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I really enjoy these react/review videos because you are shedding light on a few people I haven't heard of before. But I have an interesting question for you. For Honor, style. If you were to magically teleport the islands and surrounding islands of 12th century Japan and England, or a similar time, then plop them in the middle of the pacific with the closest points being about 50 miles apart what would happen. Then, to force a fight, you telepathically told them, "In order to move back to your normal home, you must defeat the daemons across the sea." What would happen?
Maybe part of the price of success is having millions of fans that value your content so much, that they forget you have a personal life @metatronyt js 😂😂😂😂
I wouldn't say the U.S. has an ancestral sword. Everyone is saying Cavalry Saber, but the U.S. didn't invent that. The Bowie Knife though, is American as f*ck.
I mean, since when does a nation have to invent the weapon for it to become iconic? Think of all the states that the AK47 and it's variants have become iconic for their soldierly with it obviously being a weapon not locally invented.
The US has no cultural sword, they have the credit for gun refinement and giving the world the gatling gun and the lever action rifle. Much better than a modified saber.
In France, my country, a group of delinquants entered a guy's garage and tried to steal his car. Little they knew, the guy was a swordman, owning a 6 kilos blunt longsword... It went exactly as you can imagine
America has one of the greatest and most iconic swords ever produced: the lightsaber, a sword so unique in design and sound that it has had a profound impact on pop culture around the world.
I actually had a similar thought while watching the video around that part. Of course, the problem being that a lightsaber isn't a sword that was actually made and used in real life. But it may still be fair to say that it's a "cultural" sword, of sorts. The more "technically correct" answer would potentially be some types of cavalry sabers, but there's not much history or mythology around them. The US is a young country. You could potentially nominate some indigenous weapons, like tomahawks or warclubs--maybe the gunstock warclub as a 'fusion item'--but it's still a tough sell.
The natives have their own "swords" of a sort especially central and south american ones and many European swords were modified by the natives and the Europeans over the course of the 500 to 600 hundred years of both Americas exposure to such items I feel some of those could hold up as unique or region specific variants of something thats more "uniform" as an identifiable tool/weapon in Europe @Cavouku
Dude?! That “what am I on about” after you said “divide and conquer” in Latin seriously had me laughing out loud alone in my car. 5:52 was a highlight of my day thanks Metatron!
Maybe I am ignorant but the Irish never made contact with those old Romans and old Greeks, so they can't be Barbarians. I believe they raided Britain and took a Welshmen into slavery who later converted to Christianity, but they were just pests. The Scotti came from Ireland, but it was the native Britons in England that had most contact with the Romans. The Germans, well, there's no quibbling, they are nothing but Barbarians.
Firearms probably take the role of the romantic or symbolic status for Americans that swords have elsewhere. The Kentucky rifle, the Colt 45 SAA, the 1873 Winchester, the Henry, the 1911.
We have a history with swords its just not near as much nor as ubiquitous as firearms are ingrained into it and many natives have "sword" adjacent or even sword like weapons and European swords and swordsman have atleast 5 to 6 centuries of activity in the America's
@@alexcunningham1647 Of course you have and if I have to pick a sword to represent US history, I would pick the XIX century cavalry saber. Swords were as ubiquitous and relevant as anything else back in the day, but of course they got eclipsed by the slightly insane US gun culture and fade from your collective memory once the invention of the cartridge, semi-automatic rifles and machineguns made them obsolete in the battlefield, somewhere between the the mid to end 1800s. But by then, most of the fighting and all wars withing current US territory were over.. and in all of those swords played a somewhat relevant role.
@@Imman1s There's nothing insane about U.S. gun culture. If that's insane sword fanatics are really none the better, because at a point in time and history they were both equally important and were made and used for the same purposes. There's no need to call anything insane because you don't understand it😁
@@MarkusMöttus-x7j I call it insane BECAUSE I understand it. The US has a gun problem, blame it on anything else under the sun and refuses even do the most basic, common sense measures to fix it. The fact that no amount of children lives lost are enough to get them to do anything about the situation makes it insane. Notice that's a uniquely US problem; similar countries with very high gun ownership like Switzerland don't seem to have the same issues while having a strong gun culture of their own.
As far as "ancestral swords of the Americans", I would agree that we don't really have such a thing; but we do have the super iconic Bowie knife, the lesser-known yet highly-employed Arkansas Toothpick, and the classic Ka-Bar combat knife.
@@keeferChiefer so something that's 68 ar15 or 30 m4a1 years old is ancestral to you, and something that's just as widely known thats 14 years shy of its 200th birthday isnt? heck there's far older iconic american firearms that would make more sense then your choices like the m1 Garand, or Winchester model 1873
15:12 He misspoke by saying "balance". That's the center of rotation he's showing, and while he got the term wrong, he is right that longswords usually rotate right at the point. Not always, but typically.
It's not 'the center of rotation' either. It is more like *a* center of rotation, given you do apply acceleration at the crossguard: There are always multiple different such points, depending on where and how you accelerate a physical body. For that very reason it's hard to find the front pivot point (the point the sword rotates around given sideways acceleration being applied close to the crossgard) through that shake test he's doing there and actually, he's not only providing sideways acceleration, but his hand also moves up and down, which is a typical way to skew the results. he also grips the sword right at the crossguard rather than close to the corssguard but on the handle still, which brings the rotation point further up and away from the tip. So, I would think that the front pivot point is much further to the tip than he shows in the video, though it might not be right at the tip.
No the center of rotation he is showing typically aligns with the center of percussion, if you bang the blade there will be two points at which is will vibrate the least. You want this to line up so when strike the target to cut you'll get the the most impact paired with the least resistance from the vibration. I train in HEMA and have used Longswords for over a decade and we aim to hit with with the top two thirds of the blade as indicated, not with the tip. Side note the second percussion point aligns with the balance point close to the hand, so you get less reverberation in the hand and arm.
@@tyhar7493 ruclips.net/video/P8w1bAmZ-Pc/видео.html Both having that pivot point at the tip and at the center of percussion are valid. It's also a question if you wanna optimize for thrut vs cut. Ofc. if you thrust you want to hit with the very tip.
@@Ehuatl lol yeah I happen to be friends with Matt, he's the one that originally taught me. Of course you are right it depends on the sword but in this case we are talking longsword.
On blocking vs. deflection, my fencing teacher said, "Is god going to criticize your edge retention at the gates of heaven? Do all that you must. " and i have taken that to heart.
Hey Raf, great commentary! A quick note about Cerberusarms talking about the handling of the longsword: he is conflating terms a bit when he shows how the sword is pivoting. He talks about the 'balance' which most people would assume refer to the Center of Gravity/Mass of the sword. However he is demonstrating a test for one of the pivot points of the blade, in this case the foremost pivot point, using the action point on the end of the grip closest to the cross. This is a test used by Peter Johnsson to demonstrate handling characteristics of various swords, by mapping the pivot points (among other dynamic properties of the sword) as can be seen in The Sword Form and Thought. In this case i think CA is perhaps holding the longsword a bit too hard, but he is likely correct that it will pivot closer to the blade harmonic node, than the tip. Now he may desire a longsword which has a forward pivot point at the tip, and we do have many historical examples which handle that way ( See StAM 4190b in Solingen; 111.8cm, and 1360g)., but we also have plenty of examples which handle as the one in this video. They are balanced differently for different purposes as I know you are aware.
In Poland we had saber, in Polish "szabla", a type of curved sword, which is engraved in our national identity. Even today, high rank military figures wear saber as a part of formal uniform, to highlight long-lasting tradition of swordsmanship in our country, to honour our ancestors, and also to show off a little bit. Saber is special, peasants couldn't carry them, only lords could use them in battle. Honestly, there are many similar things about saber and katana, maybe that's why Polish people are impressed and so interested in Japanese swords.
I knew the Polish army used them but not sure if others did as well [I've a vague, very vague, idea I've read of them in the Hungarian military during their Austro-Hungarian empire, an image of a very very dashing uniform complete with sabre but might be a false memory]. Seems that someone above though has decided the sabre [cavalry sabre rather than lightsabre] is the iconic American [US] sword.
In Ukraine we also have sabers as "our swords", mostly because our national myth (as cultural term) have a big focus on cossacks, who was depend on political situation fight under commonwealth coats or against %) Tatars also used curved blades, and I think this is common weapon on all eastern steppes as saber are better weapon for cavalry then something like longsword or simple armsword
I find the US has an cultural sword, the cavalery Saber... And for me the Longsword is the better sword, because it can do so much more than only cutting, and has the "better" parry.
Something I just remembered when watching this video, is how many japanese swords were captured in WW2 and brought back as trophies. I would not be surprised if they ended up as the most common sword in the US afterwards.
Something to note with katanas in the US, is that it might have been the most iconic sword just because of how many were brought back to the USA after WW2 where something like 3 million were total captured. Assuming that all of them were brought back, I would not be surprised if those swords ended up the majority of function (ie, non larp) swords in the US to date if you combine all of the others.
