I Was Wrong About These Sabers!
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- 18th & 19th century military sabers? Meh... is what I used to say. These reproductions are quickly changing my mind. The degree of accuracy stands apart from so much cheap stuff on the market!
Also another reminder of how much proper blade shape matters... They have substantial distal tapers, and that makes a world of difference in how they handle. You could actually fence with a saber like this, and not be completely overwhelmed by a more nimble weapon.
1796 light cavalry saber by LK Chen
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1860 light cavalry saber by LK Chen
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Skal, in all honesty, this "new you" that you "practice" in your videos for a while now is just awesome to watch. You are so much more open to just learn and try things out in the world of swords instead of leaning on past biases, it´s just a pleassure to watch..
What
sigh*....inhale deeply*........... SKAL! IN ALL HONESTY! THIS NEW YOU THAT YOU.. jk@@Florida95x
I'm not sure it's a "new him" thing. I've been watching him for something like 8 years now and he's been continually learning the entire time. The Skall of Theseus, you can call him, I guess xD
Huh? When was the last time Skall ever leaned into a bias? He has preferences obviously.
I fully agree, though I'd say that this is more of a return to form for him. I actually stopped watching his content about 5 years ago and only recently returned and found out how good his current stuff is.
Nice video! In fairness about the cavalry vs infantry thing the gap between what is a "cavalry saber" and what is an "infantry saber" is at best blurry and we know cavalry sabers did see use on foot too whether because the cavalry man simply lost his horse, dismounted, or an infantry officer preferred the cavalry saber over the infantry regulation model as officers did have some freedom to choose. You can get heavier or longer infantry sabers than certain cavalry sabers and they vary considerably. The Austrian 1858 cavalry saber for instance (my favourite saber) is a beast of a saber at 1.1 kilos with a fuller on one side only (which is a bit weird!) but only has a 33 inch blade which isn't particularly long as far as sabers go but isn't short either. I personally prefer to fence with cavalry sabers because I am a bit tall and do not mind the extra weight they tend to have.
Sword is sword
In France you can really tell the difference between cavalry sabers and infantry sabers, especially after the Empire era. There is a massive massive gap in maniability and power between the 1822 light cavalry saber (92cm blade), and the 1821 infantry officer saber (76cm blade). The 1822 LCS wasn't even the heaviest cavalry saber, the line cavalry 1822 saber had a 98cm long blade, and it was even more massive. Even the 1845 infantry officer saber which was beefier than the 1821 is no match for the 1822 LCS (which the US copied as the M1840 "wrist breaker"). There was less difference between arms in British service, and possibly in other countries too, but that's not to be generalized.
Many people have tried to tell me that wearing a calvary saber on your back is impossible. If I was a human needing to fight on foot I would need to not worry about tripping over my own scabbard, so I would need a shorter sword. However, if I was on horseback I would need to be able to reach down and strike my enemies after I've used my horse pistol and lance. So the blade would have to be longer.
Also, dragoons were a thing, and they also used these.
The gap used to be bigger. Spanish cavalry sword is literally a giant rapier because some people still wear measurable armor at the time. Sword shrunk as people ditch armor. And we didn't took body armor seriously again until early cold war. (even in WWI and WWII anti-shrapnel armors are sporadic, with helmet being priority)
I absolutely LOVE 18th and 19th century sabers. I always thought that in a SHTF situation, sabers would probably have the most fighting utility due to the hand protection. They were literally the last swords to have widespread use in the age of gunpowder weapons for good reason.
They had much less hand protection than many Renaissance swords though (various baskethilts, dussacks, rapiers, etc).
Cavalry sabers were often chosen by infantry officers as their sidearm and used on foot so this definitely still applies. Glad to see there's some good saber reproductions now!
