It is heavy but well-balanced. As far as function, I'd feel confident in using this as functional sword, I think they definitely built it to be fully functional rather than on display.
There is the offhand dagger, Main Gauche, but it doesn't have this type of guard. There are cutlasses that do have a basket hilt, and probably swept hilt ones too, though.
The Side Sword has more weight towards the handle, so it is easier to aim a thrust with it, whereas the Munich sword will hack and chop a little harder. The Munich Sword arrives a lot sharper than my Side Sword did, but only if you use Kult of Athena sharpening (otherwise is arrives with no edge really). I haven't cut any mats with the Munich sword, but I think it could take them, but the Side Sword would need more sharpening before it could cut a mat.
Yes it's called the Renaissance Side Sword. Maybe a comparison vid sometime. This sword is a little shorter, and the side sword is even more balanced towards the handle.
For some reason, Kult of Athena doesn't offer a sharpened blade option for the Hanwei Side Sword, but they do for this sword, so this one arrived a way sharper than the Side Sword did. They're both pretty good though, but this one better for hacking.
I have one of these and I've found that with a little modification it's an excellent sword. The trailer hitch of pommel adds too much weight (at nearly a pound) so I replaced it with a smaller pommel from a rapier supply store. I had to drill it out and rethread it to fit the munich tang. The guard has more than enough weight to balance it so a large pommel was unnecessary. It came out to around 2lbs 10 oz with a 3 inch POB. Now it feels more agile than most of my arming swords and sabers.
Windlass is now the largest sword manufacture in the world after they bought the Marto and Barmejo in 2011. They have recently opened a new distribution company in UK that supplies all kinds of Windlass Swords and stuff but particularly the British Military Swords. They have a full fledged e-com site at windlasssword com.
Nice review as usual. I've seen this sword before and that steel pommel just cries out for some kind of etched decoration. A family crest, floral pattern, personal motto, etc.
Beautiful sword, Israel! I have a question though- is this single edged or double edged? The grip looks really good on it, like you demonstrated, you can go with a hammer grip, or the Italian fencing grip. Something interesting that I noticed was that the upturned quillion can be used as a blade catch for parrying, but only with the left hand! If you have a right handed user hold it, the quillion points away from the opponent, rendering it useless for parrying. Just found that was interesting.
That's a nice looking sword, I wonder how they made the guards on the original, before tig welding, seems like it would be hard to forge weld all those steel bars together for that fancy look.
I didn't realize how beefy the guard was until I saw your hand on the grip. No wonder it's three plus pounds. Wicked point. With shipping and sharpening, what was the total cost?
Hey Israel is there such a short sword or long dagger with the same western style hand guard characteristics as this sword and what would that be called? Thanks!
Why do the prices on Windlass Steelcrafts swords vary so much? That sword $200 and their 1840 NCO sword is only $80. That's quite a considerable price difference. Are they cutting back on quality or what?
To steal a line... " We are into the cutting edge of history!" Hmmm I think I have a similar one. Thank you 🤓 do you have any swords made by the Del Tin family? I think that is the name, prior to Windlass
great now i haveto buy another sword its sad the cult of athena know me by my first name thanks fro doing such an awsome job my friend keep up the good work
A very nice Sidesword, if you look at the blade only, you wouldn't be able to tell it from an Arming Sword and that's where I find I disagree somewhat with your statement that it's heavier than a Rapier, a 16th to 17th century Rapier is basically a stretched out Arming Sword with about the same amount of steel devoted to it with anywhere from a 3/4 " to 1 1/2" blade width (I know, you can find thinner ones from the 18th century but my interest is in the earlier heavier styles). So your statement may be true in some cases in regards to weight, you could easily find Rapiers weighing in at this weight especially ones used in military campaigns which may seem a bit too heavy for say a 48"+ length blade, the same principle with the point of balance being closer to the cross guard negates that problem for the thrust unlike an Arming Sword point of balance that you'll find further up the blade which makes an Arming Sword quite difficult to use as the traditional thrusting sword but with that said Arming and Longswords have their own techniques for the thrust. Again, a nice Sidesword, I'd be proud of owning it too......
