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Raymond Deancona
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 Posted: Sun 11 Mar, 2007 11:10 am Post subject: Cold Steel Scimitar - I Am Interested in a Review. |
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Has anyone purchased a Cold Steel Scimitar? If so can you give me your thoughts on the piece as a whole? Thanks
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Sun 11 Mar, 2007 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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Yes I have had one for a few years: Two of them actually , the first one had a little vertical blade play and probably a first production run and other Coldsteel linerlocks I have bought haven't had this problem. ( much )
Those would be the titanium Ti-Lite and the zytel version with 6" blade: I just went to double check and these do have a little blade play, but nothing that would make the folders prone to fail easily and close at the wrong moment.
My first Scimitar's blade play was just something annoying and I gave this one to a friend after I found and bought a second one much more recently that has bankvault like lock i.e. zero movement when locked open.
The blade shape is aesthetically pleasing and the zytel handle is very comfortable in a forward or icepic reverse grip.
There are nice textures embossed into the handle and with a semi-pistol grip is very secure in the hand.
The ball at the end of the handle would be useful focusing blows on nerve endings for non lethal blows with the knife open or folded. Basically the " blurb " on the coldsteel site is accurate and I haven't found anything I strongly disagree with. http://www.coldsteel.com/scimitars.html
The only thing may be what one thinks of zytel as handle material: Very practical but a bit uninspiring. 
There is an inset steel liner inside the zytel so the knife feels firm and it takes a lot of pressure on the sides of the knife to compress it: So the assembly is solid and doesn't flex to any degree.
As an everyday carry knife or hunting knife it is comfortable for inside the waistband carry: Many folders have angular corners that dig into your side when carried this way. The ball at the end gives you good purchase to pull it out and with the bonus of being comfortable.
By some coincidence I'm waiting for a Cooldsteel Talwar which seems like a higher end version of the same design and I should be getting it this week.  http://www.coldsteel.com/60st.html
If you have any specific questions I haven't answered let me know and I will answer if I can.
Oh, the use and purpose for the knife is a factor? I mostly just collect and I always look at these in the tactical / weapons way but in real life they are mostly just for opening those impossible to rip open bubble pack  And as just Man jewellery and just because I like knives in the same way I like swords and armour. For hunting and for a practical camping tool I can't really say much more that I see this knife as functional for this type of use but other knives might be better designs.
And a blade can always be needed for some emergency use like cutting a jammed seat belt after a car accident or if someone's tie gets tangled in some piece of machinery.  ( Or any other situation where having some sort of cutting edge might save your life ! The only other things equally useful for survival situations might be a roll of duct tape, some matches and maybe some fishing line. )
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Raymond Deancona
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| Posted: Sat 17 Mar, 2007 12:40 pm Post subject: |
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Jean, thanks for that very in-depth review. Unfortunately I should have been more specific. I totally forgot Cold Steel makes a folder with the same name. I was looking for information on the sword they are currently making. Oddly enough though, I have been looking at their folder of the same name. So, thanks again for the review. You don't happen to own one of the new swords do you? Ray
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Thomas Watt
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| Posted: Sat 17 Mar, 2007 12:50 pm Post subject: |
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Are you asking about the Cold Steel Shamshir? (has a scimitar-like blade)
I own a saber by them, and can say that it tends to be a little heavy in the hand. I do not own the blade pictured above.
Have 11 swords, 2 dirks, half a dozen tomahawks and 2 Jeeps - seem to be a magnet for more of all.
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Sat 17 Mar, 2007 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Raymond Deancona wrote: | | Jean, thanks for that very in-depth review. Unfortunately I should have been more specific. I totally forgot Cold Steel makes a folder with the same name. I was looking for information on the sword they are currently making. Oddly enough though, I have been looking at their folder of the same name. So, thanks again for the review. You don't happen to own one of the new swords do you? Ray |
OOOOPS: No I don't have the sword. 
Well, maybe the info on the folding knife will still be useful to someone !
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Shawn Henthorn
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| Posted: Sat 17 Mar, 2007 7:17 pm Post subject: |
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Hey Raymond, I just ordered this sword on Thursday and it should be arriving on wedensday. Give me a little time to play and I will be able to tell you something about it.
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Shawn Henthorn
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| Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2007 6:18 am Post subject: |
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Well I got the sword and have been playing with it for about a week now. It is 3/16 thick for the entire length of the blade and is around 1 1/4" wide. It has a signifigent blade presence but feels amazingly good when swung. The handle is just around four inches, a bit to long for my taste. The balance point is at 7 1/2" and the blade has more curve than is apparent in the photos (about four inches of curve). It is not as sharp as i would have expected and lacks the sterile perfection that i have seen in other cold steel products. On the contrary this sword actualy has personality. The faux horn handle is pretty good, it does not look plastic but it does not look horn either. The brass furniture gives a much more vivid contrast than what is seen in the pictures. The last thing, this sword cuts milk jugs like a demon. This is the only time while cutting that I have made a cut that left the top part of the jug still sitting on the bottom half.