It’s because of “martial arts” cultural obsession from successful movies. People like lore on new, exotic things.l, it feeds the fantasy fire. Same reason why McDojos became a thing.
I would guess that the most prevalent would be 19th century cavalry sabers. Would certainly be interested to know if there are any hard numbers on that sort of thing. After a quick perusal of Wikipedia, there are over 300,000 instances of the Model 1860 Light Cavalry Saber alone.
@@thisdude9363 Yeah no. European countries like France and Germany have been "manufacturing" weebism and appreciation for Japanese culture long before the us. Just search "Japonisme"
@@thisdude9363 Yeah no. European countries like France and Germany have been "manufacturing" weebism and appreciation for Japanese culture long before. Just search "Japonisme"
Yeah, cavalry and dragoon sabers are the type of swords we made in different styles from much of the 19th century. I always liked some of the 1812 period American sabers even if they're just copies of the British cavalry sabers. We even made our own Roman/French style gladius called the Artillery sword. In WW2, Dutch style cutlasses were used in the Pacific theater for a time.
@@Guvnor100 not during the Great War, Italy came over to the Entente before the war began (UK, France, Belgium, Russia, Serbia, Japan and so on, these are just the first ones to pop into my head, not the only members of the Entente). And honestly, the Irish were smart enough to know that with the isle of Great Britain positioned between the continent and Ireland (republic and island both). Actually joining the Axis would not have worked (at that, there were a shit ton of Irish volunteers fighting in the British Army). Germany was never truly able to threaten Great Britain (bomb it, sure, but they never had the capacity to actually invade). They sure as hell wouldn't be able to support a front opened in Ireland
Lord of the rings came out when I was born and definitely implanted in me a love for swords. I have been obsessed my entire life and that will never change.
The complete ignoring of American film's love with the swashbuckling and 'fencing' movies such as Scaramouche reminds me to take most young peoples 'knowledge videos' with a grain of salt. There were movies before the 80's :P
@ what do you mean? I was just relating to Lord of the Rings because it was special to me. If you have good recommendations I’m all ears. I love movies.
Sorry just kidding, the Book was first published in 1937. indeed one of the greatest books of all time, I read it in the 70s some 30 years before the Peter Jackson movie came out. so I'm guessing your about 23?. As for movie's I can't help much, maybe Excalibur 1981. But you might want to check out Master swordsmith Peter Lyon, at Lyoness Armoury, NZ.
The US also has a historical ceremonial sword the: Mamalupe/Mamaluke. It is based off the original sword gifted to Marine First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon by Prince Hamet, Ottoman Empire Viceroy, during the First Barbary War. The Marines still use the Mamaluke to this day. (edited for misspellings)
At 15:35 he's not talking about the balance point of the sword as in the pivot point. He's talking about the vibrational point. He just misspoke. You know the point where when you bang the sword and see where the vibrational anchor points are. You want that point more toward the later part of the sword because you get less energy lost in wobble as you strike things in the part of the sword you're more likely to hit things at range at.
@@virusO1OOOOO1 Again, you're making the same mistake Metatron is. He's *not* talking about the pivot point of the sword. He's talking about the center of percussion / a vibrational node (looked up the proper terms). Meaning when you hit something with the sword, the points that transfer less energy down the sword making it more comfortable to swing and hit things with. If the center of percussion is not in a good place, the sword will hurt more when hitting targets and it will transfer less energy into the cut when slicing (as more energy is lost in making the sword wobble and change shape). While this spot(s) on a sword *is* effected by the weight distribution of the sword it is not the pivot point of the sword where you put your hand on and it balances equally without falling over. That's what you're thinking about regarding more weight being toward the tip of the weapon changing the center of balance.
@@pacmonster066 ok yes totally misunderstood your OP, but knowing now if that vibration point were that far out would it be more tiring still? Like it would vibrate more the further this "point" is or no?
usO1OOOOO1 It has nothing to do with being more tiring. Again, I think you're stuck on the thought of center of balance. More weight toward the end means more force imparted on the target but slower to maneuver and more tiring to wield (there's a reason most maces, war picks/axes, were pretty small. To cut down on weight) More weight closer to the hand makes the sword feel more nimble in the hand, as more weight is concentrated toward the point of leverage that is your arm/wrist. This is different from the center of percussion and vibrational nodes. These are points in the blade that resist vibration. Imagine a wave going though a medium. These are the points that do not move in that wave. When you strike something with a sword, if you hit something near that center of percussion, you will feel way less vibrations running down the sword into your hands and arms. Whether that point is higher or lower doesn't change that. What being higher or lower on the blade does do is just increase the likelihood of how often the sword user will hit things on or near that vibrational node. Higher up is preferred because you're more likely to hit targets in that portion of the blade. If you're hitting things within the first third of the blade, you're generally too close to your target to transfer the most energy to it (the tip of the sword moves faster than the base, giving it more energy)
@@brittakriep2938that’s not what they claimed, is it? When it comes to swords in the US, sabers are culturally iconic from Civil War and old west era cavalry, and the US Marines still have sabers as part of their dress uniforms. Something can be iconic in more than once place, you know. Mozambique has an AK-47 on their flag, and it wasn’t made there, but clearly it is/was iconic for a period in their history. And it doesn’t mean it’s not iconic for Russia (who invented it) or others.
@@andrewp8284 : The US sabers of 1861/65 civil war had been based often from french sabers, my point was that sabers of european style had been a common thing for especially light cavallry from about 1700 to wwll..Eastern europe some time earlier, polish or hungarian sabers clearly show asian/ oriental elements before 1700. So this noted models are no ,typicsl' US weapon. The only bladed weapons after Renaissance, from which you could say , typicsl' german are only one or two huntingknifes.
Here is the usual full support for your channel. You made a good point and I will be liking/commenting the videos you review from now on too if I also enjoy those from what I see here.
I would say that the sword type that could be most closely considered the "American sword" is the cutlass and other similar sabers since they tend to be most commonly associate Carribean pirates, frontier cowboys/pioneers/calvary, and navy sailors. When it comes to melee weapons America is more so axes and knives. Alternatively, one could argue that the "lightsaber" and other Sci-Fi energy/laser/plasma swords are the American sword.
As a Katana enjoyer and defender, there is one thing that Cerberus got wrong (Maybe it was because of the Swords he used, but I can't say). A Katana and Longsword are almost equal in weight, and the longsword is just as nimble as the Katana. Of course, things like weight distribution and size play along with that, but in general: Katana and Longsword are very similiar in how nimble they are. As for cutting: That too relys on the type of steel, how the blade is tempered and sharpened etc. There are Longsword as sharp as Katana and vice versa. Their cutting abilitys are equal, it depends on what you prefer or have an easier time using (I for example have a much easier time cutting with Katana than with Longswords, however this is not because of the sharpness of the blade, but on how I prefer cutting with slightly curved blades. It feels better to me).
I had heard that the way katanas are made makes them less flexible. If the blade gets bent, it's bent for good unless repaired. European swords are a lot more flexible, but there is the risk they can snap under very high pressure (you'd need to do a lot for that to happen). That doesn't make one better or worse, it shows how different metal working techniques change the way metal behaves.
Cutting differences between different swords is about blade geometry. 2 blades with completely different blade geometries will cut completely different with the same sharpness. Different sharpness invalidates comparisons. The steeper the bevel the worse they cut(wedging). Width of the blade affects a cut too, wider is better but too wide suffers from friction. Wider blades helps edge alignment, it helps prevent or lessen rolling(scalloped cut) and that helps the cut while also allowing for a less steep bevel for the same spine thickness. A katana compared to a longsword that are equally wide and spine thickness where they cut, the katana spine is on the back edge of the blade while the longswords is in the center, the katana's bevel is thus less steep and therefore will cut better. Compare a katana to a longsword with less edge taper and therefore a wider blade so the distance from edge to spine is between the first longsword and the katana then they will cut about the same. the longsword has a steeper bevel but wider blade. Equal spine to edge distance and the longsword will cut better, equal bevels but wider blade. Type of steel only affects durability of the blade and that goes with heat treating. A high carbon steel blade that wasn't heat treated at all will be less durable than a mild steel blade that was properly heat treated. Both properly heat treated and the high carbon steel will be more durable. Durability affects how long they can keep a sharpened edge and how quickly they will keep a bend from flexing during a cut and how easy they are to break. And with durability comparisons if you compare a high quality longsword against an equally high quality traditionally made katana the katana loses every time. Differentially hardened means they are not spring steel and will keep a bend from flexing, can even happen with the very first cut if edge alignment is off. But that also means the edge is hardened and thus will hold sharpness better. But with hardness comes brittleness, the harder it is the more brittle and thus increases the chance of breaking. Longswords being spring steel you would have to abuse it to get them to hold a bend(hilt assembly will go bad first) but they will hold the sharpness less with a decreased chance of breaking. Abuse the katana as much as the longsword was to get it bent and it will bend far more and break before the hilt assembly loosens up. Traditionally made is trash compared to non traditional when it comes to katanas. *edit, Sharpness has an effect on durability too. The sharper they are the faster they lose that sharpness and more subject to rolled edges. Katana's are expected to be as sharp as they can be and longswords are not that sharp but that's because of pop culture. The sharpness of any sword is up to the user of it. Ofcourse they don't want a dull edge, it needs to cut. Some users want more durability and so sharpen their blades to a lesser degree while others want all the sharpness with no concern for rolled edges. Both katanas and longswords as well as all other swords were subjects to the users preference. Some katanas were sharper than some longswords and some longswords were sharper than some katanas. Sharpness is not a valid comparison between sword types.
