Cold Steel Competition Cutting Sword Test Cutting & Review

Cold Steel Competition Cutting Sword Test Cutting & Review - Made by Windlass Steelcraft

Рет қаралды 9,762

Күн бұрын

A review long overdue, this takes a detailed look at a new 2020 offering by Cold Steel, the Competition Cutting Sword--a modified version of the Arbedo sword fulfilled by Windlass Steelcraft. Being a relatively popular model back in the day, the Arbedo sword tried to reproduce an original piece on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. After its discontinuation, Cold Steel has taken over the design and made some revisions to create a crossover sword between the Oakeshott type XVIIIa and XVIIIc as an offering for sword cutting enthusiast.
After doing some extensive cutting, with 6 basic cuts and 5 "master cuts" or meisterhau in the Germanic longsword tradition, I evaluated whether this can hold its candle against other true competition level cutting swords such as the Albion Principe and Angus Trim Type XIIa, by looking at the modifications Cold Steel has made, such as the widening of the blade, the lengthening of the blade, the grip and the new scentstopper/fishtail hybrid pommel. Per Cold Steel's request, a modest amount of distal tapering has also been introduced to the blade, against Windlass' usual MO. I measured the distal taper and profile taper to see whether they serve as an improvement to the handling of this sword and the rigidity of the blade, in the context of cutting performance.
Detailed stats
blade length: 31"
grip length: 8"
overall length: 43"
Distal Taper:
4mm at the base
3.1mm at 1/3 of the blade
3.1mm at 2/3 of the blade
2.6mm at 2" from the tip
profile taper:
68.4mm at the base
48.7mm at the midpoint
23.5mm at 2" from the tip
weight: 1333g
point of balance: 2.5" (6.35cm) from the guard
The sword reviewed can be found in Cold Steel's catalog here: www.coldsteel.com/competition...
Although the MSRP is at $370, it sporadically pops up at resellers for $280-310.
Background Music:
Ultima Online: Third Dawn soundtracks
AT DOOM'S GATE // Doom (Medieval Bardcore Cover) by LjB0
Medieval Metal - Terminator Theme - Hermannstadt
00:00 Introduction
02:05 First Impression
05:12 Test Cutting
10:15 Stats & Characteristics
13:22 Blade Typology & Historical Context
16:22 Fit & Finish
21:26 Sheath
22:37 Final Verdict

Пікірлер: 94

@daedricprinceofdebauchery7157 2 жыл бұрын

Your videos on swords and edged weapons are quite a pleasure to indulge. The Prince of Hedonism endorses!

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Always a pleasure!

@user-ck5ys3eb6x 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for yet another highly informative and helpful review. I was thinking of acquiring that sword but also waiting for some indepth opinion of someone who already had it. Since I was thinking of getting a budget typeXVIIIa sword I might prefer to get the Hanwei Tinker longsword instead. Thanks again and cheers from Greece.. 🙂

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! The Hanwei Tinker bastard sword without the fuller can be considered a slender type of XVIIIa as well, if you watch my review of it you can get some idea about that sword. It handles certainly very differently from this one, although this CS sword is definitely fun to cut with, and looks quite unique.

@listenup455 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the review, I've been interested in learning more about this one.

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 3 жыл бұрын

Glad the review is of some use to you. =)

@thechristiansamurai8459 2 жыл бұрын

@@FortuneFavoursTheBold I'm thinking about purchasing the Cold Steel Competition Cutter for it's compact size and looks but I am wondering if I should purchase the Cold steel hand and a half sword instead. I'm kind of hesitant to purchase the hand and a half because I might get one with a loose guard or pommel. Is the Competition Cutter attractive in person? Which sword would you recommend?

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

@@thechristiansamurai8459 The Competition Cutter is a modified version of the Windlass Arbedo sword. It has as relatively broad blade with more tapered profile, but has less distal taper than the Hand-and-a-half sword, which is manufactured by the forge behind Dynasty Forge for Cold Steel. The CS Hand-and-a-half sword is a quite stiff sword, good with both cut and thrust, but slightly less representative of Medieval European swords' profiles. It does have very good mirror polish and prominent central ridge which are attractive than Windlass' Competition Cutter's rippling surfaces and muddling central ridge. Some of the CS hand-and-a-half swords you buy online do have QC issue and indeed come with a loose guard. This generally wouldn't happen on swords made by Windlass for CS.

