As a massive fan of smallswords (because i love how elegant and proper they were) them not being able to cut at all was kind of bugging me, and made me prefer the rapier slightly, but thanks to this video i shall return to my eternal love for the gentleman’s sidearm!
Nobody in comments claiming that triangular wounds can't be stitched up, or that triangular bayonets were banned by the Geneva convention. Feels good :)
Stoner 63 Each time I see someone saying bullshit about triangular blades I just feel really angry, I mean triangular blades are so evil and banned that you can go to budk and order one in knife or bayonet form just for $90
Liancour 1692 shows a plate with small-sword above head after being drawn - someone explained (I don't have a translation) to cut or nick as a means to encourage rapid agreement on any matter of difference.
Is it worth saying something like "By cutting, we're talking about the efficient chopping or slicing of a sharp, cut-and-thrust sword" rather than "can draw blood"? I imagine some people are thinking "But if you hit someone round the face with your epée/tree branch/fist it's going to 'cut' them". Just a thought.
I'm sure you can give a shallow cut with a smallsword if you do a drawing cut, but like you implied, it wouldn't be that effective. If you are trying to cut someone with a smallsword, you aren't trying to skewer them which is what the sword was designed to do.
Ref The Duke and duels. In later life, when he was Prime Minister in 1829, the Duke of Wellington himself fought a famous duel with Lord Winchelsea at Battersea Fields over statements Lord Winchelsea had made in a letter to the press. Pistols were used. The Duke fired first, apparently deliberately away from his target, but we can't be sure (especially as he was a notoriously poor shot), Lord Winchelsea then fired in the air. After a discussion and some alterations to the document Lord Winchelsea handed over his pre-prepared written apology. IIRC In the Navy duels were not forbidden but ones between officers of unequal rank were.
Interesting. Obviously neither man wanted to end the other, but there was a matter of honor at stake and it had to be settled. Makes Bushido look almost flexible by comparison.
This is opposite of what I was thinking. I was thinking that if you made the tip of a small sword thin enough you could do tip cuts. I think that would diminish the thrusting capability, but if your small sword is a first Blood dueling sword that might be an advantage.
I study Chinese swordsmanship (see my channel) and have found your videos very informative in a general sense. Your professionalism and thoroughness continues to impress. I have a question that you may be uniquely qualified to answer. Can you make a video about how much you think that the various styles of European swordsmanship have been recreated? I assume that some Smallsword styles are closest to being recreated, as there is an overlap with modern fencing.. Thank you for your time, Matt.
Yay for smallswords! In addition to edged triangular cross-section smallswords like that one, I believe there were also some smallswords that were edged with a flattened diamond, hexagonal, or a combination/transition of both types of cross-section. Many of these blades are on earlier, transitional smallswords, but there are also later (18th century) examples. Italian and Spanish examples seem to be the most common.
Grimm I asked him if he ever hit a camera and he said "never." Still has all his fingers after a couple of decades, I'm guessing he never seriously cuts himself.
Nate Aaron Probably nothing major, yeah. But I’m wondering if he ever just gets like a paper cut from a sword. He could make a video on sword handling safety. I’m an idiot that needs to be told how not to cut my arm off or impale the back of my head.
I once has a somewhat deep cut in my right hand when throwing a machete at a tree(20', quite a big blade). The machete bounced on the tree and came back hurling at me, I was some 8 yards away, on istinct I defended my face, the edge hit my hand sideways in the muscle part, I held my hand some 15 minutes to stop the bleeding, I think I could have stitched, but as it stopped bleeding I just washed with some ethanol, now there is only a small scar.
I had a sabre go through my elbow whilst pulling my shirt on over my head. I walked into the door frame and it fell since I didn’t secure it to the wall. Eleven staples on the entry side and three on the exit since I stumbled around and caught it on a lamp and bookshelf all while I had a shirt halfway over my head and torso. ☹️
John-Paul Silke Holy shit dude. Good life lesson right there. But, plus side, if you ever want to become a writer, you now have the personal experience of being kinda stabbed through with a sword. Worst that’s happened to me is cutting my thumb with an axe that I sharpened a bit too well and sawing my fingers during some woodworking projects. And one time when practicing cuts from vom tag (with a *blunt* sword) I somehow nailed myself in the back of the head like an idiot. If the sword had been sharper I’d have cut my head open. That knowledge quickly improved my form.
