Audio quality has always been something I struggle with. Have to deal with the street noise and the waterflow from the waterfall I live next to. I tried using keynote mics during recording in the past without much success. I'll try to narrate part of the review indoors from now on.
I enjoyed your review. I have the 14th century model, and I just ordered the 15th century longsword. As Matthew Jensen mentioned, the audio was much better than your balcony monologues with the background noise.
Audio quality has always been something I struggle with. Have to deal with the street noise and the waterflow from the waterfall I live next to. I tried using keynote mics during recording in the past without much success. I'll try to narrate part of the review indoors from now on.
I have the longsword and have enjoyed it so far. I have not sharpened it because I think I am inclined to sell it to someone else and move on to something else, but it feels like a very lively sword and I appreciate it's handling characteristics.
Indeed, if you plan to sell them later on, I recommend not to sharpen the longswords. Both the type XVa and XVIII have upper portions of the blade that have very oblique edge angles that would be difficult to sharpen well.
If you are in the USA, contact me when you want to sell it. I’ve ordered one from M R, but I have no idea when they will be in stock. I’d like one sooner rather than later.
Highly detailed stuff! I wonder, if there were two historical examples side by side, how much variance could one expect from one historical piece to another? I say no harm, no foul! Also, really like the octagonal grip shape and how it flows with the pommel.
Great review, thanks for sharing this. I got the RA back sword and the Toto; was a wee nervous after spending $1000 Cad each with duty/shipping, but wasn't disappointed. Enjoy seeing your reviews, all the best.
Oh this one is your best work yet. I like that your reviews are not just completely one-sided like some of the other reviews you can find online. You show the highlight, but at the same time expose what is problematic. Great job, my man!
Yeah, they absolutely can. It’s a matter of will. Hopefully they will update their old models to be better swords now that they have experience of making proper swords.
Good point on the grip fit and wrapping. A well made grip should never hurt the wielder. Good to see that they still cut very well, the falchion especially!
Yeah. Some of my friends got the same model and didn’t experience this as the leather wrapping on their sword grips are better finished. Their quality control should have detected this and correct this before approving them for release.
That falchion is interesting. The blade length is the same as a katana, but has only half the weight?? That's the weight of a ko-katana. Wow! Why do they call it a hanger?
Yeah. Surprising isn't it? Distal taper and profile taper helps a lot. The fuller also reduces a lot of mass. It moves very quickly even for a single-hander. But the reach is still impressive for a sword that weighs only 1.6 lbs.
You recommended a RUclips channel featuring a man who knows how to sharpen swords well, but I could not hear his name well enough to search it. Might I ask you what his channel is called? Sounded like “Matthew Cross” or something perhaps similar.
@@FortuneFavoursTheBold ah, thank you sir, and very good video, I have these two swords, and the fact that you have gone to the trouble of testing a cutting edge on the long sword has helped me to decide that I will probably use mine as a drilling tool and leave it unsharpened. I may get another as a collectors display piece.
Glad to be of help! It definitely looks better as the factory blunt as the edges are not too thick--about 0.2mm thick instead of the 1.5mm edge typically found on factory Windlass swords. Without marring the blade by sharpening it, it actually is a good-looking sword, despite some of the rippling and asymmetry, and handles rather well.
Indeed. But the longsword does well enough in cutting consider this type is leaning more towards thrusting (in armor, and against armor) than cutting, while the cutting is all about cutting light and soft targets due to the nature of Irish warfare.
Indeed. The type XVII longswords are trust-centric swords. For what they are, this one did pretty alright. And the English hanger just made short work of smaller pumpkins.
I do think I would prefer grips adjusted for larger modern hands (if they are indeed larger). That said I have mostly been an Arms and Armor (another historical dimensions maker) customer and a smallsword and rapier buff. My favorite smallsword, their custom English Loop hilt is a bit tight on my medium sized hand but it works well for me anyway. The Wakefield may be my first purchase in about 7 years and my first non-dueling oriented sharp. Thanks for helping me with the decision. I do wish the world wasn't about to collapse into war or at least depression and interfere with my sword enjoyment though😖
Yeah the size of the grip is not the problem, like I explained in the video. It's supposed to be used with a sabre grip, with which the 1/4 of my hand is sticking out of the end of the hilt. We need to understand how a certain arm was used to assess it. Just like the older debate of Viking-Era sword hilt.
