Yep very true, it's not meant to be a cutting sword but it would still do it's fair share of damage.

Do you remember the video in question? I'm curious to see the original context. Unless I'm missing something, cutting like a butter knife doesn't sound like a good thing at all, they're just blunt spatulas when you think about it, and that's the worst you can call a sword.

@@FiliiMartis Before I address your reply, as I need to sit down for that one, I will leave you here the video. As soon as I'm home and sitting comfortably I'll take the time to address your reply on the other comment ;) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/juBnfsaoprnRYpc.html

@@FiliiMartis I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want a 1.5 kilo, 39 inch long pointy metal bar being sung at you. Not to mention that its meant for thrusting, so delivering point with this would still put anyone out of action.

@@iantheduellist Ok, I had a look at the video linked above and there's no reference to "cuts like a butter knife". Your hyperbole is fine, and at the stated 1.35kg weight, it would indeed hit pretty hard since it's a very stiff blade. But for a moment I thought that Matt mentioned it being used as a (imperfect) cutting sword. He doesn't, and he is emphasising the fact that it's a thrusting only sword, mentioned in period sources to be used as such (which is what I though). In the end, there's a difference between being hit with a crowbar and an unsharpened edged blade of the same weight. The Cuirassier blades have a quite thick edge, much more than people would expect, so it's more like a crowbar than a blunt sword. Now that I think about it, even HEMA trainers have a thinner edge. Looking at the video, it reminded me how much I like the look of that blade. I actually saw in person a trophy French blade on a Spanish bilbo hilt. The blade was sharpened in the period towards the tip, but because they removed so much material, it lost a lot of its rigidity and the blade is warped at present. Still, those fullers could work in HEMA as a way to get thick edges on trainers while keeping the weight down. Kvetun did something like that on their new Arming 3 sword. I thought a concern would be not to get the blade too stiff, but that seems to be manageable and not much of a concern.

Ah don't worry I understood exactly what you mean with the previous comment, like I mentioned, definitely interesting questions worth answering! Glad you enjoy the videos :) And yeah absolutely, Black Fencer definitely is my go-to place for all my sword needs haha.

Several things to dissect here let me address point by point just so I can shed some light, pun intended. - Yes it's true it's not meant for cutting "So why are you delivering sabre cuts with it?" just because it isn't meant to cut doesn't mean it won't do some degree of damage, otherwise would you be willing to let me cut you full force with a sharp antique? Would you be ok with it? Not a threat haha, just literal question, would you allow anyone to swing full force at you regardless of the protection you had? - "I have a problem that we are using pallasches as (straight) infantry sabres." So this is the same argument that lead me to actually do some research and really wanted one, a cuirassier without a horse would still need to defend himself somehow with the sword he had in his hand, so using a cavalry sword while not on horse should still be used one way or another, so just trying out to see what would that be like. - "But you are mentioning that you have to pull your cuts, which means that you are not even using the weight advantage behind a cut, leaving you with a slower infantry sabre." Yes because swinging this full force would be irresponsible in a practice scenario, I love my sparring partners and I want them to continue fighting, a broken arm takes a while to recover and a damaged mask can be... well you get my idea. - "People that have more knowledge of manuals can clarify, did they teach the use of a pallasch sword on foot? " - I actually do have 10 years of research on british historical swordsmanship and for instances, the Art of Defence on Foot is meant to cover all swords both infantry and cavalry with a system to be used on foot. The system in the british army would be the same with separate cavalry exercises but while on foot you'd be expected to defend yourself with what you have. - "Heavy cavalry officers did carry a separate sword on foot after all (i.e. the dress sword)." Dress swords aren't necessarily "battle" ready, they were often unsharpened and to be used... you guessed it as a dress sword, so formal events, not for actual fighting. Granted some were of course, but they wouldn't be switching from horseback to foot from one sword to the other because like I mentioned it wouldn't be carried into battle per se. Like I mention, not a strict rule, there were always some exceptions. And no worries, definitely not being negative, these are all valid questions and these are definitely topics that I will address in a video review, plenty of content here to talk about, so a genuine thank you for bringing all these up :) Appreciate the comment and I hope my reply was insightful or useful.