@@amicableenmity9820 Actually, this is NOT true. At least not for modern swords. The way traditional Katana had been made was the reason why they can be broken or bend more easily. Katana made of MODERN STEAL and that are properly heat treated however will be just as flexible as european swords. Can't remember the name of the channel, but there is a channel on youtube that actually showcases modern Katana, and even tests them alongside modern Longswords, and they are pretty much equal in quality and flexibility.
@@JETWTF There are actually spring steel Katanas out there, and these things are AWESOME! They are just as good as Spring steel Longswords. ANd in general: someone who wishes to practice cuts, or even a Martial arts with a Katana, should NEVER opt for a traditionally made one. They are WAY more expensive, and usually WEAKER than Blades made with modern standards and steal.
When they say American movies don't do justice to European style swords... am I the only one that remembers how EVERYONE was obsessed with Excalibur (chanting Camina Burina under our breaths as kid) when it came out? Or Conan the Barbarian?
That thing in Conan the barbarian hardly qualifies as a sword at all, let alone an accurate representation. Same for 99% of Excalibur representations. Meanwhile, we see perfectly fine copies of Katanas in other movies. Let alone the sledgehammer style wielding of those "swords".
I like the way you do videos. You are very respectful and humble when you need to be but give your own opinion respectfully. Good stuff man you are growing on me.
Funnily enough, there was a sword that was designed to be the "Xiphos" or "Gladius" of America. It was the "1832 Artillery Sword", a short double-edged sword made, of course, in 1832, and used during the American Civil War
For a cultural sword for America, you have the Mameluke Sword on the marine corps officers' uniform and the history from the Barbary wars there, you have the Bowie knife (knife, not sword, but still a bladed weapon), and the civil war cavalry sabers. Though much more of American's weapons culture is from firearms, especially John Moses Browning.
That romanticised honour of the samurai is older than you think and came from the Japanese themselves. When the wars ended and there was mostly peace, they wrote a lot of fiction. Again, similar with the knights here.
That made me think about a difference in spanish.... O.O, katanas + samurais + people loving samurais, were to glorify samurais up to the point of unrealistic expectations.... while swords (or lances) + knights + people loving knights, were about to be put in ridiculous from 1605 up to the end of time, because Miguel de Cervantes writing Don Quixote. O.O
The American “sword” is a cavalry sword. Every war we had featured it and we’ve got a few (mostly broken) laying around in my family’s possession. But if we’re realistic about it, the American “sword” isn’t a sword. It’s the Bowie knife. Serious impact on culture (lookup the origin story) to the point that everyone at the time just had to have one (of some form of not completely accurate). It was used nationwide for self defense, as a tool, and as a wartime sidearm. My wife still uses a Bowie knife in the kitchen for cooking. Kabar knives also became massively popular for a while too (veterans mostly). Then just look into knife “culture” in rural areas of the states and you’ll find a lot “knife people.” A lot of old folks are into whittling or collecting but quite a few carry self defense knifes or multi purpose knives for emergencies. A lot of styles of pocket knife to the point that I don’t think anyone I grew up with didn’t at least have two of them.
European blades are definitely starting to get a bigger and bigger movement of people getting into them and into Medieval European history again even in the US. However this also means that the old myths and misunderstandings about things are rearing their heads more than ever and the fight to dispel the often less than favorable mythology around Medieval European things in general is ever ongoing.
Those guys are pretty good sword fighters! Hey Meta, if you have a free slot in your pipeline, how about a quick America (modern day) v. England (middle ages) - common law. Specifically self defense and weapons laws. I don't know if there is something interesting there but I'd like to learn more about America's common law roots as well as perceived "Justice" I just like the way you break these things down more than some of the other serious channels.
. . . The hell am I on about... LMAO. Your definitely sounding more and more American over time. Your sense of humor, and way with words. I love to see it.
The katana is in general a shorter blade than the longsword. Regardless of customization to the dimensions of the wielder. The shorter length allows a quicker draw of the blade from the sheath. The longsword and raiper are more ungainly to draw, but the range more than makes up for it. A longsword is intended for quick cuts and thrusting. The katana is intended to cleave and thrust. Not that you couldn't cut, chop, or thrust with either blade.
8:35 The same applies to longswords, an exceptionally tall knight would also have his sword made to fit his stature. Longer arms gets more leverage so a longer swords balance feels better to them while a shorter one doesn't feel right, short feels like not enough heft for cutting or parrying. Then because you can handle a few more inches you would take advantage of that because reach is important, the more you have the better. So yes taller knights had longer swords made too and is why there is a range of lengths for the same blade type found in period antiques.
I'd say, the Cutless, Cavalry Saber, or something that was used in America. As a US Army guy. The Marine Saber, too. I'd say those are the more American, classic sword types. Not that I'm an expert.
Damn so some samurai were really sneaky cowards and would just attack innocent people in the nearby village and come back and flex like they did some good work getting rid of enemies. Never would have known this. Humans really aren’t that different no matter the era.
Unlike those honourable knights that absolutely did not have a reputation for burning and pillaging innocent villages as a means to collect payment from destitute lords and/or extra payment on campaigns… irony aside, just goes to show that any status or power will corrupt and lead to humans believing that they’re above those that are less fortunate
Chivalry was a poetic ideal advised by people who wanted to constrain the behavior of landed martial men and was purposely unachievable. Most put little into pursuing it, either. Warlords will be warlords.
@@owennoad-watson2820 I think the difference here is that the knight has already gotten its "you guys suck and are evil", while the samurai hadn't really suffered it.
This is my argument when people claim we're 'smarter' now. If went back to any time beyond a few hundred years - I would be the idiot that can't do this or doesn't know that.
@ 15:11 When he talks about the 'balance' being towards the tip, I believe he may instead be referring to one of the 'Resonance nodes'. Which as far as i'm aware is essentially the sweet spot for where to strike with. And the last few (4 or so based on length) inches beyond that node is typically the part that's doing the contact or what you would aim to strike or cut with.
The American sword is the cavalry saber which rarely if ever had even an edge. You didn't need one if you are charging on horse back. But the American blade is the bowie knife.
@@yoeyyoey8937 When cutting through the line, the force of the swing and the momentum of the horse made any stroke a crushing blow. A sharp edge would not hold up under such abuse well and require constant maintenance.
10:48 Cerberusarms guy is called “D”. I heard the guys from Corridor digital, NODE and Rocketjump, formerly freddiew, call him D. He was featured in several of their videos and I saw him play as a Ranger in one of their D&D games.
Build your own scabbard, Metatron. Then, you can make it however you want and you will appreciate it more. I do. My current project sword is the Ronin European #11; the mid-sized dark age sword because the blade and the edge is so good. I rewrapped the handle, I am making the scabbard, but I cannot decide if I want to rehilt it or just engrave and blue the guard and pommel. And i've been doing this mostly with hand tools; you could do it too! I already did this with my Windlass Runic Seax and it turned out good. My daughter said it looks like I bought it. Its my gatito blade!
Curved swords were made for horseback. You only slash in one direction and the curve made them much easier to slash and keep riding. Sorry if I missed it but was that even mentioned?
So, why is it then that we see straight cavalry sabers in the British military being a thing? Compare for example the Pattern 1908 cavalery saber to the much earlier 1796 light cavalry saber. Why do we also see curved swords for foot soldiers being a thing, if "curved swords were made for horseback"?
@@sihilius because people often use the wrong tools for the job. I guess I should clarify to say the original purpose of a curved sword, was clearly for mounted attack.
9:27 i think the biggest advantage of a double edged blade is that you don’t have to think about how you pick it up. It’s always ready to go. Its also symmetrical and thus balanced the same down both sides, and they just look cool.
There should have been a correction....a Katana does not have lightning speed compared to longswords, generally Katanas are more top heavy and thus less nimble than longswords. The top heaviness however does lend it to be a better chopper. As in it is easier to cut with it.
Depends, not all katana were built the same. I have handled swords that's very nimble and still cut quite well(with balance around 10cm from the tsuba) they just lack the "oomf" that top heavy swords usually have.
@@jaketheasianguy3307 Katanas are more on the top heavy side, their point of balance is further away from the hilt, since they do not have a crossguard and a pommel for counter balance. That's just the way it is.
I didn't even know Cerberus, better known as 'D', had videos like this and I've been a fan of his Airsoft content for like 10 years. Another great reaction!
