What is the BEST Single-Handed Sword in History?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2024
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I've talked about why there is no such thing as THE ULTIMATE SWORD, the best design of all ever (example: • What is the Best Sword... ). But this time I'm actually going to commit and pick what I consider the "best" single-handed sword for three specific historical situations:
1. Battlefield
2. Duel
3. Self-Defense
And yes, there is absolutely some personal bias and subjectivity in play. There is no way to answer such questions 100% objectively. :)
Relevant videos:
What Makes Swords & Knives Cut Well (Sharpness, Blade Geometry, Etc)
• What Makes Swords & Kn...
The Pros Cons of Single-Edged Swords vs. Double-Edged
• The Pros Cons of Singl...
Stabby Time! - Straight vs. Curved Swords on Ballistic Gel
• Stabby Time! - Straigh...
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So what's your favorite sword? By the way, don't forget we're talking about *single-handed* swords... I already see people bring up katanas. xD
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"You can't escape bias." Bless you, sir, for being forthright with this. I always appreciate the honest evaluation including contexts.
He's wrong. The wakizashi is by far the best single handed sword as it's like a single handed katana.
I'm much more of a fan of straighter swords, notably arming- and long-, but I have to admit the way the curve of a sabre flows with slashes is very pleasing to watch.
Have you tried one? It doesn't just look good, it feels like dancing. I spend most of my days in a state of flow with large knives in my hand(i make da sushi), so a well balanced sabre is like the perfect accessory to my lacerative dance of destruction.
Sabers don’t strictly have curved blades, straight bladed sabers may not ‘dance’ as well, but are better on point, which I prefer.
@@jankarieben1071 that's legit. I prefer it for the weight distribution, the curve Is just an aesthetic bonus unless you're on horseback imo. I feel the same way about a machete too. Very underrated weapon and tool. And sometimes at work i like my long straight blades to get more precise, but less finessed cuts, ie, certain elaborately topped rolls, cutting sashimi from a proper saku blocks(ahi steaks are cheaper so we usually stick to those, saku blocks are a treat lol). But yeah in that context it really shows how valuable the straight edge with a sabresque weight distribution can be more valuable. In laymen's terms, that tip won't flex, it'll hit like a razor and follow through
A little forward tilted blade with a moderate curve and point in axis feels unreal, but what I really adore about sabres (and hate in straight swords) is the draw. It's just so much more mechanically appropriate!
@@dmitritelvanni4068 please tell me you have a sushi place called "Sabre Sushi" with you in the middle being a budget Bruce Lee making vis doing your dance of destruction
There's actually a few historical reasons for the Chinese Jian you reviewed having both that guard and handle length. The sword is based off of one from the Han Dynasty. In the Han Dynasty, they used a type of shield with that sword, which rendered hand protection less necessary. Most swords from later dynasties have more substantial guards because those shields started to fall out of favor, and because the Jian started to be replaced by the Dao on the battlefield, so they became a dueling/self defense weapon. The handle length is because a lot of Jian techniques work with either one or two hands, and at least with the ones that had this handle length, you were kind of intended to switch between one and two handed use as the situation demanded.
Also from the smith-design point of view, the longer handle allows you to use lighter counterweight to reach the desired cog or to fine tune dynamics
That's interesting, because LK Chen says that short Dao with short handle turned up because they started to use shields, so thus Jians were retired into prestige weapon.
I thought those were bronze swords though.
@@piotrmalewski8178 the guard was influenced more by the shield than the handle was. The Jian was mostly replaced because the Dao took a fraction of the time to train someone with, at least from what I've seen on the subject.
Additionally, while those shields did fall out of favor, that happened a while after the Dao replaced the Jian for battlefield use.
Is the Dao the one also called the Scholars Sword? Hell, in medieval China even academic college kids had swords to cut you up with if you gave them a low grade on their maths test. Poor core values in ancient China if you ask me. Just like we see today 2000 years later in almost every major city on Earth. I mean China invented so many amazing and/or futuristic things that I wouldn't be too surprised if they also invented poor core values. It was a friday, so it would make sense.
Over the past 2 years I've really fallen in love with sabers, especially Hungarian ones. They flow like water and are so versatile.
Better have a runway to keep backing up and licking around the edges doesn't look near so threatening vs a shield or a shorter blade of similar mass
Hungarians sabers are basically Turkish kilij
My favorite is the chinese sword breaker. Heavy and meant to break other swords, no edged, just smash their sword or parry it, then stab into them because it has a point.
@@RandomGuy-df1oyAbsolutelly not, the blade curveture and thickness is different, shape has a distinct appearence, while the hussar sabers were made more than a century later. However you are right, that due to Ottoman, Seljuk empire, they reiterated the emphasis on cuts and sabers (as sabers come form turk- mongolian a hunnic influence much earlier). The 10th century hungarian had saber, which they replaced with longswords in early medieval time.
