@Skallagrim I can confirm that Devils Edge has fixed the heat treat issue for the Xiphos, I have The sorter one with the bone handle and it does not have that problem cuts pretty good with factory edge(purchased it last year), The full size is back in stock and on its way, I can let you know how it is if you like. (bone handle is not very comfortable tbh but not bad for the price) you'll be happy to hear they saw your review and thats specifically why they fixed the issue.
Hey wait what grip are you using. This comment has been on my mind since because i find the handle comfortable, but i was using handshake grip. I switched to hammer grip just now and was like whoa super uncomfortable, and then i thought hey maybe thats what that youtube commentor meant.
Everybody please check your spelling for similar-sounding words, more than one(won?) in this thread (tread?) made these mistakes with different words and it gets confusing to read without thinking about sound).
It would be interesting to see a "swords out of place" type of thing that talks about how a katana would perform in hema or in ancient Rome. How a Gladius would perform in Asian martial arts. And so on where the strengths an weaknesses of each sword type is shown for each different time period and fighting style
@@ChadKakashi And a sparring club with multiple trained swordsmen. Unfortunately those things have run into economic trouble in 2020 Canada and might not be fully rebuilt by this time in 2022.
the problem is that the sword is more of a response to armor and available metalurgy, than an leader. any late period steel sword would dominate a bronze age period, while a knight in full plate would laugh at swords in general.
@@jaysblades man I love a khopesh. Just a super cool looking sword in my humble and ignorant opinion I have heard an argument that they are a good sword for modern circumstances as, according to the guy talking, the design lost importance and effectiveness as armor became more common. And in a modern day setting obviously most people are not wearing armor. So the weird curvy boi would not be a bad choice if one needed to carry a sword. For mall ninja reasons I'm sure.
@@jaysblades To add here: his King Tut mould is broken (last I heard) meaning those may be on indefinite backorder. The soapstone moulds are not easy to carve.
@@TheWastelander86 I emailed him a while back asking to order o khopesh. As mentioned he lost his worshop a year ago, but his new one is up and running just this month, and he is working off backorders and just getting back into the craft. He said he would be taking new orders (including khopeshes) in a couple of weeks. It is best to follow him on facebook (he posts several times a week), as he doesn't seem to take much care of the website. Just the other day he joked about finishing some projects "before khopeshes take over again" - so I guess there will be another mould coming!
As regards your recent community polls; this is the perfect video length Skallagrim! You managed to fit in everything that needed to be said without over-complicating it and repeating yourself, which you see happen on other channels on similar subjects. They tend to say everything there is to say in the first 5 mins and then reiterate the point several times. You nailed it, on the other hand. Keep it up!
Great info Skallagrim! I have 3 of the swords in this video. I did a review of the crusader chopper and it's awesome for the price. My only complaint is the handle, but again, for under $100 it's really well made and the handle shape as you said could be sanded to shape fairly easily, but it's not at all unusable as is. My wife got me the Ronin Katana Euro #8 for Christmas, I think she said it was on sale for like $250 which also seems like a great deal, it has the best out of the box cross-section of any "budget" sword I own, but did need to be honed. The Devil's Edge Xiphos is the first sword i tried cutting with and thought I was doing something wrong as it seemed like every couple of cuts would be awful, but as I learned more about swords I discovered one edge is warped, the other very straight, so I have one side that cuts great and the other side that is basically impossible to get good edge alignment with. The fit is very good though and it's substantially made for the money.
I have the Devil's Edge Xiphos, bought it a couple years ago. It came with a leather scabbard. The blade is reasonably sharp, cuts pumpkins and water bottles well enough. The scabbard is simple but well made. IMO it's worth the money.
4:50 I saw an armory-grade M16 (usual MRSP 1500$) sell for 5k$ yesterday and 5.56 is a buck a shot. At this point, I might have to switch to throwing albion principes at them to save money.
Neil Burridge has moved and is building a new workshop so everything has been on hold for quite a while, but he has the new place and is fitting it out. Hopefully he'll be up for making new swords for sale soon
I have it, its okay. They glue the guard on, and mine is slightly loose, but nothing to be worried about. The symmetry is off towards the top of the blade, but other than that it feels good in the hand and cuts well, since DE sharpens their stuff. Devils Edge is the KoA brand fyi.
I greatly appreciate this, Skall. As a budding sword enthusiast with a good idea of what I like, but no experience with the market, this video will come in handy.
Can you reply with link of these swords. Im slowly building my blacksmithing shop. Not yet ready for production but i make knives for now. Need to save up for heat treating oven.
Hallstatt shortswords have blades between 16-23 inches long. La Tène shortswords are the same. Longer bladed La Tène swords are usually between 28-36 inches, with most being around 29 or 30 inches long in the blade. La Tène swords are also quite broad and most longer ones had rounded tips. Hilts for both Hallstatt and La Tène swords are usually made of bronze, iron, bone, horn, or wood. Hope this information helps.
I haven't checked your channel out in a while, and I'm really digging the glasses! It's a good look on you. And thank you for the high-quality review content!!
