade heavy but still tiring. My Cold Steel 1860/1840 made by Windlass is better balanced with real distal taper, still a huge saber. I hope this one is rather like the 1840, distal taper mentioned and no engraving, for which the usually use thicker blades. Anyway it's relative expensive itm here in Germany, perhaps next black week ...
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Post by pellius on Jan 14, 2024 15:22:17 GMT
For a cut and thrust saber from the roughly same time and place, maybe consider a French 1822 heavy cav saber.
It is a big sword with very nice handling. It also comes with discounts for being post-napoleonic and disliked in its own time. No repros that I know of, but originals occasionally surface at maybe twice the cost of the Windlass (less if you don’t require a scabbard).
Hmm. Come to think of it, repros of Frenchies all seem to be kinda poor; even the contemporaneous Solingen copies. Interesting…
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Post by madirish on Jan 14, 2024 17:18:19 GMT
Pellius' is good advice. I bought my 1824 dated 1822 for quite a bit less than that Windlass 1801 replica
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