Richard Sharp did at least
@@wpjohn91No, Richard Sharpe famously uses a 1796 Heavy Cavalry sword, a longer and heavier straight blade, _very_ different from the 1796 Light Cavalry saber. The books often mention that it's kind of awkward for fighting on foot. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattern_1796_heavy_cavalry_sword
My apologiese for conflating the cavalry sword with the cavalry sabre
@@wpjohn91Well, the real meaningful difference between them is heavy vs. light cavalry... but regardless, frankly, blame it on John le Marchant. :)
I'm Polish so most historical movies I watched as a kid was saber propaganda :p
Każdy polak jest szablofilem.
As a Hungarian I had the same experience. And there's no argument that can convince that the saber isn't the best sword in the world.
@@HD-mp6yyyou guys have a point culture must play A Part, as someone growing up in America, it's very much longsword or Katana for me😊
As of the beginning of this year, Windlass also makes a historically accurate rendition of the 1796. The distal taper on them is now quite extreme, and very nice!
Easton’s tour of the factory really convinced me that they’re taking things seriously. He seems quite pleased with the improvements they’ve made to production and design.
Wait... I can trust windlass now!?
@@Cretaal Well, they certainly seem to be much improved, at least for the ones that Matt Easton consulted on. But I have heard some issues with quality control. Some folks have been getting great items and some have been not as great. Maybe in time they'll get more reliable? Still, for the price it's hard to beat.
I got a 2021 reissue Windlass Munich sword, and unlike what's stated in most of the reviews online, it now has linear distal taper from 5mm at the ricasso to 2.5mm at an inch before the tip, AND it came factory sharpened. Weight and balance are still off because of the heavy pommel, but eventually I found a good replacement pommel that makes me hear a choir of angels sing whenever I pick up the sword. Anyway, my point is that Windlass seems to have been upping their game. 👍
@@docnightfall, Oh, they definitely have!
I mean, in wartime, shoddy swords are also a plenty lol.
I talked about this with some Japanese friends and many WWII guntou were incredibly shite.
yeah, it makes sense. if every grenedier gets a small sword, and officers get a full Saber, that's a lot of swords... on top of all of the bayonets and gun barrels.
all of a sudden quality gets shoved aside. it's the same with firearms in war. if you look at the German rifles from the beginning of ww2, and the rifles to the middle and end its very apparent.
Yep, war is a harsh mistress and the need to have someone armed takes precedence over quality issues.
Yeah also US civil war sabers had a serious issue. As they were delivered dull. The soldiers were expected to sharpen them themselves in the field. The issue tho most had no idea how and didn't even have the tools needed to do it themselves. So most went into battle with dull sabers. How top Brass thought that was a good idea we will never know.
Classic survivorship bias, the best swords survived in good condition, the bad ones didn't survive much at all, and then we think most of them must have been good quality.
@@Ren-lx8wv "how top brass thought that was a good idea we never know". Oh we do know, they somehow expect both the best and worst of the soldiers in the stupid way. Remember they ship out M16 to Vietnam without cleaning tools because the gun is advertised as self-cleaning? Also during the civil war they don't want semi automatics because they don't trust the soldiers not to waste ammo...
Fun fact: Bowie knife fighting was inspired by infantry/Calvary saber fighting during antebellum America
With 18th-19th century swords, my aesthetic preference is the spadroon (not 1796). They can handle a lot like a sidesword, but w/out the finger rings (in fact if you cut the quillons off a Meyer rapier, it is basically a spadroon).
The technical terms you are using are quite convincing. I'll buy twelve of them !
yeah...uh...where can i buy stock in that?
that's enough for a small Cavalry Unit!
I like this look. You should wield sabers more often.
dual wield sabers more often! :D
I once had the opportunity to ride a course of saber targets with a friend's original 1860 US Cavalry saber and I was amazed at how much better it handled than any reproduction I'd ever used. Unfortunately, originals have remained out of my price range. I may check out the Chen reproduction.