@thechristiansamurai8459 2 жыл бұрын

@@FortuneFavoursTheBold Thanks....Im going to get the Cold Steel hand and a Half Sword. I'll get the handle rewrapped and the guard fixed by a professional later if it is loose. KANE SHEN AND THE CHRISTIAN SAMURAI sounds like a pretty cool MOVIE.. LOL...GOD Bless my friend and Thanks again.

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

@@thechristiansamurai8459 Haha, sure. Glad to be of help.

@bushimotter 2 жыл бұрын

Jeeze, that blade is a beast! Great cuts with it, I wouldn't know how to maneuver a blade like that. I appreciate the diagrams with technique names before the cutting patterns, quite informative. 7:54, I feel like this one should have a timestamp ^,^

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! Glad you like it!

@jeremiahsmith7924 Жыл бұрын

A beast? Uh, no, it's nowhere NEAR stiff enough, like he explained prior to cutting with it. It's probably time most flexible, thinnest XVIIIC profiled sword on the market. Far as that profile is concerned, I want a DSA Alexandria...

@vodkatoxin6914 2 жыл бұрын

i also have one of these and i must say: the "powder from the scabbard" i assumed was some wood sawdust and it went away when i stuck the wet blade into the scabbard and it acted like an auto dry. the patena developed on my pommel because i didn't oil it on the hot 1st 2 weeks i had my sword. there was also some patena on my blade or something when i got it i developed black spots on the blade because after cutting clay, the blade was so thin that martially i didnt need to clean the clump that was on the blade. the moist clay after an hour and a half. developed the black spots on the sweetspot but hey it looks like the museum one. i also tried to flip it upside down and mordhoa with it, rather than gripping around the edge, or hitting with the pommel while the guard faced the sides... i just went at it on some branches that were dry and thorny. and you might get some niks on your hand but it is fine. attempted to moddify and put those leather rainguards while i have no prior experience with leather. it made a nice place to put the thumb when holding it for techniques using both edges. tornado hit and cut some branches, got a warp, took a while to bend back. but hey i did it. at times i would love it for how good it is, and sometimes when my technique is terrible i feel it really punnishes you with that wobble. while having it for a year. the wobble doesn't usually mess me up (but probably friends definitely) , but i still can't cut a pom's pomegranate juice bottle in the middle. it always just hits the top when ever i aim center, because of the shape and strength of those huge bottles

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

The white powder is from the leather. It's on virtually all windlass swords that feature this kind of thick leather sheath. It's not wood-lined so there's so saw dust in it. The wobbly blade certainly is less forgiving to bad cuts than a stiff one. Still, I think it cuts a little bit easier than I expected from the floppiness. Overall it's a pretty handsome sword. The proportion is historical--there's another type XVIIIa sword at Metropolitan Museum, a different one from the "Arbedo" sword, that has very similar blade and hilt length to this one. Overall, I'm still rather happy with this purchase.

@FunkyPertwee Жыл бұрын

Terminator theme music done with medieval instruments is great lol.

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Жыл бұрын

I think so, too!

@genuinelyconcerned3504 2 жыл бұрын

That was a spectacular review. Very thorough and well researched 👏👏

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much for the kind words!

@davidmao6538 2 жыл бұрын

Fantastic video. Very well narrated with good knowledge

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!🙂

@westh2756 Жыл бұрын

Good vid thanks for taking the time do make this one!

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Жыл бұрын

Gladly!

@dr.dmitry.sokolov Жыл бұрын

Great review! Thank you very much!

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Жыл бұрын

Thank you for viewing!

@marcusaurelius2649 8 ай бұрын

I really like the way you describe and read the sword. It was great information and very appreciated.

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Marcus!

@thomasbeckett1245 Ай бұрын

I really enjoyed watching this! Thanks !

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@williamp.5253 2 жыл бұрын

Great review, thanks for making it

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for viewing it and the kind comment!

@airdeprime8560 11 ай бұрын

Thanks, I saved some bucks listening to your wise advice.