American here, we are a young country in comparison to Europe, so we never REALLY had to use swords, we founded our country using firearms MAINLY. I'm not saying we never used swords, just not NEARLY as much as The American Firearm
That “weebism” which makes people like skal hate the katana and weebs is definitely sneaking its way into the video at 18 minutes in. Knights with swords were just as “honor bound” and willing to die if you pay attention to history. The “ferocity” in battle is definitely getting overblown out of bias. Duking it out in full plate before jamming a dagger in an eye slit isn’t ferocious enough for a samurai I guess…
The thing is that the iconic 1860 US cavalry saber in terms of design is pretty much a 1822 French LC sabre. As many other comments said, probably the most American bladed weapon is the Bowie knife.
@metatronyt quite impressive that you picked up english despite the 'dubbing problem'. I had the luxury of growing up with non dubbed english content (with subtitles) and that helped to such a degree that I was quite decent before the age of 10. You had to work for your bread but work you did, nicely done.
Really good reaction video. He did one where he testes a £2000 longsword vs a £200 one ans he loved the longsword and and said it is one of he's favourite. You would enjoy that one
Raf, It may have been mentioned but upon cursory glance I didn't find it in the comments. When Cerberus is speaking of balance he is actually referring to one of the sword's rotational nodes. It is an indicator of how the sword handles. Closer to or at the sword point, as he mentioned in the video, will feel lighter and balance more optimally for thrusting and point work. Closer to the center of percussion as it appeared on the sword he demonstrated will typically have much more blade presence as well as hit harder and thus be more optimized for cutting. The trade off is a tendency to be somewhat slower to redirect and not as natural to pivot and aim the point. Hope that helps clarify the miscommunication. Edit to add: The terms that were escaping me were nimble and sluggish. A blade that rotates at the point will seem more nimble in the hand. A blade that rotates further from the point will generally feel more sluggish by comparison. Though it bears mentioning that actual nimbleness or sluggish handling would ultimately be determined by a combination of said rotational node placement coupled with actual point of balance, which you mentioned, and overall length of blade along with weight.
I'm native american. So I didn't really get into swords until my mid teens (which is not that long I'm only 22) But because of my ancestry I've always been more drawn to axes and tomahawks. And macuahuitl. Also that one.
@SaintEaon they will flex and spring back. Even in medieval times, they could make crucible steel, and japanese steel is subpar by any standard. The katana had a soft spine, which, when bent, will stay bent.
The US also captured like 3 million swords when fighting Japan in WW2. I don't know how many were just scrapped, but thousands of them were kept privately.
@@cp1cupcake Thankfully. It's sad how many of those katanas from WW2 though were already heirlooms that were cut down and butchered to fit Imperial Japan's military specs on sword length.
I like how you show respect for the people who make the original videos you react to. Saying we should see the original videos and avoid showing the whole thing in your video
I think a lot of this is because the shortage of iron ore of sufficient quality in Japan made katanas very expensive and therefore prized family posessions that required incredible craftmanship to weld the expensive carbon steel edge to the iron sword. In Europe where high quality iron ore was widespread and plentiful, there was no need to spend so much time making and folding the blade. A necissity in Japanese sword making. So European swords were essential disposable as they werent as valuable and would be recycled into railings or nails. This made katanas collectible survivor heirlooms. We have a family sword, a 1792 Light Cavalry Sabre that an ancestor used in the British Army during the Napoleonic war. Its a rare survivor of essentially a utilitarian tool even thpugh it was made by a fine sword maker of the period with a gilt guard and ivory handle
The U.S. has an ancestral sword still actively worn to formal gatherings: the U.S. Marine Corps Mameluke and NCO Sword. I know it's a long shot but these swords are still issued and we are taught how to carry and care for them.
The U.S Marines sabres origins come from the Mameluke sword gifted to First Lieutenant O'Bannon back in the Barbary wars... My point is the American sword is all of them.
Eastern and Southeastern Americans(like me) grew up without associating a sword with our ancestry. We were raised to venerate the American Longrifle. Similar mythology to other cultural weapons. The only native blade to Americanism(not Native American) is the Bowie knife, which isn't even American, but we claim it. To understand where the rifle sits in our mythology, American Rifle by Alexander Rose is a good primer. Personally, I own four flintlock American longrifles in different calibers(for different animals),and the accoutrements to shoot them. They are antiquated, but lethal, just like swords. As you get further west, the Hawken type rifle, a descendant of the eastern longrifle, is more known, and then the far west was armed with lever action repeaters and single shot long range cartridge guns. This is an oversimplification, but makes the point. America's heritage involved blades, but our legacy, for good or ill(or both) is The Rifle.
Funny fact: RUclips suggested me his video. But haven't watched it. But just reading the headline and looking and the thumbnail made me wonder if you will react to that video!! So now I will know what that guy will tell me and also what you think about his video, or better said about what he is talking about.
I've always been of the opinion that both swords are good and both were developed in a different environment to fulful particular things and deal with varying styles of armour and combat, etc.
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What language was easiest for you to learn and what one was the hardest?
I really enjoy these react/review videos because you are shedding light on a few people I haven't heard of before. But I have an interesting question for you.
For Honor, style. If you were to magically teleport the islands and surrounding islands of 12th century Japan and England, or a similar time, then plop them in the middle of the pacific with the closest points being about 50 miles apart what would happen. Then, to force a fight, you telepathically told them, "In order to move back to your normal home, you must defeat the daemons across the sea." What would happen?
Maybe part of the price of success is having millions of fans that value your content so much, that they forget you have a personal life @metatronyt js 😂😂😂😂
You needed to see this video . Absolutely. This video is fire bro . His demonstration is perfect to comparison long sword vs katana
I wouldn't say the U.S. has an ancestral sword. Everyone is saying Cavalry Saber, but the U.S. didn't invent that.
The Bowie Knife though, is American as f*ck.
The Toofpick
I mean, since when does a nation have to invent the weapon for it to become iconic? Think of all the states that the AK47 and it's variants have become iconic for their soldierly with it obviously being a weapon not locally invented.
Bowie knife is American as hell isn't it 😂
The US has no cultural sword, they have the credit for gun refinement and giving the world the gatling gun and the lever action rifle. Much better than a modified saber.
@@bewawolf19but we all lnow the AK was a product of soviet culture
Imagine being a burglar and getting a history lesson before the homeowner picks which sword to use.
Imagine if the burglar had a gun though😭
If he sits and listens politely is it still self defense?
Probably the only certain anti-burglary system
In France, my country, a group of delinquants entered a guy's garage and tried to steal his car. Little they knew, the guy was a swordman, owning a 6 kilos blunt longsword...
It went exactly as you can imagine
Thatd be metal af lol
Bowie knives and tomahawks are what I'd say are iconic American bladed weapons.
That and the US Cavalry Saber.
Bowie? See seax and Bauernwehr. Tomahawk? Francisca and boarding axe.
@@brittakriep2938 other than being large knives, those are both totally different designs than a bowie knife.
@@brittakriep2938there’s nothing new under the sun.
@@CringePeddler Not invented in the states so it does not count.
America has one of the greatest and most iconic swords ever produced: the lightsaber, a sword so unique in design and sound that it has had a profound impact on pop culture around the world.
I actually had a similar thought while watching the video around that part. Of course, the problem being that a lightsaber isn't a sword that was actually made and used in real life. But it may still be fair to say that it's a "cultural" sword, of sorts.
The more "technically correct" answer would potentially be some types of cavalry sabers, but there's not much history or mythology around them. The US is a young country. You could potentially nominate some indigenous weapons, like tomahawks or warclubs--maybe the gunstock warclub as a 'fusion item'--but it's still a tough sell.
And it actually cuts through other swords!
😂
The natives have their own "swords" of a sort especially central and south american ones and many European swords were modified by the natives and the Europeans over the course of the 500 to 600 hundred years of both Americas exposure to such items I feel some of those could hold up as unique or region specific variants of something thats more "uniform" as an identifiable tool/weapon in Europe @Cavouku
And just like America it's power is fake lol
Dude?! That “what am I on about” after you said “divide and conquer” in Latin seriously had me laughing out loud alone in my car. 5:52 was a highlight of my day thanks Metatron!
Ahah thanks
Maybe I am ignorant but the Irish never made contact with those old Romans and old Greeks, so they can't be Barbarians. I believe they raided Britain and took a Welshmen into slavery who later converted to Christianity, but they were just pests. The Scotti came from Ireland, but it was the native Britons in England that had most contact with the Romans.
The Germans, well, there's no quibbling, they are nothing but Barbarians.
Legend says he has been sleeping on a couch that night. 😉
Firearms probably take the role of the romantic or symbolic status for Americans that swords have elsewhere. The Kentucky rifle, the Colt 45 SAA, the 1873 Winchester, the Henry, the 1911.
