Second Opinion Review of Generation 2's Brass Excalibur...

After reading my review of the Brass Excalibur, Justin Thompson of Condordia, USA decided to buy one using the special discount code at my preferred sword vendors, Arms of Valor.

This is his story...

Generation 2's Brass Exalibur
Review by Justin Thompson, Concordia, USA

I selected this sword sometime after discovering the Sword Buyer's Guide website and read the numerous reviews that were up.

At first the Excalibur's look didn't appeal to me, but after reading Paul's careful review and seeing his test cutting results it quickly grew on me.

The thought of a sword being able to cut through a block of wood and not even get damaged was something that sounded right out of Hollywood, but sure enough here it was entirely possible, and even affordable for somebody on a budget.

When I read on the Generation 2 website that the Brass Excalibur swords were being retired, and knowing that once they were they would only climb in price through private sellers, it was best to strike while opportunity still presented itself and I bought one for the lowest price I could find from the most respectible of dealers.

My first impression was from the pictures. It looked absolutely beautiful but the handle just seemed a bit too long for me.

But the more I looked around the more the look grew on me, changing from unusual to quite pleasent, to desireable.

When I read about the Excalibur I was expecting it to be 4.5 lbs. of 1/4" thick steel with the rigidity of a crowbar and an edge as sharp as any professional katana. When I recived it though it was a wakeup call.

When the Excalibur arrived, three days after I placed the order, I was quite surprised. After tearing through the paper and the plastic that held my sword in place I looked it over carefully to see the fit and finish of the blade. As I've been told there were a few grinding marks in the steel that the polishing just didn't buff out, but these are cosmetic and didn't bother me at all, I knew it would look even more scuffed up long before I was done with it.

However heavy doesn't equal dead weight or a bludgeoning device. The point of balance is approximately 3" from the hilt, and despite this weight it still manages to have a decent amount of flex to it.

I was expecting something like a crowbar in terms of rigidity, but it was a pleasant surprise that this wasn't the case.

While I had the option of choosing between a leather scabbard or a wooden scabbard I decided to go with the leather scabbard. I don't like it, but I didn't want to pay an extra $20 on top of the $219 plus $15 shipping. Sometime in the future I'm going to make a wooden scabbard for it for proper storage.

After reading about the way a Generation 2 sword was built I decided to forget tests against light targets and went right to a block of wood. In one swing the block was split right down the middle and didn't even chip the blade, just scuffed it up a bit. Next I tried a 4" by 4" block of wood expecting the same results, but instead the blade became lodged in the wood even on a full powered downward swing.

Obviously some things are just too dense to be split with one swing. And of course who could resist the old cardboard box test.

I let into it like there was no tomorrow, slicing the box up and cleaving through it with great intensity, sending bits of cardboard in every direction and enjoying every minute of it. But it was only after my fun did I discover that the legendary Excalibur from Generation 2 wasn't as nearly indestructible as I orignally thought...

I made the mistake of bracing the firt block of wood with concrete pieces, and my blade hit one with such force that it produced several chips in the blade, and one of the corners of the cardboard box just refused to cut but rather bent on itself, resulting in a very slight ding.

Nothing was deeper than a millimeter or so, but it was a wakeup call. Here I was expecting something like an axehead, but instead it was just a sword and I realized that it shouldn't be abused in ways such as accidently cutting into concrete, or industrial strength cardboard layered over several times when its held down firm. But with an edge that's razor sharp, I guess I should've expected a little wear and tear.

Conclusion

Despite taking a little damage from my tests I'd still stand by a sword like this. It's heavy but decently balanced, cuts through wood without getting damaged, and is a lot of fun to own. Plus it looks just so damn good that it's hard to resist.

EDITORS NOTE Unfortunately the Brass Excalibur has been discontinued since early 2006 and it is now unavailable. But the information in this review is still valid as it applies to probably 90% of all Generation 2 swords.