I’ve been a cold steel fan ever since my very first deployment to Afghanistan in 2002. I bought an OSS, and it held up amazingly well to 19 months of literally nothing but neglect. No oil, no resharpening, dropping multiple times from my being scared when getting shot at, and never having that damn sheath mounted correctly, and always forgetting that it took two clicks to make sure the kydex was locked around the crossguard. But, the one thing that is absolutely consistent, is their lack of QC. It’s either extremely hot, or extremely miss.
I've owned one of these for about a year now, and I quite like mine. It was my first sword, and I think it was a good choice. I like the Messer style, and I like the fighting systems for the Messer from the various Fechtbuch. When I did my first cutting with mine, towards the end I cut a milk jug without knocking it from its precarious stand. Then I thrust into it. It wasn't a strong thrust, but it penetrated. Then I pulled the tip out, and waited to see the water come out of the hole. Then I realized that water wasn't coming out of it. The tip thrust through so cleanly that when I removed it, the hole sealed itself. I had to tilt the jug so the weight of the water was against the hole before the water could leak out.
2:40 Excellent edge alignment on that cut! That's one of the harder cuts to line up properly, because of all the dergrees of rotation (It's a wrist twister too, so can be jarring when you don't land it right, but I have glass wrists from hammering for years.) That was damned near perfect.
Just got it yesterday. An amazing bargain for the price it handles beautifully. Thanks for recommending it Skall. Was dying to find an affordable messer.
I got one of these about a year ago. Good price, but not true Messer design. Had to bend the nagel back a bit to fit my hand. Maybe that's why it broke when I cut into some 1/4 ish inch particle board? Cut plastic well enough, previously.
@@ollimoore the blade broke. Right at the guard. I'm not exactly sure how sword proportions work, but the tang seems pretty small (less than half the width of the blade). It may have been fine, had there been more material in there to absorb shock.
@@williamgreen6814 thanks for the reply, that's what I thought you meant just wanted to be sure. A lot of swords seem to have really narrow looking tangs, even good ones, as do originals. Not quite sure what the logic is for that as it seems to just invite the kind of breakage you describe. In any case it's a shame they didn't go with a nice beefy full width tang on this one, considering it's a Messer.
I ordered one to use as a cuttoe/hanger/hunting sword. To me, with it's shell guard and simple hilt it looks like a very well made early American cuttoe..
Well, this is not actually a full review, just a first impression. Since it's not mine I'm not that familiar with it and obviously haven't done hard testing with it. But it handled nicely and worked well in this cutting session, so it seems promising.
Another potential option is you want a compact little single edge blade is the d guard Bowie by Windlass Steelcraft or maybe the devil's edge single edge Qama.
I bought this one when it first came out... not the best edge as delivered, and I'm not super fond of how the hilt meets your hand. It's not the most comfortable sword. But it's LIGHT, and what a handy size :) IMHO the blade needs a little more heft... just a touch. But I guess that's where I'm not very good and this guys is amazing: TECHNIQUE! You can't baseball bat this thing, it's not a conan sword or a katana. It's got finesse, but not enough length to get a lot of tip velocity, so TECHNIQUE. Holy crap I suck. Also, the flaw of that grip/pommel design is that if your hands are slick it'll fly right out of your hands, and the half shell guard motif makes indexing over the crossguard very hard, if not downright impossible to do practically. I'm thinking you need a special thumb technique or somesuch to amplify control if you don't have the very best grip strength or you have slippery hands.
ravissary79 just to be clear, and I'm not a roided out katana fan, and am actually a proud owner and user of The Steward by Albion. But you need finesse to use a katana, and a lot of it as they're made of a lot of parts and don't tend to be very strong, even with good steel, unless they're above the 300 price range.
From my limited experience, compared with other designs, Katanas are much more forgiving when used incorrectly by average folks. Correct technique might require finesse, but that's true for all swords. But expert cutting with straight edge swords vs single edged and curved swords is considered by most to be harder without perfect edge alignment. The shape and feel of a katana is often more accessible to feeling for it's edge than many european swords. Not all mind you. Falchions are quite possibly even easier to cut with than katanas. Sabers, machetes, etc. But a straight, two edged, long, thin bladed complex hilt with a hilt heavy balance and a round grip? That takes a lot of finesse. I'm not saying katanas don't But you can "baseball bat" a katana and it'll work. It's not ideal. It's not how you're supposed to use it, but it'll work. That's what I was referring to. (obviously there are really good outliers in the european designs... and it's those outliers I'm looking for). I own the sword reviewed here. It's not quite as easy to handle as a katana. The blade is so light that it doesn't bite with authority if you don't get your alignment right. This video is of people who are VERY good with edge alignment.