Keep in mind there's 2 versions of license Game of Thrones swords, Matt: The licensed pre-HBO versions and the licensed HBO versions. Pre-HBO, Arya had a poorly made estoc. Now that Valyrian Steel has the HBO money, it's a proper epée.
I get that the offline geometry makes the smallsword blade rubbish at chopping, but would there be any utility in sharpening the blade for the potential for draw/push cuts? In civilian context, you are not facing armor. Or do you reckon that even light clothes would be enough protection that it wouldn't be worth attempting cuts with a sword that can stab so much more effectively anyway?
I'll just say that in the book the sword Needle was described sort of like a side sword or maybe rapier that had been left in the dryer too long and shrunken.
I'll admit its been a while since I read the books so I pulled out my signed first edition of A Game of Thrones to see what's actually said... Needle is described as having a skinny blade. There's no talk of the hilt when its introduced. Jon mentions that it's very sharp and able to cut but the people from the East use them mostly to thrust.
Seraephus i guess so. Those i have seen certainly had the typical smallsword hilt. They were also pretty skinny so i would expect the blade of a sidesword to be heavier. (or at least broader)
Yet another spadroon-like sword with a much better blade than the regulation 1796 Infantry Sword... How drunk were the military higher-ups when they decided on that pattern???
It made sense for the day. Different officers grew up learning different schools of fencing. And, since the sword for everyone but cavalry was simply a self defense weapon, it made sense to make a weapon that could be good enough to use in basically any style taught to a British gentleman.
It looks as if that dress sword was intended as a personal statement about its owner. It demonstrated that he was forward thinking sword design. The gilt handle showed the money and confindence he could to put into a novel sword design. I am saying it is a dress sword, so obviously the owner was showing off.
There are always a couple af guys or girls that put a thumb down on these videos: i would really like to know why (with respect for anyone 's opinion). Well, if any of them would like to clarify that - I'm genuinely interested.
I purchased something cold steel calls a Chinese sword breaker. It is an unholy cross between a thrusting sword and a bar mace. It looks like a large thrusting sword and can certainly thrust but you can put a blooming big dent in a steel helmet as well. You could pretty much tear through a man's face with the thing with a swing and easily stab the back of his skull from the front. A tad heavy but not actually unwieldly.
I'm a fan of your videos, and you've progressed a tremendous amount in learning how to make them. But you still do the thing where you aim the camera like a gun, putting the area of interest (your face) dead center, instead of composing the frame so that there isn't a ton of dead area above your head. If you put your head in the upper third of the frame, we'd be able to see your body language and hand gestures better, and there wouldn't be a bunch of wall taking up a third of the frame. Again, love the videos and your expertise, so I hope I don't sound like a negative Nelly. Hope this helps.
The cutting capable small sword looks like in would more effective today in proverbial sword duel Becuase people don't nearly as thick clothing as people did hundred plus years ago.
If it's sharp, just by looking at it, I think it could do draw cuts. Maybe it could draw cut deep enough to cut tendons in the hand, or to the jugular. It's an idea not a guarantee, I'm not an expert
I have wondered in the past why nobody made a triangular-shaped sword blade with an extended cutting edge. But it turns out that at least some did. Good to know.
What would a sword feel like if you got really complicated with the geometry? Could you have a sword with a curved ridge? The ridge would start in the middle at the handle, then gradually curve out of the way at the tip. So it's more stiff in the rear, and more slice-y up front? I would guess you'd end up flexing/bending the tip if you tried thrusting too hard with it. But I think the idea is intriguing. Maybe for a fantasy sword?
I would like to know why khukuris are considered so formidable? Is it because the design is extremely effective or is it because of the Gurkha who carried them. Also would the Filipino talibong be a more better form of forward curving blade even though they are half the weight, or is the weight what gives the kukri the effectiveness
Just an opinion mostly but I think its the shape of the blade that makes it so effective meaning other forms of forward curve swords would just as formidable or more so depending on the weight and edge geometry.
Rafael Herschel interesting. So if a kukri is good at heavy duty chopping is it not good at light chopping? Would a talibong be the better all rounder with the potential of heavy and light duty chopping? I ask because I am 50/50 on what to buy. I’m slightly leaning towards a talibong due to its length and weight, but I’ve always been a fan of kukri
Fighting kukri are quite different from the general purpose kukri of the rifles, they are longer in blade and longer in grip, lighter and very crescent in form and not suited to any other task. IMHO a good kukri is a worthy cornerstone in any mans stack of blades.