Hey, better late than never Skall! =) I just got my hands on the LK1860 and I can tell you it's by FAR the most accurate version of the sword for any offering's off the shelf on the market. Glad that these are giving you a good experience in the world of Military Sabres. I'll try to do a video on Kilij in the not too distant future and I'll tag you once it's up.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Sadly this market of the sword industry is plagued with many terrible replicas, much like the Katana market. But they must have been effective to have been used for 200 years in the militaries of Europe and America.
No they weren't used for 200 years. They have been used for at least 1200 years on the Eurasian Steppe.
@@HD-mp6yyso you are actually saying they were correct but similar blades were also used for a far longer period on the Eurasian steppe. I know math is hard but 200 fits quite nicely into 1200 and they specified in European and American armies
@@nickbob2003 Europe doesn't end at the Iron Curtain. By the 15th century Sabers were widespread in Hungary, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Russia and the Ottoman Empire. Sabers have been in use in the Western portion of the Eurasian Steppe since the 8th century.
@@HD-mp6yy true but the context of this video are the iconic 18th to 20th century cavalry and officer saber replicas. Not renaissance or medieval blades, as skall said. So that is what I was meaning by 200 years (naval swords, Napoleonic to ww1 swords)
I love sabers because of the punching aspect for close range. I bought one from Kult of Athena a while back and it's still my favorite (that's for the advice as to which to buy from, btw!)
I think Matt Easton also did a review on the Windlass version of the 1796 saber. Apparently, it is also pretty good with historical accuracy.
i am far-far away from expert. What i think to know 18-19 century hungarian ligh husars have a thick closing (at least upper body) and a strong enough cap to work as padded armor. No its not bulet proof, but hold most of the cuts from getting injured.
Have a question to. Mr. Easton have showed fistdaggers, white reinforced tips, mostly to save the point to break. Can not be a reason for less distaltaper (or how is it spelled)? I understand the nimbelness need.
My old hema teacher hated sabres.
I love them.
This and scheduling is why we split.
As a Jedi Master, i'm sad that you don't consider Lightsabers as a Saber.
Imagine if they actually made _saber_ style lightsabers. I mean, they make saberstaffs, saberclubs, shields, whips et cetera but not the one thing it was literally named for.
They are plasma batons nothing saber about them
Glowstick ≠ saber
We'll respect the light saber when the Jedi learn to sword wight and not dance.
A lightsaber is an energy longsword. Not an actual saber.
Skallagrim, You're the best! I just had to subscribe!
I used to own the Cold Steel 1796 - it was clunky as hell, but the most egregious error was that it had a threaded pommel nut. A little test cutting and that would loosen up - no idea why they couldn’t just peen the pommel, especially since they took the time to rivet through the langets on the handle.
Can’t wait to get either the LK Chen or the new Windlass model.
Huh. That’s interesting. My cold steel 1796 I had a while ago had a completely fixed build.
Nothing ever got loose, but yeah. Clunky as hell. But it would work perfectly fine as a cavalry saber in a pinch.
I think the cold steel 1796 evolved quite a bit over the years. Mine (2021) never had any problem with the threaded pommel. Early ones didnt have distal taper. But mine did, 8mm to 4mm weighing 990g. Good but not enough. Still very tip heavy. But i can work with that. I reprofiled the distal taper to 8mm at base, 2.5mm near the tip, now 860g. Huge improvement in handling.
That wasn't an error, it's just a construction choice. It wouldn't matter if it got loose though because they had another nut on the tang hidden under the backstrap. It may have been made that way to make it easy to modify- which it is as long as you can remove the rivet through the grip.😅
The sword wasn't that "clunky" but certainly not as nice to hold as an original. They really needed a lot more material removed from the foible!
THAT is the most obvious error- that section should be much thinner and fatter.
@@robbiej3642That's very thick for the foible. 4mm? 990g is a good weight though, I have an original that weighs about that and a German version which is heavier.