I haven't got the chance to lay my hands on one, but suffice to say the design is excellent. It's based off precise measurements done by Matt Easton on an original in good condition at Royal Armouries. If executed correctly it will be one of the best offerings of two-handed swords below $1000. However, based on the feedbacks of buyers, I have concerns of the quality control at Windlass. Personally I have heard of 4 swords of this model being rejected due to various defects, some have cracked blades, others have wildly misaligned blades and hilts, warps and dips in the blades. You can see two customers documented the defects in the swords they received of this model, in this single thread alone. sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/72149/royal-armouries-century-handed-sword On top of these reports, one friend of mine bought it, and it demonstrated only minor flaws. The other friend of mine ordered this and received a cracked blade. Whether you should spend $800-1000 to gamble on its quality, I can't advise.
@@FortuneFavoursTheBold I understand but do you think you could also do a video trying out the 15th Century Two Handed Sword made by Arms And Armor which is quite distinct from the Royal Armouries variant and I am curious to do research on both swords
@@raphaelhanna8345 I’m happy to opine on the subject as I have done some research on these two models offered by A&A and Windlass RAC and the originals they are based on. The originals are similar but are two different swords, one Wallace Collection A474, one Royal Armouries IX.1787. The Royal Armouries one is lighter and more slender. Originally I wanted to get the Arms and Armor one as it is finished very well. But I soon find out that it’s not a faithful recreation of the original. It weighs 5.1-5.4 lbs as opposed to the 6.4 lbs on the original. Why is that? If you look at the thickness you quickly discover that they use a stock around 5.5mm thick. So the blade is clearly underbuilt by 1/4 to 1/3 resulting to a blade that sags when held horizontally. No matter how well the fit and finish are, it won’t feel the same as the original they claim to be replicating. The RAC English two-hander starts between 8-9mm thick. Much closer to the original. The weight and balance is generally around the ball park pf the original. Great! However, from what I have seen, Windlass has encountered great difficulties manufacturing the blade. As they are not used to create authentic medieval/Renaissance blades this long and have this degree of distal taper. The quality control of the grinding is very unreliable. Many customers have got issues and asked for a refund. Sure if you are lucky you get a good one, but personally I’m not sure I would want to gamble. In the end I just went ahead and got an Albion Maximilian for my medieval two-handed sword collection. The most reliable and faithful one even though it’s not based on one particular example.
@@FortuneFavoursTheBold I'm not sure if I'd be interested in the Maximilian since it's blade isn't long enough for my interests and I'm not a fan of fullers personally I'm going to hope that you eventually manage to get a decent quality copy of the Royal Armouries sword and review it eventually
Indeed. The kind of blunt edge with the Wakefield Hanger’s edge geometry doesn’t bother me, as it’s quite easy to sharpen. But it’s very difficult for the type XVII longsword which has a stout thick but narrow blade that results in large edge angles.
Great video but big problem. Dull swords? At this price? To sharpen them might destroy them. A sword has one purpose to cut and thus must be sharp. Otherwise it is a 700 USD toy crowbar.
There are so many problems with your characterization, the first among which is the ages-old trope of “swords are just crowbars but sharp”. The response to that is a resounding: NO. If you believe what makes something a sword is just that it is sharpened, you might as well define a plane as an iron tube with seats in it-it’s laughable to put it kindly. It shows one’s lack of basic knowledge of what makes something an actual sword: proper dimensions and proportions, mass distribution (cross section, profile and distal taper, fuller configurations), hilt construction, heat treatment techniques, etc. Yes, a live blade should be sharpened but with proper edge geometry that’s not difficult, any amateur could do that himself. On the other hand, all of the criterion above simply cannot be done by anybody other than the smith and the craftsman. You can sharpen your sword, but you can’t grind a proper cross section or distal taper yourself even if you have all the knowledge. Swords need to be sharp, just like planes need to have seats for pilots and passengers. Having seats doesn’t make an object a plane. A sword, is by definition not a crowbar. They have vastly different mass distribution, they handle in vastly different ways, one with sophisticated techniques that are documented in numerous treatises over the millennia, the one one requires one swing to do one small part of a simple job. I doubt you even watched my video, as I showed the edge geometry and it’s close to sharp, therefore I specifically stated in the video how long it took me to sharpen each. Did you even watch the cutting portion of the review? BTW who ruins a sword by sharpening the edge? I have never heard of anybody doing that. If you have, you’d be the first in the world. As long as you use swords in combat, the edge will degrade, they would be dulled and chipped if you parry with them, which is a must if you want to live. Knights had multiple servants and retainers sharpening the edges quite often, ordinary people went to professional for their sharpening services. So no, sharpening blades will not ruin swords. On the contrary, not sharpening blades when they are dulled or chipped will lead to ruin of the sword down the line. It’s also not a toy. It has proper handling characteristics and edge bevel on it, it has a pointy tip. If one’s not careful, he can accidentally kill someone with these swords. The reason they are not fully sharpened is that they are sold at Royal Armouries museum in Leeds, so regulations will be a hurdle if the gift shop sell fully sharpened swords. But if one desires so, it’s not difficult to do it himself.