ravissary79 I think you're mistaking just a two handed blade being easier to use as compared to a one handed, and that isn't even quite the case. I can tell you that baseball batting a katana, with experience in Kumdo, will kill your blade. You'll bend the crap out of it. I've let someone baseball bat one of my 300 dollar katana and they broke the tsuka and bent the blade hitting a tatami. I've only used my Steward thrice, but it is far easier to use than any katana I've ever touched, in terms of alignment. Cutting could be better, but perhaps that's just me. I am not trained in HEMA. But trust me, I know Skall and those from HEMA have good alignment. I've watched Skall for years haha
Not at all. I'm not the only person to ever point out that katana's have very forgiving blade edge geometry for cutting for the novice. ruclips.net/video/h8EieeQRllM/видео.html here's a good one just on blade shape, and edge alignment is part of the topic. The blade geometry is very forgiving of the cut in a Katana, which is why so many people feel they cut better than almost anything else, when many swords do just as well or better. It's due to experience vs ergonomics vs how well a design does with imperfect edge alignment. Your points about katanas needing finesse is about sword damage, not cutting success. Having poor edge alignment which then causes a cheap katana to bend is no different than a cheap longsword bending from the same thing. I've had a pakastani "knightly" sword that bent from this before. I beat things with it as a teen and I destroyed that sword trying to learn it. Cheap swords can be destroyed by poor edge alignment on all types, it's cause the steel can't handle the twisting action of a glancing blow. it just so happens that katana cross section and many kinds of steel that were used in them which aided in shock absorption and rigidity also made them less "bouncy" than homogenous spring steels in europe. But it's precisely the springing nature of modern steels and many late medieval european steels that made them more "durable" when punished on hard objects etc, but also made them "fail" a cut when aligned badly (they'd warp and "bounce" off a target). To be sure, a katana can also "bounce", but is less likely to at a certain mild angle. It's almost like a hatchet that way, and this is due to how the edge and cross section are shaped. The back of a katana is quite thick, and the edge very acute, with a lot of bite. This means that if the edge is defected off the center of the spine,but not outside its' width, then there's still a lot of mass behind that edge even if it's misaligned, thus preventing it from twisting, or, perhaps even self aligning in the material as it moves through it. This is also true for sabers, falchions, Talwars, scimitars, etc. But most two edged swords are a little thinner overall (especially in the sweet spot), and are much much wider in cross section with a different angle to their grind as it descends from the fullers adn center to the edges. So they often have a little less bite, but also , with the same angle of deflection that might keep the spine of a katana behind it's edge, the far side of a two edged sword might be much higher or lower than the edge, meaning it's tendency to "twist" away and not self correct as it passes through material is greater. so I'm not talking about sword care, but cutting ease, and how a swords' shape effects how imperfect technique transfers into good or bad cuts. I own this sword. I can't cut like this. This sword has a very nice rigid but springy steel that's durable, and it's single edged, so some of my points about single vs double don't apply here. It's got a little curve to, almost like a katana. But it's balance is TOTALLY different. And it's too short to benefit from the sort of velocity benefits one often gets from a long sword, or arming sword. And it has almost no blade weight when in your hand, so there's no "power" behind the swings. That's what I mean by it takes more finesse. It's like speed cutting with a bowie, not a sword. Not exactly, but a little... yeah. Some people are really good with cutting demonstrations with a bowie. But it's just not the same in the hands of a novice compared with a katana.
I'm jumping into this quite late, but anyway, the easiest sword to use for a beginner is a tuck or estoc, since it's basically just an elongated mace :) No edge aligment necessary, and if all else fails you just grab it like a spear and skewer the target. Cutting properly with a katana is complicated. It will do some damage if swung violently, but honestly it's a pretty ineffective weapon without finesse. How do I know? They've been used by criminals in my country without much success. This is in opposition to long rapier-like weapons, which are a favorite of prison inmates, and which kill many people each year in and out of jail. In my experience, cavalry sabers from the era before they were obsolete (late 1700's and early 1800's) are best to teach cutting. They're heavy, but they naturally fall in line and make edge alignment trivial. They were made for a time when soldiers were conscripted, and swordplay was much less important than other aspects of military training, so they had to work well even in the hands of noobs.
