"Slicing and Chopping Swords from Medieval Times to the Post Renaissance Period"
Ok, well – lumping Scimitars, Sabers, Falchions and other swords together like this might seem like a bit of a stretch. And it probably is...
But while all of these swords probably do deserve to have their own dedicated section, they certainly have one thing in common. They are all optimised and extremely effective
CUTTING and CHOPPING swords!
Scimitars were a fast and lightweight middle eastern sword designed to slice the flesh and bone of a lightly armored opponent, while a Falchion was essentially a battlefield weapon
of the conscripted peasantry - used with about the same grace as one would use an axe - and with a similar effect, tearing into armor, flesh and bone alike.
Sabers are the most modern swords in this category – a specialized cavalry weapon designed to sever and cleave an unarmoured opponent on the battlefield – and were so effective
at this that they were still used with great effect as recently as World War I...
Windlass Steelcrafts Medieval Falchion looks mean, but didn't quite deliver the goods...
In this article, we will be taking a look at all of these blades with a specific view to finding as many decent quality yet affordable fully functional replicas as possible.
Because while ornamental (and shockingly historically inaccurate) replicas of these swords are a dime a dozen, finding truly battle ready replicas of scimitars, sabers and Falchions
is no easy task - though as you'll see in this guide - there are some pretty nice ones out there for the taking once you know where to look...
NEED HELP FINDING YOUR PERFECT SWORD?
It's a looong page and there are a lot of reviews here - but if you want to just want some recommendations based on what you are looking for in a good 'slicer or chopper'...
Similar in function to the earlier 'Falcata', the Falchion was a unique sword that was essentially a sword shaped axe...
Essentially a 'poor mans' field weapon - the Falchion was a common sight among conscripted peasant soldiers from the 11th to the 16th century. Effectively a massive
oversized and modified variant of a butchers knife, it took little skill to inflict massive injuries, ripping through medium to even heavy armor.
While not exclusively a
peasants weapon, with a few gold plated and very ornate examples used and treasured by the nobility, it tended to be their default weapon and was commonly seen.
Comparatively rare in our price range (or indeed, in any price range) there are still a few good choices available, with three being made by
Windlass Steelcrafts and one by Cold Steel
(but oh - what a piece it is!).
Falchion Reviews
"Archers Falchion"
Windlass Steelcrafts
PRICE: US$157 to $175
OVERVIEW: Great handling, solid construction, nice finish and quite historically accurate, this is definitely one of the better Falchions on the market. And it is quite low priced too..
OVERVIEW: It's a bit clumsy, and more of a fantasy 'Orc' style cleaver than a real Falchion, but while it may not be everyone's cup of tea, it's still not a bad sword.
OVERVIEW:
Not the strongest blade, or the best assembly, this sword is 'ok' - but there are far better buys for the same kind of money, and even by the same manufacturer!
OVERVIEW: While it was not historically accurate, and it was VERY heavy, this was still a decent sword - especially considering its price was around $50...!
Perhaps the most terrifying Falchion style blade straight out of the box though is the aptly named
Gross
Messer (German for 'Big Knife') by Cold Steel.
This massive swords weight, durability and razor sharp edge make it without a doubt one of the most powerful cutting blades on the market - and indeed with
the newer versions having some distal taper to the blade, they have become might more graceful in the hand - to quote SBG forumite Adam "It handled like a dream and cut good too".
Perhaps this is an understatement - because such is the cutting power of this blade that it was noted on a review here
on my armoury.com that "it was difficult not to have this beast chop right through whatever was put in front of it"...
And you can clearly see from the Cold Steel Promotional Video below, this massive sword lives up to this reputation, cutting clean through telephone books, cardboard
tubing and 8 rolled tatami mats with a single chop!!!
Price for this extremely powerful sword varies quite dramatically, from US$299.99 to the bargain lowest price on the internet deal of US$189.99
here at
Trueswords.com - which is truly an absolute steal!!!
COLD STEEL Reviews
"Gross Messer"
Cold Steel
PRICE: US$189 to $309
OVERVIEW: Amazingly durable, sharp and powerful - this sword may well be the ultimate low cost 'chopper'..
Some people believe that the origins of scimitars can be traced back to Egyptian Swords like the Khopesh...