Sharpen these swords with a large fine single cut file sharpen to zero without a bevel, its how the originals were, you cab then finish with a large diamond plate
@@FortuneFavoursTheBold yeah its a bit of work, i suggest you buy a songle cut coarse file 12 or 14 inch long and a single cut fine or extra fine file. You can prep it ti almost a cutting edge if you have a belt grinder. But wjth a file afew hours you should have a fantastic edge, also medieval people use scrapers to scrape the edge with work faster than files and can five a finer finsh in some ways. I recently sharpened several antique swords witha file, a french cutlass and a british 1845 sabre. Normally ill grind them first and then file but i was curious to try without any power tools. You can do a nice job if you take it slowly. You should clamp the sword down.. I have a filing jig made made for this with 2 steel stirrups and a block and wedges to lock the sword in
I hear you better in this one. Well done sir.
Audio quality has always been something I struggle with. Have to deal with the street noise and the waterflow from the waterfall I live next to. I tried using keynote mics during recording in the past without much success. I'll try to narrate part of the review indoors from now on.
Again, Thanks for the shout out, Kane. And excellent analysis of these two reproductions 👍
Thank you, Matthew! Crazy good cutting on your channel!
I enjoyed your review. I have the 14th century model, and I just ordered the 15th century longsword. As Matthew Jensen mentioned, the audio was much better than your balcony monologues with the background noise.
Audio quality has always been something I struggle with. Have to deal with the street noise and the waterflow from the waterfall I live next to. I tried using keynote mics during recording in the past without much success. I'll try to narrate part of the review indoors from now on.
I have the longsword and have enjoyed it so far. I have not sharpened it because I think I am inclined to sell it to someone else and move on to something else, but it feels like a very lively sword and I appreciate it's handling characteristics.
Indeed, if you plan to sell them later on, I recommend not to sharpen the longswords. Both the type XVa and XVIII have upper portions of the blade that have very oblique edge angles that would be difficult to sharpen well.
@@FortuneFavoursTheBold I think the best one can do is achieve a chisel-like edge. I don't plan on attempting it.
If you are in the USA, contact me when you want to sell it. I’ve ordered one from M R, but I have no idea when they will be in stock. I’d like one sooner rather than later.
@evanmorris1178 I think sword friend Daniel has already sold that piece some time ago.
@@FortuneFavoursTheBold Thanks for the info.
Highly detailed stuff! I wonder, if there were two historical examples side by side, how much variance could one expect from one historical piece to another? I say no harm, no foul! Also, really like the octagonal grip shape and how it flows with the pommel.
Great review, thanks for sharing this. I got the RA back sword and the Toto; was a wee nervous after spending $1000 Cad each with duty/shipping, but wasn't disappointed. Enjoy seeing your reviews, all the best.
Many thanks! Indeed, buying from Canada is quite costly. But these swords offer pretty good value, pretty much unparalleled at this price range.
Great and thorough review. Thanks.
Many thanks!
Good review with audible commentary!
Thanks! Wow, everybody reacts positively to this new review style. Gives me something to think about.
Oh this one is your best work yet. I like that your reviews are not just completely one-sided like some of the other reviews you can find online. You show the highlight, but at the same time expose what is problematic. Great job, my man!
Wow, thanks!
I know Windlass can do it. Yes! Thank you for the review!
Yeah, they absolutely can. It’s a matter of will. Hopefully they will update their old models to be better swords now that they have experience of making proper swords.
Finally we see what these swords are capable of. Thank you!
Thank you for viewing!
You gave them a fair and balanced hearing.
Thanks, that is what I tried to do!
This is q very informed review! Cheers!
Thank you kindly!
Good point on the grip fit and wrapping. A well made grip should never hurt the wielder. Good to see that they still cut very well, the falchion especially!
Yeah. Some of my friends got the same model and didn’t experience this as the leather wrapping on their sword grips are better finished. Their quality control should have detected this and correct this before approving them for release.
That falchion is interesting. The blade length is the same as a katana, but has only half the weight?? That's the weight of a ko-katana. Wow! Why do they call it a hanger?