@@Theduckwebcomics Interesting - in fairness, I never disassembled it, so I didn’t know there was another nut. It rattled and I didn’t feel confident in the construction.
There was a lot of material I felt could be removed from the blade, hence why it felt “clunky” to me. I’ve also never handled an original, so maybe it wasn’t as far off as I thought.
Have you ever done a video on the different types of martial arts and how they would transfer over to sword fighting?
Can you do a review of your HEMA practice weapons? PHA pretty constantly iterates and changes their designs, but a "snapshot" to give general characteristics and build quality would be really cool.
(All due respect) SKALL IS LOOSING WEIGHT! looking SLIMMER milord! 🎉🎉🎉
Keep up the good work 💪🏼🗡
This provides good reason for being open minded about historical weapons.
Even if you've had bad experiences with a particular weapon, there's always the logic that if people used them back in the day (When they were often a literal life or death factor) there's probably something to them.
It's just a matter of finding a reproduction that is accurate enough to convey how useful they were.
On the flip side, for people who want to make historical weapons, it highlights that putting in the research to find out exactly what the weapons were like can provide a far superior product.
I mean, sabers were used up into "modern" combat. That should mean something right there.
Means they were cheap to produce?
@@staLkerhueffective
@@staLkerhu even a cheap weapon is tossed out when obsolete. The price of production is no longer worth it.
The fact it took so long for this obsolescene to catch up is just mental.
I still keep saber or cutlass like blades on me. There is only so many times I can pull more ammunition out of my ass and a sword is more practical than trying to use my gun as a club.
Matt Easton: *smiles and nods in approval*
True story.
@@scholagladiatoria I enjoy the fact you actually responded to him.
I'm awaiting my LK Chen Turco-mongolian saber. Expectations are high!
When came into the club with my polish-hungarian style of saber fencing and cross cutting I was dominated by my opponents who used late 19 century light blade *straight* to the point of contact methods. I wonder why people didn't start using them before 1820s...
Skal, you lost some fat didn't you?
I absolutely ADORE cavalry sabres, and i'm totally going to get that 1790 model at some point. I've never owned a sword before, but I think soon might be a good time to start.
note: forte is pronounced with an E("A/[muted h]ey" in english pronunciation, the E ain't mute.
Back in the day, when there were "Patterns" of swords/sabres, there were numerous manufacturers; the swords were handmade to come close to those patterns, and the final field sharpening was often left to the Regimental Cutler/Armourer, so no doubt there may have been wide variations in sharpness and handling even among swords of one type !
I had a similar problem with my hungarian training saber. My solution was to put on 20 lbs of muscle lol.
Good sword design is the thickest part of the blade is at the shoulder, tapering away both directions. Shoulders must be filed to an open obtuse angle.
Oh hey, your pronunciation of kılıç improved 😂
I have an original of that US cavalry sword in the family, not in good condition but still
When are we getting the full review? I'm waiting to purchase one until someone gives a thorough review of it.
Skall's been watching a lot of Matt Easton's videos lately =)
I was given a WW1 era German artillery saber. While it has some weight, whoever had it cared enough to sharpen it.
I pity the poor kraut who carried that sword instead of a pistol.
Well they were in artillery so if they actually have to fight with someone then something probably had gone wrong
@@trevdestroyer8209 I mean it was taken back to the United States as a souvenir so I think it’s pretty safe to say something went wrong.
I really enjoy when you put up these types of videos. I like seeing your thought processes, and how you examine (and, in this case, re-examine) different blades and beliefs, and present a coherent understanding of how useful (or not) these things are. Most of us nowadays have never seen more than a pocket knife or box cutter, despite blades of many kinds being an integral part of humanity for millennia.
For cavalry you have the whole issue of not slashing your own horse(!).
Very nice. As someone who also didnt like sabers much once upon a time, i can definitely understand. However i am quite fond of hungarian saber & shamshir these days. As well Qame & Qaddre short swords with buckler/separ.