Imagine a colichemarde with a very deep elongated V shaped cross-section with more mass in the main edge than the ridges. what sort of cutting potential do think that sort of blade geometry might have?
i heard modern epee blades are too flexible though. if not then i need to find a nice epee blade i can sharpen cause i know where to get some nice hilt parts.
Very interesting Matt, however it does lead to a question of mine: at what point can you lift the ridge (as it were) before you are basically making a backsword?
@8:05 - so, we're back with the traditional archaeology cliche - if a weapon is worse at being a weapon than other of the period, then surely it must be ceremonial xD
What would be the best contextual wepon that Arya Stark should carry? This is regarding how lethal she is and the preponderance of armour used by every one. Her body size would be a major issue, I think.
Suppose you could always deliver a light harassing cut/deep scratch with the very tip of the thing, if you cared to. That said, unless it's first-blood dueling, I imagine the priority would be to stick the thing as deep as possible somewhere it would do some serious damage.
2 things FWIW: 1 - as a South African it's pretty famous that the khaki bush was first used to camouflage British infantry uniforms in South Africa after reflecting on Afrikaaner guerillas' reduced visibility. Do I have that wrong? 2. Given the benefits of the triangular blade, why was it not commonly seen on spears from before the musket age?
Could you give the general dimensions of the blade - width, lenght, height ridge to edge (thickness would be the wrong term here), actual thickness, and taper angle? Maybe total weight and pob? I would like to make a functional reproduction of this.
Here in the United States, rather then referring to Dress and Undress, we refer to Field and Garrison (along with, sometimes Full Dress) Uniforms. My question is this: is it possible that some British Officers used the same sword with both Dress and Undress Uniforms? Now, granted you'd want a Dress Sword to have a fancy hilt, whereas in the in combat you'd want your Undress Sword to have a blade with good fighting characteristics, but couldn't you combine the two by taking a sword with good fighting characteristics with a fancy hilt?
Scott, what do the scabbards for these triangle cross-sectioned swords look like? Are they too triangular on the inside, while being round(ish) on the outside? Seems like such scabbards would be problematic - for binding and being sufficiently tight and yet repelling water.
Matt, have you ever read any of the Dando books written by William Clive? Dando on Delhi ridge is one of my favourite books and it seems like your kinda fiction.
Now I'm really curious: Matt, what do you think of the French model 1822 sabre (especially the light cavalry version), subsequent iterations of the design, and/or montmorency type blades in general? They seem to be based on the exact opposite concept as spadroons, or the sword in this video. They're distinct cutting weapons, that however sacrifice deepness of the cut, in exchange for a stiffer blade, more suited for thrusting.
"How well does this cut? Oh. Oh shit. Lucy? Can you call an ambulance please?" "Can't you do it?" "Er, no. It's a bit hard to dial, I just cut my left arm off"
Does the definition of a smallsword include the triangular blade? If so, how should I classify a double-edged, 17th C. example in my possession? It's certainly not a rapier...
To the Mosin Nagant the bayonets kept bein issued well into WWII. Even the late carbine came with a foldable three-sided bayonet. edit: or if they were even cruciform... I haven't used one in about eight years...
The fully functional officers dress sword, for when that obnoxious little upstart spills juice on your best dress jacket and you need to get real in the mess hall.
Is that rapier above your head new? It's wicked cool looking. Edit: I posted 10 seconds into the video, and then you explained the sword. I feel pretty dumb lol.
This intrigues me as I had always heard the triangle crosssection of bayonets was designed to inflict hard to stitch wounds and were banned by the Geneva Covention for it. This may be a side effect not intended by original designers but I am curious on your take.
I have researched that topic specifically and I can find no authoritative sources (e.g. medical journals, medical textbooks, etc.) that substantiate the 'triangular wounds are worse than other shapes of wound' claim. Even in reports from surgeons treating wounded after Age of Sail battles, in which they mention bayonet wounds specifically, I cannot find any mention of this idea. In fact, almost the opposite: Medical textbooks describe how to treat triangular and other irregularly shaped wounds and it doesn't seem to be a problem. Also the claim that triangular bayonets were banned by the Geneva (or Hague) convention is definitely wrong, there is no mention of bayonets anywhere in either convention.