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John Cooksey
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| Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2007 6:30 am Post subject: |
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Very, very interesting.
The specs and handling sound remarkably similar to my old Armart shamshir.
I might have to pick one of the Cold Steel pieces up, just to compare for myself.
Thanks for the update.
I didn't surrender, but they took my horse and made him surrender.
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Vadim Palshin
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| Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2007 12:10 pm Post subject: More details, please? |
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Shawn, thanks for the info. I have been looking at the CS Shamshir for a while now, and it is nearly impossible to find any reviews of it. Too bad about the lack of distal taper, but I have suspected as much. POB of 7.5" seems a bit too far - would it be possible for you to do any fencing moves with this sword - for example Burton's exercises/moulinets? Couple of other questions: is there a false edge (can't see it in the pictures)? How is the handle attached, is it possible to re-fit it with a more traditional saber guard (and maybe "accidentally" improve the balance in the process)?
This sword looks good the way it is, but … I am unsuccessfully looking for a functional, inexpensive light “dueling”-type saber reproduction, and this Shamshir looks like a fair approximation. If other Cold Steel swords, like their Napoleon or the light cavalry model, were thinner/lighter/more tapered – that would be ideal. Never mind, I am getting away from the topic.
Thanks again and please keep your impressions of this sword coming – right now you are just about the only source of information regarding this nice saber.
Vadim.
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Shawn Henthorn
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| Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2007 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, it is absolutely possible to do the moulinets. The sword even with the lack of a distal taper feels comparable to the handling of my Squire line Knightly. The handle seems to be permenatly attached with epoxy and rivet pins. There is no false edge and as far as i know a shamshir (as opposed to a kilij) is not supposed to have one. Might be wrong though. I had thought at first that the 7 1/2" point of balance was a bit much, but like i said it really does handle quite nicely. It has a strange "gliding" feel when swung that i like. Kinda feels like it is floating on air. Also keep in mind that with a 4" curve straight thrusts would be difficult at best. My only complaints with this sword is the handle length(make it about 1/2"-3/4" shorter) and maybe add another inch of curve.
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Vadim Palshin
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| Posted: Wed 28 Mar, 2007 9:03 am Post subject: |
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Excellent! Pity about the back edge, I'd like to have one on a saber more than to have a historically accurate shamshir I've heard people talk about "hooking" thrusts with a shamshir, with the implication that one could thrust around a shield or something like that. Anyway, this sword is now at the top of my shopping list, must experience that "gliding" feel you've mentioned Thanks for the review!
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John Cooksey
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| Posted: Wed 28 Mar, 2007 9:22 am Post subject: |
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| Shawn Henthorn wrote: | | Yes, it is absolutely possible to do the moulinets. The sword even with the lack of a distal taper feels comparable to the handling of my Squire line Knightly. The handle seems to be permenatly attached with epoxy and rivet pins. There is no false edge and as far as i know a shamshir (as opposed to a kilij) is not supposed to have one. Might be wrong though. I had thought at first that the 7 1/2" point of balance was a bit much, but like i said it really does handle quite nicely. It has a strange "gliding" feel when swung that i like. Kinda feels like it is floating on air. Also keep in mind that with a 4" curve straight thrusts would be difficult at best. My only complaints with this sword is the handle length(make it about 1/2"-3/4" shorter) and maybe add another inch of curve. |
"Shamshir" is kind of a generic term, anyway. In Middle Iranian, I think the word just indicated "sword". So shamshirs had various styles of blade through history.
You can straight thrust with one of that curvature, against soft targets, no problem. That narrow point should penetrate quite well. Hooking thrusts, of course, too . . . . . .
I didn't surrender, but they took my horse and made him surrender.
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Shawn Henthorn
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| Posted: Wed 28 Mar, 2007 12:08 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah it is possible to straight thrust with it and have good penetration but it is kinda awkward and very inaccurate. Now while "shamshir" is a generic term in Persian for a sword specific to that group of people "much like the Turkish kilij" now scimitar i think is a more far reaching generic term that incompasses both types of sword and you also see that different types of swords have different names in persian and according to my friends from Afganistan and Iran the Shamshir is a specific type .However while both of these friend like swords and have studied them they are by no means experts ( man where is Manoucher when you need him ) and might not know something, Now I am just using the basic common usage of the term, I have no doubt that there are many subtleties of which I am not aware. Much like the way this sword has a persian blade but and ottoman hilt, a feature that seems to have been fairly common. Anyway like I said I am far from certain that none of the Persian shamshirs didnt have a back edge
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This is a standard topic