@@EspadaNegra Ok, my turn... 🙂 "...would you be willing to let me cut you full force with a sharp antique?" No! Absolutely not! And forget about full force, I say no to even a glancing blow. I have a Napoleonic 1796 type infantry sabre that is nimble as it can be, and it still retained some of its sharpness. I swear that blade knows blood, and it's asking for more. I used it for a small solo drill (not hitting anything) and I had to remind myself that it's an antique, and that I shouldn't swing it too fast since you never know what can break. But it's such a pleasure to move, and that would be the sword I would take with me back in the 1800 (metaphysically, it draws me in to that period when I hold it). On the other hand, my double-edged Hungarian pallasch (that I love equally), that at 1kg feels heavy in the hand, would give me a contusion before it would cut me, but it would cut nonetheless. So the question is, you against yourself (so skill is not a factor), the nimbler sabre versus the heavier pallasch I described above, who would win? My money is on the sabre. But I guess that's the question you are asking as well. And you are making some excellent points about cavalry fighting on foot being just infantry fighting, so you better know how to do it with the weapon you have on you, and not the one you would have with your uniform (which may be sharpened or not; indeed I thought more about the blade type and spadroon like hilt and I forgot that officers would rarely sharpen a dress sword). As a last thing, my "pulling the cuts comment" was in connection to your message in the video description. The idea being that if you pull your hits to protect your sparring partner (which you should), it invalidates the test in a way (in the end, a known issue with heavy weapons sparring, and one can always find that weapon that's just too much for the standard protection). But in reality, I saw some interesting parry then thrusts in your video that made sense with the pallasch. Just rememebr to trade your pallasch with your friend to also test fight against it before you make the review. The more I write, the more I'm interested in the results and the more I'm validating your choice for the pallsch. Good job! 😄 P.S. I must not start looking into military sabre, I must not do it! I have to stay faithful to Bolognese side-sword and make headway, I have to! Ok, maybe cheat a bit with rapier, but Capo Ferro and Giganti are Italians so it doesn't count. They're practically the same thing... the spadone though... 😅

You sure you have a 1796 infantry? Really asking because the patterns were for both light cav and heavy cav, there is a spadroon for infantry but since it doesn't have a curved blade it wouldn't fall under the category of sabre. Also fun thing is that a heavy sword can appear light, and a light sword can appear heavy depending on the point of balance and weight distribution, think for instances the 1796 light cavalry, it's indeed light weight but the weight distribution really wrecks your wrist. And yes all things considered if it's just me against myself it's a no brainer, but that isn't the exercise here. It's going up against anyone with a cavalry sword and using your skill to overcome the adversary using a sword that can put you at a disadvantage. Don't really think pulling back blows invalidates the test per se, exploiting the opening and landing a thrust or cut would be the same thing, there's never the need to use full force to cause damage, not only that but the cuts can go full speed, the only difference being stopping them before and learning to brake them before they cause real damage. Sadly I don't trust anyone in my club at this point to be able to use this safely against anyone, not to mention I'm about the right height and size for a cuirassier, whereas everyone in the club is much shorter than I am, so the odds of them holding this would be even slim. I just need to get a cuirass now to make this more interesting!

​@@EspadaNegra First, yes on the cuirass! What I have is a "pre-regulation Infantry Flank officer’s sabre dating from between 1796 and 1804", if I quote the antique shop from where I bought it. It looks exactly like a 1796 light cavalry sabre, but lighter and shorter (which is why I am referring to it as a 1796 infantry sabre). And you hit the nail on the head. A 1796 light cavalry sabre feels heavy and slow by comparison. This is why I am making such a big fuss over using an infantry sword on foot for that added advantage (our agreement over using what you have on you notwithstanding). I'll add a link to the swords in a separate message, in case it gets blocked.

@@EspadaNegra Ok, it gets deleted. I was expecting that. But even mentioning the blog site removes the message. You'll need to search for Virtus Martialis. From there, follow the crumbs to the next blog and the new post I made today to showcase the two swords I mentioned to you.

Hi Carlo! Nope this one isn't a standard model so they'll only make it upon request.

​@@EspadaNegraHow much would this cost?

@@TheMightyTengu since Black Fencer does this on a commission basis I don't know how much it would cost to be honest. Best thing is, if you're interested, ask them directly.