The Ultimate Battle Ready Medieval Sword?

"Review of Gen2's Black Prince..."

The Black Prince, a battle ready medieval sword if ever there was one, was first recommended to me by my friend Jason at Arms of Valor.

Jason said that it was of all the swords they sell at AoV, the Black Prince was his personal favorite. And even though I was a little hesitant at first, the first time I held this sword in my hands I began to start to understand why he admired it so much...

UPDATE 14 August 2006 Since this review was first conducted, the Black Prince has seen numerous improvements. In fact, I now have very few points that I can fault it on! Where an improvement has been made, I shall endeavor to note it in an update box like this one. Whether or not these improvements makes the Black Prince the "ultimate battle ready medieval sword" is debatable... But as you will see if it isn't - it sure comes pretty darn close!...

Generation 2's Black Prince

There is no doubt about it, there is nothing 'fancy' about this straightforward hand and a half battle ready medieval sword.

In fact, if anything it really does look a little bland...

The crossguard is perhaps it's most distinctive feature, with the tips of its long quillions dramatically bending at 90 degrees towards the blade. And the wheel pommel contains a smaller, perfectly round disc of steel inset with a simple, evenly spaced cross.

But apart from these minor "flourishes" this sword is completely without ornamentation. Even the real leather handle wrap is without a central riser, seamless and looks quite unremarkable.

The scabbard, often an area which in my opinion is always more of an afterthought on generation 2 swords, is a simple wooden job covered over with real leather and an adjustable frog. It's essentially good for storage and display purposes, though not particularly great for wearing.

UPDATE 14 August 2006 The original version of the scabbard had a bare mouth, but the latest addition now has an attractive steel locket as well as the chape. The overall construction of the scabbard now looks a lot nicer.

Now as far as calling this sword the "Historical" Black Prince, as you can clearly see when compared side by side with pictures of the historical sword suspected to have once been in the tomb of Edward, Prince of Wales ("the Black Prince") the Generation 2 version is considerably beefier in every way, with a thicker blade and much thicker handle/tang construction than the original. So calling it "Historical" is, well, a bit of a stretch…

But actually, that didn't matter much to me at all...

UPDATE 14 August 2006 Again, the latest version of this sword has seen it adopt a distal taper and more sharply pointed blade that is considerably closer in profile to the original. While it still isn't 100% 'spot on', it is quite a dramatic improvement.

As soon as I picked this sword up and started to get a feel for it - it is immediately apparent that this sword cries out to be used!

While it weighs in on my kitchen scales at 4lbs/4oz, making it at around 1 to 2lbs heavier than any historical sword of this size, the point of balance is only 5” from the cross guard, which is within acceptable limits for a battle ready medieval sword of the hand and a half variety.

And when you lift it above your head, it truly feels ALIVE - poised to sweep down and strike with tremendous force.

"This sword is an absolute joy to wield..."

It cuts through the air with a speed and determination which is unfathomable when you first look at it. Obviously due to the extra weight it isn't going to be as fast or maneuverable as the historical originals were, especially mid cut. But then again this is a battle ready medieval sword, not a historical replica.

UPDATE 14 August 2006 HERE we come to perhaps the most dramatic changes... Not only does this sword now weigh in at a much lighter 3lbs and 4 oz (which is still about 4oz too heavy for a sword of this type, yet quite a dramatic improvement) - the point of balance has been shifted back to 2 and 1/2 inches from the crossguard. If Guy Windsor's (pictured) groundbreaking book The Swordsman's Companion is anything to go by (and most historical sword enthusiasts would say a resounding - 'it is!') - it means that this battle ready medieval sword now fits exactly within his 'ideal' balance point range of "approximately 3 to 5 fingers (about 2-3 1/2 inches)"! In other words, if you liked the way the old version handled, the new one should just blow you away!

TESTING THIS BATTLE READY MEDIEVAL SWORD

Naturally enough, with a strong blade and a razor sharp edge, light targets like water filled plastic bottles were childs play. With literally zero resistance, the blade just sailed on through.

So now came the fun part - ensuring that this sword was truly a solid beater...

So for to test it out, I placed a solid length of firewood on my trusty woodblock and brought the blade straight down in one easy strike!

VIDEO: Black Prince vs Woodblocks... While obviously chopping wood with a sword is not recommended, it's all in a days work for the Black Prince, with the worst damage being a little cosmetic scuffing of the blade...

As you can plainly see from the video above, the firewood literally exploded from the impact! But if that wasn't enough, I slammed the blade deeply into the side of the woodblock to boot.

Such feats are all in a days work for this battle ready medieval sword. The worst damage the extra thick and durable blade has suffered from levels of abuse that are truly unthinkable for a historical sword is a few minor scuff marks and scratches on the blade, but no chipping or loosening of the handle. In fact, I have literally split dozens of logs in this way and chopped it into the woodblock countless times and this battle ready medieval sword is always happy for more...

UPDATE 14 August 2006 Knowing Generation 2 swords as a do, I have no doubt that the current version of this battle ready medieval sword could pass all of these tests again with flying colors as they barely even scratched the surface of the originals capabilities. But more so, the improved weight and blade geometry mean that it is not only very tough and sharp but now a much better handling sword to boot. BILL TSAFA'S NEW VERSION DURABILITY TESTS My confidence in the new version has been bourne out by Bill Tsafa's demanding tire pell durability tests. Bill purchased the new version and subjected it to 2000 full power blows to his pell, with the result that it is still as good as new and shows no signs of fatigue. Bill also notes the amazing agility of the new version medieval battle ready sword, stating that it has the ability "to be handled like a rapier due to it's amazing balance". Click here for Tsafa's review

CONCLUSION

The Black Prince has changed a lot since its first incarnation...

So much so that it is now firmly in a league of its own.

I suppose that the jury is still out if this is the 'ultimate' battle ready medieval sword...

But in our sub US$300 price range, there are very few other swords that even comes close...

PROS

• Perfectly balanced sword

• Very durable and well tempered blade

• 100% hand made with no synthetic materials

• Demand outstrips supply, so often out of stock or hard to get

Where I Bought this Sword...

I bought this sword from Arms of Valor, check it out on their website here

10% DISCOUNT FOR ALL SBG VISITORS!

Enter the coupon code SBG in the 'redeem coupon' field of their checkout, click on the button and Arms of Valor will generously take 10% off the price (dropping the price down to just US$215.10, which is the best deal for this sword anywhere on the net)!

Plus you'll also be helping me out as small portion of each sale earns SBG some referral credits to help offset the costs of running my site - all while buying this sword at the lowest possible price from a GREAT vendor! Truly a Win-Win Situation if ever there was one...!

I should also mention that, apart from offering these swords to SBG visitors at the best price around - they also offer some excellent customisation options, not just on Gen2 swords, but on all the quality medieval swords they stock. From simple hilt re-wraps to full scabbard customisation, you don't have to settle for a plain vanilla model, for a small additional cost they can turn your sword into something truly unique.