[Chad Arnow]

Has anyone gotten their hands on one of these yet? Tod Cutler Swords. They look like very competitive offerings. I'd love to hear firsthand accounts. The falchion is especially interesting to me. The initial batch sold out quickly.

[Sean Manning]

I wonder how the Tod Cutler team produce their scabbard cores in batches? Do they carve the wooden slats by hand or use power tools?

[Victor R.]

[Dan Kary]

I'm really interested in the hanger.

What is intriguing to me is that Matt Easton/Royal Armouries/Windlass came out with one, based on the same model, it seems like just a while ago.

Without being an expert, the Tod Cutler one looks overall better for a MUCH better price - plus you get a belt with the Tod Cutler version and a clearly better scabbard. I think I like the full guard rather than the "nagel" (because I tend to agree with Tod on that it is likely broken when you consider other swords like this), and the knuclebow looks better - with the Royal Armouries one it looks like it is touching the pommel (but the original is bent in a funny way, where it is overlapping the pommel on one side) so it is hard to tell the actual placement it would have had new. I understand that the Royal Armouries one is supposed to replicate what's there (sort of), but I feel like what's there now isn't what was there before. I think the Tod Cutler one is more representative of what was probably there back in the day and that's what's appealing to me.

I don't know about steels and fit and finish stuff - maybe this is where the Royal Armouries one shines...but I have to say that, as usual, the stuff Tod comes out with looks a lot more medieval than anything windlass comes out with (or just about anybody else for that matter).

[Michael Sandoval]

Dan and everyone,

I am interested in Tod Cutler’s Wakefield hanger as well. I do also own l the Royal Armouries/Matt Easton version, and I think Matt did a fantastic job—

The Royal Armouries Wakefield is an excellent blade. I think really raising the bar for what Windlass can do. I agree with other reviews that it feels like a much higher end sword, and certainly Matt’s exacting measurements help create the excellent balance. It’s super light but feels strong. I do agree that Tod Cutler”s scabbard and belt look better… but the Roya Armouries scabbard is fine enough—wood core, metal chape, just no belt and plain looking. I was lucky to get this particular blade for half the price…

I am going to have it sharpened and have the edges rounded off… Not a huge job, but something to note: the edges of the hilt and nagel can feel a little sharp against the skin. Not bad but something I would prefer to be rounded off for comfort.

As for the rear hand guard vs the nagel— it is my understanding that hangers of the same design could exhibit either of these… And probably some also had broken guards!

I trust Matt’s research, and I trust Tod’s.

I truly think that both are legitimate, and I would love to try Tod’s version to see how the extra guard affects handling. As well as ease of carry—

[Glen A Cleeton]

[Sean Manning]

[Blaz Berlec]

I love everything about them.

Unfortunately, buying products from UK for us in EU now means we pay the full price with UK VAT, then we pay the local VAT on both product + shipping + UK VAT.

Also, I already have a Landsknecht Emporium Günther messer with CC2 pommel and scabbard, and I love this thing, so I would only be interested in a 15th century arming sword, which they don't offer.

[Sean Manning]

[William P]

havent bought them, but, well.. lets just say i was.. dissapointed? by the price?
Let me explain..

tod cutlers daggers, like his rondel and ballock daggers were a wonderful entry into the world of collecting medieval edged objects, they look and feel REALLY nice and theyre not astronomically expensive

then he announces, 'tod cutler swords nice and affordable'
so i rushed onto the site thinking, "oh wow ill be able to get a sword in my price ra-......" it was at that precise moment i flipped the cost to AUD

$1one thougsand anf fourty one aussie dollars....

so... no... not actually affordable.. at least not to me who doesnt even have that in savings..
especially given that these are sharps and thus i cant even use them for the daily business of fighting people in sparring
compared to his tods worshop stuff, or what albion sells, these ARE quite affordable, and the scabbards are lovely

they ALSO give a wonderful insight into... the dichotemy of price between swords and daggers/ long knives

i remember thinking , that daggers/ long knives are more personal, and also cheaper for the equivelent level of build quality

now with tod cutler having both swords AND his daggers, i can actually make that comparison,
both of these items can be considered to have a equivelent level of quality on
-geometry
-fit and finish
-decoration
-scabbards/ sheathes
-overall build quality

for items of their type,

i can compare my $218 AUD hollow rondel dagger, to the swords which cost just under 5 times the price which handily vindicates my plan to largely collect daggers and long knives instead of swords due to this price consideration...

also they are MUCH easier to store.

which would make me curious if historically the gap between a sword and a dagger of about mid grade workmanship would have a similar price gap in period.

[Blaz Berlec]

The Tod Cutler swords aren't cheap. But I think the large part of the cost are actually scabbard and belt fittings, which are kind of expensive at Tod Cutler, compared to his daggers and knives. Just the chape for the Messer scabbard is offered for 75 pounds!

[Dan Kary]

Yeah if you look at the package price then these approach something like Albion prices (for something not made like an Albion - I think these are probably Chinese factory-made parts assembled in the UK?) but the fact that you're getting the scabbard, is where the value is - which is exactly the word to use rather than "affordable" (which is relative) or "budget". These are good value. When people throw around words like "affordable" or "budget" it just leads to disappointment.