@@somethingirreversib hunnic is iranian scythian, curved swords were first designed by iranic peoples
I think you might not want a guard on a gladius since it might get caught up on your scutum, or the scutum of the guy next to you, or the shield of the guy you are stabbing at.
a ring guard rather than quillon would work
Hate it when dude next to me catches my scutum.
thought that said scrotum at first 💀
@@nottheoneyourelookingfor0504 good one :))))
I misread as scrotum
A 10 hour video on all single handed swords would absolutely be awesome.
Says you!
YES!!
30 seconden clip finished.....
Deadliest one handen weapon all times..
💉 Bio weapon 💉
And now we move to our next sword which is Italian rather then French and tended to be on average 2 inches longer then the last one but otherwise exactly the same.
😂
My favorite single hand sword is the bastard sword, which just so happens to be my favorite two handed sword.
I am actually a big fan of the cutlass/falchion/messer variety of swords, as well of the self defense category, so I definitely approve of this video. It's also nice to see that both my preferred usage and sword type line up 😉.
A messer does make a lot of sense as a self-defense sword. It filled that exact role in Germany for a very long time.
I'd see dussack in this role because, while I hate the inconvenience of wearing even a partial basket hilt (reenactment experience), I value my fingers almost as much as my life, and for most people fingers are necessary to make a living. And since dussacks largely replaced messers in time and in some forms (eg. cutlass) stayed around well into late XIX century they were clearly a successful development
Similarly I hate the bulk, weight and decibels produced by my 10 auto, but I chose it over subcompact 9mm because boars are a greater threat than humans where I live
@@Sk0lzky
In other words, the issue of something trading away _too much_ effectiveness, for the sake of convenience. I agree, there is a minimum threshold of performance that a person needs to consider when selecting what weapon to carry. Can it penetrate the heaviest threat that you reasonably might encounter? For me, top quality 9mm hp out of a compact frame is a good balance, because the worst that is of any likelihood would be a meth head. At home, we've got long guns for a wider variety of pests and predators.
What load do you carry in your 10mm? Something from Lehigh Defense?
Dussacks rock mate 👍👍
@@richard6133 .380 man myself. Does the job as well as a 9mm, but a bit safer to fire in urban environments. Not that I'd advice unsafe firing practices, but lets be real here, if it's between me and him... I'm going to care a lot less in the moment. Personally I think people seriously overvalue penetration stats for self defense carry. Personally I'm more worried about what comes AFTER than penetration. Overpenetration is useless, and ultimately dangerous.
@@tomwalker8944
I agree, shot placement and high quality defensive loads are more important than caliber, when it comes to human threats. We want all of that energy dumped inside the target, not wasted on pass-through. I carried .380 for 12 or 13 years before I upgraded to 9mm, and I still carry the .380 when I need deeper concealment.
I can't believe Skall left out the lightsaber! Easy to carry, easy to deploy and no issues with your blade bumping into things :D
I'd love to watch some more sidesword content!
True - bad - major design flaw - no hand guard! Thousands of Jedi's lost their hand or tentacle as a consequence :)
@@bavariancarenthusiast2722 Enter Kylo Ren's lightsaber. You can even stab/burn someone with the guard!
@@TheHornedKing yeah you right - but those hand guards are cutting edge and cut off your fingers too 😅
Well, as he said, he doesn't appreciate late saber designs.
an elegant weapon for a more civilized age
nice summary. I like the three contexts. You might want to go into the sabre's advantage for horseback combat. If you turn the blade edge up, and stab on horseback - the motion forward (as you ride past) will tend to pull the sword out of the enemy's body, where a straight sword might get pulled out of your hands.
I love these types of videos from you! Not afraid to reveal your bias, while still being very knowledgable, informative and able to thoroughly explain why you believe your opinions! Great choices! Honorable mentions for me would be Zweihanders or other types of greatsword for battlefield use or outer castle defense. And then for carry/civilian defensive swords, wakizashi, falx, xiphos come to mind too. I really agree with your choices overall!
Thank you, Skallagrim! I'm developing a story where the climax involves a sword duel, and videos like this help me to make it as realistically accurate as possible. I appreciate it and all that you do!
Then I recommend you the French historical series "Marquis de Bois-Doré" where there are a few rather nice duels between riding sword (kord) and rapier.
Hrm. 5 hours ago. That was early morning here. You're probably not anywhere I could reasonably meet you to give you some experience.
I have a couple of weighted nylon arming swords and a couple of latex LARP swords of similar size, one with a full hilt and one like the Jian.
Sword duel climax. Huh. The innuendo jokes just write themselves….
Great approach to the topic of “best sword ever!” Skall. The caveats you laid out and the fact that you’re willing to lay bare your biases are such a welcome take on comparing potentially radically different swords separates by centuries and cultures.