You should get a Sabre from Matt Easton, which will give you a taste of an authentic weapon.
you look at me with a smile and you scream like crazy holding 2 damn swords that's the problem I think
I have acess to original american civil war sabres very easy to handle never used it on anything since i havent wanted to damage it
Great video Skall, it is always great to see an expert being open to new evidence and ideas, it makes you even more trustworthy
The saber isn't a beginner sword. Because of it's lack of a counterweight it requires ton of wrist and forearm strength in addition to skill to wield it. This is why it was almost exclusively for cavalry while infantry leaned towards straight sabers for combat. Being mounted on a horse eliminated the possibility of grappling and kept enemies at enough of a distance to make the wide swings more plausible as apposed to fighting on foot were you were most likely going to be grappled and required the speed and maneuverability of a straight saber.
I remember, around 7-8 years ago, when I started watching sword & HEMA videos, I was only interested (aesthetically) in medieval bastard & two-handed swords. Then I found Scholagladiatoria. My preference was still the same for another year or two & then, one day, it clicked. He brought out an 1845 pattern blade with a scinde irregular cavalry hilt & that was it. I’ve been a saber guy ever since🤣
Thank you, Matt Easton, for broadening my horizons🫡
Good to hear 🙂
Very nice! I learnd a lot of proper strikes with sabers (and swords as a whole) in a video made “just” to say you’ve changed your mind about modern sabers. It’s just wonderful when we simply do whatever we feel like doing. Very nice content bro, keep at it!
One of the aspects we are prone to forget when we think about 19th century swords in particular is that they are at the end of centuries of the evolution and development of swords, and swordsmanship. They are not ultimates by any means, but they are designed to be highly useful tools if you have no time to reload a pistol, musket, or rifle. Reproductions are only really _reproductions_ if they are accurately done, otherwise I would call them crap. I would like to see a truly accurate reproduction of the 1821 pattern light cavalry trooper's saber. It replaced the 1796. Most of the time, what is offered is the pipe-backed officer's model, which is really a very different sword in detail. The trooper's saber had a superior blade that was in use until the end of the century (actually still is in use).
As a HEMAist who trains sabre 95% of the time I enjoyed your honest take on this! Quite early on, I tried getting my hands on antiques, so I've had quite the opposite initial experience with these weapons compared to you. Because of that, the available training sabres never seemed good enough or do the antiques justice. Luckily, HEMA sabre as a whole has come a long way now and we're getting some good training sabres as well as good reproductions of antiques.
This raises a question, some military or other similar positions still award sabers as part of their kit or uniform. I suspect they are ceremonial, but I wonder if any swords like this are properly made/ viable to be used
18th century cavalryman were not as big as Skallagrim, so the sabers had looked even more impressive.
Thanks for using metric! ❤
I love sabers! Good to see a well made 1796 but I personally hope that Lk Chen also reproduces the British 1821 light cavalry saber
*The Skallagrim x Matt Easton friendship arc starts now!*
lol. Skall is a good dude already 🙂
Badass. A great sword against musketeers that aren't prepared for it, however bayonets would really mostly negate. I would take a stabby musket probably because I would just have to go center mass and drive and hunker in a post armor situation. An impale would guarantee a casualty while I might just lose some scalp or take a nasty scar in the exchange. A stout sword or war hammer and shield would obviously defeat but for their time they filled a niche yes? It depends on the battlefield and the time.
Looking good there Skall.......you might not be over keen but the swords like you, some good flowing moves.
Handling is everything when it comes to finesse moves.
When do we get more bicycle cavalry?
Great video! Also love seeing you coming back into shape! Great job! Keep it up!
Blade without distal taper- CHONK
Blade WITH distal taper- Maneuverable CHONK 😂
I have to wonder if the blunt edge was a production shortcut, a design oversight, or a tactical choice.
