https://www.davisreproductions.com/post/13th-century-swords
Here are the stats:
Weight: 2 lbs 12 oz, 1257g
Overall length: 39.25"
Blade length: 33.5"
Balance point: 5.125"
Grip: 3.5"
When I bought this sword, I was looking for something with a longer blade. A sword that could be considered a cavalry weapon, but not so long and heavy to prevent it from being useful on foot. I also wanted a scabbard. I narrowed my choice to two second hand swords which were available online and chose this one. I bought it from the first owner in a new condition.
In this review, I'm going to focus on describing the sword and my impressions of it. There won't be much historical information here. myArmoury has so much knowledge in feature articles and forum posts, and I encourage anyone interested to peruse its database.
First impressions
I must be honest - at first I was not a fan of this sword's looks. I thought that it looked a bit plain and boring compared to many other reproductions (besides the handle and pommel - I liked it from the start). But I still wanted to buy it, so I started looking for pictures of similar original swords online. I have found some, and Josh Davis was also kind enough to provide pictures of the sword that inspired this one. With enough time, the sword has grown on me.
Fit and finish
The quality of assembly is very good, just as you would expect from a custom sword. Everything is straight, well finished, and tight. The blade has a nice and even satin polish, while the guard and pommel are brought close to a mirror polish. The grip has five risers and is covered with a leather wrap. The leather is plain and has no cord imprint on it, but I like it more than I thought I would. It has a rich dark brown colour with a reddish hue. The sword rings when struck on the blade and nothing moves when you handle it. There is one tiny annoyance - when dry handling, you can hear an ocassional clicking noise in the handle. I'm not sure what causes it. I have seen descriptions of a similar clicking noise in other reviews. Some people stated that a few drops of oil in the guard solve the problem, but I haven't tried it.
Pommel
This is my favourite part of the sword. It looks like a brazil nut pommel that is in the middle of a transformation process to become a wheel pommel ;) Yet, it became something unique as a result. The pommel is expertly shaped - it has enough definition to give it its distinct appearance, yet at the same time it is rounded in all the right spots. It tapers nicely from the handle, first getting thicker and then slowly thinner towards the peen. The peen is nicely blended and basically invisible. The pommel provides support to the hand gripping the sword and doesn't cause any hot spots at all. Beautifully done.
Handle
The handle is thinner and and a little bit shorter than I'm used to. I need to note that I much prefer shorter handles and pommels that provide a solid feedback to the hand, to overly long ones. I was afraid that this one would be too thin for me, as I have pretty big hands. It is almost the case, but the risers and the overall shape of the grip, combined with the pommel give a good feeling of edge alignment and a sure grip. It gets even better with leather gloves. The handle is probably too short to accomodate a maille mitten or a plated glove unless you have smaller hands.
Guard
I'm still not sure what I think of the guard. It is nicely shaped and chamfered. It is comfortable and does not cause any hot spots. It tapers from the middle towards the ends which are nicely rounded. It is narrower and thicker in the middle and gets thinner but wider towards the ends. Objectively, there is nothing to complain about. My only gripe against the guard is that I feel it has too much material compared to originals. I think it would look better with some more metal removed.
Blade
The blade is an Oakeshott type Xa/ Geibig type 5. It keeps its width for most of the length and tapers very slowly towards the tip. It almost seems to start narrower and quickly get wider from the base, just like some originals do, but it is an illusion. The surface is nicely satin polished, the main bevel is ground thin just above the edge. There is a visible secondary bevel, but it is small and narrow. I find it perfectly acceptable. It could be quite easily convexed with maybe 20 passes of 320 grit sandpaper on a foam backing, and then polished with 20 more passes of 600 grit. It is sharp enough to draw cut printer paper smoothly. I haven't used this sword for cutting bottles or other materials, I only tested in once on a cotton jacket, which it cut nicely. The distal taper is done pretty well. It starts around 4.6mm at base and thins to around 2.5mm at the end of the fuller. After the fuller it gets thicker again to around 3.4mm before rapidly tapering towards the tip, to 1.5mm. The area after the fuller is convexed, but I think this is the only part of the blade which could have been done better and it looks like it would benefit from some more grinding.
Handling and performance
I haven't really cut with this sword (with the exception of the above mentioned experiment) because I was not sure if I wanted to keep it and wanted to keep it pristine. The main reason was the length and the weight of the sword. I think I prefer shorter and faster blades.
Let's start with handling then. The first thing that you notice when you grip this sword is how secure it feels in hand. The short handle and the unusual pommel work together to provide a very solid purchase. This automatically means that one has great control in both cutting and thrusting. The latter surprised me, as this sword is a surprisingly accurate thruster. Because of how the grip and pommel interface with the hand, it is very easy to start a cut from any position. It is equally easy to stop a cut midway. Having said that, this sword weighs 1.25kg and has a blade length of 85cm, so it is not a fencing weapon. Cuts feel powerful and you can tell there is a lot of mass left near the tip, so I suppose it should cut well at the CoP and past. I imagine this sword would work well paired with a heater shield. In short, this is a moderately fast sword which has a lot of authority in the cut while remaining reasonably easy to control.
Edge
I have little to say here. I think the edge offers a good compromise between cutting ability and durability. I would prefer the secondary bevel to be blended with the main bevel by the maker, but as I already said, it should not take a lot of work to do it yourself. The sword is appropriately sharp and will cut well as is.
Distal taper
Unfortunately I do not have the full notes for this sword. It starts around 4.6mm thick at base, tapers to around 2.5mm at the end of the fuller, and from there on from 3.4mm to 1.5mm at the tip.
Last but not least - the scabbard
The scabbard is at least as impressive as the sword, if not more so. It is very light and thin. It looks plain, yet I feel it only adds to the quality. The red and brown colour scheme is unusual and looks much better in person than in pictures. In person, the red is vibrant but also subdued compared to the vibrant colour in pictures on Josh' website. The leather looks natural and properly tanned. It has none of that cheap feeling you see on scabbards of cheaper swords. The scabbard features a historically accurate belt and suspension system. It works well and the sword does not get in the way when you wear it. The fit in the scabbard is almost perfect. It goes in and out smoothly and there is a little bit of tension in the beginning when drawing the sword and putting in back in the scabbard. The chape is fitted perfectly and a little bit chamfered around the edges. All in all, this is my first custom scabbard and I have to say it fits the sword really well.
Summary
Would I recommend this sword and Josh Davis? In short - yes, but with some caveats. I feel like this is a very good blade with a great scabbard, and it gets extra points from me because of how rare and unusual the pommel is. Another positive is having a very good edge from the maker. I feel that a lot of customers who want a sharp sword are worried about sharpening swords themselves. This offers a nice compromise. Is it perfect? No, it isn't. I would like to see a little bit more attention to detail - a blended convexed edge instead of a secondary bevel, a little bit more work on the guard to bring it closer to originals, and some more work on further convexing the tip area. I also must praise Josh for his willingness to try unconventional designs and his friendly attitude towards a second owner of his sword.
I will attach a few pictures of the sword, in-progress pics, and 3 historical blades which inspired this one.
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