On the Nimcha, you likely know this, but for those playing along at home, these swords were popular throughout north Africa starting perhaps in the late 16th century, and with distinct forms in Morocco, Algeria and Zanzibar. They often had imported blades from Europe, adapted for local use, and we see a wide variety of sizes and profiles, but initially there was a tendency for shortbladed “Naval” use, effectively seeing them as the role of the North African cutlass.
i really want a nimcha, theyre just so fascinating in their hilt design
Saber is the most versatile single-handed sword in the history. Keep in mind that since XVIII century soldiers of most European countries were equipped with sabers. The saber is very fast and easier to move than any other sword at closer ranges and your free hand is ready to grab at the hilt or arms of the opponent. A curved blade is also easier to draw. So in short, the curved saber became the military weapon of choice (in terms of swords) because it was far more practical than any other option.😊
I am a Pole. As everyone knows, Poles are born with a saber at their side (I leave aside the fact that this must be a bit annoying for Polish mothers). Those more familiar with weapons among us are born with a hussar saber. Therefore, my choice will be predictable...
The reasons sabers flourished were the relationships between relative wealth, equipment, and deployment. Most of that down to the horse mount and the dwindling purpose of armour in themselves (fast), and their targets (slow to fire unarmoured infantry).
Excellent content, very well done, thank you for taking the time and effort to do this!
Self defense could be divided into two categories: the lesser version where you just go about your business in town and are unlikely to be attacked. Use a seax or something convenient to carry and useful. Or the more severe scenario such as knowingly travelling through dangerous territory. Sidesword and buckler and maybe even a chainmail shirt.
Or Bowie/hunting knife, dagger, dirk, etc.
As long as the duke doesn't duck, the doge dodge, let alone the duchess does not "didn't". But I Jest, of Court 😉
There's the _being an adventurer_ niche as well...
@@motagrad2836I always have a full tang bowie strapped on my hip
Sure. I see an idiot attacking with chainmail, a buckler, and sword, I'll just put some bullets in him. Game over. I'm in Texas.
I freaking love basket hilt swords, and you really need superman deltoids to be able to use them like Scotts. Many regimental basket hilts made in Victoria era were much lighter. Some even allows you to saber grip with modified designs.
Here's where physical strength comes into sword selection. I have considerably more arm and shoulder strength than most people and I very well might choose a basket hilt for the battlefield whereas it might be a poor choice for someone of slighter stature.
Some half basket or mortuary hilts you can use sabre grips and moulinets to your hearts content tbf
Bit of a bugger to carry tho they defo do get in the way
@@andymason1324 Yeah that's right. I'm sorry I was only referring to those Scottish basket designs
Plus for self defence, I think I'd really like the punch-in-the-face option with the basket.
Technique also play a large part. I'm not a large guy by any means, but I have been training in the use of both Scottish basket hilt swords since childhood. The most common thing I see is people trying to use them the way they would use a rapier or similar "fencing" sword.
The tulwar is a really good contender for the battlefield category, although the saber and the sidesword do have better hand protection, which is a pretty big deal.
Thank you very much for your perspective on this topic.
I've been considering branching out from Fiori Longsword into single handed swords too and this was a super helpful video to quickly cover all the styles of sword I had been considering.
As someone who who started with Fiore a while ago, the HEMA world is a whole lot bigger than italian longsword so don't be afraid to branch out. I didn't really vibe with Fiore and now I exclusively do later period italian rapier after finding out I understood it a lot more.
Shashkas are Sabres without the guard, a pistol-adjacent grip, and usually a less-pronounced curve. They're fairly light, pretty agile, decently long, and you can slash and thrust with them, like the Jian you showed off at the end there. They're not the best, but they're fairly obscure and I like them.
Are you confusing the end of the handle for being the entire grip?
Weren't they also made to quicksheathe slash with and end a conflict with that one attack? They seem really nice for pure self-defense.
In fact, some definitions of the sabre state "curved blade AND a pistol grip". Only the British (and other friends behind the Atlantic) invented the straight-blade sabre. ;-)
@@kimashitawa8113 Yep! They were originally cavalry weapons though!
Yeah they are pretty sweet and look like they'd carry quite comfortably.
Ur integrated ad was the first one i didnt fast forward through, u got me, good job.
One of my favorite single handed short swords were the ones Spartans used called the Xiphos or a khophesh
As a fan of the khukuri, I understand this feeling. (Not related, but convergent designs separated by 2,000 years.)
@@greggs1067have you checked out the slim, long-bladed two-handed kukris (not the ceremonial ox decapitators)? EGKH makes several that I have had my eye on.
I love the Kopis!
@@jdiaz4877 one of my favorite weapons from history
I think a wakizashi would fit as a good self defense weapon, it was the last resource for a samurai, nimble and easy to carry and withdraw. But the messer is hard to beat as you can also use it as a tool and has a lot of blade presence even against big weapons.
