Hello:

I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the Windlass Steelcrafts German war sword. The product number is 500946.

Here's a link: http://www.windlass.com/p-249-german-war-sword.aspx

Is this a new product? I don't see it on KOA's website. It looks like a nice sword of decent quality. They say it is based upon an actual sword. Is this a Type XVII or XVIII blade? I like this sword. It appears to be more authentic than the Hanwei bastard sword I bought. I just hope it doesn't cost a fortune. Does anyone know its price?

I like this sword! What do you guys think about it? What do you know about it?

Thank you.

This is an old model. To heavy hilt for the blade, blade should be more substantial, I wasn't very impressed... Definitely not as good as H/T Bastard.

That particular sword has been discontinued for several years.

http://www.reliks.com/merchant.ihtml?pid=2576

I had that sword many years ago. I wanted to like it, but I couldn't stand it. The pommel was ridiculous, the handle was round and wierd and the blade was very whippy.

[quote="T. Arndt"]

Dustin Faulkner wrote:

It looks like a Type XVII. Right? I guess this because assuming it is either a XVII, XVIIIa, XVIIIb or XVIIIc: 1. Does not look like a XVIIIa at all. 2. The blade looks too tapered to be a XVIIIb, and does not have the typical handle shape. 3. The blade does not look stout enough to be a VXIIIc and is probably too long as well. Just my guess.

I'd say it's not a Type XVII blade as it doesn't appear to have a hexagonal section. I'd go with XVa if I had to classify it.

The copy on this one says it's from the book Arms & Armor From The Atelier Of Ernst Schmidt - Munich. More info of Ernst Schmidt can be found in our Feature Article A Profile of Ernst Schmidt.

I'd guess the basis for this sword was one of Schmidt's creations, not a historical piece.

This was actually the first sword I ever purchased, a little over 4 years ago, pretty close to the time it was being discontinued. At the time, I didn't know much about anything. As suggested, I'm pretty sure it's a XVa. I've attached pics comparing it to the other representations of the XVa that I have (didn't realize I had so many!).

The attached pics (some of which I suppose are too large to show directly) compare (in order of appearance) the Albion Mercenary, Windlass German War Sword, Albion Agincourt and an ATrim 1520.

As you'll see, blade width on the Windlass is closer to the Agincourt & ATrim and is comparatively whippy. Blade geometry on all four is hollow-ground diamond, without the extremely pronounced central ridge.

As the hilt comparison shows, grip length is pretty good, but cross is less elegant and a little bit wider, throwing off the aesthetics a bit by comparison (IMHO). Pommel is HUGE and, along with less robust blade presence, contributes to the Windlass being hilt-heavy.

As you will see from grip comparison, the Windlass is round, tapering from cross to pommel, rather than what seems more common amongst the higher end production offerings. I don't know that the grip profile is a-historical, but it isn't as common on the repro market. The powdercoat finish DOES seem a bit a-historic in my mind, but this was perhaps common in India ;)

I don't practice WMA (would like to - haven't found the time...), but can't imagine this being used for any reason other than decorative, costuming or weapon of last resort. Got it for a fair price, and was definitely more historically accurate than the second sword I purchased - a Cold Steel Grosse Messer :blush: :lol: (Sean Flynt is presently ripping that one apart for a project).

I like it, but I think that's mostly a sentimental thing.

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Windlass Hilt - Closer Look

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Grip Profile: Agincourt vs. Windlass

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L-R: Albion Mercenary, Windlass German War Sword, Albion Agincourt, ATrim 1520 [ Download ]

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Hilts L-R: Mercenary, War Sword, Agincourt, ATrim [ Download ]

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Windlass In Hand [ Download ]

@Victor, seeing it up close it looks cheap and "decorative" even for Windlass.

I agree to powdercoat finish is pretty atrocious. I have a windlass that, while a far cry from a A&A or Albion, is not this far off the mark. It makes me wonder if even Windlass has has improved over the past few years.

@ T. Arndt - yeah, this is my only Windlass and pretty much turned me off to any other offering they might have. I'm guessing the original that inspired this offering has bronze hilt furniture and this was their attempt at replicating that "feel" cheaply.

I have been seeing some pretty good reviews on other Windlass products over the last couple of years, particularly from the perspective of "for the price...", but am still a little gun-shy. Like most (all?) other Windlass sword offerings, this is a screw-top and, well, I've decided I like the historically based peened offerings better. I know there are applications where the non-peened method can be more useful, but, at present, I'm not banging steel with other enthusiasts and in want or need of an easy method to tighten things up.