[Dan Duke]

I was interested in finding one of these swords for sword and buckler sparring and stage choreography. My questions are as such; 1) Is there an unsharpened version of this sword available? 2) If i were to file down a sharpened version would I lose a significant amount of the blade material/ profile? I have not handled one of theses so I do not know how thick the blade is or how fast the edge gains thickness. Any help would be awome. Thanks.

[Robert Hinds]

Kult of Athena has the Practical Mortuary sword, it's the same type of sword as the cromwell just not as fancy, and it's blunt.

http://kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=PC2076

Hope this helps.

[Jim Mearkle]

I have a Hanwei mort, and I must say it's best for those with smallish hands. The basket catches the back of my hand just above the wrist.

[Isaac H.]

Hi there Dan,

I have some experience with the practical Hanwei Mortuary sword,and I thought I would give you my opinion.Like yourself,I use this weapon for sword and buckler sparring. First of all,it is very short...when fighting against rapier or even sabre,you will find yourself outdistanced.Thus,it is neccesary to be offensive and agressive with this particular sword(the I33. style works fairly well).The blade is very stiff,and is excellent for performing strong beats and envelopments,although you can really bruise someone if you strike too hard.The overall finish is very nice,almost too nice for a sparring sword.The basket offers supreme hand protection,and overall the sword is very well balanced and quick,with a slightly forward weight.The only problem that bothered me was that the basket is pretty small.The top tends to rub against my hand ,and I have small hands . Overall,it is an excellent weapon for the price.I hope this helps you in your consideration

Cheers

[Bryce Felperin]

I bought a Hanweii Cromwell and filed it down so the blade was rounded on the tip and no longer sharp. I use it for side-sword and sword and buckler practice myself with good results. You do need to keep filing the edge to get out burrs and saw edges though, just as you do with any swords you spar with often. One recommendation, for any swords with hilt parts screwed together, is to lock-tite all screws so they don't come loose during play. Nothing is more annoying or worrying in a fight than to "feel" your sword coming loose in the hilt during a fight!

Oh, the decoration and better grip made this conversion better for me than the standard Hanweii blunt Mort in my opinion. The price was good at $400 at the time also.

[Roger Hooper]

Here is an alternative - Armour Class in the UK has a couple of Cromwell Mortuaries, and another really good plain Mortuary that come with either sharp or reenactment blades.

Here is a review of their non-Cromwell Mort

[Bob Burns]

I suppose you could grind it dull but in my opinion the blade profile is too thin to be rendered safe. Mine is incredibly sharp including the false edge. I bought mine in person and lifting it out of the rack by the scabbard I expected it to be a dead sword. However when I pulled the Cromwell out of the rack I was shocked at the liveliness of the blade and it's perfect balance and how light in hand it felt! It's a lot nicer than the Hanwei Mortuary sword but as to a stage combat version my suggestion would be to call Kult of Athena.

Bob

[Bryce Felperin]