Fantastic to see this great review of one of the first saber reproductions done right. Very pleased to hear about its history, as well as the paramount importance of correct distal taper/thickness and sharpening.
It's still hard to get ahold of a good repro of many types of sword. I am working on filling in the gap on Kindjal & shashka here in the West myself. The war kicking off has made it that much harder to get decent ones. I am just waiting on my brocade fabric shipment so I can cover scabbards correctly.
The Prussian ADC of Jeb Stuart, Von Borcke, had a large Solingen backsword which was very well sharpened. In the field he is known to have decapitated at least one opponent.
Good review and cutting. I've got one as well. Love the handling. I can't help feeling the grips a bit thicker than it should be. Also, missed opportunity for authenticity by making the scabbard out of STAINLESS steel. Makes it un unsable for reenacting without treating it somehow... though I like the attention they paid to construction detail... It LOOKS like ikea stainless. Such a shame in my opinion.
a sword is straight.. a saber is curved. and some times they used sharkskin for the grips.. but and they only really sharpend the 1st 6 inches down from the tip
My apologies if the example I used confused matters! I pulled down the m1840 to show an example of a sword which had not undergone service sharpening, and which is the state that many troopers swords are still found. Perhaps I lead viewers to confuse how private purchase and issued swords could differ in their presentation.