The problem with the wakazashi is that it suffers the same problem as the katana, which also didnt make skals list for the same reason.
It has an almost nonexistent handguard, most of the time they're not double edged for reverse cits, they tend to be brittle rather than flexible so prone to snapping instead of deforming and the reach is generally smaller than even something like a machete.
@@rasmachris94bigger Tsuba existed in the past rather than the small ones you commonly see now,like skall said a second edge is not needed that is a preference, they were not brittle at least ones from the kotō era traditions, historical European swords were less flexible then the modern-day replicas, if we are comparing steels it's only fair to use modern steel for both, they are not prone to snapping, longer blades existed especially before the edo era.
Take this in to see a beginning of a thread.
"Limits of pre-modern steel: Part 1. Not many people are aware of the properties of pre-modern steel and its limitations in swords and blades. It is very important for martial artists, as these constraints were the boundaries in which the various martial traditions were developed"
Here's a article.
"January 27, 2019
Iron and Steel Technology in Japanese Arms & Armors - Part 3: Bladesmithing"
Introducing
And type is in to see an example of a long wakizashi.
"Wakizashi 脇差 are typically thought of as ‘short’ but this one’s longer than many katana! Lengths were regulated in the 1600’s but museum says it’s 1700’s made where the daisho paired swords was formalized. I wonder if there was a jumbo sized katana to go with it...'
@@rasmachris94They weren't really brittle. Nor were their guards non-existent. Historical guards were a lot larger than Edo period examples. Using Edo period swords in place of those used back then would be like using spadroons as a standin for medieval European swords.
I realize you aren't a big fan of the Katana, but the wakizashi is a great personal defense sword. It's light small enough to not get caught and be easy to carry, while being a great cutter and thruster, it's also small enough to be concealed if necessary.
Inadequate hand protection when you go up against anything that doesn't use a tsuba
@@philgee486 yes but he advocated for the jian which had even less hand protection for self the defense section of the video, i'd personally argue, a full sized katana is fine, their not very long, their not THAT heavy, and their fine for one handed or two handed use, granted that could depend on your own strength, for me it's never been an issue personally
@@DynomitePunch The katana has a number of practical pluses, we've been ignoring availability of practical quality blades and genuinely useable katanas are very available, but the question assumes you're choosing from stock. Trouble is they're a blade that requires very specific technique because of the light weight and construction. They thrust well but to cut something tougher than a rolled mat they need to draw through the cut. This at best really limits their practical reach against a protected opponent and requires a very mobile style that can leave you very vulnerable in a group, it looks wonderful in a movie but just try it in a 3 vs 5 encounter, especially if one of them is hanging back with a bow or Xbow. They all but rule out use with a shield and parrying a lot of other weapons requires a deflective approach, the stun parry just not being practical so you need 300% the awareness to meet incoming blows early and on your terms. When you factor in the lack of hand protection and relatively vulnerable structure there are much better choices, and that was the question.
That said clearly they they're entirely superior to the prospect of a jian, it's a no brainer.
i'm going to respond point by point here, hope you don't mind
1 - blade that requires very specific technique. - This isn't true, it requires no more or less technique to cut with a katana than any other curved blade, and draw cuts, as skall and others have said before are natural because in a sword fight their are movement, also the katana by design is more forgiving on technique than european swords, skall himself said that in prior vids.
2 - but just try it in a 3 vs 5 encounter, especially if one of them is hanging back with a bow or Xbow - The logical fallacy here is that regardless of sword, fighting multiple opponents will get you killed, especially if someone is long ranged, in these situations it's best to run and or lead them into a narrow area so you don't have to fight them, all "viking of stanford bridge" style.
3 - They all but rule out use with a shield and parrying a lot of other weapons requires a deflective approach, the stun parry just not being practical so you need 300% the awareness to meet incoming blows early and on your terms. - untrue, katana can and in early times where used with shields they just fell out of favor as katana became relegated to dueling swords, as for parrying, 90 percent of kenjutsu's defensive movements are blocking at angles to enable you to parry an oncoming attack, in fact a majority of swordsmanship is parrying and returning a strike, you need no more awareness with a katana than you do any other melee weapon, if the video had been about melee weapon i'd have said axe as it's easier to use than a sword, but it's asking about swords.
4 - Lack of hand protection - If your major concern is protecting your hands because you think your not gonna wear tough leather gloves or even metal gloves in these situations, then you should choose a rapier or a cutlass, or a basket hilt, hand protection isn't my biggest concern because their is nowhere in the rules that says i can't add some kind of crossbar to the katana or just get a slightly bigger tsuba, remember the japanese who used these swords where smaller than then they are now and their still smaller than the average westerner, so the tsuba is not fit the right size for our hands, now my hands are a bit smaller, so it workds for me, but if it didn't i'd get a bigger tsuba, or just slide a crossbar on their instead of the tsuba if not WITH the tsuba.