You should really do some first person sparring. I really enjoyed the video from years ago of the two men sparring with a first person camera. It was really cool.
Hey Skall, there isn't really a fencing or HEMA club around where I live, so I have been thinking about starting one myself. Problem is, I'm a total noob. Would you have any advice on how to train yourself like books, videos, etc? Obviously if I could I would go to a professional, but it's not really an option for me.
Now my question for you is skall is about the blued steel. To my knowledge it's a historical inaccuracy but I could be wrong I don't know if they had a method of bluing steel. That said if I were to pick one up I would still likely polish that off at a buffing wheel, is that something you would recommend doing? I'm a gunsmith not a swordsmith
Am surprised, not at the cutting by the sword, but by what appears to be a fluctuation after it cuts at about the 1:40 and again at about the 2:40 marks in the slow motion the blade appears to flex. Very surprised by this
So that's an edge alignment problem on my end. I'm bouncing back from some injuries and was pretty out of practice. If you take a look the arm and blade is moving downwards while the edge is going sideways. It builds pressure on the flat and causes it to wobble when it's released. I'm working on getting the rust off.
Hey dude, awsome content! I 've recently discovered your selfless effort trying to educate us mindless mob! Anyway, I was thinking, what is your opinion on the Rakuyo? (Lady Maria's weapon from Bloodborne). It's a pretty interesting design and I would like to have some insight on it from a more educated mind on the matter.
Now I'm wondering if their MAA Italian hand-and-a-half would be a viable budget practice cutter. I have the non-MAA version and it's sharp (and the guard didn't rattle out of the box!), but I can tell the steel is a bit soft.
I love to watch those cutting test videos. Despite if you think about it, its always the same because there are only two results. 1: It cuts , 2: It cuts not so realy (3: It breaks and you can throw that crap away)
Hello my name is Luiz, I'm Brazilian and I follow your channel shortly and I would like to know about the protection equipment you use in sparring practices, I thought about making a video about it?
The messer is my favorite historical European sword, though I prefer the grosse messer to the one handed version (not talking about the cold steel repros btw)
My friend bought the original 2 handed cold steel Messer, piece of junk broke after only a few bottles & a phone book (yes I know they say "do not attempt") but he was so bummed I took the blade & cut it down & essentially made a single handed saber like this. To be honest it's now one of my favorite one handed swords to despatch bottles with... no more phone books though!
Skall I wander if you would review the cold steel gladius at some point I’m thinking of buying it due to how cheap it is and the amount of good reviews on it but I’d have 100% confidence in my purchase if I watched you review it in a video
Skall, could you make a video on "sword-breaker" daggers? I found some in Kult of Athena and it was the first time i saw one of those. I obviously got curious about the name, and i thought it would make for a great video... Beautiful sword by the way.
Skall, what would be a good way to remove the black from the blade? Sandpaper, of course would do it, but I'm a bit hesitant about taking it to a perfectly good blade. I guess you could just polish the blade after sanding...
Since Kult of Athena has a section on modern tactical swords, what do you think of the tactical katana and the tactical cutlass by Dragon King. Both for 144.95$ each.
Skall, I live in North Vancouver, it was ridiculously snowy over here, how was it on the island? Also I’m going to have to grab one of those MAA messers
This looks cool, and I'm glad the quality is better than the two handed one, but I'm wondering anybody know of a decent two handed messer that cheaper than a grand?
I've seen this one and tought about buying it because it's look really nice, but that whole controversy around cold steel... Well, but if You do recommend that one, i'll probably save some money
I have a question. I was re-watching Batman Begins and I noticed that the forearm armor pieces Batman uses, he actually starts off using those in the League of SHadows at the beginning of the movie. Anyway, it seems like the ninjas in the movie were using that forearm piece with "hooks" on it to actually parry swords using their arm. Would that sort of thing work in real life? I mean if you miss you're getting your hand chopped off, but aside from that, would it be practical to use such a thing in combat?
