[Ian Hutchison]

This a short review of a reproduction of a langmesser in the Rothenburg collection made by Michal Spilka of Nielo Sword. I ordered the sword from Kult of Athena, as usual their service and shipping were extremely satisfactory. http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=...nge+Messer

This is the original below:


These are the stats listed on KoA followed by my own recorded stats, and then the original stats that I have been able to find. Bear in mind I weighed the sword on my domestic scale, so it may not be particularly accurate:

KoA:
OAL: 48 3/4''
Blade length: 35 1/4''
POB: 5 1/4"
Thickness: 7.3mm - 2.7mm
Grip length: 8 3/4"
Weight: 3lbs 9.5oz

Mine:
OAL: 48 3/4"
Blade length: 37
POB: 4 1/2"
Thickness: 7.5mm - 4.8 - 2.8mm
Grip length: 11" w/ pommel, 9 1/2" w/o pommel.
Weight: 3lbs 4oz

Original:
OAL: 49"
Blade length: 38.7"

As you can see, the stats are quite similar. I just wish I knew the weight and distal taper of the original. My first impressions were that the sword is very nimble in the hands, in fact it can be used with one hand almost as readily as with two. The blade has a great deal of flex, at first I was afraid it might be too 'wobbly', I thought that it might effect the cutting ability. That proved not to be the case, at least against milk jugs, as I was able to handily dispatch half a dozen with little effort.

The finish is good and mirrors that of the original pretty closely I feel. The polish is not bright like on many windlass blades, but a more satin appearance, which I prefer. The fullers are straight and even. They are not as deep as the ones in the picture on KoA but actually appear a little more like those on the original. The guard is well executed, though the rounded decorations in the middle of the cross are squared rather than rounded like on the original. There are also a few minor tool marks on the inside of the guard loops. Neither of these bother me. If I had one criticism of the level of finish, it would be that the leather wrap on the grip does not meet evenly along its length. This is a pretty minor quibble though, considering the cost. I hope to replace this in the future with a ray or fish skin wrap.

Overall, I am very pleased with this sword, especially for the price. It looks very much like the original, which I was hoping for, and handled milk jugs with ease. How it would handle a heavier target, like tatami omote, I can't say.

I have to admit I don't know a lot about the intended use of the original. My gut feeling is that it was more of a civilian weapon for judicial fights or duels, if anyone knows otherwise, please let me know. You can click on the thumbnails below to see a larger picture:

[Lafayette C Curtis]

The originals saw use in both military and civilian contexts; if you search for some older threads on the two-handed swords, there are a number of illustrations of Landsknechts or the Swiss (or both?) using these weapons in battle.