Yeah. Surprising isn't it? Distal taper and profile taper helps a lot. The fuller also reduces a lot of mass. It moves very quickly even for a single-hander. But the reach is still impressive for a sword that weighs only 1.6 lbs.
You recommended a RUclips channel featuring a man who knows how to sharpen swords well, but I could not hear his name well enough to search it.
Might I ask you what his channel is called? Sounded like “Matthew Cross” or something perhaps similar.
Yes, his channel is called "Real Swords". He runs the Facebook group by the same name. The link to his channel is in the description of video.
Cool to see him mentioned in the review. He's got a really good channel going
Here's one from earlier today: ruclips.net/video/jRMO_jFPqBs/видео.html
@@FortuneFavoursTheBold ah, thank you sir, and very good video, I have these two swords, and the fact that you have gone to the trouble of testing a cutting edge on the long sword has helped me to decide that I will probably use mine as a drilling tool and leave it unsharpened. I may get another as a collectors display piece.
Glad to be of help! It definitely looks better as the factory blunt as the edges are not too thick--about 0.2mm thick instead of the 1.5mm edge typically found on factory Windlass swords. Without marring the blade by sharpening it, it actually is a good-looking sword, despite some of the rippling and asymmetry, and handles rather well.
I'm just here to see the Irish sword win the contest against an English longsword.
Well that it sure has accomplished.
Pumpkin annihilator that ring pommel sword is!
Indeed. But the longsword does well enough in cutting consider this type is leaning more towards thrusting (in armor, and against armor) than cutting, while the cutting is all about cutting light and soft targets due to the nature of Irish warfare.
what a great channel - good stuff man
Thank you for the kind words!
Looks like the longsword did really well against that pumpkin for the style of blade, and the falchion just screams YES HANGER to me
Indeed. The type XVII longswords are trust-centric swords. For what they are, this one did pretty alright. And the English hanger just made short work of smaller pumpkins.
I do think I would prefer grips adjusted for larger modern hands (if they are indeed larger). That said I have mostly been an Arms and Armor (another historical dimensions maker) customer and a smallsword and rapier buff. My favorite smallsword, their custom English Loop hilt is a bit tight on my medium sized hand but it works well for me anyway. The Wakefield may be my first purchase in about 7 years and my first non-dueling oriented sharp. Thanks for helping me with the decision. I do wish the world wasn't about to collapse into war or at least depression and interfere with my sword enjoyment though😖
Yeah the size of the grip is not the problem, like I explained in the video. It's supposed to be used with a sabre grip, with which the 1/4 of my hand is sticking out of the end of the hilt. We need to understand how a certain arm was used to assess it. Just like the older debate of Viking-Era sword hilt.
Can you do a review of the 15th Century Two Handed Sword please? I need to know about that sword
I haven't got the chance to lay my hands on one, but suffice to say the design is excellent. It's based off precise measurements done by Matt Easton on an original in good condition at Royal Armouries. If executed correctly it will be one of the best offerings of two-handed swords below $1000. However, based on the feedbacks of buyers, I have concerns of the quality control at Windlass. Personally I have heard of 4 swords of this model being rejected due to various defects, some have cracked blades, others have wildly misaligned blades and hilts, warps and dips in the blades.
You can see two customers documented the defects in the swords they received of this model, in this single thread alone. sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/72149/royal-armouries-century-handed-sword
On top of these reports, one friend of mine bought it, and it demonstrated only minor flaws. The other friend of mine ordered this and received a cracked blade.
Whether you should spend $800-1000 to gamble on its quality, I can't advise.
@@FortuneFavoursTheBold I understand but do you think you could also do a video trying out the 15th Century Two Handed Sword made by Arms And Armor which is quite distinct from the Royal Armouries variant and I am curious to do research on both swords
@@raphaelhanna8345 I’m happy to opine on the subject as I have done some research on these two models offered by A&A and Windlass RAC and the originals they are based on.
The originals are similar but are two different swords, one Wallace Collection A474, one Royal Armouries IX.1787. The Royal Armouries one is lighter and more slender.
Originally I wanted to get the Arms and Armor one as it is finished very well. But I soon find out that it’s not a faithful recreation of the original. It weighs 5.1-5.4 lbs as opposed to the 6.4 lbs on the original. Why is that? If you look at the thickness you quickly discover that they use a stock around 5.5mm thick. So the blade is clearly underbuilt by 1/4 to 1/3 resulting to a blade that sags when held horizontally. No matter how well the fit and finish are, it won’t feel the same as the original they claim to be replicating.