At the end of the day, best sword depends on your familiarity, for me personally, it'd either be the katana or a bastard sword, as i'm most familiar with those, yes their are draw backs but their are drawbacks to everything, it just depends on your skill, and your senses. thanks for the reply, appreciate it, hope i wasn't too long winded and i apologize for any bad grammer it's late for me :3 have a nice night!
@@DynomitePunch Katana is too weak in offence or defence when wielded 1 handed, when faced with multiple opponents whether a static melee caused by the environment or a fluid encounter a shield is a huge help vs missiles, and to hamper opportunistic blows from secondary opponents. A sword with the mass to stop the opponent's blow when realised late, or to aggressively stun parry in attack is not something I'd sacrifice in any practical encounter.
Using an axe of any kind well is a very powerful choice, they can open up an opponent very effectively in a number of ways and hanging around in a fight to find an opening rather than forcing your own will flat out get you killed. But they're not a simple weapon and skill is if anything more important than with swords, and that's skill with the heft and balance of the particular axe, not a general axe proficiency.
I've always worn tough gloves carefully backed with 5mm chainmail and strapping directly to my vambraces, if you think that's any substitute for a properly protective sword hilt then you just haven't broken enough fingers.
35 years ago when historical accuracy was not much of a requirement we saw a lot of hand and a half swords, and actually a huge showing for the naginata lol (95% of nag wielders were thrilled to use the back curve to strike down at shield rims and the thrust over and through before you could recover - so easy to pull the shield close do a weapon side step around the blow and body check them through the flat shield, then skewer, was still working with absolute ease when glaive style weapons were finally kicked off the field)
Armed with sword or axe and shield I'd go straight for them with relish and confidence, there's only so much backing up you can do before you're in the car park. My broadsword had a longish grip to give me full wrist flexibility and so allowed hand and a half use with left hand gripping the pommel for when I'd sacrificed shield for combat advantage and for some reason didn't have hatchet or seax available for the off hand. Or at the end of a long day filming when my arm was bloody tired.
That was a great, well reasoned presentation. Very well done!
Regarding carrying for protection I enjoyed Academy for Historical Fencing's videos about attempting to draw longer swords in conjunction with the 21 foot rule. Although drawing a rapier or longsword is doable most of the time, there were some definite examples where not being able to get the last bit out resulted in the end of our defender. So I agree that a sword carried for defense should be short to medium length optimally, and not just for ease of carry but as longer can be a liability.
So we need 2 swords - a short one and real one....where have I seen this Kombo......
That is why several fencing manuals have you defend yourself with the sword in the sheath first.
@@bavariancarenthusiast2722 we need a sword, a dagger and a tiny knife for grappling and disembowelment
@@MODElAIRPLANE100 yeah that's the classic combination, I like it :)
Girard Thibault considered his rapier, with a blade length from the ground to the wielder's navel (roughly 60-61% of height), suitable for drawing swiftly during a conversation that turned violent. Anything about that blade length strikes me as dubious for self-defense carry.
10:40 Something I encounter in primary sources quite often is that sabers are supposedly more durable/get damaged much less thanks to the blade curvature. Matt Easton also mentioned this in one of his videos and proposed his own theory of why is that.
So this is potentially another strong argument for the saber. Well, this and the fact that most militaries around the world ended up with sabers as primary swords in XVIII/XIX century. So if they are not superior to other swords (and they are most likely not) then at least they are good enough for general use that they basically supplanted other types of swords.
you can say that, but then there's the other sword that in a way lived even longer: the Messer, which in design is basically the template for most military daggers today
I believe that in those time armour was less important beacuse of guns, so a cutting weapon makes more sense. Against armor i think presice stabs would be better....
@@gmol2812 Sabers were used long before the introduction of firearms.
@@kamilszadkowski8864 true, point is, sabers are better against unarmored, while staight blades are a bit better at finding those gaps while thrusting.
Really enjoyed this video. I learned a LOT!
I personally like the cutlass, the weapon and tool of sailors into the 20th century. The difference between the cutlass and the messer is minimal, mostly due to hilt protection variants. My favorite hand protection is a half basket design, where there's just enough on the other side to cover your thumb.
So I know its not realistic at all, but I duel wield Rapiers in the vr game Blade and Sorcery with an off-hand weapon and I feel really cool while doing it.
It's not unrealistic, it's a legitimate historical skill praised my many fencing masters.
That's why it's called duel wield
@@skeletonbuyingpealts7134 No, it's called duAl wield because you're using two _weapons._ A duEl is a fight between two _people._
@@farkasmactavish Rapier and dagger my man
The case of rapiers/swords existed historically. These could be made to fit together in a single sheath, each one having half of a complex hilt. One 16th-century English text notes how "desperate cutters" caused lots of trouble with these in drunken brawls.
There's a reason why General Grievous had tons of light sabers.