My HEMA days were in the 90s, but the tradition is strong here in Czech Republic, so I got three or four swords crazy cheap, still has two of them. You probably would not like them esthetically, because there is no polish, ornamentation, etc., they are made purely for durability. By best one handed 15th century sword repliuca broke some 10 years ago, though, snapped right at the hilt, a pity.
I’ve always wondered something: we often use the weights and sizes of historical examples of swords when we recreate them today. However, if I am not mistaken, due to poorer diets and nutrition, people throughout history were significantly shorter than today. So would it not make sense to make swords either slightly larger or just on the larger end of the scale to more accurately represent this change in the average height of the human race? Perhaps there is some variable or aspect that I’m missing, but I’ve always wondered why makers of reproduction swords don’t account for this.
Funny, I was just wondering that today myself. I mean even walking in houses built 200 years ago I sometimes have to watch doorways to make sure they can clear my head!
Adapting to different sized humans without the benefit of having thousands of warriors testing in full scale fights is likely to result in misunderstandings. Should the adapted design preserve the relative weight, length or rotational inertia? Should it be scaled to the size or strength of the warrior. Should it adapt to anachronisms like nylon clothing or aramid armor?
The average male height being 5'6 instead of 5'9 today isn't too far off. Taller people existed back then, and the nobility did not eat worse than we do (and probably a bit better). Very likely that people of means would get swords made to fit their height, and a lot of variation already exists between swords of the same type. I do believe that taller and stronger people should err on the larger end of historical swords, but swords to accommodate heights of over 6 feet already exist, because there were plenty of warriors of modern stature.
When you get to "tactical" swords, I'd be interested in information on the "A.P.O.C. Tactical" brand - I've been considering buying one of their swords but having trouble finding information on them.
ooh, second! I've been eyeballing their Butterfly Swords on KoA. I know the handles are meant to be flat on one side, to pair them in the sheath, but the pictures look uncomfortable...
The few reviews I have seen have seemed pretty decent so I plan on picking up one of them next month. If I remember to I will come back to this comment and let you know
They are generally made of 9260 and have a black matte anti-corrosion finish. They should be really tanky blades, but it's important to note at least some of them have basically no distal taper.
Dammit Skall! Like 3 of those are on my list, now everyone is paying attention to them! Just kidding, it actually makes me happy that you recommend them.
Waiting on my darksword delivery currently but I wanted to say I love your channel and you defiantly help me with informed decisions. Great information over a wide range of blades and topics. Great work Skal
Honestly was considering trying to cast bronze xiphos style blades as an entry into the casting hobby. I dunno why, but I absolutely adore that leaf shaped blade.
I remember in the offical Devil's Edge Murmillo Gladius video, the bone handle cracked while using it for moderate cutting in the video and I cannot forget that anytime that particular gladius comes to mind.
Being a bit of a survivalist I prefer blades that have a use outside of fighting, but can also be used for fighting...or making a spear or walking stick. I do appreciate how you talk about how you use different weights and shapes and how or why one is good over another.
I feel called out @4:47. I got really interested in that short Damascus spear/ sword thing you reviewed awhile back but I balked at the price, (600 US$) because I might be able to squeeze two guns out of that amount. But that us broke me talking, if I won a million bucks you better believe I've got swords on my list, they are just under the guns on the priority list XD
In the midst 2000 a friend of mine went to see Jim Hrisoulas workshop and put an order in for a sword. 4 Years on the waiting list, when Jim came to his sword, my friend couldnt afford it anymore. But, I bought Jim's books and started bladesmithing as a hobby and made my friend a nice blade which he still has and uses. (im not at swords yet)
Thanks for taking the time to put this together, always appreciate the time and effort you guys put in your videos. Took the plunge in creating a scottish 13th century armor set with one caveat, the sword is a fantasy sword, Windlass Steelcrafts hand and a half Black sword 501176. Along with Legacy Arm's Scottish Dirk IP-130 I look forward to receiving them and handling them for the first time. I'm still trying to decide if I want to do a claymore with the set but I'm partial to the sword and shield look so I will have to do some more research on the weapons of that time and area to see what I can afford, and like...
From what I know, Del Tin swords are generally good but tend to be heavy and overbuilt for toughness since they cater to sparring enthusiasts. They also don't ship sharp swords for legal reasons. Also, I'm pretty sure Patrick Bárta makes all oft his swords from scratch, using only historically authentic methods. As in, dude smelts his own metal and everything. So, that may have something to do with that backlog of his.
Yes, the Korfu Kopis is two Springfield Armory M1As. Hand made low production is going to be more expensive per pound than mass produced factory products. It's slightly more expensive than my semi-custom bespoke bicycle. I'm admiring the falcata.
I bought the murmillo a week ago and I recommend it, I haven’t stress tested it, but it cuts good for the price and is well made. The only thing I’d say is iffy is the grip, as it is asymmetrical and kinda awkward to hold but idk if that’s just mine or it’s for all of them
I bought the Hanwei Tinker Early Medieval bare blade (sharpened) on sale on Amazon for $87 with free shipping and machined the fittings myself (I did traditional wheel pommel, knightly sword design). It is a lively little sword. I just need a sheath now. All-in-all it will be an under $100 dollar project, and I'm writing it off as an education expense because of the machining.
