[Chad Arnow]

Introduction
The term quillon dagger typically calls to mind a dagger shaped like a small sword. In the medieval era, these daggers would have often possessed pommels of the forms seen on swords; one of the many wheel varieties would have been common. Other forms of quillon dagger did exist, though, as evidenced by period art and surviving museum examples. One particular form features a down-turned guard with curled ends, a feature not uncommon among quillon daggers. In place of a more typical pommel, though, is an upper guard that is a mirror image of the lower guard, giving two metal bands in the hilt that each curve away from the grip to form curled ends.

Seen in manuscripts from the late 11th-13th centuries, this form also survives in at least two museums, the Bayerisches Armeemuseum in Ingolstadt, Germany and in the UK’s Royal Armouries at Leeds. According to its website, the piece in Leeds is dated 1371-1399. Another similar dagger was pictured in Harold L. Peterson’s book Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World (first published in 1968 and reprinted since). The example in Peterson was said to be in the London Guildhall Museum; it has likely been moved to another museum since then. All the survivors I know of lack their original grips. The curled ends of the upper and lower guards typically contain contrasting bits of metal. The subject of this review, the Tod Cutler Antennae Medieval Quillon Dagger (TC69), is inspired by this family of daggers.

Overview
Tod Cutler is the production arm of Tod’s Workshop (formerly Tod’s Stuff). Run by Leo “Tod” Todeschini, Tod Cutler features items designed by Tod and handmade to his specifications. He makes every effort to keep the items in stock for immediate shipping and many pieces are priced around £100. Tod Cutler has replaced Tod’s previous enterprise, The English Cutler.

Dagger blades are made of slack quenched EN 45 steel and are typically offered semi-sharp, which the website describes as “butter knife sharp.” Many can also be sharpened for an extra fee (£10 in this case). This piece was ordered with the sharp edge. Scabbards are usually offered in a series of colors: red, black, brown, or natural. The order was placed online, shipped less than 48 hours later, and arrived at my US address a week after it was shipped. All in all, it was a quick and easy process handled through his website.

Measurements and specifications:
Weight: 11.5 ounces
Overall length: 14 7/8 inches
Blade length: 10 1/4 inches
Blade width: 1 3/8 inches at base, tapering to 3/8 inches
Grip length: 3 1/4 inches
Guard width: 2 7/8 inches

Replica created by Tod Cutler of the United Kingdom.

Handling Characteristics
This dagger is easy to wield and sits in the hand with a sense of assurance and authority. While it isn’t a lightweight (the blade is around 1/4 inch thick at its base), any perception of weight that comes in static handling disappears when the dagger starts moving. It moves with ease whether held with the point up or the point down. Controlling the point is easy and the sharpened edge is quite sharp.

Tod has experience as an engineer, a fact that seems to shine through in his approach and designs. There seems to be an intense curiosity on his part to understand how and why things work. The hilt on this piece is a great example of his theory on, and approach to, dagger hilts. The faceted grip is comfortable in the hand and helps lock the hand in place. It is historically sized so that your hand also interfaces with the upper and lower guards. The shapes, sizes, and locations of the hilt components all work together to make sure the weapon stays firmly in hand and that the edge stays easily aligned. You could pick up the weapon blindfolded and would have no trouble figuring out where the edge needs to be.

Fit and Finish
In email correspondence, Tod stated his “absolute aim is to provide historically accurate, proportioned, sized and detailed pieces at affordable prices. They are not perfect, but not much in history ever was, but, they are damn good overall.” This piece bears that philosophy out completely.

The wooden grip is nicely, though not perfectly, shaped. The blade is generally well-formed, though the center line is not perfectly straight on one side. To differentiate the Tod Cutler line from his custom work, Tod has marked the blade with a circle of two segments; his custom mark is a four-segmented circle. The guards are also well-shaped but show minor inconsistencies here and there. The inset brass pieces in the scrolls of the guard are a nice touch. When viewed from the peened end, the upper guard is canted just a bit out of line compared to the lower guard. The general finish shows a few scratches and grind marks. These are all things seen on period pieces and don’t bother me, especially given the price.

The scabbard is of two layers of leather, dyed red. It fits the blade well, though the dagger will fall out if the scabbard is upended (this part of Tod’s philosophy on scabbard fit). It is decorated with incised lines and panels on the front and back. A simple brass chape finishes it off.


Conclusion
A major driving force behind the purchase of this dagger was to see just how much quality you could really expect for less than $150 USD. This price range in the replica market typically involves flaws and compromises that I don’t find acceptable any more. Given what you usually find, it’s easy to expect disappointment at this price point. However, I was pleasantly surprised.

For an affordable price, I received a well-designed, well-constructed piece that would not be out of place at all in the 13th and 14th centuries. While it has minor finish flaws, they are not upsetting to me. Honestly, I’ve seen these same issues in pieces that cost two to three times as much. Tod has managed to bring high quality and accuracy to a price range not known for those things.

[Victor R.]

I purchased one of these a few years back during one of the sales and have been thoroughly pleased by the purchase.

At present, it hangs from my headboard - it's always nice to have a quickly deployable dagger at hand.

[Leo Todeschini]

Hi Chad,

Thanks very much for posting this and a great and balanced review and what I particularly enjoyed seeing was an unbiased account of my philosophy of making in general and Tod Cutler specifically. As far as I am concerned, the moment a piece is perfect, it is by definition not perfect to the period because items never really were. To make it look real it needs to be made by hand and as if it were the guys everyday job then the piece naturally seems like it was shipped back in a Time Machine.

Thank you for taking the time.

Tod

[Dan Kary]