There's no best single handed sword... so it's best to carry them all with you, depending on the situation. Clearly.
One advance in cavalry sabers for U.S. mounted troops is the Patton saber replacing the old wrist beakers from the dragon sabers to the Civil War/Indian war sabers. ( through the Spanish American war). George Patton designed it based on his fencing ( Olympic athlete) and on a French Dragoon sword. Straight blade, excellent hand protection and ability to thrust/parry vs. just a slash/chop. Have you seen one or reviewed a Patton Saber? PS it’s rather handsome also !
Just can't see the sense of a short straight saber for arming cavalry, and fencing translated to horseback
Reach is at such a premium vs infantry and the slash so much more effective than an impaling thrust when you need to keep fighting, respect the opinion and it looks very pretty at your side but baffles me as a choice for horsemen
A very diplomatic presentation. I like your style. Nice threads too!
I would personally choose similarly, with some niche case differences.
Arming sword for battle
Rapier or side sword for duels
Messer or even a shorter, stout fighting knife for personal defense--wakizashi or tanto would be suitable too, depending on needs and circumstances.
Cheers!
Preferences are just that. Given very subjective choices to limited options, we're naturally going to lean into our biases.
I am not sure about the arming sword for battle. We are really not specifying the time period or the role (fighting on foot or horseback) and in the age of pike&shot or later I think having something with better hand protection might be better.
But overall I agree, it is mostly about personal preferences and biases as well as given context.
@@kamilszadkowski8864 hand protection is not that important if you have armor. Good gloves will give enough protection and crossguard will be useful tool to block with it or control enemy weapon (technics like abzetzen in longsword fencing).
With self defense, one of the largest factors to consider is the environment. For something you might carry in a car or trailer, you probably want something smaller like a kukri or small cutlass. But for something you would keep in your house, something a little longer would be preferable.
@@williammclyr3330 But once again. It is not specified whether you have armour in this theoretical scenario or not. That means we should consider both.
I guess we can make an argument that the crossguard of an arming sword will not interfere with gauntlets if you have them which can be an advantage.
However the same can be said about some messers and sabers which can have knuckle bows that also won't be uncomfortable to use with gauntlets but also will offer better hand protection if your hands are exposed.
That way arming sword still looks to be at a disadvantage.
Although not the best for duels, I like viking swords. They're simple, but not too simple, and have a good balance between chopping, slicing, and thrusting, plus a hand guard.
I love your video videos! Keep up the good work!💯🤜🏼🤛🏼
Very informative and entertaining! I will have to look into the Messer sword! Thank you!
Currently in the process of making a rapier- sidesword hybrid with a backsword blade. Its an expensive project but i think it will be worth it to combine the traits of all my favorite sword types into one.
I more or less agree with you on this and came to a similar conclusion a while back. However I would argue that the messer vs the gladius would come down to pure preference. Both have proven themselves on the battlefield, both are small enough that you can just whip it out instantly and if you were stuck in a duel and they were the only option you had you weren't completely screwed. So yes I would say the best single handed swords were ones about that length.
I'd say a gladius is a lion in super extreme CQB against enemies with long guns or shorter daggers. Like turning a corner and there he is while reloading. But if they have sizable blades also maybe it's not the best. I will say this about the gladius though as it is extremely nifty as a weapon, it's high speed/low drag profile is ideal for fighting to the death while crammed inside a telephone booth with 5000 of your closest friends. It's hell's choice for sure.
The Gladius has significant less protection then the Messer tho
@@LebgefaehrlichI wouldn't say significant but it is a considerable amount.
Very nice analysis, thank you!
Very insightful as usual thanks man good choice of sword for different reasons.Also I Love when you would pick something I wouldnt have thought of lol
I'd really like to see a maker's take on a sawback yataghan. I'm increasingly convinced this might be the best defense sword / tool combo possible. It cuts, it thrusts, and it saws, and it's relatively compact.
I would love to watch more of these types of analytical/speculative/not-so-serious-but-still-factual-pondering-for-fun videos. A video about the best two-handed sword or the best type of armour would be fun to watch I bet.
Nice touch with the "watch with one hand" gave me a good chuckle.
Glad you brought up the jian in terms of self-defense.
Was in a camping rpg where we all tried our best to live in our DnD characters, with our gear. Mostly roleplay, but with cards to resolve combat.
I had a jian for the first of these and actually forgot I had it in some situations.
The other sword perfect in my mind for those is the kriss, super light and rather compact.
Yay! you squeezed in the Ginunting in the end lol! I'm not particularly blade saavy, but I just love the looks of a pair of Ginuntings. I have a 19in and 15in blade pair from the Master Giron in the Philippines. It's only 1095 carbon steel, but they're very well made. The scabbard and grips are so beautiful. I did have him put knuckle guards on both the big and small. Otherwise they're standard Ginunting's from Giron. I don't do any cutting. These are just beautiful wall hangers for me.