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 11 ай бұрын

Glad to be of help.

@saint8228 2 жыл бұрын

Just picked one up, basically brand new, uncut, for $230 shipped. Not bad! But I noticed the lack of distal taper immediately. So we will see if I end up keeping it long. ; ) I am pretty sure it would sell almost immediately on the forums!

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah for the price, it's not bad. The lack of distal taper (there's a minor amount on mine, but others have reported none) doesn't ruin the handling, but it certainly feels a bit off. If not for its flexibility it's definitely an alright sword. That said, it's not flexible to the point of being dysfunctional.

@davidphillips6582 Жыл бұрын

Great review Thanks

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@stuntmanMike805 2 ай бұрын

Ich liebe es. 🎉👍👍😁 Tolles Schwert. Kalter Stahl, einfach klasse.

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@codyenders3016 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this detailed review! I purchased one and was wondering how this sword would handle cutting actual meat you know for the post apocalyptic world. 😂

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Жыл бұрын

It would do just fine. The thin blade may run into trouble when cutting hard targets, but meat is a breeze for it.

@codyenders3016 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your reply. It’s on Amazon for $200 right now. I originally was thinking of this or the CS hand and half sword which is $270 but ordered the competition sword as it looks awesome. After watching your video I am concerned with how thin the blade is. This would be my first sword and I’m hoping to get something that would be useful to have in a zombie apocalypse / self defense scenario. What types of sword would be best for this scenario in your opinion?

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Жыл бұрын

@@codyenders3016 I remember someone showed cutting against a ZGB zombie analog head with a CS Competition Cutting sword and it cut it in half, even though it wasn't particularly clean because of the excessive flex. Undoubtedly it's tempered to be durable enough. Mostly it's fine. Quite a bit more flexible than a historical counterpart, which was designed to--obliterate human body. Nevertheless this sword should endure quite a bit of abuse any survival situation can throw at it.

@codyenders3016 Жыл бұрын

Nice, thank you. I get it delivered today. Thanks again for your thorough review and I definitely look forward to more of your content!

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Жыл бұрын

@@codyenders3016 Glad to be of help. Any question in the future, definitely let me know.

@frankwoods135 2 жыл бұрын

Sold out good luck finding it now

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah it would come back each year with a small batch.

@StrasznySaTaN666 Жыл бұрын

excellent video

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@smokesandalloy9487 4 ай бұрын

I was guessing two sound tracks used - a DOOM song done in folk style and Terminator theme as Scottish. Pretty cool. Guessed right, surprisingly.

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 4 ай бұрын

Yes, indeed. Bardcore musicians are quite innovative.

@vonchaney9216 2 жыл бұрын

Is this their Principe basically? Also, holy fuhuck I am jealous of your pad dude!

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

Well, it's hard to tell what exactly their design intentions are, but you can assume this sword was riding the popularity of the Principe, mimicking its success of adding a more intuitive hilt onto an already popular blade type and existing model of theirs (in this case it was Windlass' discontinued model).

@berserk78 2 жыл бұрын

nice

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much!

@marcodegiovanni3696 2 жыл бұрын

Surely can t perform as well as a 1200 dollars cutter but still a fantastic sword for the price!

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

For $270 (the price I paid) you surely get your money's worth back.

@BLADESKNIVESBROTHERHOOD-vn3bn 2 ай бұрын

because of you I just bought this too ha ha ha…. Jokes aside, thank you very much for your perfect review… see you soon

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 ай бұрын

I'm glad! BTW if you have new budget in the future, check out Black Fencer's sharp swords (they only have 2 models at the moment). They are extremely affordable but highly recommended by competitive level practitioners. You can also get excellent steel blunt trainers from them, if you want to train safely but having blunt swords that have the same mass distribution therefore same handling characteristics as your sharp swords. They also ship out of Europe, so it might suit your purposes.

@bestkoolaid1835 2 жыл бұрын

Could you change the pommel out? I want to get one but I want a wheel pommel, can’t find an Arbedo to save my life. Awesome video, and thank you for the information!