What kind of sword do Spanish bullfighters use ?!!. It must be stiff & sharply pointed to reach the vitals of a charging bull!! I can't even imagine it; so I'm asking you as the only person I can think of that might know.
People forget that smallswords are civilian swords. They are very well made and well thought out in general. First you dont want a civilian hiding a sword so a smallsword is good at that. Second, they have good cut and thrust capabilities but limited. A smallsword is not a war weapon... its just a civilian weapon. You dont want civilians chopping off their limbs. Smallswords can be deadly but must of the wounds could be treated.
When I was a born, my physician was worried about my triangular gladius. 17 children later and I see what is meant by stiffness and power of penetration.
Am I the only one who finds the new intro sound somewhat rusty and unpleasant? It seems to me that it drags for too long... it's not what I would imagine a sword out of a scabbard or a bind or any kind of sword action to sound like... more like what taking to rusty thin pieces of metal and rubbing them against each other would sound like. Playing it in 1,5x speed (or even 2x ) makes it sound better for me but overall I preferred the old one. Also, nice video as always :)
![[#2024MAMA] ROSÉ (로제), Bruno Mars - APT. | Mnet 241122 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dgGqD28J6aQ/mqdefault.jpg)
What times to be alive, to be able to watch hours of someone talking passionately about swords and bladed weapons.
As a massive fan of smallswords (because i love how elegant and proper they were) them not being able to cut at all was kind of bugging me, and made me prefer the rapier slightly, but thanks to this video i shall return to my eternal love for the gentleman’s sidearm!
Nobody in comments claiming that triangular wounds can't be stitched up, or that triangular bayonets were banned by the Geneva convention. Feels good :)
Stoner 63
Each time I see someone saying bullshit about triangular blades I just feel really angry, I mean triangular blades are so evil and banned that you can go to budk and order one in knife or bayonet form just for $90
@@germanolivares7072 try and use it in war though.
thats the difference. lol.
oh also it only matters if they are sharpened.
@@bmxriderforlife1234 much like triangular arrowheads. Trocar points are still used by morticians for, efficiently draining chest punctures.
Undress swords were the most clearly shown in the movie 300. ;)
Nicely done.
The mask of Zorro has a undressing sword duel between Alijandro and Elena.
@@virgosintellect I was so hoping someone would have made this exact reference👌
Lovely sword. Could you get a replica made for cutting tests?
Liancour 1692 shows a plate with small-sword above head after being drawn - someone explained (I don't have a translation) to cut or nick as a means to encourage rapid agreement on any matter of difference.
Was this in the context of first blood dueling?
Self-defence, duelling.
Spanish and Italian traditions bit more into cutting with small-swords?
Is Matt's floor made of swords? Is it, keeping with the GoT theme, The Iron Floor?
Is it worth saying something like "By cutting, we're talking about the efficient chopping or slicing of a sharp, cut-and-thrust sword" rather than "can draw blood"? I imagine some people are thinking "But if you hit someone round the face with your epée/tree branch/fist it's going to 'cut' them". Just a thought.
I'm sure you can give a shallow cut with a smallsword if you do a drawing cut, but like you implied, it wouldn't be that effective. If you are trying to cut someone with a smallsword, you aren't trying to skewer them which is what the sword was designed to do.
Ref The Duke and duels. In later life, when he was Prime Minister in 1829, the Duke of Wellington himself fought a famous duel with Lord Winchelsea at Battersea Fields over statements Lord Winchelsea had made in a letter to the press. Pistols were used. The Duke fired first, apparently deliberately away from his target, but we can't be sure (especially as he was a notoriously poor shot), Lord Winchelsea then fired in the air. After a discussion and some alterations to the document Lord Winchelsea handed over his pre-prepared written apology.
IIRC In the Navy duels were not forbidden but ones between officers of unequal rank were.
Interesting. Obviously neither man wanted to end the other, but there was a matter of honor at stake and it had to be settled. Makes Bushido look almost flexible by comparison.
This is opposite of what I was thinking. I was thinking that if you made the tip of a small sword thin enough you could do tip cuts. I think that would diminish the thrusting capability, but if your small sword is a first Blood dueling sword that might be an advantage.
and im still waiting for the sword orchestra *biiinnnng*
TheFatmanIII the swordchestra
or ASMR
Is that a Jeorg refference?