I love the Kopis.
I think the Falx also has a lot of things going for it, but its far more specialized- I've watched video reviews of modern ones testing it's penetrative power, it seems quite capable, its a shame such designs were basically extinct after the passing of the classical age. (Could a Falchion be compared to a Kopis? Probably, but definitely not to a Falx.)
Falxes are cool, like a Shashka with a straight grip!
Kopis good. I included it in my _El Cazador de la Bruja_ fanfiction as being Themis's sword, making it easy for my main character to transition to it after his machete got broken.
@@farkasmactavish Machete may as well be the modern successor to the Kopis, so it makes sense.
Falchions are far thinner than Kopis. please refrain from comparing those two as they have different edge, different thickness etc. Falchion is so thin that it cuts beastly, Kopis is more of a chopper not a slasher like Falchion.
@@BattlerEvil I was merely comparing the general length & how Falchions are slightly curved like how the Kopis can be, nothing more- even then it was a stretch.
Another commenter mentioned a Machete, which I'd have to agree is a far closer modern analogue to a Kopis.
Chinese Jian was not used for battle, but for the Scholar's Accessories, same as jewelry. They used the Dao, tang dao(The precursor to the Japanese sword is primarily the "chokutō,"), PuDao(long hand guard)… With the invention of the crossbow in China over two thousand years ago, combined with the later emergence of heavy cavalry, bladed weapons gradually became more decorative and were progressively replaced by blunt weapons like maces.
Being someone who practices Eskrima, I naturally gravitate to the Messer and Falchion, as they are blade designs that I'm very comfortable with in terms of length, overall design and how they feel in the hand. Honestly, I think that they are gorgeous blades, and of all the various approaches to HEMA out there--apart from WW2-era close quarter combatives--both Messer/Falchion fighting and the historical use of the Bowie knife are the things that interest me the most.
yup, doing hema with short falchion or messer I just enjoy that style more then the longer swords, and when a shield is involved I do better with it against people using the longer swords win the leverage battle and up close not to mention much much easier to get the tip on target then a swords that is longer, also the shorter blade makes hiding angles behind your shield easier. There is a reason shorter blades with a shield was used by so many militaries only really changing when the mongals changed war forever with how they used the horse.
Love the video Skally❤😁!!
We should consider that rapiers were often carried hanging from a baldric, wich is much more comfortable than a normal belt and quicker to remove and put on.
Yes, but even with a baldric I feel it's more awkward than other types of sword.
As a stage combatant and professional reenactor, I have always carried a rapier in a baldric. Was always comfortable and never snagged on anything. The back end of the sword does tend to bang about, but thats just a particular day to day issue, not an issue in a fight. Carrying a rapier on a belt hangar is a more troublesome method, but not crippling.
My recent analogy when people ask "what is the best sword" is to then ask "what is the best shoe"? It really helps drive home the fact that for different occasions (sports, formal events, hikes through creeks, etc.) that the question is inherently ridiculous.
Hello Skallagrim! I did indeed find this useful and entertaining! And, I find it hard to disagree with any of your choices. In fact, I must concur; a messer or a compact falchion does indeed seem pretty ideal for a day-to-day self defense weapon. I've GOT to get me a Landskinect messer...
As a Polish patriot, traditionalist and nationalist i need to say that Polish hussar sabre is the best weapon for duels. Now i can go back to watching more of your videos.
Awesome vid!! I freaking love the falchion and messer both.
I would also add the falcata, since it's good, for close quarter combat. The later versions of the talwar are also awesome, since they come with a hand guard.
I know this video is specifically about swords, but I think the self defense sword you picked could have a bit of an extra addon. If you wanted you could technically pair that Messer (which I'm heavily leaning into agreeing with you on, edging out the infantry sabre for me) with a sturdy weaponized cane. You could easily make a pretty beefy mace look like a simple or fancy cane, and it fits into having a layered option for self defense. The Messer, while a great option for a fight, is a very open and obvious weapon that will in most cases deter a criminal with just its presence. Which is in reality the main focus of open carrying a weapon, deter the crook before you even know he's there. However if someone does decide that they think they can take you for some reason, like not thinking you can draw it fast enough for example, that's where the surprise mace comes in. Depending on how it is built, it could have longer reach than your blade as well as already being in your hand if needed. And suddenly finding their target armed with a weapon that had been overlooked could again make the crook retreat, since you're suddenly an even more difficult target than you seemed. Which can never be stated enough is the main purpose of a self defense weapon, making sure you never actually need to use it in the first place. And secondary to that is deterring an attacker without having to strike an actual blow if you are forced to use it. Especially with blades as the main defense weapon, since it is an absolutely microscopic chance that you're going to walk away from a knife/sword fight uncut.
good understanding on bias, I like it!