We have a history with swords its just not near as much nor as ubiquitous as firearms are ingrained into it and many natives have "sword" adjacent or even sword like weapons and European swords and swordsman have atleast 5 to 6 centuries of activity in the America's
@@alexcunningham1647 Of course you have and if I have to pick a sword to represent US history, I would pick the XIX century cavalry saber. Swords were as ubiquitous and relevant as anything else back in the day, but of course they got eclipsed by the slightly insane US gun culture and fade from your collective memory once the invention of the cartridge, semi-automatic rifles and machineguns made them obsolete in the battlefield, somewhere between the the mid to end 1800s.
But by then, most of the fighting and all wars withing current US territory were over.. and in all of those swords played a somewhat relevant role.
What would you know about weapons? you're just a tailor.😇
@@Imman1s
There's nothing insane about U.S. gun culture.
If that's insane sword fanatics are really none the better, because at a point in time and history they were both equally important and were made and used for the same purposes.
There's no need to call anything insane because you don't understand it😁
@@MarkusMöttus-x7j I call it insane BECAUSE I understand it. The US has a gun problem, blame it on anything else under the sun and refuses even do the most basic, common sense measures to fix it.
The fact that no amount of children lives lost are enough to get them to do anything about the situation makes it insane.
Notice that's a uniquely US problem; similar countries with very high gun ownership like Switzerland don't seem to have the same issues while having a strong gun culture of their own.
As far as "ancestral swords of the Americans", I would agree that we don't really have such a thing; but we do have the super iconic Bowie knife, the lesser-known yet highly-employed Arkansas Toothpick, and the classic Ka-Bar combat knife.
The American ancestral weapon is the Bowie Knife 😅.
Arkansas toothpick
Probably the Colt 🤔
No, it’s the AR-15 or M4A1
Lever action rifle and the gatling.
@@keeferChiefer so something that's 68 ar15 or 30 m4a1 years old is ancestral to you, and something that's just as widely known thats 14 years shy of its 200th birthday isnt? heck there's far older iconic american firearms that would make more sense then your choices like the m1 Garand, or Winchester model 1873
15:12 He misspoke by saying "balance". That's the center of rotation he's showing, and while he got the term wrong, he is right that longswords usually rotate right at the point. Not always, but typically.
You beat me to this point
It's not 'the center of rotation' either. It is more like *a* center of rotation, given you do apply acceleration at the crossguard: There are always multiple different such points, depending on where and how you accelerate a physical body. For that very reason it's hard to find the front pivot point (the point the sword rotates around given sideways acceleration being applied close to the crossgard) through that shake test he's doing there and actually, he's not only providing sideways acceleration, but his hand also moves up and down, which is a typical way to skew the results. he also grips the sword right at the crossguard rather than close to the corssguard but on the handle still, which brings the rotation point further up and away from the tip. So, I would think that the front pivot point is much further to the tip than he shows in the video, though it might not be right at the tip.
No the center of rotation he is showing typically aligns with the center of percussion, if you bang the blade there will be two points at which is will vibrate the least. You want this to line up so when strike the target to cut you'll get the the most impact paired with the least resistance from the vibration. I train in HEMA and have used Longswords for over a decade and we aim to hit with with the top two thirds of the blade as indicated, not with the tip.
Side note the second percussion point aligns with the balance point close to the hand, so you get less reverberation in the hand and arm.
@@tyhar7493 ruclips.net/video/P8w1bAmZ-Pc/видео.html
Both having that pivot point at the tip and at the center of percussion are valid.
It's also a question if you wanna optimize for thrut vs cut. Ofc. if you thrust you want to hit with the very tip.
@@Ehuatl lol yeah I happen to be friends with Matt, he's the one that originally taught me. Of course you are right it depends on the sword but in this case we are talking longsword.
On blocking vs. deflection, my fencing teacher said, "Is god going to criticize your edge retention at the gates of heaven? Do all that you must. " and i have taken that to heart.
You know what is better than a katana?
TWO KATANAS!
I thought you were gonna say a gun, but TWO katanas, damn, nothing beats that!
Or as I call it, "giant scissors".
A longsword beats both .
Flamethrowing chainsaw shotgun katana.
Musashi would be proud
Hey Raf, great commentary!
A quick note about Cerberusarms talking about the handling of the longsword: he is conflating terms a bit when he shows how the sword is pivoting. He talks about the 'balance' which most people would assume refer to the Center of Gravity/Mass of the sword. However he is demonstrating a test for one of the pivot points of the blade, in this case the foremost pivot point, using the action point on the end of the grip closest to the cross.
This is a test used by Peter Johnsson to demonstrate handling characteristics of various swords, by mapping the pivot points (among other dynamic properties of the sword) as can be seen in The Sword Form and Thought. In this case i think CA is perhaps holding the longsword a bit too hard, but he is likely correct that it will pivot closer to the blade harmonic node, than the tip.
Now he may desire a longsword which has a forward pivot point at the tip, and we do have many historical examples which handle that way ( See StAM 4190b in Solingen; 111.8cm, and 1360g)., but we also have plenty of examples which handle as the one in this video. They are balanced differently for different purposes as I know you are aware.
In Poland we had saber, in Polish "szabla", a type of curved sword, which is engraved in our national identity. Even today, high rank military figures wear saber as a part of formal uniform, to highlight long-lasting tradition of swordsmanship in our country, to honour our ancestors, and also to show off a little bit. Saber is special, peasants couldn't carry them, only lords could use them in battle. Honestly, there are many similar things about saber and katana, maybe that's why Polish people are impressed and so interested in Japanese swords.
Dont forget 'Wings' if they're good enough for Angels, then there good enough for Polish hussars 🇵🇱.
I knew the Polish army used them but not sure if others did as well [I've a vague, very vague, idea I've read of them in the Hungarian military during their Austro-Hungarian empire, an image of a very very dashing uniform complete with sabre but might be a false memory]. Seems that someone above though has decided the sabre [cavalry sabre rather than lightsabre] is the iconic American [US] sword.
Very interesting 🤔🧐🤗❤️🔥🙋👍
In Ukraine we also have sabers as "our swords", mostly because our national myth (as cultural term) have a big focus on cossacks, who was depend on political situation fight under commonwealth coats or against %) Tatars also used curved blades, and I think this is common weapon on all eastern steppes as saber are better weapon for cavalry then something like longsword or simple armsword
@@seawitch66 They had wings for other reason, it was to fake and confuse enemies of how many cavalry was there
Okay, your humor earned you a subscribe. I really do enjoy your videos.
I find the US has an cultural sword, the cavalery Saber...
And for me the Longsword is the better sword, because it can do so much more than only cutting, and has the "better" parry.
also longsword looks better imo
Something I just remembered when watching this video, is how many japanese swords were captured in WW2 and brought back as trophies. I would not be surprised if they ended up as the most common sword in the US afterwards.
And Excalibur.
Our cultural sword is guns. Lots of guns.
The saber originated in Central Europe and the Napoleonic wars
Something to note with katanas in the US, is that it might have been the most iconic sword just because of how many were brought back to the USA after WW2 where something like 3 million were total captured.
Assuming that all of them were brought back, I would not be surprised if those swords ended up the majority of function (ie, non larp) swords in the US to date if you combine all of the others.
It’s because of “martial arts” cultural obsession from successful movies. People like lore on new, exotic things.l, it feeds the fantasy fire. Same reason why McDojos became a thing.
I would guess that the most prevalent would be 19th century cavalry sabers. Would certainly be interested to know if there are any hard numbers on that sort of thing.
After a quick perusal of Wikipedia, there are over 300,000 instances of the Model 1860 Light Cavalry Saber alone.
@@yoeyyoey8937 Yep. America manufactured weebism. Even the modern idea of Ninjas is essentially entirely Western, and mostly American.
@@thisdude9363 Yeah no. European countries like France and Germany have been "manufacturing" weebism and appreciation for Japanese culture long before the us.
Just search "Japonisme"
@@thisdude9363 Yeah no. European countries like France and Germany have been "manufacturing" weebism and appreciation for Japanese culture long before.
Just search "Japonisme"
You married a....barbarian ?! WTH citizen
A Roman Barbarian lover!😂
Lmao 🤣😂🤣! Ikr! He's just to adorable 🥰!🤷😂🤣😂🤷🤭🤭
He *conquered* a Celt.
Yeah, cavalry and dragoon sabers are the type of swords we made in different styles from much of the 19th century. I always liked some of the 1812 period American sabers even if they're just copies of the British cavalry sabers. We even made our own Roman/French style gladius called the Artillery sword. In WW2, Dutch style cutlasses were used in the Pacific theater for a time.
5:38 Irish, Italian and German here. I'm constantly at war with myself.
Good to know I am not the only one who is my own worst enemy . :)
Well, the Germans and Italians were allies and the Irish were this close to joining them.
@@Guvnor100 Well I have the ancient genes from the Roman times. Well you know how that went. 😄
Try Irish, German, English.
@@Guvnor100 not during the Great War, Italy came over to the Entente before the war began (UK, France, Belgium, Russia, Serbia, Japan and so on, these are just the first ones to pop into my head, not the only members of the Entente).