So they made a Khyber knife into a small sword, brilliant!
Always enjoy the engineering side of these kooky historical designs.
"As I pointed out.."
I study Chinese swordsmanship (see my channel) and have found your videos very informative in a general sense. Your professionalism and thoroughness continues to impress. I have a question that you may be uniquely qualified to answer. Can you make a video about how much you think that the various styles of European swordsmanship have been recreated? I assume that some Smallsword styles are closest to being recreated, as there is an overlap with modern fencing.. Thank you for your time, Matt.
MaartenSFS research hema if you have never heard of it. I think it is what you are wondering about
I really like that small sword!
Mallard The Duck aka Brian me too! I don't know why? Maybe it's because of Arya stark?! Maybe it just because it cool
Yay for smallswords! In addition to edged triangular cross-section smallswords like that one, I believe there were also some smallswords that were edged with a flattened diamond, hexagonal, or a combination/transition of both types of cross-section. Many of these blades are on earlier, transitional smallswords, but there are also later (18th century) examples. Italian and Spanish examples seem to be the most common.
How many times/have you accidentally cut yourself while handling a sword?
Grimm I asked him if he ever hit a camera and he said "never." Still has all his fingers after a couple of decades, I'm guessing he never seriously cuts himself.
Nate Aaron
Probably nothing major, yeah. But I’m wondering if he ever just gets like a paper cut from a sword.
He could make a video on sword handling safety. I’m an idiot that needs to be told how not to cut my arm off or impale the back of my head.
I once has a somewhat deep cut in my right hand when throwing a machete at a tree(20', quite a big blade). The machete bounced on the tree and came back hurling at me, I was some 8 yards away, on istinct I defended my face, the edge hit my hand sideways in the muscle part, I held my hand some 15 minutes to stop the bleeding, I think I could have stitched, but as it stopped bleeding I just washed with some ethanol, now there is only a small scar.
I had a sabre go through my elbow whilst pulling my shirt on over my head. I walked into the door frame and it fell since I didn’t secure it to the wall. Eleven staples on the entry side and three on the exit since I stumbled around and caught it on a lamp and bookshelf all while I had a shirt halfway over my head and torso. ☹️
John-Paul Silke
Holy shit dude. Good life lesson right there. But, plus side, if you ever want to become a writer, you now have the personal experience of being kinda stabbed through with a sword.
Worst that’s happened to me is cutting my thumb with an axe that I sharpened a bit too well and sawing my fingers during some woodworking projects. And one time when practicing cuts from vom tag (with a *blunt* sword) I somehow nailed myself in the back of the head like an idiot. If the sword had been sharper I’d have cut my head open. That knowledge quickly improved my form.
That's fascinating, a lovely sword and example of innovative design. Love it.
Keep in mind there's 2 versions of license Game of Thrones swords, Matt: The licensed pre-HBO versions and the licensed HBO versions. Pre-HBO, Arya had a poorly made estoc. Now that Valyrian Steel has the HBO money, it's a proper epée.
Don't duel... but if you must duel, duel properly.
I get that the offline geometry makes the smallsword blade rubbish at chopping, but would there be any utility in sharpening the blade for the potential for draw/push cuts? In civilian context, you are not facing armor.
Or do you reckon that even light clothes would be enough protection that it wouldn't be worth attempting cuts with a sword that can stab so much more effectively anyway?
... especially if you do the ninja/Aiya thing and threaten draw-cuts into the groin and inner thigh, or into the sides of the neck?
I'll just say that in the book the sword Needle was described sort of like a side sword or maybe rapier that had been left in the dryer too long and shrunken.
So it is a double edged smallsword? And yes not all smallswords were triangular double edged ones were a thing.
So how do you distinguish between a side sword and a double edged small sword? Hilt? I guess the side sword would have a larger, more complex guard?
I'll admit its been a while since I read the books so I pulled out my signed first edition of A Game of Thrones to see what's actually said... Needle is described as having a skinny blade. There's no talk of the hilt when its introduced. Jon mentions that it's very sharp and able to cut but the people from the East use them mostly to thrust.
Seraephus i guess so. Those i have seen certainly had the typical smallsword hilt. They were also pretty skinny so i would expect the blade of a sidesword to be heavier. (or at least broader)
Yet another spadroon-like sword with a much better blade than the regulation 1796 Infantry Sword...