Most likely a design/tactical choice since the British light cavalry at the time we trained to pretty much *only* cut with these sabres (thrusting with the 1796 wasn't in the training manual as far as I'm aware)
There was another sister sword (ig that's what you could call it?) called the 1796 heavy cavalry sword which almost always ended up getting grinded down to have a proper tip so that British heavy cavalry could have a better chance at fighting against French cuirassiers who were still wearing breastplates and helmets in the Napoleonic Wars
Edit: Nvm I thought you were talking bout the blunt tip of the sabre not the actual edge
The blunt edge was often due to the steel scabbard which dulls the edge a bit every time you draw it. But they were sturdier than normal scabbards and almost never needed replacing, so money wins.
@@somerando1073The steel scabbards are lined with either leather or wood it's just a steel outer shell for durability.
US civil war sabers had a serious issue. As they were delivered dull. The soldiers were expected to sharpen them themselves in the field. The issue tho most had no idea how and didn't even have the tools needed to do it themselves. So most went into battle with dull sabers. How top Brass thought that was a good idea we will never know.
@@Ren-lx8wvmany businesses that were contacted to provide supplies to the Union Army delivered really poor supplies. Uniforms were particularly shoddy, to the point that the General Quartermaster started his own factory employing widows, army wives, and soldiers families in general to provide quality uniforms. Top brass probably had little knowledge of the quality issues much of the time.
Still waiting on the in depth testing.
One of my first european swords was an antique 1860s british saber at an auction, as so many reviewers lamented how bad reproduction sabers were. Its lovely to handle and made me so glad I didnt try a reproduction saber first. In addition the new royal armories windlass 1796 saber is also very accurate in taper and quite nice!
Fun fact: If you slightly change fittings to the 1796 you get basically Polish hussar saber
You call it a rant, but I call it a very useful presentation! I value the military swords of the 1800's and 1900's because they were CONSTANTLY at war and wore very little armor! The quality of steel was advancing and the art and science of weaponry was at its pinnacle after Napoleon. Sword construction means little if it cannot be wielded FAST! That's MY rant..........................elsullo
How does those 2 compare to the Cold Steel ones (that are garbage in my opinion) ? The 1796 weigh less than 1kg according to KoA, which I love, but I'm wondering if it's accurate ? This seems EXTREMELY light for such a hefty blade...
Since i don´t watch your videos too often, i notice changes of your body quite well. You seem to have lost some weight, Skall.
Means your dietary endeavours are going well. How do you FEEL, though? Well?
Dr. Jordan Peterson (you CERTAINLY have heard of him by now) openly proposes his daughter´s Lion Diet. Have you tried that one yet?
Because it really did them Petersons well, not just from a health perspective but also a subjective feel perspective and a life quality perspective.
He FINALLY gets that 18th and 19th century sabers ARE LIGHT AND NIMBLE.
Okay, I'm not a simp, but... Skal's outfit for this vid is just amazing! I get nastolgia from thise gloves and that shirt, but the jacket and pants were really pullijg the whole thing together. Like, Dang Skal. You look good. I mean, I enjoy your content no matter what you're wearing, but wow. 10/10. Looking great.
It's fine Skall; Nobody watches you for your coherence and conciseness anyway. 😉 We watch Matt Easton for that. Well, not conciseness.🤔 Welcome to the club. 👍 Please stay away from spadroons though. NOBODY wants that! 😂
I still kick myself when, at about age 15, i did not hock everything and buy an authentic Patton saber with the military scabbard. It was, as far as i could tell, the real deal, but I simply couldn't figure out where I'd get...$50.
That wasn't $500. $Fifty. Today? I'd already be walking out of the store with it, especially if they took plastic. But to a fifteen year old, that was a huge amount.