my question would be, how does the hook attach to the brace? I'd guess if you hit it hard, the hook would would have a good chance of bending back, or breaking off. I guess if you had a metal bar in the brace with the hooks welded to it, it could work. I think it would be crazy to use though. I remember seeing your comment a couple years ago when I first saw this post. I thought I'd respond since he didn't get back to you
Hey Skallagrim love the video, I'm planning to pick one of these up do they sponsor you? Can I use your name to help you out? Also I am thinking of getting the cold steel pole axe, could you do a video on it so I know if its good or not? Thanks again :)
Hey Skall I have a question of the fantasy variety. Should an individual where armor if they have a forcefield that surrounds their body. Example in RWBY many characters have this thing called an aura, for a full explanation of it Pyhra Nikos sums it up pretty well, or a series called world of remnant has a good explanation too. The reason I say this is that a lot of characters that loose all their aura in a fight tend to get wounded. Nothing major, just removal of limbs, grazing from a oversized scorpion tail, impalement from a fire spear, and an arrow piercing through the sternum and out to the other side of spine and then being incinerated. Maybe just a coincidence, but couldn't hurt to look into it.
hey ! ^^ i was looking for a one handed sword and was looking for something under 200€ ! I was looking for something that could handle tree cuting ( small tree not something really large x') ) i was wondering if this messer would resist to that kind of purpose ^^ (i'm beginer btw x') ) stay like that you're awesome ! ^^
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BOTTLE?!?!?! HE WAS WALKING UP TO SHOW US!!!!!
I know. I'm getting blue pommel over here XD
I think he just dinged the cap, somehow.
You can see a piece of the cap falling next to the garage door, between the makeshift sawhorse's legs.
if you use the , and . keys to go frame by frame it appears he struck the top of the cap with the flat of the blade simply causing it to bounce
lucas anthony I didnt even know about frame by frame skipping with , & . Thanks!
I’ve been a cold steel fan ever since my very first deployment to Afghanistan in 2002. I bought an OSS, and it held up amazingly well to 19 months of literally nothing but neglect. No oil, no resharpening, dropping multiple times from my being scared when getting shot at, and never having that damn sheath mounted correctly, and always forgetting that it took two clicks to make sure the kydex was locked around the crossguard. But, the one thing that is absolutely consistent, is their lack of QC. It’s either extremely hot, or extremely miss.
I've owned one of these for about a year now, and I quite like mine. It was my first sword, and I think it was a good choice. I like the Messer style, and I like the fighting systems for the Messer from the various Fechtbuch. When I did my first cutting with mine, towards the end I cut a milk jug without knocking it from its precarious stand. Then I thrust into it. It wasn't a strong thrust, but it penetrated. Then I pulled the tip out, and waited to see the water come out of the hole. Then I realized that water wasn't coming out of it. The tip thrust through so cleanly that when I removed it, the hole sealed itself. I had to tilt the jug so the weight of the water was against the hole before the water could leak out.
Either you guys make it look really easy, or that sword is way sharper than I was expecting it to be.
It's got a pretty decent edge, but Greg is also very skilled.
2:40 Excellent edge alignment on that cut! That's one of the harder cuts to line up properly, because of all the dergrees of rotation (It's a wrist twister too, so can be jarring when you don't land it right, but I have glass wrists from hammering for years.) That was damned near perfect.
Thanks. My alignment was all over the place. I'm bouncing back from some injuries and haven't cut in a while.
messing around with the messer, huh?
2:07 That's a badass way to open a bottle.
Nocvius Steven i shot the cap off a bottle once with a 22 lol
Lucky shot
Any high speed recording of 3:08 coming up?
The sword phased through the bottle.
He was clipping like a cheating bitch
This is what happens when you don't implement continuous collision detection. God is a shitty game dev.
wow, splitting reality. I guess the messer really is the western katana.
Tomartyr The non-katana katana.
Just got it yesterday. An amazing bargain for the price it handles beautifully. Thanks for recommending it Skall. Was dying to find an affordable messer.
Is it wrong to think a sword is hot?
Sir white a lot the pagan preacher huh.. no
Y0u Ar3 Dead Junior awesome was asking...for a friend....
Sir white a lot the pagan preacher dat little friend?
Yes.
Y0u Ar3 Dead Junior .......yes
This sword brings a whole new meaning to the word de-cap-itation. Huh? Huh?...oh I'm a failure.😢👉👌
I just got one directly from Cold Steel today. I'm so impressed!!!!! This is an AWESOME blade!!!!
Could you upload a video showing a cutting test between the overly telegraphed Hollywood cuts Vs practical/historical techniques on ballistics gel?
Can you show foot stance on some of these cuts? Great video!