How drunk were the military higher-ups when they decided on that pattern???
It made sense for the day. Different officers grew up learning different schools of fencing. And, since the sword for everyone but cavalry was simply a self defense weapon, it made sense to make a weapon that could be good enough to use in basically any style taught to a British gentleman.
I would have never imagined there was so much to learn about swords before subscribing to Scholagladiatoria.
Is it stiffer than a pipe-back blade?
There is a lot of mic rubbing noises :(.
It looks as if that dress sword was intended as a personal statement about its owner. It demonstrated that he was forward thinking sword design. The gilt handle showed the money and confindence he could to put into a novel sword design.
I am saying it is a dress sword, so obviously the owner was showing off.
There are always a couple af guys or girls that put a thumb down on these videos: i would really like to know why (with respect for anyone 's opinion). Well, if any of them would like to clarify that - I'm genuinely interested.
Would you consider having a blacksmith create a modern replica with the same blade geometry for test cutting? To satisfy all of our curiosities...
I purchased something cold steel calls a Chinese sword breaker. It is an unholy cross between a thrusting sword and a bar mace. It looks like a large thrusting sword and can certainly thrust but you can put a blooming big dent in a steel helmet as well. You could pretty much tear through a man's face with the thing with a swing and easily stab the back of his skull from the front. A tad heavy but not actually unwieldly.
I'm a fan of your videos, and you've progressed a tremendous amount in learning how to make them. But you still do the thing where you aim the camera like a gun, putting the area of interest (your face) dead center, instead of composing the frame so that there isn't a ton of dead area above your head. If you put your head in the upper third of the frame, we'd be able to see your body language and hand gestures better, and there wouldn't be a bunch of wall taking up a third of the frame. Again, love the videos and your expertise, so I hope I don't sound like a negative Nelly. Hope this helps.
By the way - I just googled "negative Nelly" and was fascinated by the origins of the phrase.
On the other hand, the swords are nice background.
Um... That's not dead area, that's a bunch of *swords!* 😆
Please a video on the 1796 heavy cavalry . That's a true beast !
Definetly more than somewhat interesting! °_° That sword is really beautiful!
The cutting capable small sword looks like in would more effective today in proverbial sword duel Becuase people don't nearly as thick clothing as people did hundred plus years ago.
If it's sharp, just by looking at it, I think it could do draw cuts. Maybe it could draw cut deep enough to cut tendons in the hand, or to the jugular. It's an idea not a guarantee, I'm not an expert
No superdry shirt????
I have wondered in the past why nobody made a triangular-shaped sword blade with an extended cutting edge. But it turns out that at least some did. Good to know.
please show cutsection of the blade geometry. would be nice for further videos.
What would a sword feel like if you got really complicated with the geometry? Could you have a sword with a curved ridge? The ridge would start in the middle at the handle, then gradually curve out of the way at the tip. So it's more stiff in the rear, and more slice-y up front? I would guess you'd end up flexing/bending the tip if you tried thrusting too hard with it. But I think the idea is intriguing. Maybe for a fantasy sword?
I don't think the stiffness depends much on where the ridge is, and more on how tall it is.
I would like to know why khukuris are considered so formidable? Is it because the design is extremely effective or is it because of the Gurkha who carried them. Also would the Filipino talibong be a more better form of forward curving blade even though they are half the weight, or is the weight what gives the kukri the effectiveness
Tane Gurnick It’s mostly the fame of the Gurkhas. They also used the blades for everything, which is a testimony to their effectiveness.
Just an opinion mostly but I think its the shape of the blade that makes it so effective meaning other forms of forward curve swords would just as formidable or more so depending on the weight and edge geometry.
Rafael Herschel interesting. So if a kukri is good at heavy duty chopping is it not good at light chopping? Would a talibong be the better all rounder with the potential of heavy and light duty chopping? I ask because I am 50/50 on what to buy. I’m slightly leaning towards a talibong due to its length and weight, but I’ve always been a fan of kukri
Fighting kukri are quite different from the general purpose kukri of the rifles, they are longer in blade and longer in grip, lighter and very crescent in form and not suited to any other task. IMHO a good kukri is a worthy cornerstone in any mans stack of blades.
S Bryant so what would you recommend as my first kukri? I’m a bit suspect of kukri house, not sure on tora or cold steel??