The same junk store (it really was trying to be an antique store, but they also sold Shaklee products, so there it is) also had what they called a WWII Japanese non-commissioned officer's katana. Unlike the ones for officers, which were handmade works of art that cost a king's ransom, these were machine produced out of a simpler steel alloy, and we're not layered. They were decent steel, as the condition of the blade showed. It had the chrysanthemum mark, and was in about the condition you'd expect, but it was complete and still sharp. The scabbard was simple, wood with a fabric cover, but it fit without a lot of slop. It was double the price of the Patton, but if i took both, he would only charge me $100.
I ached to buy those blades. Alas...
I understand, Skal. My eyes glaze over uncontrollably when I hear saber, spadroon, etc. Give me bronze age swords, classical period, migration period, viking age, early middle high medieval, renaissance swords, ANYTHING but boring, dime a dozen, mass issue military sabers and the degenerate, insufficiently hilted offspring of late rapiers. At least Highland officers' swords have blade and hilt types that go back a ways. (Mostly joking about that insult, but my eyes really do glaze over 😂)
Nevertheless, I'm excited to see what LK Chen will bring to these models. He's without a doubt the most interesting production swordmaker to come onto the scene in recent years. I hope he does these swords justice and provides their fans the reproductions that they always wanted at reasonable prices. Also, it just makes me happy to see someone execute the art of swordmaking well so that we can see and appreciate the intention behind the historical design.
Ps: the energy and presentation of this video felt very good. Hope you're doing well!
I won't ring the bell because I cherry pick what I watch from my subscription feed. I don't like being force fed videos by a heartless algorithm. Each time Skal uploads I typically watch it the same day or within 48 hours.
Ideally light cavalry would be using those sabres on fleeing infantry rather than other cavalry.
With distal taper and the 1796 it's complex- it's not a simple fat to thin line, wilhich is the issue with repros from Cold Steel and Universal swords, which DO have distal taper contrary to popular beleif. The actual 1796 has a complicated profile... very thick at the base, thins down a lot then a relatively gradual thinning, then a more drastic thinning again.
But it's also a myth to think original 1796s are all the same- which is a myth that even really good reproductions perpetuate. They're just a clone of a single example, there was a lot of interesting variation to those sabres.
ps. I have a windlass xiv arming sword. it looks nice but it feels like a brick in hand. In preparation for my delusional fantasy of the pending zombie apocalypse Im looking at some kind of a light armour capable sidearm(sword) hand protection is a necessity in this senario. All things being equal, in your experience with hema, who tends to have the edge? Sidesword or cavalry sabre(in that 1860/1840 ish configuration)
A got very lucky when I purchased a Cold Steel 1795 sabre. It is one of the older 33 inch long blade, the distal taper goes from 8 mm to 2.5 mm at 2 inches from the very tip.
But it weights 2.2 pounds and still the POB is at 8 inches from the guard but, I have read of cold steel 1795 versions with weights of 2.5 pounds or 2.8 pounds and distal tapers to 3.5 mm with thick of 7 mm at the base. The blades did had some differences between them.
Oh and it is kind of dull
And I love 1796 saber for more pronounced curve. It doesnt have this "pointy stick" vibe I feel from later sabers. Mostly American cavalry saber. Too straight and too narrow.
The only thing that would stop me from getting an accuracte 1796 reproduction is the flex. If you look at some cuts done with "antiques" and accurate reproductions these sabres... flop at like 90 degrees angle. I get that the weapons have to bend somewhat not to break but i think such a massive flex is a tad too abusive for my poor wrists D :. Addendum, the flop/flex happens roughly at the final 25% of the blade.
Soooo... Now when You are more "friendly" towards sabers - any Polish sabers? I've seen some craftsmen making them sharp as lightsabers :P
Before actually watching, I'm just gonna guess -- were you wrong because you always spelled it "sabre?" /j
10:10 the american 1860 was famous for not just being issued blunt like a butter knife (sometimes literally with no bevel), soldiers during the Civil War were also not issued ANY sharpening implements. Not only that, according to one general I can't recall the name of (should be easy to find) they also had messed up temper which made the whole ordeal even worse. It's how the myth of "cuts being ineffective" and "uselessness of swords" appeared and why the Union used pretty much only pistols despite having some amazing fencers in their officer corps. In fact some officers literally forbade practicing fencing.