However history suggests that Scimitars are actually a lot more contemporary. In fact even during the times of the crusades the Saracens were armed with straight swords,
not Scimitars (a fact that Hollywood in its wisdom often likes to ignore!) and most antiques are of 17th and 18th century manufacture and were believed to have come about
gradually throughout the Islamic world after (unfriendly) contact with the Mongols.
Regardless of their origins, most modern functional replica scimitars are based on the Persian 'Shamshir' and in our price range, there are essentially only two real
models to consider - the Cold Steel and the Windlass Steelcrafts versions - and as you will see, they are in fact almost identical...
The first one may appear more modern and contemporary than the Windlass version, but is designed with straight out of the box functionality in mind. With a relatively
light blade and razor sharp 1050 carbon steel edge, which is especially keen towards the tip: I am talking of course about the
Shamshir by Cold Steel (pictured right).
Generally speaking, at the MSRP price tag these swords are quite expensive - especially when compared to the second sword which has more historically accurate trappings.
However while they are sold at the cold steel website at a price that goes well over our sub US$300 budget (US$379.99 to be exact), the lowest price I have seen them
going for is a much more reasonable US$209.99
here at
Trueswords.com, which at this price is a real bargain for a blade of this caliber.
The second Shamshir in our price range is the most widely available of the two Scimitars, and that is
'Scimitar Sword' by Windlass Steelcrafts. The only disadvantage is that like all
Windlass Steelcrafts swords, the blade comes out of the box with a dull 1mm edge,
however is relatively easy to sharpen if required (see below for the full review).
But otherwise, the differences between these two scimitars is largely only skin deep. (You'll find out why in the
Cold Steel Shamshir review)...
Scimitar Reviews
"Scimitar"
Windlass Steelcrafts
PRICE: US$179 to $215
OVERVIEW: Historically accurate, attractive and with great handling, this is the best choice for the collector looking for the most faithful replica of a Scimitar
OVERVIEW: Made by Windlass under license from Cold Steel, the fittings may not be as historically accurate but are more attractive, and the blade comes razor sharp and good to go out of the box, making this one my preferred choice of the two..
While its origins are unclear, the Saber (also spelled Sabre – I say Potato, you say – er, never mind) is commonly believed to the result of the evolutionary development of
Falchions and Scimitars over the centuries...
With their usage peaking during the Napoleonic wars (where they were feared and loathed by the French) they continued to see service in the American Civil War and
even as recently as World War I - and are such a part of the military tradition that a saber is still a distinctive part of the dress code of the officer ranks in modern
day militaries from all around the world.
Once again like with Scimitars and Falchions, when it comes to functional replicas of these swords, the most common examples to be found are made by either Cold Steel or
Windlass, with the Cold Steel versions tending towards being extremely sharp, quite heavy and remarkably effective cutters and Windlasses offerings generally more affordable
and coming in varying degrees of historical accuracy.
Saber & Cutlass Reviews
"1796 Cavalry Saber"
Cold Steel
PRICE: US$204 to $379
OVERVIEW: An extremely good, and almost perfect historical replica, this sword is both a solidly constructed and extremely powerful cutter. Very close to a 5 star rating.
OVERVIEW: More 'historically inspired' than accurate, but considering its $40 price tag, this is a decently made functional sword for an incredibly low price...
What discussion of slicers and choppers would be complete without at least some reference to the humble machete...
Now while the Machete is technically not a sword or historical weapon, in reality, especially in this modern day and age – it isn’t exactly true. And considering most can
be had for around $20, and are extremely suitable for heavy targets like chopping trees, etc.
My friend G. Scott Hoagland sums it up best:
"Somebody on another forum once gave out the advice that if one were only looking for something super cheap to cut things with in their backyard they should consider a machete. Well,
I've recently taken that advice.
Now, I know some might not consider the lowly machete to be a "classical" weapon , as the heading of this section mentions, but they have been used for quite a few years as
frontline weapons in various parts of Asia, south and central America and Africa, so I believe they qualify."
So with this in mind, let's round out our knowledge with some hands on, cut stuff up reviews of the ultimate budget choppers...
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the lack of a hand guard, Machetes should be handled with the upmost of care. Carelessness when using them can easily result in the loss of
fingers or worse, so even though they are fun, you should treat them with the respect you would any other edged weapon or sword.
While there are few further resources available on Scimitars and Falchions, the best bet is to trawl through the forums at
My Armoury.com where there are numerous hidden gems waiting to be uncovered.
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