The RAC English two-hander starts between 8-9mm thick. Much closer to the original. The weight and balance is generally around the ball park pf the original. Great! However, from what I have seen, Windlass has encountered great difficulties manufacturing the blade. As they are not used to create authentic medieval/Renaissance blades this long and have this degree of distal taper. The quality control of the grinding is very unreliable. Many customers have got issues and asked for a refund. Sure if you are lucky you get a good one, but personally I’m not sure I would want to gamble.
In the end I just went ahead and got an Albion Maximilian for my medieval two-handed sword collection. The most reliable and faithful one even though it’s not based on one particular example.
@@FortuneFavoursTheBold I'm not sure if I'd be interested in the Maximilian since it's blade isn't long enough for my interests and I'm not a fan of fullers personally I'm going to hope that you eventually manage to get a decent quality copy of the Royal Armouries sword and review it eventually
@@FortuneFavoursTheBold Actually I want to say that I'm a bit confused what do you mean by underbuilt by 1/4 to 1/3
A shame these swords don't come sharp, but I guess that's out of Windlass' hands.
Indeed. The kind of blunt edge with the Wakefield Hanger’s edge geometry doesn’t bother me, as it’s quite easy to sharpen. But it’s very difficult for the type XVII longsword which has a stout thick but narrow blade that results in large edge angles.
başarılar
Thanks, if I need successfully provided some value with this review.
Great video but big problem. Dull swords? At this price? To sharpen them might destroy them. A sword has one purpose to cut and thus must be sharp. Otherwise it is a 700 USD toy crowbar.
There are so many problems with your characterization, the first among which is the ages-old trope of “swords are just crowbars but sharp”. The response to that is a resounding: NO.
If you believe what makes something a sword is just that it is sharpened, you might as well define a plane as an iron tube with seats in it-it’s laughable to put it kindly. It shows one’s lack of basic knowledge of what makes something an actual sword: proper dimensions and proportions, mass distribution (cross section, profile and distal taper, fuller configurations), hilt construction, heat treatment techniques, etc.
Yes, a live blade should be sharpened but with proper edge geometry that’s not difficult, any amateur could do that himself. On the other hand, all of the criterion above simply cannot be done by anybody other than the smith and the craftsman. You can sharpen your sword, but you can’t grind a proper cross section or distal taper yourself even if you have all the knowledge. Swords need to be sharp, just like planes need to have seats for pilots and passengers. Having seats doesn’t make an object a plane.
A sword, is by definition not a crowbar. They have vastly different mass distribution, they handle in vastly different ways, one with sophisticated techniques that are documented in numerous treatises over the millennia, the one one requires one swing to do one small part of a simple job.
I doubt you even watched my video, as I showed the edge geometry and it’s close to sharp, therefore I specifically stated in the video how long it took me to sharpen each.
Did you even watch the cutting portion of the review? BTW who ruins a sword by sharpening the edge? I have never heard of anybody doing that. If you have, you’d be the first in the world.
As long as you use swords in combat, the edge will degrade, they would be dulled and chipped if you parry with them, which is a must if you want to live. Knights had multiple servants and retainers sharpening the edges quite often, ordinary people went to professional for their sharpening services. So no, sharpening blades will not ruin swords. On the contrary, not sharpening blades when they are dulled or chipped will lead to ruin of the sword down the line.
It’s also not a toy. It has proper handling characteristics and edge bevel on it, it has a pointy tip. If one’s not careful, he can accidentally kill someone with these swords.
The reason they are not fully sharpened is that they are sold at Royal Armouries museum in Leeds, so regulations will be a hurdle if the gift shop sell fully sharpened swords. But if one desires so, it’s not difficult to do it himself.
Sharpen these swords with a large fine single cut file sharpen to zero without a bevel, its how the originals were, you cab then finish with a large diamond plate
Yeah, I figure that's the right way to do it. Just very time consuming thus requires a lot of patience.
@@FortuneFavoursTheBold yeah its a bit of work, i suggest you buy a songle cut coarse file 12 or 14 inch long and a single cut fine or extra fine file. You can prep it ti almost a cutting edge if you have a belt grinder. But wjth a file afew hours you should have a fantastic edge, also medieval people use scrapers to scrape the edge with work faster than files and can five a finer finsh in some ways. I recently sharpened several antique swords witha file, a french cutlass and a british 1845 sabre. Normally ill grind them first and then file but i was curious to try without any power tools. You can do a nice job if you take it slowly. You should clamp the sword down.. I have a filing jig made made for this with 2 steel stirrups and a block and wedges to lock the sword in