Skall's statement about using the average thickness to achieve similar handling is either misleading or incorrect (I may be misinterpreting what he said). First of all, handling isn't just about how much mass there is but how it's distributed, hence the talk about swords being "balanced." IIRC, the same amount of mass has ~8x more effect if it's twice as far from the hand (ie, it's roughly proportional to the cube of the distance, though that depends on the motion). That's why hammers become much faster/easier to move around if you hold them closer to the head: same weight, different distribution. It's also why non-tapering reproductions generally handle sooooo much worse than those that do.
And secondly, on most swords, the distal taper rate isn't linear. IIRC, the 1796 thins from 10mm to 5mm in the first quarter or so, remains nearly the same constant thickness in the middle, and then gradually thins to 2mm toward the tip.
I would note that it IS possible to make a "power slash" difficult to defend against, simply by making it something that the opponent has to flee from (because parrying is an impossibility when the attack is that fast, powerful, and brutal). But of course THAT'S not proper saber work. I only mention it because my SO and I have gotten into Escrima, and it's interesting to consider that the reason for fighting/training with sticks is that the Phillipines were under colonialist rule for centuries. Local fighters learned to use all weapons in a similar fashion. Take out a pompous Portegeuse or Spanish sailor with a stick, then steal his knife. Use the knife the same way you used the stick, to kill a soldier. Take the soldier's sword, use the sword the same way...
Also, congrats to you on clearly doing well with your fat loss! I've recently started a "cutting" cycle myself, trying to get rid of this fat... it's difficult, unpleasant, and frustrating, so I know you must be working hard at it. Keep it up, you're inspiring your viewers to follow your example. :)
Hey Skal windlass steelcrafts has recently come out will they really close faithful copy copy of a 1796 light Cavalry Sabre as a matter of fact it was a direct copy of one provided by Matt Easton of Scolagladiatoria I would love to see a full review of the LK Chen 1796 and the Windlass 1796 along with a comparison of the two thanks so much and I can't wait to see those videos
How long would a sword stand “useful” in battle, With proper care and maintenance?
Skal, would you say that the 1796 sabre from LK Chen is "wobbly" when shaken in a lateral manner?
Hey Skall, I wanted to know what your thoughts were on the channel Dequiem. Those guys duel pretty hard in full plate armor, they even dueled with a warhammer lol
You should also check out the mobile game called Bloody Bastards, it's pretty addictive. You can unlock weapons and armor from different places and fight some pretty weird ragdoll physics battles 😂 but some times you can get some pretty satisfying kills and exchanges
Praying for a 1821 British light cavalry sabre from LK Chen.
I've struggled to find a quality colichemarde, any recommendations?
Hey Skall, would it be possible to hear your opinion on the Colichemarde sword. I guess it was popular with George Washington and other Officers.
maybe...try out historical ones. Not just reproductions? Some polish cavalry blades can be found around collectors around the world.
Nice video. I think Matt Easton from scholagladiatoria has done work with LK to produce some swords. I don't remember which ones specifically but it sounds like those sabers.
Could you do a video on the US 1840 heavy cavalry saber, it was nicknamed ol' wristbreaker due to its weight distribution
Question: what do you call a cavalry soldier with a dead horse?
Answer: Infantry.
And there's the reason for mixing up how a saber is used.
Bir zamanlar en sevdiğim kılıç modeli buydu, sonra long sworda ilgi duydum
I read somewhere French surgeons complained bitterly about the amount of damage done by British heavy cavalry sabres. Good terror weapon.
I am curious what you would think of the 1913 cavalry saber or "patton " saber.
Its great to work with the heavier sword against a lighter opponent. Nothing builds good muscle/reflex faster than that. Also forces you to think more