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

You absolutely can, but it won't be a straightforward project. The pommel of this sword is secured with a screw as shown in the video, you can remove it with relative ease, but then when you have your wheel pommel, it would take some effort to modify the tang and the thread to fit the new pommel. Preferably it can be modified in a way that eventually you hot-peen the pommel onto the tang.

@bestkoolaid1835 2 жыл бұрын

@@FortuneFavoursTheBold okay awesome! Thank you for the information! I think I’ll go with that sword with the intention to change the pommel in the future.

@Kingtheropodking Жыл бұрын

How does the blade flex, does it bend and return to true?

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Жыл бұрын

All properly made blades of spring steel will behave that way. It's not a testament of good quality or lack thereof.

@ebayaccount675 Жыл бұрын

Did you get this from amazon?

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Жыл бұрын

Not this one. When I purchased it, it was launched and wasn’t available on Amazon. I got it off Blades Canada which offered it at a low price. This model is now available on Amazon for roughly 200-220 dollars.

@krypton7807 2 ай бұрын

Well I’ve been loosing at getting a cold steel sword for a few years I’ve seen many mixed reviews with their swords I know you’ve got a good collection what is the best cold steel sword you own what would be worth the $$?

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 ай бұрын

In the past few years, there have been more development in the reproduction market. Right now, Balaur Arms German Longsword (3rd gen made by LK Chen) is the best sword for the money ($398), Cloudhammer Steelworks European longsword is also a sure bet ($500). If you can get the CS Competition Cutting sword for a very low price (sometimes pops up on Amazon for under 300 including shipping), it might be an alright choice for the money, but I would recommend others as they are much better swords.

@krypton7807 2 ай бұрын

@@FortuneFavoursTheBold ok thanks for your insight and knowledge of the sword/market

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 ай бұрын

@@krypton7807 glad to help.

@frankwoods135 2 жыл бұрын

Dam dude what do you do for work

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 2 жыл бұрын

I'm a video game developer. I'm developing a video game co-created by my wife and I. Check out my Albion Regent review, it has some in-game footage in it.

@paulparkinson1379 Жыл бұрын

I am accustomed to testing Blades by cutting branches the t h i c k e s t Branch I cut was 2 and 3/8 inch big leaf maple. That cut broke that stainless Samurai wall sword Can I find a tapered sword with a distal taper that will do the same without breaking?

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Жыл бұрын

No actual sword should break upon hitting some branches. A wallhanger or sword-like-object made in stainless steel (everything else about it also makes it an object taking on roughly a sword’s shape not not functioning like a sword) isn’t good for hitting anything, or good for anything in general. Their blade geometry, hilt construction, heat treatment are all not done in anyway to make them functional. They don’t move like swords, they wouldn’t stand up to impact like swords, and they don’t act like actual weapons you can defend your life with. Any actual sword is designed and made from the get go to achieve those functionalities. They need to do the job, they need to handle like a sword to be swift and nimble to defend the user. They need to endure proper abuse. Swords are not used any time anywhere in history to chop trees. Axes are. Not even battle axes. Tree felling axes. But a sword should not break just by chopping a tree. Check out Skallagrim’s video of him chopping tree limbs with the Albion Gaddjalt. Or his video of firewood chopping using a number of swords. Swords are expected to encounter spear and polearm shafts and other sword blades on the battlefield so they need to endure that. No functional sword anywhere will be diminished to the point of break just from encountering those.

@smokesandalloy9487 4 ай бұрын

Could the white stuff actually be from the pommel, perhaps from unsheathing too abruptly? I'll see myself out...

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 4 ай бұрын

🤣

@paulparkinson1379 Жыл бұрын

By the way I've never cut water bottles before but I think I could get through quite a few with any of my machetes

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Жыл бұрын

You can try cutting some, it’s fun. Cutting through bottles or cartons or tatami mats in itself isn’t anything impressive. The goal is to use fighting techniques and movements while maintaining composure and balance. In real-life circumstances, no one fights in turn-based combat, where both sides take turns to casually chop at each other without resistance. When you test cut, you need to cut from different guard stances from different angles that are viable in real swordfighting, and end in another guard stance, without overextending or exposing yourself. Other techniques like the meisterhau are to get around the opponent’s defense like a parry or block, or hitting them while evading, or a move that serves both as an offense AND a defense at the same time. Test cutting with those can tell you how well a sword handles and how easy it is to use it in fighting. Standing statically hitting a bottle doesn’t mean much, other than testing the sharpness of the tool.