+Drunkduck broadsword is even more generic than longsword and almost as much as messer (knife). It could either be an arming sword, the swept-hilt or something like a cinquedea thus anything that is broader (and shorter) than the other contemporary blade in use.
I disagree on that, you would normally try to either push the blade aside, or to intercept the attack before the lade is at full speed, neither of this actions would be influenced by the weight very much.
Uaxis I do believe it's for resiliency, most thick swords are single edged with a thick spine, which could be used to parry. Although i'm not very sure about it.
Usammity Thicker/heavier swords are more robust and durable. Thin swords like rapiers and smallswords were designed for 1v1 gentleman's duels or self-defense and only needed to survive 1 encounter intact. They were meant to be fast and nimble. Thicker swords like basket-hilted broadswords were designed for going into actual battle and needed to survive all kinds of rough treatment. These "Town Guard" type swords are a sort of hybrid between the two. Nimble enough to engage a rogue with a small sword; but robust enough to survive an encounter with a drunken mob.
Beautiful piece. This is one of my favorite blades of all time. I'm glad someone reviewed it on here!
I like swords like my 1860 NCO Sword, it is light and fast like a rapier, and being singled edged is useful with some other martial arts.
That noise, the ringing noise from the blade passing through the bottles, is beautiful
It is heavy but well-balanced. As far as function, I'd feel confident in using this as functional sword, I think they definitely built it to be fully functional rather than on display.
There is the offhand dagger, Main Gauche, but it doesn't have this type of guard. There are cutlasses that do have a basket hilt, and probably swept hilt ones too, though.
The Side Sword has more weight towards the handle, so it is easier to aim a thrust with it, whereas the Munich sword will hack and chop a little harder. The Munich Sword arrives a lot sharper than my Side Sword did, but only if you use Kult of Athena sharpening (otherwise is arrives with no edge really). I haven't cut any mats with the Munich sword, but I think it could take them, but the Side Sword would need more sharpening before it could cut a mat.
Yeah when I first saw this I said to myself now that is a deadly efficient design.
Yes it's called the Renaissance Side Sword. Maybe a comparison vid sometime. This sword is a little shorter, and the side sword is even more balanced towards the handle.
Thanks! It is double edged, for double your pleasure.
The shipping was around $12.95 I believe, and then the rest as listed
For some reason, Kult of Athena doesn't offer a sharpened blade option for the Hanwei Side Sword, but they do for this sword, so this one arrived a way sharper than the Side Sword did. They're both pretty good though, but this one better for hacking.
I have one of these and I've found that with a little modification it's an excellent sword. The trailer hitch of pommel adds too much weight (at nearly a pound) so I replaced it with a smaller pommel from a rapier supply store. I had to drill it out and rethread it to fit the munich tang. The guard has more than enough weight to balance it so a large pommel was unnecessary. It came out to around 2lbs 10 oz with a 3 inch POB. Now it feels more agile than most of my arming swords and sabers.
It will back them up alright lol! The added sharpening begins about 1.5 inches past the guard, so yeah practically the whole blade, both sides.
Yes, you like!
$200, plus $18 sharpening, at the Kult of Athena website.
This one looks very impressive in person, definitely worth the price.
Windlass is now the largest sword manufacture in the world after they bought the Marto and Barmejo in 2011. They have recently opened a new distribution company in UK that supplies all kinds of Windlass Swords and stuff but particularly the British Military Swords.
They have a full fledged e-com site at windlasssword com.
Thanks, it is snug, it doesn't slide out even if held upside down.
Great looking sword. I'm really enjoying seeing these on the channel, hope to see more. Thanks Israel.
Windlass always makes nice looking swords. As a note, this sword is currently on back-order at Kult of Athena.
I believe they can Cup Hilt rapiers? I don't have one of those yet, but they're cool lol
I agree :]
Thanks! :]
Cutting through 3 bottles of water was awesome. Beautiful historical sword.