I like how you haven't let your bias towards Cold Steel and it's owner keep you from impartial reviews. Thanx :)
R1 R1 R1
Wow, that thing looks very nice...and the fact that it cuts well makes me feel like snagging it.
2:15 That is really cool, what impressive precision.
Ayy, a cutting video! This is a nice birthday gift for me today. Thank you.
Condor also makes a Messer sword, the big and smaller one as well.
I love Cold Steel TM. Their training weapons are the best and have been put to use.
They’ve got you’re video linked on the store page for the messer.
Posted just in time for my lunch break. Well done my Canadian homie.
Nice sword! 😍
Yes it is! Test it in your channel😁
"That could not have been higher up!"
3:08 Oh how the tables have tabled.
What happened in that last cut???
they cut it out
kirkb0t mmm give us more puns hon
Look between the sawhorse's legs during the cut to get your answer
that's a slice of cake for me
He turned on NoClip
I got one of these about a year ago. Good price, but not true Messer design. Had to bend the nagel back a bit to fit my hand. Maybe that's why it broke when I cut into some 1/4 ish inch particle board? Cut plastic well enough, previously.
The nagel broke or the entire sword?
@@ollimoore the blade broke. Right at the guard. I'm not exactly sure how sword proportions work, but the tang seems pretty small (less than half the width of the blade). It may have been fine, had there been more material in there to absorb shock.
@@williamgreen6814 thanks for the reply, that's what I thought you meant just wanted to be sure.
A lot of swords seem to have really narrow looking tangs, even good ones, as do originals. Not quite sure what the logic is for that as it seems to just invite the kind of breakage you describe.
In any case it's a shame they didn't go with a nice beefy full width tang on this one, considering it's a Messer.
I ordered one to use as a cuttoe/hanger/hunting sword. To me, with it's shell guard and simple hilt it looks like a very well made early American cuttoe..
I was honestly holding off purchasing this until seeing a review from someone reputable. Thanks Skall!
Well, this is not actually a full review, just a first impression. Since it's not mine I'm not that familiar with it and obviously haven't done hard testing with it. But it handled nicely and worked well in this cutting session, so it seems promising.
1:30 I don’t know how hard it is, but it looks awesome. Them skills
Happy late birthday, Skall
Another potential option is you want a compact little single edge blade is the d guard Bowie by Windlass Steelcraft or maybe the devil's edge single edge Qama.
Wtf that dude is amazingly skilled at cutting!
Happy birthday skall
the last strike should become a 0 damage video game meme
I bought this one when it first came out... not the best edge as delivered, and I'm not super fond of how the hilt meets your hand. It's not the most comfortable sword. But it's LIGHT, and what a handy size :) IMHO the blade needs a little more heft... just a touch. But I guess that's where I'm not very good and this guys is amazing: TECHNIQUE! You can't baseball bat this thing, it's not a conan sword or a katana. It's got finesse, but not enough length to get a lot of tip velocity, so TECHNIQUE.
Holy crap I suck.
Also, the flaw of that grip/pommel design is that if your hands are slick it'll fly right out of your hands, and the half shell guard motif makes indexing over the crossguard very hard, if not downright impossible to do practically. I'm thinking you need a special thumb technique or somesuch to amplify control if you don't have the very best grip strength or you have slippery hands.
ravissary79 just to be clear, and I'm not a roided out katana fan, and am actually a proud owner and user of The Steward by Albion. But you need finesse to use a katana, and a lot of it as they're made of a lot of parts and don't tend to be very strong, even with good steel, unless they're above the 300 price range.
From my limited experience, compared with other designs, Katanas are much more forgiving when used incorrectly by average folks. Correct technique might require finesse, but that's true for all swords. But expert cutting with straight edge swords vs single edged and curved swords is considered by most to be harder without perfect edge alignment. The shape and feel of a katana is often more accessible to feeling for it's edge than many european swords. Not all mind you. Falchions are quite possibly even easier to cut with than katanas. Sabers, machetes, etc. But a straight, two edged, long, thin bladed complex hilt with a hilt heavy balance and a round grip? That takes a lot of finesse.
I'm not saying katanas don't But you can "baseball bat" a katana and it'll work. It's not ideal. It's not how you're supposed to use it, but it'll work. That's what I was referring to. (obviously there are really good outliers in the european designs... and it's those outliers I'm looking for).