Imagine a colichemarde with a very deep elongated V shaped cross-section with more mass in the main edge than the ridges. what sort of cutting potential do think that sort of blade geometry might have?
i feel it worth noting an edged triangular shaped blade is even better at thrusting and causes wounds which are harder to stitch shut.
i heard modern epee blades are too flexible though. if not then i need to find a nice epee blade i can sharpen cause i know where to get some nice hilt parts.
Nice shirt btw
Very interesting Matt, however it does lead to a question of mine: at what point can you lift the ridge (as it were) before you are basically making a backsword?
@8:05 - so, we're back with the traditional archaeology cliche - if a weapon is worse at being a weapon than other of the period, then surely it must be ceremonial xD
At least in this case we know it's true, so there's that.
in a thousand years historians will talk about our ceremonial tacticool weapons.
So Matt what is that sword called , it is hardly a small sword but not a Spadroon.
What would be the best contextual wepon that Arya Stark should carry? This is regarding how lethal she is and the preponderance of armour used by every one. Her body size would be a major issue, I think.
Well, anything can cut to a degree. Yesterday I cutted a nettle with a tape measure.
Suppose you could always deliver a light harassing cut/deep scratch with the very tip of the thing, if you cared to. That said, unless it's first-blood dueling, I imagine the priority would be to stick the thing as deep as possible somewhere it would do some serious damage.
Only a very little stabbage will kill, if you put the blade in the right spot
I swear i heard him say "the duke off ellington" and was very confused and happy for half a minute:)
I thought he said Arya's sword was a hologram - if it's a light sabre then it's no wonder it'll cut :-)
2 things FWIW: 1 - as a South African it's pretty famous that the khaki bush was first used to camouflage British infantry uniforms in South Africa after reflecting on Afrikaaner guerillas' reduced visibility. Do I have that wrong?
2. Given the benefits of the triangular blade, why was it not commonly seen on spears from before the musket age?
I was wondering about the blade length and overall weight of this interesting officer's dress sword. Could you post the dimensions please?
Isn't that basically what pipebeck saber is?
The Gras epee bayonet has a triangular blade running to a double edge sharp
That 1796 heavy cavalry sword is a really Sharpe weapon, isn't it?
Man I love the officer's version of 1796 heavy cavalry sword.
Could you give the general dimensions of the blade - width, lenght, height ridge to edge (thickness would be the wrong term here), actual thickness, and taper angle? Maybe total weight and pob? I would like to make a functional reproduction of this.
Its kind of like a pipeback sword
Massively interesting
Here in the United States, rather then referring to Dress and Undress, we refer to Field and Garrison (along with, sometimes Full Dress) Uniforms. My question is this: is it possible that some British Officers used the same sword with both Dress and Undress Uniforms? Now, granted you'd want a Dress Sword to have a fancy hilt, whereas in the in combat you'd want your Undress Sword to have a blade with good fighting characteristics, but couldn't you combine the two by taking a sword with good fighting characteristics with a fancy hilt?
Is the quillon on the dress sword bent, or is it supposed to be that way?
Hey Matt, could you make a video talking about Mensur fencing? I bought an old mensur training sword and its interesting. 🙏 hope you read this.
Scott, what do the scabbards for these triangle cross-sectioned swords look like? Are they too triangular on the inside, while being round(ish) on the outside? Seems like such scabbards would be problematic - for binding and being sufficiently tight and yet repelling water.
Matt has all of the cool toys
This sword is actually pretty damn cool.
Matt, have you ever read any of the Dando books written by William Clive? Dando on Delhi ridge is one of my favourite books and it seems like your kinda fiction.
Now I'm really curious: Matt, what do you think of the French model 1822 sabre (especially the light cavalry version), subsequent iterations of the design, and/or montmorency type blades in general?
They seem to be based on the exact opposite concept as spadroons, or the sword in this video. They're distinct cutting weapons, that however sacrifice deepness of the cut, in exchange for a stiffer blade, more suited for thrusting.
I should really get into smallsword fencing
How well does this cut? *proceeds to almost cut himself*
lmao
"How well does this cut? Oh. Oh shit. Lucy? Can you call an ambulance please?"
"Can't you do it?"
"Er, no. It's a bit hard to dial, I just cut my left arm off"
Does the definition of a smallsword include the triangular blade? If so, how should I classify a double-edged, 17th C. example in my possession? It's certainly not a rapier...
