Windlass 15th Century Long Sword ReviewI’d personally been eyeing this long sword ever since it first came out, but never bought it – mostly due to the fact that many of Windlass Steelcrafts longer swords had a reputation for being overly whippy... While this review of the Windlass 15th Century Long sword confirms this fact, considering how low the price is (or CAN be if you know where to buy it), it’s historical accuracy and overall presentation, I kind of regret I didn’t get it first... So I’ll step out of the way and let SBG Sword reviewer Maz take over to give you the full story.
First the stats; THE VENDOR My fiancee ordered me this blade from Kult of Athena-from what she tells me customer service was helpful and friendly. She told them it was going to be a cutting sword and asked how they back it up. They told her that normal usage includes cutting they assured her that they back up their product. It came wrapped in brown paper and packed firmly in the box. My only gripe with Koa was that someone on their end handled the pommel, so it had traces of rust forming when I unwrapped it.
HISTORICAL ACCURACY I found a couple of hilts in the Higgins that validate the historical accuracy of this one. As with some other Windlass offerings, it seems to be an amalgam of different historical examples, rather than a straight out reproduction. I may be wrong, I only gave about 40 min to the search.
The weight falls within the reasonable range for this type of Long sword. I'm not sure about the blade, but it doesn't do anything unrealistic that I'm aware of. (-1 off the final score) for the screw on pommel.
Well first off (-1) for the lacquer I'm going to have to sand off. Also, the stitching on the handle is sloppy (-1), and the end of the wire wrap is kind of half assed where it meets the leather, and there’s a huge solder joint on one side of the braided part (-1). It's a pretty sword - just executed a little sloppy.
The fullers are nice and straight on this long sword, and the ridge is centered down the whole length. The blade is overall better than my other two windlass swords, the fullers are straighter and the ridge is sharper (still not well defined) the guard is pretty well executed, a few minor flaws but nothing unexpected. The guard is closer on the blade than some other Windlasses, still has that round cutout but it's not so noticeable.
The overall shape of the guard is what attracted me to this one, I wanted an example of a ring hilt long sword for my collection. I also was suffering for lack of a hand and a half sword.
HANDLING This blade is pretty well balanced, it feels good in the dry cutting I've done so far. I tried fingering the Ricasso through the guard, and that feels comfortable enough, but it's not very smooth on recovery that way. It doesn't feel tip heavy to me, but with a one handed swing in a handshake grip the follow through is a little awkward. If I don't follow through smoothly and snap my wrist a little on the backswing, it vibrates for about a second. That may be due to my inexperience so I'm not going to take a point for that. On the other hand, in a two handed grip, it handles nicely. Very easy to control, though it is pretty whippy (-1). The stitching is sloppy as I mentioned, and sticks out enough that it feels uneven in my hand if the stitch is facing my palm. I know I already gave it a point for that but it also affects handling (-1). My hands fit well together on the grip with about half an inch between them without using the pommel. I can slide my left hand further back for manoeuvres that require more room, and the pommel is comfortable in the hand.
The fittings are tight and there's no rattling, the grip is solid if a little sloppy. I gave it a good flex in both directions and it returned to true. The pommel is on good and tight, I assume it's just threaded. Looking closely, the tang appears to be about 3/4 of an inch wide. When I get my workshop together (just moved) I'll take it apart, refinish the blade and sharpen it. Then I'll update this review with pics of the tang and cutting results.
CONCLUSION
Value: For $169 at KOA, It's a steal. I'll spend a few bucks customizing it before I'm through and it will still be a bargain.
WHERE TO BUY The 15th Century Long sword typically sells online for around US$225 depending on the vendor. However, Maz’s wife definitely bought it at the right place… True to their ethos of selling swords at the lowest prices possible (and for what THEY feel they are worth) this particular piece is stocked HERE at Kult of Athena for a much more reasonable $169.95…
I hope this review of the Windlass 15th Century Long Sword has been helpful. To return to Affordable Replicas of Medieval Swords, from Windlass 15th Century Long Sword Review, click here
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