I think when they copied the sword they copied the weight. Thing weighs as much as my Scottish Broadsword. Thanks for the recommendation on the Dorothea!

I'm certain windlass made a model of this late 90s or early 2000s. Not certain the exact hilt layout however.

Museum Replicas was bought out by Windlass years ago. It was around that time that Del Tin stopped dealing with them. Shortly after Del Tin dropped all US dealers & did some revamping of the company. Then they started selling through KoA (probably a few other US dealers but I can't recall any) unfortunately their prices took a big jump up at that point too.

Critique? I LOVE this sword! Bravo on the design! It's exactly everything I was looking for. I just felt it needed a false edge on the yelman. Any rough spots in the Cold Steel build at this price point are completely expected. This is a big hit for Cold Steel as far as I'm concerned. Thank you so much for reaching out! We should definitely talk more!

if its made in india 300+ is no small sum

I did appleseed the edge a bit before cutting, and it is a very keen blade, though it's held up well. The two biggest challenges are that it might be shorter than you're used to, so adjust your distance (I had a couple of embarrassing "shallow" cuts); and the wide blade might give you some friction resistance depending on the target--I had this problem with wide bladed Chinese Dao, and this blade is very similar. Probably not with targets that "pop" apart like bottles, noodles and thinner bamboo, but thick mats and wide cardboard might try to drag on the sides of the blade a bit and slow you down. I've found it's really handy for the weight, feels lighter than it is but still gives you that heavier sword inertia in the cut. Very familiar for a guy who trained in Chinese swordsmanship.

@@michaelrizzo5523 Michael, I am used to about, 30"-31" basket hilted stick fighting, so this will be distinct departure from what I know. But, I'm looking forward to it. 🙂 Most of my sticks weigh in around 3lb so I don't think the weight will be an issue but having a defined curved edge will be a steep learning curve for me, I believe. Either way, I'm hopeful the sword proves to be durable in the long run. Thank you, again!

I do love a nice katzbalger!

Thanks! I do like it a lot. Moves very well for me.

I've been keeping my eye out for a good one, but no luck so far!

Would it also be fair to call it a cuttoe? Not sure of the distinctions, but it seems to be a term interchangeable with cutlass.

Cuttoe tend to not have complex hilts.

I was worried about the bars too from the look of them, but turns out they're more robust than one of their rapiers.

@@michaelrizzo5523 I had a guard by windlass off an old cup hilt rapier I used to make a side sword. It bent easily & eventually one quillon broke off. It was definitely chromed & soft metal. I got a similar guard at one of their clearance sales to replace it & it's polished but a bit more of a satin finish & a deeper grey. It's very strong & hasn't bent.

@@michaelrizzo5523 I remember Skallagrím háð the cold steel hunting sword & the guard on it also broke easily during his testing

A very enjoyable knife for martial practice in terms of feel, and a definite showpiece in terms of looks. A favorite.

Just ask if they can improve the edge and sharpen that back edge. I also glued a partial leather liner inside the shells for my own comfort.

I considered it when i was looking for a sword like this. I don't have one.

I use belt sanders, and sometimes a bench or angle grinder for heavier cutting. The most important thing when using power tools is to keep the blade cool, so I quench it frequently in cold water, after every few seconds of friction. (Make sure your sanding medium is okay for wet/dry use.) Watch out for any color changes in the steel, but ideally it should never get so hot that it's uncomfortable to touch. Overheating is highest risk when cutting or removing a lot of metal with coarser grits, but even fine belts can overheat a blade with extended contact, so take it slow!

I've also thought about adding a spadroon to the collection.

@@michaelrizzo5523 indeed. Always liked the swashbuckling energy. But went Japanese for the focus if you get my drift. Combining Kenjutsu with fencing. As you've said, their similar enough, with the right swords. Sadly age and time are our enemies. If you haven't seen Adorea, I suggest checking them out. Slan☘️

@@shawnclifford362 I really like what Adorea has been doing.

The 1917 is more of a simple, short cavalry saber, with the narrower fullered blade but thicker cross section and steeper edge geometry, and the 1917 guard isn't ambidextrous (right and left hand versions are available). According to the KOA stats, it's lighter overall but the POB is a lot further forward. I'd considered it when this sword popped up. As for blunting it, my concern is the weight behind a very thin edge. It reminds me of the Kung Fu Dao that, yes, we'd do 2-person forms with: Blunt, but still a meat cleaver if it hit anything boney that wasn't well-projected. Also, I think the thin edge would get chewed up into a saw if it kept contacting steel. I'd want a thicker edge for fencing, and I'd guess you'd have to cut away a lot of this blade to get it.

Castille is awesome. Reach out to Sam and his team and they can probably get you something that fits, even including the thread type. The length of the existing grip is 4"/10cm, plus 2"/5cm for the pommel. Add maybe another cm for the guard for total tang length.

Bigger removal on a 4X36" belt sander with grits from 80 up to 1000. Finer polishing on a 1X30" up to 1000 grit. Just be sure to keep the blade from overheating with frequent breaks and dunking in cool water.

Yup, I've heard thistles and blackberries.