And honestly, the Irish were smart enough to know that with the isle of Great Britain positioned between the continent and Ireland (republic and island both). Actually joining the Axis would not have worked (at that, there were a shit ton of Irish volunteers fighting in the British Army). Germany was never truly able to threaten Great Britain (bomb it, sure, but they never had the capacity to actually invade). They sure as hell wouldn't be able to support a front opened in Ireland
Lord of the rings came out when I was born and definitely implanted in me a love for swords. I have been obsessed my entire life and that will never change.
There is something mystical about swords isn't there out of all the weapons.
The complete ignoring of American film's love with the swashbuckling and 'fencing' movies such as Scaramouche reminds me to take most young peoples 'knowledge videos' with a grain of salt. There were movies before the 80's :P
mmmm 🤔 you're never 87 years old 🤭😉.
@ what do you mean? I was just relating to Lord of the Rings because it was special to me. If you have good recommendations I’m all ears. I love movies.
Sorry just kidding, the Book was first published in 1937. indeed one of the greatest books of all time, I read it in the 70s some 30 years before the Peter Jackson movie came out.
so I'm guessing your about 23?.
As for movie's I can't help much, maybe Excalibur 1981.
But you might want to check out
Master swordsmith Peter Lyon,
at Lyoness Armoury, NZ.
Us Americans have the Cavalry Saber. Specifically the mid-19th century used by USA/CSA cavalry.
The swords that came out during the Civil War were very nice.
That's where my mind went as well
That is exactly what i was thinking, when it comes to the historical sword of the United States. A saber and a small sword as a second possibility.
So Europeans and Latin Americans in 19th century knew no cavallry sabers? Complete Idiocracy.
The US also has a historical ceremonial sword the: Mamalupe/Mamaluke. It is based off the original sword gifted to Marine First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon by Prince Hamet, Ottoman Empire Viceroy, during the First Barbary War. The Marines still use the Mamaluke to this day. (edited for misspellings)
At 15:35 he's not talking about the balance point of the sword as in the pivot point. He's talking about the vibrational point. He just misspoke. You know the point where when you bang the sword and see where the vibrational anchor points are. You want that point more toward the later part of the sword because you get less energy lost in wobble as you strike things in the part of the sword you're more likely to hit things at range at.
Also would be more tiring if the weight was out that far right?
@@virusO1OOOOO1 Again, you're making the same mistake Metatron is. He's *not* talking about the pivot point of the sword. He's talking about the center of percussion / a vibrational node (looked up the proper terms). Meaning when you hit something with the sword, the points that transfer less energy down the sword making it more comfortable to swing and hit things with. If the center of percussion is not in a good place, the sword will hurt more when hitting targets and it will transfer less energy into the cut when slicing (as more energy is lost in making the sword wobble and change shape).
While this spot(s) on a sword *is* effected by the weight distribution of the sword it is not the pivot point of the sword where you put your hand on and it balances equally without falling over. That's what you're thinking about regarding more weight being toward the tip of the weapon changing the center of balance.
@@pacmonster066 ok yes totally misunderstood your OP, but knowing now if that vibration point were that far out would it be more tiring still? Like it would vibrate more the further this "point" is or no?
usO1OOOOO1 It has nothing to do with being more tiring. Again, I think you're stuck on the thought of center of balance. More weight toward the end means more force imparted on the target but slower to maneuver and more tiring to wield (there's a reason most maces, war picks/axes, were pretty small. To cut down on weight)
More weight closer to the hand makes the sword feel more nimble in the hand, as more weight is concentrated toward the point of leverage that is your arm/wrist.
This is different from the center of percussion and vibrational nodes. These are points in the blade that resist vibration. Imagine a wave going though a medium. These are the points that do not move in that wave. When you strike something with a sword, if you hit something near that center of percussion, you will feel way less vibrations running down the sword into your hands and arms. Whether that point is higher or lower doesn't change that. What being higher or lower on the blade does do is just increase the likelihood of how often the sword user will hit things on or near that vibrational node. Higher up is preferred because you're more likely to hit targets in that portion of the blade. If you're hitting things within the first third of the blade, you're generally too close to your target to transfer the most energy to it (the tip of the sword moves faster than the base, giving it more energy)
@pacmonster066 thanks makes sense
To me, personally, the curved cavalry saber is the iconic American sword.
Europeans, Latin Americans knew no sabers??????
@brittakriep2938
?😐?
@@brittakriep2938that’s not what they claimed, is it? When it comes to swords in the US, sabers are culturally iconic from Civil War and old west era cavalry, and the US Marines still have sabers as part of their dress uniforms.
Something can be iconic in more than once place, you know. Mozambique has an AK-47 on their flag, and it wasn’t made there, but clearly it is/was iconic for a period in their history. And it doesn’t mean it’s not iconic for Russia (who invented it) or others.
@@andrewp8284 : The US sabers of 1861/65 civil war had been based often from french sabers, my point was that sabers of european style had been a common thing for especially light cavallry from about 1700 to wwll..Eastern europe some time earlier, polish or hungarian sabers clearly show asian/ oriental elements before 1700. So this noted models are no ,typicsl' US weapon. The only bladed weapons after Renaissance, from which you could say , typicsl' german are only one or two huntingknifes.
Here is the usual full support for your channel. You made a good point and I will be liking/commenting the videos you review from now on too if I also enjoy those from what I see here.
I would say that the sword type that could be most closely considered the "American sword" is the cutlass and other similar sabers since they tend to be most commonly associate Carribean pirates, frontier cowboys/pioneers/calvary, and navy sailors.
When it comes to melee weapons America is more so axes and knives.
Alternatively, one could argue that the "lightsaber" and other Sci-Fi energy/laser/plasma swords are the American sword.
As a Katana enjoyer and defender, there is one thing that Cerberus got wrong (Maybe it was because of the Swords he used, but I can't say).
A Katana and Longsword are almost equal in weight, and the longsword is just as nimble as the Katana. Of course, things like weight distribution and size play along with that, but in general: Katana and Longsword are very similiar in how nimble they are.
As for cutting: That too relys on the type of steel, how the blade is tempered and sharpened etc.
There are Longsword as sharp as Katana and vice versa. Their cutting abilitys are equal, it depends on what you prefer or have an easier time using (I for example have a much easier time cutting with Katana than with Longswords, however this is not because of the sharpness of the blade, but on how I prefer cutting with slightly curved blades. It feels better to me).
People overlook feel in these types of things.
I had heard that the way katanas are made makes them less flexible. If the blade gets bent, it's bent for good unless repaired. European swords are a lot more flexible, but there is the risk they can snap under very high pressure (you'd need to do a lot for that to happen). That doesn't make one better or worse, it shows how different metal working techniques change the way metal behaves.
Cutting differences between different swords is about blade geometry. 2 blades with completely different blade geometries will cut completely different with the same sharpness. Different sharpness invalidates comparisons. The steeper the bevel the worse they cut(wedging). Width of the blade affects a cut too, wider is better but too wide suffers from friction. Wider blades helps edge alignment, it helps prevent or lessen rolling(scalloped cut) and that helps the cut while also allowing for a less steep bevel for the same spine thickness. A katana compared to a longsword that are equally wide and spine thickness where they cut, the katana spine is on the back edge of the blade while the longswords is in the center, the katana's bevel is thus less steep and therefore will cut better. Compare a katana to a longsword with less edge taper and therefore a wider blade so the distance from edge to spine is between the first longsword and the katana then they will cut about the same. the longsword has a steeper bevel but wider blade. Equal spine to edge distance and the longsword will cut better, equal bevels but wider blade.
Type of steel only affects durability of the blade and that goes with heat treating. A high carbon steel blade that wasn't heat treated at all will be less durable than a mild steel blade that was properly heat treated. Both properly heat treated and the high carbon steel will be more durable. Durability affects how long they can keep a sharpened edge and how quickly they will keep a bend from flexing during a cut and how easy they are to break. And with durability comparisons if you compare a high quality longsword against an equally high quality traditionally made katana the katana loses every time. Differentially hardened means they are not spring steel and will keep a bend from flexing, can even happen with the very first cut if edge alignment is off. But that also means the edge is hardened and thus will hold sharpness better. But with hardness comes brittleness, the harder it is the more brittle and thus increases the chance of breaking. Longswords being spring steel you would have to abuse it to get them to hold a bend(hilt assembly will go bad first) but they will hold the sharpness less with a decreased chance of breaking. Abuse the katana as much as the longsword was to get it bent and it will bend far more and break before the hilt assembly loosens up. Traditionally made is trash compared to non traditional when it comes to katanas.
*edit, Sharpness has an effect on durability too. The sharper they are the faster they lose that sharpness and more subject to rolled edges. Katana's are expected to be as sharp as they can be and longswords are not that sharp but that's because of pop culture. The sharpness of any sword is up to the user of it. Ofcourse they don't want a dull edge, it needs to cut. Some users want more durability and so sharpen their blades to a lesser degree while others want all the sharpness with no concern for rolled edges. Both katanas and longswords as well as all other swords were subjects to the users preference. Some katanas were sharper than some longswords and some longswords were sharper than some katanas. Sharpness is not a valid comparison between sword types.