I own the sword reviewed here. It's not quite as easy to handle as a katana. The blade is so light that it doesn't bite with authority if you don't get your alignment right. This video is of people who are VERY good with edge alignment.
ravissary79 I think you're mistaking just a two handed blade being easier to use as compared to a one handed, and that isn't even quite the case. I can tell you that baseball batting a katana, with experience in Kumdo, will kill your blade. You'll bend the crap out of it. I've let someone baseball bat one of my 300 dollar katana and they broke the tsuka and bent the blade hitting a tatami.
I've only used my Steward thrice, but it is far easier to use than any katana I've ever touched, in terms of alignment. Cutting could be better, but perhaps that's just me. I am not trained in HEMA. But trust me, I know Skall and those from HEMA have good alignment. I've watched Skall for years haha
Not at all. I'm not the only person to ever point out that katana's have very forgiving blade edge geometry for cutting for the novice.
ruclips.net/video/h8EieeQRllM/видео.html
here's a good one just on blade shape, and edge alignment is part of the topic. The blade geometry is very forgiving of the cut in a Katana, which is why so many people feel they cut better than almost anything else, when many swords do just as well or better. It's due to experience vs ergonomics vs how well a design does with imperfect edge alignment.
Your points about katanas needing finesse is about sword damage, not cutting success. Having poor edge alignment which then causes a cheap katana to bend is no different than a cheap longsword bending from the same thing. I've had a pakastani "knightly" sword that bent from this before. I beat things with it as a teen and I destroyed that sword trying to learn it. Cheap swords can be destroyed by poor edge alignment on all types, it's cause the steel can't handle the twisting action of a glancing blow. it just so happens that katana cross section and many kinds of steel that were used in them which aided in shock absorption and rigidity also made them less "bouncy" than homogenous spring steels in europe. But it's precisely the springing nature of modern steels and many late medieval european steels that made them more "durable" when punished on hard objects etc, but also made them "fail" a cut when aligned badly (they'd warp and "bounce" off a target).
To be sure, a katana can also "bounce", but is less likely to at a certain mild angle. It's almost like a hatchet that way, and this is due to how the edge and cross section are shaped. The back of a katana is quite thick, and the edge very acute, with a lot of bite. This means that if the edge is defected off the center of the spine,but not outside its' width, then there's still a lot of mass behind that edge even if it's misaligned, thus preventing it from twisting, or, perhaps even self aligning in the material as it moves through it. This is also true for sabers, falchions, Talwars, scimitars, etc.
But most two edged swords are a little thinner overall (especially in the sweet spot), and are much much wider in cross section with a different angle to their grind as it descends from the fullers adn center to the edges. So they often have a little less bite, but also , with the same angle of deflection that might keep the spine of a katana behind it's edge, the far side of a two edged sword might be much higher or lower than the edge, meaning it's tendency to "twist" away and not self correct as it passes through material is greater.
so I'm not talking about sword care, but cutting ease, and how a swords' shape effects how imperfect technique transfers into good or bad cuts.
I own this sword. I can't cut like this. This sword has a very nice rigid but springy steel that's durable, and it's single edged, so some of my points about single vs double don't apply here. It's got a little curve to, almost like a katana. But it's balance is TOTALLY different. And it's too short to benefit from the sort of velocity benefits one often gets from a long sword, or arming sword. And it has almost no blade weight when in your hand, so there's no "power" behind the swings.
That's what I mean by it takes more finesse. It's like speed cutting with a bowie, not a sword. Not exactly, but a little... yeah. Some people are really good with cutting demonstrations with a bowie. But it's just not the same in the hands of a novice compared with a katana.
I'm jumping into this quite late, but anyway, the easiest sword to use for a beginner is a tuck or estoc, since it's basically just an elongated mace :) No edge aligment necessary, and if all else fails you just grab it like a spear and skewer the target.
Cutting properly with a katana is complicated. It will do some damage if swung violently, but honestly it's a pretty ineffective weapon without finesse. How do I know? They've been used by criminals in my country without much success. This is in opposition to long rapier-like weapons, which are a favorite of prison inmates, and which kill many people each year in and out of jail.
In my experience, cavalry sabers from the era before they were obsolete (late 1700's and early 1800's) are best to teach cutting. They're heavy, but they naturally fall in line and make edge alignment trivial. They were made for a time when soldiers were conscripted, and swordplay was much less important than other aspects of military training, so they had to work well even in the hands of noobs.