@LordPeachew 29 күн бұрын

How does this compare to the cold steel hand and a half?

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 28 күн бұрын

This one is made by Windlass (contract under the Cold Steel brand), while the Hand-and-the-half non-MAA version is made by Huanuo Forge (sold under CS brand). The HaaH sword has a bit more distal taper, better polish, better edge geometry, a more rigid and longer blade, and a bit heavier. I actually recommend the non-MAA version of the CS Italian Longsword, which is also made by Huanuo Forge--same as the HaaH sword. It's lighter, longer and faster than the latter, when having more profile and distal taper, and having some of the same traits. For all 3 of these models, make sure you can hone the edges yourself as they are not adequately sharp out of the box. There will be a collaborative review of the CS Italian (both the MAA version by Windlass, and the non-MAA version by Huanuo), done by me, Vic and Jon at Unsheathed Sword Reviews. I actually traveled to Vic's place for a fun weekend, meeting legendary swordmaker Angus Trim, and recording a number of reviews and cutting there. Stay tuned for that video, please.

@LordPeachew 28 күн бұрын

@@FortuneFavoursTheBold Thanks for the reply. I look forward to your video.

@FortuneFavoursTheBold 28 күн бұрын

@@LordPeachew I'll link the video when it goes live on Unsheathed Sword Reviews channel (run by my pals there).

@nilstrishas9217 Жыл бұрын

Ultima Online Music !

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Жыл бұрын

bingo!

@nilstrishas9217 Жыл бұрын

@@FortuneFavoursTheBold So much nostalgia !

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Жыл бұрын

@@nilstrishas9217 Indeed, brings back memories of high school.

@jeremiahsmith7924 Жыл бұрын

It's nowhere near blade heavy enough for decent cutting. Everyone thinks the closer it's balanced to the crossguard the better but that simply isn't true, definitely not for something that's supposed to be specialized for cutting, should be the exact opposite, in fact,

@frankwoods135 2 жыл бұрын

You rich 🤑

@Sfourtytwo Ай бұрын

not a zornhau

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Ай бұрын

What is not a zornhau?

@Sfourtytwo Ай бұрын

@@FortuneFavoursTheBold The cut labelled a Zornhau obviously. So haw auch von dein° rechten seitten von oben an alle vor satzung Mit im zornigklich ein auf sein swert Ist er denn waich öm swert so seüß im den ort gericht für sich lanck ein vnd stich im zu° dem gesicht oder der prüst So setz im an

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Ай бұрын

@@Sfourtytwo Yes, it is a zornhau. A zornhau is a diagonally vertical strike launched from zornhut, which is exactly what I did--first assume zornhut from the default vom tag, and then launch a powerful strike from the right to either overpower an opposing cut, or gain an advantage in a bind. If I end up in a bind, whether I decide to execute with a trust in the throat, or dip under to disengage and then cut or thrust, or wind that into a thrust is only a follow up. It's not the "hau" part of the zornhau. And yes, a landed cut with zornhau will require you to follow through and then bring it into another guard.

@Sfourtytwo Ай бұрын

@@FortuneFavoursTheBold Ok you clearly know better than Danzig i quoted at you. So how do you thrust after winning the bind with a cut that is able to cut the target. You cant because you fucking cut the target. If you do the Hau so deep you can cut with it you dont present the Ort and you opponent can simply do an Absetzten which is the answer to people that attack with a simple cut from above. Danke fürs Klugscheissen und viel Spass noch beim stümpern.

@FortuneFavoursTheBold Ай бұрын

Quoting it doesn't mean you understand its meaning. Winning a bind doesn't automatically mean you cut through the target. It can mean and it usually means your point is on line, and theirs is off line. If I am to do the zornhau in a test cutting obviously I'm not trying to wind a bind against a beach mat or a bottle. Had it been an opposing cut, obviously the same zornhau wouldn't been following through all the way. That IS how a zornhau looks in a test cutting.