I believe the Hanwei sidesword comes in two versions: A "practical" blunt version for training and a sharp version.
this is nice...i like rapiers, and this is even cooler with the added weight and thickness....
Thank you
Nice review as usual. I've seen this sword before and that steel pommel just cries out for some kind of etched decoration. A family crest, floral pattern, personal motto, etc.
Thanks, buddy!
Wohaaaw!! The awesome sound when it cut through those jugs!! :D
Love the cage part of the handle of those things!
It’s beautiful, but I very much wish that there was an option to get a dedicated left handed version.
Yup
Beautiful sword, Israel! I have a question though- is this single edged or double edged?
The grip looks really good on it, like you demonstrated, you can go with a hammer grip, or the Italian fencing grip. Something interesting that I noticed was that the upturned quillion can be used as a blade catch for parrying, but only with the left hand! If you have a right handed user hold it, the quillion points away from the opponent, rendering it useless for parrying.
Just found that was interesting.
Thanks, Aussie!
I'm trained in Filipino swords and machetes, and some Chinese swords. I don't really know of any place that teaches this type of sword, though.
Awesome, congrats!
That's a nice looking sword, I wonder how they made the guards on the original, before tig welding, seems like it would be hard to forge weld all those steel bars together for that fancy look.
a gentlemans weapon through and through
I didn't realize how beefy the guard was until I saw your hand on the grip. No wonder it's three plus pounds. Wicked point. With shipping and sharpening, what was the total cost?
This design is lot better then any katana !
indeed these swords are the most beautiful cause they are "the gentlemen"swords
Cool I'm off to googling, i'm liking the cutlass.
And thanks again.
Hey Israel is there such a short sword or long dagger with the same western style hand guard characteristics as this sword and what would that be called? Thanks!
can you do a short comparo vid with the short sword?
They probably import them from different places or makers, many are from India.
I am interested in the sport.
Do you deliver to New Zealand
?
That's the model I have been looking at. You can end someone rightly with that basket
Good pommel indeed.
I don't use this word alot with swords but that Steel is BEA-U-TIFUL!!!
Hmm, well as long as he doesn't have armor, I'd use that Hanwei Tactical Katana I reviewed, and a shield lol.
Why do the prices on Windlass Steelcrafts swords vary so much? That sword $200 and their 1840 NCO sword is only $80. That's quite a considerable price difference. Are they cutting back on quality or what?
What's your expierence on handling a sword, are you self taught or have you taken classes?
To steal a line... " We are into the cutting edge of history!" Hmmm I think I have a similar one. Thank you 🤓 do you have any swords made by the Del Tin family? I think that is the name, prior to Windlass
great now i haveto buy another sword its sad the cult of athena know me by my first name thanks fro doing such an awsome job my friend keep up the good work
You should bring some swords and visit the slo mo guys!
A most beautiful weapon.
Thank you, bro, I'm glad you're helping the economy lol.
What do you use to sharpen this sword?
matthias66 the arms and armour version is double edged, so i would assume double edged for this version aswell..
Any trouble with the grip/guard/pommel coming loose from the pommel nut?
beautiful, just beautiful.
A very nice Sidesword, if you look at the blade only, you wouldn't be able to tell it from an Arming Sword and that's where I find I disagree somewhat with your statement that it's heavier than a Rapier, a 16th to 17th century Rapier is basically a stretched out Arming Sword with about the same amount of steel devoted to it with anywhere from a 3/4 " to 1 1/2" blade width (I know, you can find thinner ones from the 18th century but my interest is in the earlier heavier styles).
So your statement may be true in some cases in regards to weight, you could easily find Rapiers weighing in at this weight especially ones used in military campaigns which may seem a bit too heavy for say a 48"+ length blade, the same principle with the point of balance being closer to the cross guard negates that problem for the thrust unlike an Arming Sword point of balance that you'll find further up the blade which makes an Arming Sword quite difficult to use as the traditional thrusting sword but with that said Arming and Longswords have their own techniques for the thrust.
