Posts: 1,903 Location: Toronto
Thu 09 Dec, 2021 12:01 pm
And here, at last, is the review I promised Mr. Miller. It’s taken a while, first because things are crazy this year for everyone, and second because I don’t have much expertise on the subject of baskehilt broadswords. My knowledge, such as it is, comes from studying Viking and high medieval swords. As I mentioned above, this was a completist acquisition: as a person proud of my Scottish ancestry, I had to have at least one basket hilt. This one appealed to me because of its ‘medieval’ dimensions.
But here we go:
Introduction
As noted above, this sword is based on an early 18th century antique sword that was for sale some time ago. It is one of the largest of its type I’ve ever seen, as big as some of my larger medieval swords. I’m not sure where it would fit in an Oakshott typology: maybe XX-XXII, but it does not have the typical ricasso of late medieval swords. I don’t know to classify the basket type or origin; maybe some experts out there can chime in on that front.
Some measurements:
Weight: 3.8 Lbs.
Overall length: 38 ¾”
Blade length: 33”
Blade Width at base: 2 3/16”
CoG/PoB: 5 ¾”
Grip: 4” (including ferules).
Cross-section: lenticular, varying non-linearly from ~5mm to < 2mm near tip.
Profile: Convex, non-linear to a slightly rounded tip.
Optimal Striking Point: 10” from tip
Point of minimal vibration on hilt: ~1” from pommel.
Fit and Finish:
Rob Miller does beautiful blades and this is no exception. The fullers are perfect, the lenticular section is super well done, and the profile looks just perfect to the eye. The overall blade finish is very nice: satin, with just one little scratch on the whole thing. (Note that its been sitting in the scabbard for a while and I did not have time to polish it before the pictures below, so a few superficial scuffs and such may be visible.) The basket is very nicely formed and looks very similar to the original sword (to my eye) but has a rougher finish, particularly on the interior. Its very thick and stiff compared to the somewhat flimsy baskets I've seen on entry level broadswords in stores. Rob has some very beautiful and highly ornate baskets on his web site, so I would say this is more of a fighting man’s sword than an prestige weapon in that sense, and he was working on a lower budget here than his higher end pieces. I requested a simple scabbard and that’s what I got: but handsome enough in red with brass chapes.
Handling:
This weapon has a nice mass distribution, but it's ultimately a big heavy sword. Even with the big basket the centre of gravity is fairly far out, like an early medieval sword. In fact it feels a lot like the early medieval swords I’m familiar with, except for that feel of weight and restriction around the hand. Like them, its not built for fencing but might work well from horseback or in that final collision of the ‘highland charge’. Otherwise, it moves well through guard positions, but would tire the arm quickly and the basket does not allow the same freedom of movement (e.g. transitioning between grip styles) that I'm used to. Having said that, the ray skin grip with brass wire provides a very sure grip. BTW, the original sword was even longer, but had a slightly more concave profile which would likely affect handling. Rob noted before delivery that there were some point of contact between the basket and knuckles that he tried to file off. They are still there (although it turns out the weight of the sword twists them away from the hand in forward position). Overall, an insert or a heavy glove would fix that problem.
The edge of this sword was left ‘butter knife’ sharp at my request (my plan was to display it in a fairly public area of the house, so don’t want people cutting themselves). But the edge geometry is excellent and I would say this sword, even as it is, would cut through just about anything if you have the 'swinging' space to get it up to full speed.
Overall Impression:
This is a really cool imposing sword that fulfils exactly what I wanted for display purposes. It's hard to completely capture this on camera but I've done my best below. I really love the blade on this one, even if its not the easiest one to handle. I'm not sure it’s the most practical sword for the average person, especially for fencing, and its not the most refined of its type. If your taste runs to the latter, I recommend you check out Rob Miller’s ‘Castle Keep’ web site to see some really lovely work.
But if you like big, brutish swords, this one’s a beauty.
Now, I’ll let my pictures do the talking:
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