What Matters Most in a Sword Blade Replica?

Honestly, nobody can tell you what you will like better.
Personally I need lighter single handed swords.
I'd say the lower one will feel lighter but not light by any means, at that PoB and weight either will be a pretty heavy beastie single handed. If the curve on the blade is not the same, that can also make it feel differently, with more curved generally feeling more maneuverable but not necessarily "better".
If you want to have fun using it, at that PoB it would need to be below 1kg/2,2lbs - again, that's me.
What sabers are they if you don't mind telling? EN9 is a bit of a red flag since there are quite a few "sword like objects" made in this steel and they feel just like sharpened crowbars.


Yes, some leather can be quite agressive, not so much depending on the technique (chrome vs vegetable tan) but how well the chemicals have been washed out. Also the leather will suck up a lot of oil in the beginning when it's new, so oil often at first. It can clean off the oil where it contacts and lead to rust (but so can a steel scabbard if there is dry rust or dirt inside).
Generally with a leather sheath you need to oil more regularly than with steel. I had massive problems with leather in the beginning where the blade began rusting within a week, but after it has been saturated with oil/petroleum jelly at the spots where the blade makes contact I haven't had any problems.
Although long time storage is another matter. A few months in leather, yes, for years long storage steel is better. I had a bit of trouble with one of my steel scabbards and rust lately so that's by no means a sure thing either. I think the how you protect the blade matters a big deal as well, for me petroleum jelly mixed with mineral oil worked best, long term wax works best. But some firearms lubricants also have a cult following, as does car wax. Renaissance Wax is more divisive, and nobody knows why. Works extremely well for some, not at all for others.

I've started moving to Birchwood Casey Barricade for long term rust protection (new name on a product which has been used for many years)

I'm wondering if the people who have problems with Renaissance Wax bought their can on Amazon and really got a counterfeit product

It's the mass and where it is.
You want it near the hilt, not at the tip.
A broader blade could have more mass in the upper half of the blade.
But if it's broad and thin and/or fullered there can be less mass than a narrow thick blade has.
If you have an identical mass distribution on the blades there should be no difference between the broad and the narrow blade.
As I said before, the PoB closer to the hilt is better for handling (saber 1), but with too much weight over all or the PoB too far outside the sword with the better PoB can have a bad handling nevertheless (also saber 1).

In general:

- the heavier it is
- the longer it is
- the less distal taper it has
- the farther out PoB is

the more unwieldy it will be.


I would not buy any of the replica sabres from your op. They are extremely heavy and most likely have horrible and historically inaccurate distal taper. Swinging a metal rod will probably not feel much different.

Examples of very heavy historical cavalry cutting sabres weigh 1-1.2kg. Some of them were were called wristbreakers in their time and had a horrible reputation. Others were praised for their performance. They usually start 8-9mm thick at the hilt and taper very quickly at first, and then more slowly to around 1.5-2mm close to the tip. And they hit like a truck, but they require a very strong hand. Keep in mind, these are cavalry military sabres. They were never intended for finesse fencing, but there was a lot of finesse and thought in their design and mass distribution. All of this is missing from modern replicas.

If you want a sabre that is nimble in the hand, you should focus more on replicas of XVII century civilian examples (or officer versions from the Napoleonic period) and expect it to weigh 600-750g.

Something to keep in mind is that civilian and military sabres (or cavalry and infantry) may look similar, but they can feel extremely different in hand. Some civilian ones will feel like a feather and respond to wrist movements, while the heavier military ones are only good for full arm cuts.


I would recommend hunting for some originals from the Napoleonic period. Do your due diligence first, as apparently it is a minefield filled with fakes. Gain knowledge first, buy later. There are several extremely informative threads about historical sabres on the forum.

Final edit: Based on the stats you posted, these seem to be straight bladed thrusting swords with sabre hilts. Something very different from cutting sabres. I have never handled this type of a weapon, but I would not expect them to be nimble at all.

LK Chen has an M1860 now which should also be pretty close to original, they copied a specific example, ant their "Beiyang (German M1889) dragon cavalry saber 1895–1928" doesn't look bad as well.

Sabers.
The lightest is heavy, #1 is too heavy.

Yes, it seems like a good sabre. In my opinion, the guard is not entirely correct. The only original AN XI copy sabre I've ever handled is an 1814 Piemontese cavalry sabre. It is not only fantastic to handle, but also has guard bars that are more curved and cover the hand a bit more. However, looking at the pictures of this reproduction, the other two bars are more in line with the main one and do not cover the hand. Maybe I'm wrong.

I also recently bought an Mle F1 sabre. The guard is almost like the Piemontese one, but unfortunately, I had to send it back because the blade was bent starting from the forte, and the sabre got stuck in the scabbard while inserting it.