@@amicableenmity9820 Actually, this is NOT true. At least not for modern swords. The way traditional Katana had been made was the reason why they can be broken or bend more easily.
Katana made of MODERN STEAL and that are properly heat treated however will be just as flexible as european swords. Can't remember the name of the channel, but there is a channel on youtube that actually showcases modern Katana, and even tests them alongside modern Longswords, and they are pretty much equal in quality and flexibility.
@@JETWTF There are actually spring steel Katanas out there, and these things are AWESOME! They are just as good as Spring steel Longswords.
ANd in general: someone who wishes to practice cuts, or even a Martial arts with a Katana, should NEVER opt for a traditionally made one.
They are WAY more expensive, and usually WEAKER than Blades made with modern standards and steal.
When they say American movies don't do justice to European style swords... am I the only one that remembers how EVERYONE was obsessed with Excalibur (chanting Camina Burina under our breaths as kid) when it came out? Or Conan the Barbarian?
That thing in Conan the barbarian hardly qualifies as a sword at all, let alone an accurate representation. Same for 99% of Excalibur representations. Meanwhile, we see perfectly fine copies of Katanas in other movies. Let alone the sledgehammer style wielding of those "swords".
I'd like to see a katana block a blow from a claymore wielded by a huge Scotsman
I like the way you do videos. You are very respectful and humble when you need to be but give your own opinion respectfully. Good stuff man you are growing on me.
When he was describing the balance point, I think he meant center of percussion.
Funnily enough, there was a sword that was designed to be the "Xiphos" or "Gladius" of America. It was the "1832 Artillery Sword", a short double-edged sword made, of course, in 1832, and used during the American Civil War
For a cultural sword for America, you have the Mameluke Sword on the marine corps officers' uniform and the history from the Barbary wars there, you have the Bowie knife (knife, not sword, but still a bladed weapon), and the civil war cavalry sabers. Though much more of American's weapons culture is from firearms, especially John Moses Browning.
Another epic video from the Metatron.
This is why I love this channel.
That romanticised honour of the samurai is older than you think and came from the Japanese themselves. When the wars ended and there was mostly peace, they wrote a lot of fiction. Again, similar with the knights here.
That made me think about a difference in spanish.... O.O, katanas + samurais + people loving samurais, were to glorify samurais up to the point of unrealistic expectations.... while swords (or lances) + knights + people loving knights, were about to be put in ridiculous from 1605 up to the end of time, because Miguel de Cervantes writing Don Quixote. O.O
The American “sword” is a cavalry sword. Every war we had featured it and we’ve got a few (mostly broken) laying around in my family’s possession.
But if we’re realistic about it, the American “sword” isn’t a sword. It’s the Bowie knife. Serious impact on culture (lookup the origin story) to the point that everyone at the time just had to have one (of some form of not completely accurate). It was used nationwide for self defense, as a tool, and as a wartime sidearm. My wife still uses a Bowie knife in the kitchen for cooking. Kabar knives also became massively popular for a while too (veterans mostly).
Then just look into knife “culture” in rural areas of the states and you’ll find a lot “knife people.” A lot of old folks are into whittling or collecting but quite a few carry self defense knifes or multi purpose knives for emergencies. A lot of styles of pocket knife to the point that I don’t think anyone I grew up with didn’t at least have two of them.
European blades are definitely starting to get a bigger and bigger movement of people getting into them and into Medieval European history again even in the US. However this also means that the old myths and misunderstandings about things are rearing their heads more than ever and the fight to dispel the often less than favorable mythology around Medieval European things in general is ever ongoing.
Those guys are pretty good sword fighters!
Hey Meta, if you have a free slot in your pipeline, how about a quick America (modern day) v. England (middle ages) - common law. Specifically self defense and weapons laws. I don't know if there is something interesting there but I'd like to learn more about America's common law roots as well as perceived "Justice"
I just like the way you break these things down more than some of the other serious channels.
The iconic American sword is the M-16, for better or worse
Tommy Gun?
. . . The hell am I on about... LMAO.
Your definitely sounding more and more American over time. Your sense of humor, and way with words.
I love to see it.
The katana is in general a shorter blade than the longsword. Regardless of customization to the dimensions of the wielder. The shorter length allows a quicker draw of the blade from the sheath. The longsword and raiper are more ungainly to draw, but the range more than makes up for it. A longsword is intended for quick cuts and thrusting. The katana is intended to cleave and thrust. Not that you couldn't cut, chop, or thrust with either blade.
Katanas could actually be longer, that was the case before restrictions were made during the Edo period that shorted the blade.
@@eagle162 lol. And lizards are in general smaller than rhinoceroses. But naw. Way back there were bigger lizards. I love ya guys :)
8:35 The same applies to longswords, an exceptionally tall knight would also have his sword made to fit his stature. Longer arms gets more leverage so a longer swords balance feels better to them while a shorter one doesn't feel right, short feels like not enough heft for cutting or parrying. Then because you can handle a few more inches you would take advantage of that because reach is important, the more you have the better. So yes taller knights had longer swords made too and is why there is a range of lengths for the same blade type found in period antiques.
I'd say, the Cutless, Cavalry Saber, or something that was used in America. As a US Army guy. The Marine Saber, too. I'd say those are the more American, classic sword types. Not that I'm an expert.
I lold at neck beard, weave, and frogmouth helmet 😆
The divide and conquer got me too...
Damn so some samurai were really sneaky cowards and would just attack innocent people in the nearby village and come back and flex like they did some good work getting rid of enemies. Never would have known this. Humans really aren’t that different no matter the era.
Unlike those honourable knights that absolutely did not have a reputation for burning and pillaging innocent villages as a means to collect payment from destitute lords and/or extra payment on campaigns… irony aside, just goes to show that any status or power will corrupt and lead to humans believing that they’re above those that are less fortunate
Chivalry was a poetic ideal advised by people who wanted to constrain the behavior of landed martial men and was purposely unachievable. Most put little into pursuing it, either. Warlords will be warlords.
@@owennoad-watson2820 I think the difference here is that the knight has already gotten its "you guys suck and are evil", while the samurai hadn't really suffered it.
This is my argument when people claim we're 'smarter' now. If went back to any time beyond a few hundred years - I would be the idiot that can't do this or doesn't know that.
@@owennoad-watson2820exactly. That’s true.
i gotta start binging this channel , so good D love your stuff dude
God made man, Sam Colt made them all equal.
6' if I'm not mistaken. :D
Better than equal I'd say
@ 15:11 When he talks about the 'balance' being towards the tip, I believe he may instead be referring to one of the 'Resonance nodes'. Which as far as i'm aware is essentially the sweet spot for where to strike with. And the last few (4 or so based on length) inches beyond that node is typically the part that's doing the contact or what you would aim to strike or cut with.
The American sword is the cavalry saber which rarely if ever had even an edge. You didn't need one if you are charging on horse back. But the American blade is the bowie knife.
Why not sharpen it tho you can do so much more damage and not get your sword stuck
The cavalry saber is European
@@MW_Asura Americans were European.
@@yoeyyoey8937 When cutting through the line, the force of the swing and the momentum of the horse made any stroke a crushing blow. A sharp edge would not hold up under such abuse well and require constant maintenance.
@n0m4nic ig that makes sense but why not use a different weapon at that point?
The million was coming no matter what, you have more than earned it.
At first I thought he said “Roman katana” 😂 I had to rewind
10:48 Cerberusarms guy is called “D”. I heard the guys from Corridor digital, NODE and Rocketjump, formerly freddiew, call him D. He was featured in several of their videos and I saw him play as a Ranger in one of their D&D games.
The closest to an American sword would be the cavalry sabers of the Civil War period.
Build your own scabbard, Metatron. Then, you can make it however you want and you will appreciate it more. I do.
My current project sword is the Ronin European #11; the mid-sized dark age sword because the blade and the edge is so good. I rewrapped the handle, I am making the scabbard, but I cannot decide if I want to rehilt it or just engrave and blue the guard and pommel. And i've been doing this mostly with hand tools; you could do it too!
I already did this with my Windlass Runic Seax and it turned out good. My daughter said it looks like I bought it. Its my gatito blade!
As an American my ancestral sword is a colt revolver lol
I've had a few videos like that. It kept suggesting the same video every time I loaded it up for over a week. It even suggested it AFTER I WATCHED IT!
The civil war swords from USA is very underrated
The American ancestral sword is a gun. Not even joking. Maybe a bowie knife, though? No, definitely a gun. 1911, wheelieboi, trenchbroom...
I think you went easy on him.
The last bit lmao .../chef's kiss
Curved swords were made for horseback. You only slash in one direction and the curve made them much easier to slash and keep riding. Sorry if I missed it but was that even mentioned?