You should really do some first person sparring. I really enjoyed the video from years ago of the two men sparring with a first person camera. It was really cool.
Skallagrim! There is also a single handed Messer by Condor Toll& Knife on Kult of Athena. You should try that one out!
Hey Skall, there isn't really a fencing or HEMA club around where I live, so I have been thinking about starting one myself. Problem is, I'm a total noob. Would you have any advice on how to train yourself like books, videos, etc? Obviously if I could I would go to a professional, but it's not really an option for me.
The pommel looks amazing. Does it have a push button release?
Now my question for you is skall is about the blued steel. To my knowledge it's a historical inaccuracy but I could be wrong I don't know if they had a method of bluing steel. That said if I were to pick one up I would still likely polish that off at a buffing wheel, is that something you would recommend doing? I'm a gunsmith not a swordsmith
Am surprised, not at the cutting by the sword, but by what appears to be a fluctuation after it cuts at about the 1:40 and again at about the 2:40 marks in the slow motion the blade appears to flex. Very surprised by this
So that's an edge alignment problem on my end. I'm bouncing back from some injuries and was pretty out of practice. If you take a look the arm and blade is moving downwards while the edge is going sideways. It builds pressure on the flat and causes it to wobble when it's released. I'm working on getting the rust off.
Ah, something new to me didn't think it possible ... good to know
Hey dude, awsome content! I 've recently discovered your selfless effort trying to educate us mindless mob! Anyway, I was thinking, what is your opinion on the Rakuyo? (Lady Maria's weapon from Bloodborne). It's a pretty interesting design and I would like to have some insight on it from a more educated mind on the matter.
Condor makes a couple of messers. I'm unsure if if the price though.
Condor is coming out with one should compare it when that is released
Now I'm wondering if their MAA Italian hand-and-a-half would be a viable budget practice cutter. I have the non-MAA version and it's sharp (and the guard didn't rattle out of the box!), but I can tell the steel is a bit soft.
Modighen we've had people use both successfully.
RJ Mceehan has medalled in cutting tournaments before with just the regular one so it's fine as well.
O.O damn thats sharp. Cold steel, well done guys holy shit.
Would be nice to see review of hand and half Lutel saber (kriegsmesser), model 11005
I love to watch those cutting test videos. Despite if you think about it, its always the same because there are only two results. 1: It cuts , 2: It cuts not so realy (3: It breaks and you can throw that crap away)
You forgot to apply your magic buff and spam R1.
Git gud scrub.
Hello my name is Luiz, I'm Brazilian and I follow your channel shortly and I would like to know about the protection equipment you use in sparring practices, I thought about making a video about it?
The messer is my favorite historical European sword, though I prefer the grosse messer to the one handed version (not talking about the cold steel repros btw)
My friend bought the original 2 handed cold steel Messer, piece of junk broke after only a few bottles & a phone book (yes I know they say "do not attempt") but he was so bummed I took the blade & cut it down & essentially made a single handed saber like this. To be honest it's now one of my favorite one handed swords to despatch bottles with... no more phone books though!
You need to do branch and tree limb tests!
Maybe the hattin falchion from windlass battlecry its about same price
Skall I wander if you would review the cold steel gladius at some point I’m thinking of buying it due to how cheap it is and the amount of good reviews on it but I’d have 100% confidence in my purchase if I watched you review it in a video
I think Condor recently released a "messer". Don't think it's sub $200 but not far off.
I wish we had slow mo of the last cut :D
*getting ready for pommel jokes*
Hold on it takes awhile to unscrew
I have this sword and am excited for reviews!
Skall, could you make a video on "sword-breaker" daggers? I found some in Kult of Athena and it was the first time i saw one of those. I obviously got curious about the name, and i thought it would make for a great video...
Beautiful sword by the way.
I think it would be interesting to see a video about ancient Hawaiian weoponry
3:11 What happened? You didn't show us.
Skall, what would be a good way to remove the black from the blade? Sandpaper, of course would do it, but I'm a bit hesitant about taking it to a perfectly good blade. I guess you could just polish the blade after sanding...
On the off chance you never figured it out, Naval Jelly
Did that last hit on the bottle actually do ANYTHING to it?
do you think you could do a video of say the best swords for under $100 and one for under $200 and so forth?