Part 2
Already !!!
That topmost sword? What video details it? I'm curious about it.
I don't even know what to call it!
Cool sword
10:02 "Highwaywomen?!"
What I hear is that Todd needs to make a replica of this, so you can try cutting with it.
"Better than the Spadroon". Impossible.
+scholagladiatoria
I would love to see video about different colors of uniforms, and generally about XIX century British uniform/
To the Mosin Nagant the bayonets kept bein issued well into WWII. Even the late carbine came with a foldable three-sided bayonet.
edit: or if they were even cruciform... I haven't used one in about eight years...
"Undress sword" the weapon i imagine was used by nudist duelists....
The fully functional officers dress sword, for when that obnoxious little upstart spills juice on your best dress jacket and you need to get real in the mess hall.
Is that rapier above your head new? It's wicked cool looking.
Edit: I posted 10 seconds into the video, and then you explained the sword. I feel pretty dumb lol.
My late Father sewed on the buttons on the British Uniforms in the movie Zulu.
A triangle is ridiculously stable.
So could that possibly be what Tim Roth's sword in Rob Roy is?
It is a transitional rapier, which will be mentioned in Part 2.
Woo!
smol
Nuh uh. It's huge. I swear.
This intrigues me as I had always heard the triangle crosssection of bayonets was designed to inflict hard to stitch wounds and were banned by the Geneva Covention for it.
This may be a side effect not intended by original designers but I am curious on your take.
I have researched that topic specifically and I can find no authoritative sources (e.g. medical journals, medical textbooks, etc.) that substantiate the 'triangular wounds are worse than other shapes of wound' claim. Even in reports from surgeons treating wounded after Age of Sail battles, in which they mention bayonet wounds specifically, I cannot find any mention of this idea. In fact, almost the opposite: Medical textbooks describe how to treat triangular and other irregularly shaped wounds and it doesn't seem to be a problem. Also the claim that triangular bayonets were banned by the Geneva (or Hague) convention is definitely wrong, there is no mention of bayonets anywhere in either convention.
Stoner 63 thank you. I am often trying to descern fact from folklore. I appreciate your diligence.
What kind of sword do Spanish bullfighters use ?!!. It must be stiff & sharply pointed to reach the vitals of a charging bull!! I can't even imagine it; so I'm asking you as the only person I can think of that might know.
If you made a triangular smallsword blade from a recycled katana blade, it would cut through time itself. Blade geometry be damned.
Attempting to straighten the katana may bend the rest of reality around it. Do you want the entire universe to be arched forwards!? It's madness!
People forget that smallswords are civilian swords. They are very well made and well thought out in general. First you dont want a civilian hiding a sword so a smallsword is good at that. Second, they have good cut and thrust capabilities but limited. A smallsword is not a war weapon... its just a civilian weapon. You dont want civilians chopping off their limbs. Smallswords can be deadly but must of the wounds could be treated.
5:55 oh my, that one is undressing me...
The plug bayonet is a poorly thought out idea, especially for repeating weapons.
At the very least you could certainly draw and push cut with it.
good video, generally speaking.
Pretty sword
Now we just need someone with the right skillset to replicate it so we can see if it will cut.
And that is how they came up with a spadroon
Matt that's an over exaggerated Sabre up above your head!!! Who would actually be able to unsheathed that thing
When I was a born, my physician was worried about my triangular gladius. 17 children later and I see what is meant by stiffness and power of penetration.
Can it be sharpened? Or is the the ridge getting in the way if you want to aply a fine angle?
knobel eric it can definitely be sharpened.
Am I the only one who finds the new intro sound somewhat rusty and unpleasant? It seems to me that it drags for too long... it's not what I would imagine a sword out of a scabbard or a bind or any kind of sword action to sound like... more like what taking to rusty thin pieces of metal and rubbing them against each other would sound like. Playing it in 1,5x speed (or even 2x ) makes it sound better for me but overall I preferred the old one.
Also, nice video as always :)
Yeah, I like the old intro sound more, but maybe this new one is more realistic.
I like the new one. Drawn out.
Well now you know you may be able to use a smallsword to assist the endeavor!😁
I think the old one sounded better as well.
Two seconds. Two fucking seconds. Two fucking seconds "drags on" for you?