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Windlass Sticklestad Sword ReviewThe Sticklestad sword by Windlass, based on swords commonly in use around the 11th century AD, is actually a reasonably historically accurate looking replica of a Viking sword. But that wasn’t the reason I chose to review this particular sword.
As you may know, Viking swords are among my favorite types of swords. So when I wanted to review a good replica by Windlass, I asked my friend Chris Howard at Reliks.com what his recommendations were for a sword that didn’t suffer from the ‘Windlass Whippy’ syndrome, and that had been around long enough that it was unlikely to be retired as soon as my review comes out (another pet hate of mine with Windlass). Initially I was drawn to the Beowulf Sword, and asked him about it, as well as if there was a sword that was nicely tempered and would likely be in production for a while, and his reply was:
“A piece that has stood the test of time is the Sticklestad. It is a slightly heavier piece with a wider blade at the guard and less of a taper toward the point. The handle is thicker than the Beowulf piece and it can, and has taken a beating. I have never heard any negative feedback on that piece and don't foresee Windlass discontinuing it anytime soon, but unfortunately that isn't my call.”Soon after Chris’s reply, I purchased the Sticklestad sword – and to test their sharpening service (as by default all Windlass swords are shipped unsharpened), I spent another $18. More on this later...
Windlass Sticklestad SwordReview by Paul Southren (Ed), Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
I have to admit that my initial impressions of this sword were a mix of some things I REALLY liked about it, and other components and factors that just didn’t quite do it for me... Overall though, the Sticklestad sword it is certainly quite an attractive and authentic looking piece.
The scabbard is wood, lined with brown suede – something that does suit the sword, but not something I personally like. The chape, mouth and reinforcing rings are all carbon steel and look good, but somehow a bit too ‘modern’ and more appropriate to a 19th century saber. However, structurally the scabbard as solid as a rock and while it isn’t really to my own personal taste – it is definitely one of the better scabbards I have seen on swords at this price point. The hilt of the Sticklestad sword is stunning. (Well, except for the suede handle wrap, but I think I’ve made by point about that...)
Most pics of the Sticklestad sword on the internet simply do not do the fittings justice.
At both ends of the handle, there is a copper reinforcement – which does suit the sword, but I am in two minds as to how well. The tone is just slightly too bright compared to the rest of the fittings. Sturucturally though, the hilt is extremely well done. Everything is tight with no rattling or movement, and is bit enough to fit my hand like a glove – especially when used in a traditional handshake grip – but even a hammer fist grip is quite comfortable and not constrictive like many others. From a structural point of view though, the highlight would have to be that the whole assembly is peened together – with the peen visible on the middle lobe of the pommel. A little rough perhaps, with obvious hammer marks, but I feel this gives the sword some character (I am not a fan of the ‘perfect’ modern CNC milled look!). All in all, I was extremely impressed with how this sword has been put together, and while it was hard to put my finger on the aesthetics that just didn’t quite gel – though I think that if the suede was a little darker, it might look better.
HANDLINGWeighing in at 2lbs 8oz, the blade is around 4oz lighter than advertised – at least this one is. A Viking sword of these proportions and this weight would ideally have a point of balance around the 5” mark, though of course, some variations are possible and balance is often a personal preference more than anything else. In the case of the Sticklestad sword, the balance is around the 6 inch point. Combine the weight and balance and you get a sword that handles reasonably close to the historical originals and definitely has some presence to it, with good recovery times. Overall, I really like the way this sword handles, and it certainly helps to alleviate the myth that all Viking swords were huge, heavy lumbering blades designed to be weilded by superhuman Nordic gods.
THE BLADE
The 31” blade of the Sticklestad sword is, in my opinion, one of the best Windlass has ever made. Forged of 1065 carbon steel, there are some irregularities and waves in the surface of the blade that lets you know it has been forged – giving it a real hand made appearance. And the ¾” wide central fuller is, for the most part, straight and even – though it wanders off center slightly towards the tip. However, what I like most about the Sticklestad sword is its rigidity and tempering. It certainly doesn’t suffer from the infamous Windlass whippiness. But neither is it overly stiff. And as you can see from the video below – it has the amazing tempering that Windlass is so well known for.
The only thing that let me down about this sword was the sharpening service... Now, I’ve heard people complain about this before. As you may well know, Windlass swords come with a 1mm thick edge – thin enough to do some serious damage, but far from sharp. Feeling a bit lazy, but also wanting to test out the sharpening service – I have to say that I was extremely disappointed. While it is obvious from the secondary bevel that it has been done, the angle is simply too steep and while it feels sharp to the touch, I knew I was going to have some trouble cutting light targets. I just didn’t know how much... But it did have some very interesting surprises...