Again, a nice Sidesword, I'd be proud of owning it too......
No prob. Nah, there wasn't any belt attachment on mine
After some time is it still solid and fine? (assuming that u have picked it up since u made this video)
did you have any issues with the structural quality of the sword? Ex: was there any gap between blade and hilt or any rattling at all?
This vs the hanwei side sword which one would you recomend
Around $200
Did you pay for the sharpening or sharpen it yourself. Thank you very good vid
Thanks, if I remember correctly, Kult of Athena sharpening service sharpened it with the order.
Also, which is your favorite european style sword?
God damn this thing handles well. I just bought one.
how much is it for and where can i get it
Windlass states that the thickness on that blade is 3.7mm-2.4mm. Do you find it whippy?
pgandy1 No, this one is very stout, solid, heavy.
WeAllJuggleKnives Thank you. If possible I would like to see a review on Windlass' German Bastard Sword, also available from KoA.
That's a beauty!
my favorite sword
does this sword have distal taper?
It'd also be called a "broadsword" (using the name correctly for once).
+Drunkduck broadsword is even more generic than longsword and almost as much as messer (knife).
It could either be an arming sword, the swept-hilt or something like a cinquedea thus anything that is broader (and shorter) than the other contemporary blade in use.
edi
Broadsword is a rather specific term, it's not generic like longsword at all. It's not even as broad a term as sabre.
Drunkduck
I have seen all sorts of things labelled broadsword.
edi
And 99% of them are wrong ;)
+Drunkduck Broadsword is a fairly non-specific term and it's current usage to describe a double edged basket hilted sword is fairly modern.
or is it side sword?
Very nice sword!!
+Locktwiste72 Thanks!
Is it battle ready ?
Yes
Looks nice.
Nice sword
I want this sword so badly ....
buy it.
That is a beautiful sword.
Also, something about the begining made me laugh, you gave no warning, you just stabbed it xD
I think the point of a heavy sword is not to hack and chop but to make it harder on the person that's parrying.
I disagree on that, you would normally try to either push the blade aside, or to intercept the attack before the lade is at full speed, neither of this actions would be influenced by the weight very much.
Okay, what's the point of thicker swords?
Uaxis
I do believe it's for resiliency, most thick swords are single edged with a thick spine, which could be used to parry.
Although i'm not very sure about it.
Usammity Thicker/heavier swords are more robust and durable.
Thin swords like rapiers and smallswords were designed for 1v1 gentleman's duels or self-defense and only needed to survive 1 encounter intact. They were meant to be fast and nimble.
Thicker swords like basket-hilted broadswords were designed for going into actual battle and needed to survive all kinds of rough treatment.
These "Town Guard" type swords are a sort of hybrid between the two. Nimble enough to engage a rogue with a small sword; but robust enough to survive an encounter with a drunken mob.
+Usammity It makes parrying easier, maybe less agile but it flexes less and isn't swept aside as readily as a smallsword.
You're a left hand ?
Are the Town Guard still as badass as in 1600? LOL
so true
co to za Akcetn Polski ?
what type of sword is this? Rapier?
Probably would be called a sidesword, nowadays. They didn't seem to have a specific name.
It's a swept hilt "backsword" -best used on horseback.
Is it double edged
yes
Sweet!
That would be cool, anything but little smiley faces and hearts LOL
That guard looks thick as hell.....
Yeah definitely, adds a lot of weight.
All for One and One for All ! You'll play the part of Porthos the biggest of the 3musketeers finely my friend! with this fine sword ! : ) ha ha ha...
There shall be no warning and no quarter, just impalings LOL
Leave it to the Germans to design some great and deadly gear!
lol! Aah yeah.
The sound the sword makes though.... eargasm
New movie: "The sound of steel"
spanish Rapier and dagger
WOW!"!!!!!
You can now stab and cut bottles like a sir! :D
Matrix sounds