I'm new to all this. But I've been trying to find a good cutlass or shorter saber. Most of the makers I've heard good things about mostly do medieval weapons. And I've heard bad things about windlass and cold steel swords. Are they any makers for sabers and cutlasses you guys recommend?

Some windlass sabers, like their scimitar/shamshir, are decent.

How much money are you willing to spend?

Most of the repro cutlasses and sabres that you can find on the net are cheap and not of high quality.

You might look at this hanger from Armour Class - http://www.armourclass.co.uk/data/pages/17century_main2.htm - though some say their blades are too whippy.

Look at this German Dussack from Del Tin - DT5174 - http://kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=DT5174

Here are some other places you can check out - I don't have any personal knowledge of the quality of their products - maybe others can chime in on that.

http://gggodwin-com.3dcartstores.com/Swords_c_98.html

http://www.theroyalsword.com/

http://www.olddominionforge.com/swords.html

The Cold Steel "1917" series of cutlasses and sabers are actually pretty decent, my only major complaint with them is they lack a distal taper. The screws can back out but that's easy enough to fix by staking or thread locker. The handle shape isn't my favorite but that's the original design not Cold Steel's fault, it works as is and if you really wanted to it'd be easy enough to make your own grip slabs. Other than that the fit, finish and durability of these are actually really good for their price point. Once you factor in the value of the scabbards, which are way better than the originals ever were, it's a darned solid offering.

Forum member Ben Potter has made some pretty nice cutlassy things.

Also check out Arms & Armor, Lutel Handcrafts, Vladimir Cervenka and Tod's Stuff. All have made similar type swords in the past and would be on the top of my go to list for a good cutlass.

The Hanwei Revolutionary War Hanger looks OK:
http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=...War+Hanger

Go to eBay to buy any sword. Auction prices (as opposed to Buy it now) are usually much lower than retail. Just make sure that the seller has a high rating. If the Seller claims historical value for the sword (even age) ask how that was determined.