One thing I wished was different was the fittings (and this doesn't quite count as a criticism, because they are good reasons to do it the way it is being done). I wished there was greater variety in the fittings used on the Tod Cutler stuff. The same peen washers, chapes, etc. are used a lot. It would be nice to have variety. Or even the option to buy without certain fittings and then buy those and install them yourself. For example, to buy a dagger without a chape, and then add on one and put it on yourself (it would be nice to have a list too - chapes x,y,z will work with this sheath). It would add cost, but I'd gladly pay for that (within reason - but even if was just a matter of buying everything as is the cost would be fine). As it is, I'd have to take a chape off and I think that would probably ruin the sheath.

However, I also get that part of the reason the costs are as low as they are is because they are using the same fittings for multiple items, and that if I wanted greater fitting variety, I'd probably have to get sometime made by the workshop site instead of the cutler site. I wonder if it would be possible to buy a sword without the scabbard from the cutler site (with an appropriate cost adjustment), and then get a scabbard from the workshop site with different fittings, a different colour belt and scabbard (because they are all matching, red-red, green-green, etc.) such as a blue scabbard with a black belt. Maybe it would be easy to just buy the belt fittings, and go to the leather store and dye/replace the belt myself?

[Leo Todeschini]

Hi All,

Thanks for being interested and the very positive comments.

We tried to make a line of swords that were true to type and weight and proportion and size and that could be delivered at a reasonable cost. I also believe that a sword is basically not a complete system without a scabbard. They are integral. I started making knives all those years ago (around 25) mostly because the sheathes that were available for reenactment knives were so awful. The knives back then were not great, but the sheathes were truly awful, so really since the start I have viewed the two objects as one.

I work with a small smithing company in India for some of the Tod Cutler line and have done for years and I developed the prototypes for these pieces in the spring summer of 2020; strangely world events got in the way and they have been slow to market. I have no idea when Matt Easton/RA/Windlass started their relationship but the fact we both chose one of the same swords was just coincidence.

I have worked with RA before and I don't know, but suspect the main reason they went without the knuckle bow was that their sword does not (now) have one. However many of the Wakefield type do have knuckle bows and I think this sword probably did originally, so made one similar to other swords of this type.

I started with shorter blades because it is easier to make and definitely easier to ship, but also because I love shorter swords and TBH I try to make pieces I am interested in, but longer swords will be coming down the line, but there are a few more shorter ones to come before then.

Pricing is always a very difficult thing for any crafts person or product commissioner and you tend to go round and round trying to find a balance between what delivers value for money and makes you a profit and so there are loads of things to consider, but as soon as you offer variety or customisation or choice the cost as a producer goes up vastly. It seems silly but for example if you offer colour choices, you now have to read the order carefully, check it, pick the colour combinations, put it together, check it again and then carry on. Mistakes will happen (because they always do), and so that has a cost also. So the difference between 'red' and a choice actually costs quite a lot. This is also true of any other choices such as chaps etc. The real problem though is that is hard to explain to most people and so you end up with two objects that look much the same that have different prices and then you get lots of emails about why.....

In response to Blaz. Brexit was the most stupid thing any nation has ever done to themselves, but unfortunately we all have to deal with it, but hopefully we will open a European branch in a couple of years (losing the UK tax revenue) but making products our products cheaper for you, but this will have to wait until our kids are a bit older.

Dan Kary wrote

[Sean Manning]

Yeah, a basic wood-core scabbard and belt made in the USA can easily cost 500 USD. Off-the-rack replica swords made in the USA start around 800 USD (Albion, Arms & Armor, Lockwood Swords). Tod's prices are about half what the sword and scabbard would cost if they were made in the USA. Shipping costs and delays are annoying but they let us buy things that the local economy won't support.

In my limited experience making wood-core scabbards, its a lot of fiddly work with sharp tools, and if you hire it out to a millwork shop you have to compete with rich folks remodelling their houses or building boats.

[Dan Kary]

Thanks so much for the post Tod. It all makes sense!

Just to clarify, I said the package price - meaning I acknowledge you're getting a scabbard and a sword for $700 USD so I did make sure to take that into account. I think that if you took the scabbard out they would be way under for sure (and I am totally on board with your thoughts about the inclusion of scabbards and sheaths). But I think I might have been better to be more specific about "approach" - there are quite a few of Albions for $880 USD (the only ones that would come for less are the squire line) but, again, that's without a scabbard. Still, I can concede that ~$180 is still pretty far apart (but of course that's all relative). If you add in a scabbard for an Albion then it is indeed really far apart.

That's why the Tod Cutler swords are a good deal. I don't want anybody to think I'm saying otherwise. The swords look good, so do the scabbards, and the package price for both is great when using comparables, in my opinion. I was very excited and happy to see this (I still am!).

I think you and Matt picked the same because great minds think alike. I cannot think of a more iconic duo than Matt and Tod!

[Greg E]

Will this new line of swords include any from the Viking or Migration period I wonder? Usually 30" or shorter blades.

[Sean Manning]

I can totally see the arguments for both approaches (sell just the sword to keep the price down and focus on one trade, or sell the sword with a scabbard because its cheaper to do them in batches while the sword is already in your shop).

It seems like the trend is for shops in low-wage countries like Hungary or China to offer a wood-core scabbard with their sharp swords.

[William P]