One thing that goes in Del Tin's favour in my book is that Matt Easton on Scholagladiatoria gave them a shoutout. He has allegedly handled a fair few of their blades and has at least one longsword by them. If it's good enough for Easton, it's good enough for me.
Skall thank you for all your suggestions, currently my only battle ready sword is the marbles sable machete, it says its a machete but it handles very much like a sword and I know its very durable and strong mainly because I took it with me to Pennsylvania and hacked at dry hickory for hours while making my campfires and such ofc it is a tad bit softer then most swords since it is also designed to be a machete but it is 1075 with a Rockwell hardness of 55-58 which i find very useful, I personally think its good sword for you to test since its basically a cutlass and very easy to modify so even if you dissatisfied you can change it to fit your needs. Ps. To all my preppers and survival folks I think its a worthwhile option to look at when thinking about a bug out bag
Have bought 2 Manning Imperial viking swords i would easily put them up their with Albion swords, but the waiting period is long since it's a one man show and a huge back log of orders.
I'd be interested to see where these series are going. Very good suggestions and compared to some of Skall's older videos he makes new suggestions here. It would be really good to see what sabers he would recommend.
@@GuitarsRockForever gun nuts started buying them like TP once the riots started last spring, and the presidential election made them panic-buy even more ammo. Personally, I have been stockpiling pommels for 6 months now.
@@pseudonym9599 May I ask why? Not saying anything really wrong with buying ammo, but is there good reason? Like the TP crazy, it was just silly, there is never real shortage of running out of TP.
@@GuitarsRockForever all the various riots led to about 5mil new gun owners in the last year. Every one of them bought ammo. And the rest of the gun owners are still expecting (and praying it doesn't happen) a civil war in the next 4 years. 5.56 ammo is over $1/rd, 9mm is about $0.60/rd. Those are practice fodder prices, not match/hunting quality, BTW. That's roughly 4x-5x more than normal, and still increasing.
I've started seeing updates on Neil Burridge's facebook over the last couple of months. He's certainly making the khopesh again; he recently posted one that he'd sold in March '21. He very much is an artisan rather than a mass producer and he makes what he enjoys. The khopesh he sold recently was a very high-finish model (ebony grips and a gold cartouche) and went for a bit over £400.
Also, I think you need too ask yourself why do you want a sword. I now have four. three of which I wear at Scottish festivals or Ren Fair's. The first one is okay, but needs a new sheath. So if your going to do some kind of re-enacting of a period where one would carry a sword, then you will get one from that period. I've got two from Cold Steel, and I like them both. Also, if you are going to get a sword for home defense, make sure its short enough to wield inside, with a good stabbing point and sharp enough, so if the intruder grabs your blade, he will butcher his hand.
I really like my 3rd century Roman Pugio (yes, I realize it's a large dagger not a sword but It has a really cool double edged look) It was made by Deepeeka. It cost $140 US, but I paid an additional $20 for the sharpening service. (Totally worth it).
Woo! I've been looking at an Albion sword from Kult (Obviously thanks to your work with then). I am looking for something more Scandinavian/Viking so I've had one in mind. Hopefully this video helps!
“If you can spare the money, you can probably also spare the patience” My exact thought when I gave $500 to Lindybeige for his “In Search of Hannibal” Kickstarter four years ago...
@@senatuspopulusqueromanus3011 Does he ever do livestreams or anything like that? I would love to hear him explain himself. You don't expect such behavior from a guy like that :(
I own three Del Tins. I think they're all three very good swords, I bought them before Del Tin revamped their line and up their prices on the early 2000's. But I think at the price they're available now, if they are as good as the ones I have, they are worth it. They definitely aren't on the same level as Albion or Arms and Armor but they are a solid step above most products Windless makes.
A friend has the Accolade Sword, another the German Branch sword. They're beautiful. What about the Munich Cut and Thrust Saber? But the Ljubljana sword . . . man that's gorgeous.
8:42 - I just got a Ronin Katana Viking sword, the RKE12, for my first "real sword." Pretty happy with it, I picked it for the lighter weight, compensating for the shorter length by being tall, lol.
I dont know if you'll see this skall but if you are able to I'd recommend that during the renaissance/late high medieval ages I'd suggest that you look into darkwood armory they have great custom rapier trainers also thier economy rapiers are worth the low price around 300ish for everything that you can customize the guard and hilt and length of blade.
I have the Hanwei Tinker Viking sword; it’s held up really well, and I’m a big fan of it; the handle is definitely thin, and may not be for everyone, but I quite like it; highly recommend if you want something cheaper but still nice,
I am currently thinking about buying a new sword for some light, old guy's practice, since my surviving swords from the 90s are somewhat rusty, low-key and full of theeth, and I am still deciding between a katzbalger (nice, cutting, short blade, no point = you won't hurt your sparring partners as easily] and a shiavonna (superior hand protection, still enough emphasis on cut, never had one, but I like the design a lot).
