Hey folks,
I've been thinking about pommel shapes and how often they appear on certain types. Looking through Oakeshott's Records, it seems that wheel pommels and brazil nut pommels were used extensively on cutting swords, while scent-stopper and fish-tail-shaped pommels don't show up much at all in those types. By my count, here are the number of non-wheel or brazil-nut pommels from Records broken down by type:

X: 0
XI: 0
XII: 0
XIII: 0
XIIIA: 1
XIV: 1
XV: 6
XVI: 1
XVII: 7
XVIII: 9
XIX: 5
XX: 6

I've color-coded the types by what I see as their primary function (I'm sure this may spark debate). Cutting swords are red, cut and thrust swords are green, thrusting swords are blue.

In general, it seems that cutting swords have a POB farther out than thrusting swords. Scent stoppers and fish-tail pommels are at their widest farther away from the hand. Would that concentration of mass tend to pull the POB toward the hand any more than a wheel pommel of the exact same weight? If so, is that why we don't see them much on cutting swords?

Also, some wheel pommels distal taper: ie they are thicker near the hand. Would that have any effect on balance versus a pommel of the same weight that had no taper? (Maybe it makes no difference at all)

Or is pommel shape dictated solely by fashion?

I certainly don't know one way or the other in terms of thrusting swords vs. cutting ones, but I will say that the pommel shape definately affects the feel of the sword. It's exactly as you say, the distribution of mass is different. I remember Gus saying that he'd let Christian Tobler test out a longsword that had a wheel pommel, I believe. Christian liked it a lot, but I believe suggested a pear shaped pommel that was closer to more common German swords of the style. Gus said it would throw the sword off, even if it were the same weight, but he did it anyway just to see what Christian said. In the end, they agreed, that even though the pommels weighed the same, the original pommel felt better. (I'm citing what Gus said about this from memory, so I could be off on the details a little, but you get the overall point.)

The shape of a pommel definitely affects the finished sword's balance. It really doesn't take much either.

So the answer pretty much has to be both.... both for aesthetic and balance reasons, and the emphasis would be up to the sword's new owner, the swordsmith, or the cutler, same as today..........

Auld Dawg

I think that to address this topic one must also account for the fact that the various types of fishtail/scentstopper pommels were very likely designed to function as a part of the grippable surface, unlike wheel or brazil nut pommels.

Brian M

While it seems obvious there woud be some difference, couldn't that be countered by adjusting the length of the handle?
It doesn't seem like it would take much difference to take up that change in mass distribution...

I am guessing that if weight and balance were the only issues, adjusting the handle length would work well. Perhaps the issue of harmonics plays a role. If the pommel is part of "tuning" a sword, both in static balance and harmonics, the shape and weight distribution within the pommel itself might be significant.

Time and fashion may also play a role here. Brazil nut pommels are not being made after around 1300. I think you will find few, if any fishtails or scentstoppers made before 1300. The wheel pommels just kept marching on.