[Michael Beeching]

I suppose you could argue that point, Patrick, but I feel a number of variable are likely at play. Just because the hilt is inlaid should not imply that all elements of the weapon are of good quality. Is it possible the steel is soft, and because of that, the blade has been honed extensively to keep the weapon sharp?

Now, given the current state of the weapon, I feel that the past owners of the weapon took great pride in its care. If there was notching on the blade, or any other sort of damage, do you think it possible that the blade was uniformly ground to keep the curve of the edge intact? Given that a tulwar is purpose-designed to excel in the draw-cut, any additional friction along the edge may reduce the effectiveness of the cut. So, the maintainer of the weapon acts accordingly. I think such a condition may have been possible!

Last, I have seen tulwar blades like that before (Ric Furrer cut one up for research, which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z0v9djP_n4), but I cannot concieve why they would be purpose-made that way. If a tulwar was to have a narrow blade, why make the ricasso so wide at the hilt?

*****

Also, aside from a khanda, I could really use one of these:

http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s1292_full.html