Since Kult of Athena has a section on modern tactical swords, what do you think of the tactical katana and the tactical cutlass by Dragon King. Both for 144.95$ each.
i want to know what happened at 3:08
Skall, I live in North Vancouver, it was ridiculously snowy over here, how was it on the island? Also I’m going to have to grab one of those MAA messers
I could imagine skalls family visiting and they'll just be like "Why do you have an entire closet filled to the brim with empty plastic bottles? "
r1 r1 shoulder bash combo then r2 and end them rightly
I have this and I love it. Thumbs up man.
It looks pretty good. If you'll review the Cold Steel Gladius, I'll be your best friend.
I've fallen in love with it.
See if you can review a double star fury! Is a modern take on a filipino pinswali blade
Thanks so much for this video, Skall! I've been considering this sword but unsure! Now I know
Hy do you have any update on the messer? problems, cutting issiues, choping etc? thank you
Is there any way you could do some dagger reviews
What would this type sword be used for in the way of combat or survival? And whatever that use is, is there a better one you believe?
why do you always use dry tatami mats? aren't you supposed to soak them first so that there's some resistance when cutting?
Joshua Oxenford The mats are soaked then dried multiple times, gives them a somewhat accurate representation of limbs and what have you.
We *never* use dry mats, they are always soaked over night.
Where do you get the Music from? I really like it.
Quick question where swords blued as a finish originally?
could you do a review on the cold steel hand and a half dagger? I cant seem to find any online
Has any sword you've tested run through the ballistic gel torso completely before?
This looks cool, and I'm glad the quality is better than the two handed one, but I'm wondering anybody know of a decent two handed messer that cheaper than a grand?
I've seen this one and tought about buying it because it's look really nice, but that whole controversy around cold steel... Well, but if You do recommend that one, i'll probably save some money
wait... a Cold Steel product that doesn't suck? please do keep me updated on your future thoughts.
...what happened to the last bottle, Skall...what did he do?
I just discovered your channel and I think it’s lit af so I subbed
At this point, what is the difference between one-handed messer and a falchion?
I have a question. I was re-watching Batman Begins and I noticed that the forearm armor pieces Batman uses, he actually starts off using those in the League of SHadows at the beginning of the movie. Anyway, it seems like the ninjas in the movie were using that forearm piece with "hooks" on it to actually parry swords using their arm. Would that sort of thing work in real life? I mean if you miss you're getting your hand chopped off, but aside from that, would it be practical to use such a thing in combat?
my question would be, how does the hook attach to the brace? I'd guess if you hit it hard, the hook would would have a good chance of bending back, or breaking off. I guess if you had a metal bar in the brace with the hooks welded to it, it could work.
I think it would be crazy to use though.
I remember seeing your comment a couple years ago when I first saw this post. I thought I'd respond since he didn't get back to you
Hey Skallagrim love the video, I'm planning to pick one of these up do they sponsor you? Can I use your name to help you out? Also I am thinking of getting the cold steel pole axe, could you do a video on it so I know if its good or not? Thanks again :)
I know you don’t typically do many reviews of modern sabers, but do you have a favorite type?
Hey Skall I have a question of the fantasy variety. Should an individual where armor if they have a forcefield that surrounds their body. Example in RWBY many characters have this thing called an aura, for a full explanation of it Pyhra Nikos sums it up pretty well, or a series called world of remnant has a good explanation too. The reason I say this is that a lot of characters that loose all their aura in a fight tend to get wounded. Nothing major, just removal of limbs, grazing from a oversized scorpion tail, impalement from a fire spear, and an arrow piercing through the sternum and out to the other side of spine and then being incinerated. Maybe just a coincidence, but couldn't hurt to look into it.
If the forcefield surrounds the body could the armor prevent damage to the field?
The Condor Grosse Messer is $205. at Therion Arms.
Skallgrim im thinking about getting the tyrolean from Albion swords, what are your thoughts on this
hey ! ^^ i was looking for a one handed sword and was looking for something under 200€ ! I was looking for something that could handle tree cuting ( small tree not something really large x') ) i was wondering if this messer would resist to that kind of purpose ^^ (i'm beginer btw x') ) stay like that you're awesome ! ^^
What happened at the end? Did he shave a thin layer off the cap?
what happened at the end
guessing he hit it on the cap and the bottle squashed enough for the blade to slip off rather than knock the bottle away
Now that is a staggering improvement! It's almost like...a less awesome version of the Skallagrin...
(Shortened the title for ease of use, heyo!)