TEST CUTTINGNow from my experience, I knew the Sticklestad sword was going to give me some trouble with light targets... My first cuts were against a water filled plastic milk jug – the easiest target around. Naturally enough, the cuts were easy – slicing and thrusting through the jug without any effort. However, when it came to a plastic filled bottle, as you can see from the video below – it was a completely different story...
My first attempt at cutting the bottle simply resulted in it being batted away. As the edge geometry was wrong for a light target like this, the only option was to use FORCE and lots of it. So a harder blow certainly did open the bottle up, but the cut was hardly clean – and while disappointing – not unexpected... For my second target, I settled on a tatami mat, rolled to simulate a human arm. Once again, going into the test I was not confident... But still, for my first cut I decided that to determine how well or how badly it cut, I should do so with ‘normal’ force – i.e. with the kind of strength that you would use in a sword fight if a target presented itself.. The force of the blow caught the mat and did indeed cut it. Reasonably deeply in fact.
However, it was far from a clean cut – with most of the engery of the cut travelling down the mat causing it to flop... So I turned the rolled mat around the other way, and gave it a full power stepping strike...
As you can see, the results were much better – but still not what I was hoping for. Yes, the Sticklestad sword was starting to become a real disappointment as far as its cutting performance would go. And while I considered sharpening it up to test it, in the end I decided to test its durability with some destructive testing.
WARNING: Destructive tests of this manner are NOT recommended as standard test cutting exercises. These tests were conducted after careful examination of the swords structure and blade geometry to determine probable breaking points. The medieval sword was designed primarily to cut human flesh and bone, with a little extra to deal with secondary unintended targets like shields, armor, etc. Breakages in battle were commonplace and if you attempt to recreate these tests, no manufacturer in their right mind would cover you for damages!
And here is where I got a surprise...
It seems that against heavier targets, even though the edge is only partially sharp – the Sticklestad really comes alive! But not only that, the whole assembly and the blade is remarkably tough for a Windlass – definitely a solid ‘beater’ through and through!
Even after these much more demanding tests, and several solid blows into the trusty woodblock – the sword was still as strong and as good as ever, with only some cosmetic marring of the blade.
So there you have it. The Sticklestad sword is an aesthetically pleasing, well constructed and extremely tough Viking sword. It’s handling is good, but not amazing. And even only partially sharpened, it cuts relatively well and can certainly stand up to some pretty punishing targets. Judging from the steels performance, with some time spent sharpening it using some of the techniques explained here on SBG – you could have one extremely durable yet relatively nice handling Viking sword beater!
After seeing this review, and how their sharpening service truly under performed on a sword that otherwise has excellent cutting geometry – Chris Howard from Reliks had this to say: I had a chance to read the review on the sticklestad and was very disappointed. Not disappointed with the review but with the sharpening service that you had received. Shortly after I read your article and watched the (embarrassing) video footage I made sure I had a good look at every piece before it went out our door. As a result, a good friend of mine who shaves with a sword every morning (not literally) was brought in to help with training and I am very pleased with the results.To prove that the sharpening service had indeed been improved upon, it was arranged for me to receive a second Sticklestad with the new sharpening service – which you can see the results of from the video below:
A huge improvement, going from a very poor sharpening service to now the best for Windlass the industry has to offer. And I must admit, I love this sword even more now – it somehow even feels lighter and more responsive in the hand – whether or not they have further refined the geometry or it is in my mind I cannot say. But I would have no hesitation recommending the Sticklestad from Reliks as one of the very best Viking sword cutters on the market!
PROS:
WHERE I BOUGHT THIS SWORDI bought the Sticklestad sword here at Reliks.com for US$219.99 plus $17.95 for the sharpening (total $237.94). As you can see from the update, the new sharpening service transforms this sword into a very serious cutter and is highly recommended.
However, if you are not so concerned with the sharpening service and wish to simply save a few dollars, you can pick it up much more economically HERE at Kult of Athena where they stock them for $169.95 + $18 for their sharpening service, which brings the total cost to $187.95 - for a saving of nearly $50...
The sharpening service used by KoA is more than adequete, but not quite as nice as what Reliks does. So I'll leave it up to you to decide based on your budget and your desired end result...:-)
I hope this information on the Viking Sticklestad Sword has been helpful. To return to Modern Replicas of Viking Swords from Windlass Sticklestad Sword Review, click here |
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The cross guard and the pommel have angular ‘runic’ style copper inlaid carvings and set this sword off perfectly. Indeed, even though the pics taken here come closer to showing the classical Viking style of its appearance than most others on the ‘net, you really do have to see it in person to appreciate just how nice it looks.