That's not true
Some were some weren't
So, why is it then that we see straight cavalry sabers in the British military being a thing? Compare for example the Pattern 1908 cavalery saber to the much earlier 1796 light cavalry saber. Why do we also see curved swords for foot soldiers being a thing, if "curved swords were made for horseback"?
@@sihilius the straight swords oftentimes became fancy lances, the swords used by the french cuirassiers are an excellent example of this.
@@sihilius because people often use the wrong tools for the job. I guess I should clarify to say the original purpose of a curved sword, was clearly for mounted attack.
@@chrisnewbury3793 Can you please verify that claim with some evidence?
9:27 i think the biggest advantage of a double edged blade is that you don’t have to think about how you pick it up. It’s always ready to go. Its also symmetrical and thus balanced the same down both sides, and they just look cool.
There should have been a correction....a Katana does not have lightning speed compared to longswords, generally Katanas are more top heavy and thus less nimble than longswords. The top heaviness however does lend it to be a better chopper. As in it is easier to cut with it.
Depends, not all katana were built the same. I have handled swords that's very nimble and still cut quite well(with balance around 10cm from the tsuba) they just lack the "oomf" that top heavy swords usually have.
You literally used a blanket statement for a weapon that went through hundreds of years of design modification and refinement...
@@empoweredshemphoward It's a generally true statement. Katanas are more top heavy on average. Facts don't care about your feelings.
@@jaketheasianguy3307 Katanas are more on the top heavy side, their point of balance is further away from the hilt, since they do not have a crossguard and a pommel for counter balance. That's just the way it is.
@ICaImI that is a bot response if ever I saw one. Why does it always come with an anime profile pic?
I didn't even know Cerberus, better known as 'D', had videos like this and I've been a fan of his Airsoft content for like 10 years.
Another great reaction!
American here, we are a young country in comparison to Europe, so we never REALLY had to use swords, we founded our country using firearms MAINLY.
I'm not saying we never used swords, just not NEARLY as much as The American Firearm
Exactly. The American cultural icon sword is the Colt Peacemaker.
Why am I crying? Metatron will not cry - so I cry for him.
That “weebism” which makes people like skal hate the katana and weebs is definitely sneaking its way into the video at 18 minutes in. Knights with swords were just as “honor bound” and willing to die if you pay attention to history. The “ferocity” in battle is definitely getting overblown out of bias. Duking it out in full plate before jamming a dagger in an eye slit isn’t ferocious enough for a samurai I guess…
Would love to see a video of legendary european swords from you👌🏼
What would the "American" sword be? I vote for cavalry saber.
I vote for specifically the m1917 Calvary sabre
The saber is European
@ forgot
@ if we wanna get real technical, than the sabre is middle eastern
The thing is that the iconic 1860 US cavalry saber in terms of design is pretty much a 1822 French LC sabre.
As many other comments said, probably the most American bladed weapon is the Bowie knife.
I'll admit it.. as I got to the end, "You Troll!" to the longsword is better. but I was and still am laughing
And I guess, then Watch Skallagrim's response ;)
We love you, Metatron ❤️
Bro tweaking 💀💀💀
@metatronyt quite impressive that you picked up english despite the 'dubbing problem'. I had the luxury of growing up with non dubbed english content (with subtitles) and that helped to such a degree that I was quite decent before the age of 10. You had to work for your bread but work you did, nicely done.
Really good reaction video. He did one where he testes a £2000 longsword vs a £200 one ans he loved the longsword and and said it is one of he's favourite. You would enjoy that one
29 seconds from upload and it has 13 comments? Really? 😂
People are waiting at the gate!
Raf, It may have been mentioned but upon cursory glance I didn't find it in the comments. When Cerberus is speaking of balance he is actually referring to one of the sword's rotational nodes. It is an indicator of how the sword handles. Closer to or at the sword point, as he mentioned in the video, will feel lighter and balance more optimally for thrusting and point work. Closer to the center of percussion as it appeared on the sword he demonstrated will typically have much more blade presence as well as hit harder and thus be more optimized for cutting. The trade off is a tendency to be somewhat slower to redirect and not as natural to pivot and aim the point. Hope that helps clarify the miscommunication.
Edit to add: The terms that were escaping me were nimble and sluggish. A blade that rotates at the point will seem more nimble in the hand. A blade that rotates further from the point will generally feel more sluggish by comparison. Though it bears mentioning that actual nimbleness or sluggish handling would ultimately be determined by a combination of said rotational node placement coupled with actual point of balance, which you mentioned, and overall length of blade along with weight.
I'm native american. So I didn't really get into swords until my mid teens (which is not that long I'm only 22)
But because of my ancestry I've always been more drawn to axes and tomahawks. And macuahuitl. Also that one.
axes are awesome! close quarters even better than a sword for sure.
3:25
"Like goemon." Impressive.
There is no comparison. A longsword is made from much better steel and will flex not bend.
It has a cross guard and a pommel.
You see even high quality Longswords flex and bend all the time when used.
@SaintEaon they will flex and spring back. Even in medieval times, they could make crucible steel, and japanese steel is subpar by any standard. The katana had a soft spine, which, when bent, will stay bent.
As an America, I can tell you that our ancestral sword is the Colt Single Action Army revolver, AKA Peacemaker.
american dont have a sword we are connected with. We have a knife. the bowie knife.
We actually do we used swords during the civil war and they are awesome.
@Johnreal332 fr, still used to this day even if just ceremonial and for some it's a heirloom
The US also captured like 3 million swords when fighting Japan in WW2. I don't know how many were just scrapped, but thousands of them were kept privately.
Arkansas toothpick enters the chat
@@cp1cupcake Thankfully. It's sad how many of those katanas from WW2 though were already heirlooms that were cut down and butchered to fit Imperial Japan's military specs on sword length.
"He does have a point and so does the sword" 😄
longsword supremacy
as an American I can say our ancestral "sword " would be the Bowie Knife. we also have the US Naval Saber and Cavalry Saber
I like how you show respect for the people who make the original videos you react to. Saying we should see the original videos and avoid showing the whole thing in your video
I think a lot of this is because the shortage of iron ore of sufficient quality in Japan made katanas very expensive and therefore prized family posessions that required incredible craftmanship to weld the expensive carbon steel edge to the iron sword.
In Europe where high quality iron ore was widespread and plentiful, there was no need to spend so much time making and folding the blade. A necissity in Japanese sword making.
So European swords were essential disposable as they werent as valuable and would be recycled into railings or nails.
This made katanas collectible survivor heirlooms.
We have a family sword, a 1792 Light Cavalry Sabre that an ancestor used in the British Army during the Napoleonic war. Its a rare survivor of essentially a utilitarian tool even thpugh it was made by a fine sword maker of the period with a gilt guard and ivory handle
I gave up and whatched it and yt is still recommending it to me
😊The discrase strike is devastating crushing blows 😮
The U.S. has an ancestral sword still actively worn to formal gatherings: the U.S. Marine Corps Mameluke and NCO Sword. I know it's a long shot but these swords are still issued and we are taught how to carry and care for them.
The U.S Marines sabres origins come from the Mameluke sword gifted to First Lieutenant O'Bannon back in the Barbary wars... My point is the American sword is all of them.
For an American cultural sword, the saber is a good contender for that roll. It's still the ceremonial sword of the marines.
The NCO sword is also used. That is a Spadroon
... that clip was the duel from the Maximilian TV minisieries!😱😍 FOR THE EMPEROR!
I swear to god this also is happening with me. RUclips want me to watch a particular video and recommends me that video for like a week
America doesn’t have an ancestral sword, but we do have iconic weapons. Bowie knife and colt revolver say hello.
Eastern and Southeastern Americans(like me) grew up without associating a sword with our ancestry. We were raised to venerate the American Longrifle. Similar mythology to other cultural weapons. The only native blade to Americanism(not Native American) is the Bowie knife, which isn't even American, but we claim it. To understand where the rifle sits in our mythology, American Rifle by Alexander Rose is a good primer. Personally, I own four flintlock American longrifles in different calibers(for different animals),and the accoutrements to shoot them. They are antiquated, but lethal, just like swords. As you get further west, the Hawken type rifle, a descendant of the eastern longrifle, is more known, and then the far west was armed with lever action repeaters and single shot long range cartridge guns. This is an oversimplification, but makes the point. America's heritage involved blades, but our legacy, for good or ill(or both) is The Rifle.
Funny fact: RUclips suggested me his video. But haven't watched it. But just reading the headline and looking and the thumbnail made me wonder if you will react to that video!!
So now I will know what that guy will tell me and also what you think about his video, or better said about what he is talking about.
I love his patriotism. I know it's cheesy but I respect that alot. I went and subbed. This video was actually really good.
5:19 we have axes-tomahawks that kinda fill the ancestral sword void but there were always guns lol
Looking forward to this one.
I've always been of the opinion that both swords are good and both were developed in a different environment to fulful particular things and deal with varying styles of armour and combat, etc.