What a nice video! Thank you very much! I am interested in buing my own sword soon and I cannot decide what kind.
My new favorite is the falx, cutting power, penetrating power, and looks like a giant predator claw, there must be a reason why nature gave predators the same shape for theyre claws, the superior shape indeed XD
Philippine blades mentioned! I've been wanting to pick up a ginunting or Visayan barong. But really any short sword that's good at both cutting and stabbing is a good choice. Gladius, Messer, or ginunting would be my top choices.
Oh and a long viking seax
There's no "Visayan barong", it was an invention of Traditional Filipino Weapons. The only places in the Philippines that use barong are the people of Bangsamoro and ethnic groups in southern Palawan. Ginunting though, is Visayan in origin.
you good man , you gave me some good insight of what sword to get *BLADE*.. thx
Great picks
For dueling it is obviously the rapier, for self defense i would go with a hanger, for military... it depends on what shield you are using.
I'm just happy that I called each one before hearing the answers. Saber was king of the battlefield in its prime. Cavalry and officers used it to destroy their enemies after centuries of innovation. Nothing says duel like a rapier. And while Messer was a bit more difficult(personally not a fan of the sword), I figured it was cheap, simple, easy to carry, and could easily mess up a perspective assailant.
The Langes Messer ( yes das lange Messer, dem langen Messer, des langen Messers :-))) is a weapon version of ( Bauern)Wehr. In old german woodcuts, in Bauernkrieg/farmers rebellion of 1525 context, those Wehr has size and look of a Bowie knife. In german castles/ museums , i am german, you can see weapons in Messer style of late 16th/ early 17th century, but with much more expensive handles. This kind of weapon seems to have become a weapon of hunters or over average persons for selfdefence. With the time, this later Messer/ Dussack became in HRE, and surely other european countries, a weapon, we Germans call Hirschfänger ( literaly : Deerfinalstabber), singleedged straight blade, the Nagel was replaced by a shelllike piece. It was intended for final stab of wounded game, when hunting was done without firearms ( Parforce hunt), for selfdefence, and in Germany ( including Austria up to 1866) up to 1848 revolution attempt, as a sign, the wearer is a nobleman, a Forrest official or a Professional hunter. Then also Amateur hunters and nonhunters could buy such a Hirschfänger knife. Today a Hirschfänger is uncommon among german hunters. They don't want to look warriorlike, and prefer short knifes, also long knifes are heavy and uncomfortable. But sometimes such a Hirschfänger is used for hunters ceremonies, and old hunters see it as a very great honour, when they get a Hirschfänger as honoury present ( Gift?).
I think peasants weren't allowed to carry swords so a Messer it was. Messer is German and it literally means knife (langes Messer obv meeaning long knife).
@@mysterioanonymous3206 : As a german, i didn' t expect this :-)). Fun aside, in some german regions a small knife is called Kniep or Kneip.
@@mysterioanonymous3206 Had more to do with what guild got to make it. Swordsmith guilds could make weapons with through tangs and peened pommels and knifesmith guilds could make something with scales. The messer is a sword with a knife hilt construction.
Sabers were the best once armor was off the battlefield. If you are removing fire arms which make armor useless. Unless you are talking about modern ballistic armor. Now remove armor saber or soft armor depending on material could go either way. However, if your bring plate armor the side sword or arming sword are best basket sword.
I think I almost 100% agree with you, with a slight exception, or rather addition: I would probably hve put the viking age sword up as a companion to shielded combat, but then again only to round shields and bucklars.
Both interesting AND entertaining, which is normal for your videos. Enjoyed this one a lot. Sorry you don't have your more historically accurate gladius anymore.
Schiavonnas, falchions, and ginuntings are amongst my favorite sword designs and all were in the video. Although I do prefer the more atypical ginunting styles with more of a guard present. I like some hand protection!
I don’t carry swords around, but I do handguns. Carry ability is highly underrated. The best bang for your buck should be highly considered.
Nice
Would you ever consider doing a similar video about poleaxes, halberds, and bardiche and which one you prefer as your polearm of choice?
I want to see his civilian everyday polearm choice.
Polearms that are easy to carry every day, all day, yet can be used against surprise attacks in every day to day location would be quite the video subject for angry viking Skal, the reembodied father of Skalagrimson .
I'm a huge fan of the yataghan for a personal carry weapon. It sort of checks all the same boxes as the Messer but I like the way it looks.
I do like that you have different criteria and talk about how they shine or don't in different situations.
Discussions like these are great when thinking about game design and balance - I'm making an adventure simulator game and factoring in nice touches like carry encumbrance, draw speed, and affordability alongside damage types is a lot of fun to think about. Everything has its place!
I have really struggled with trying to figure out how "damage types" should work in games. One option is to have cutting and piercing be different types, but then cutting is essentially just piercing but wider. Should a sword cut be the same type as an axe cut? Warhammers are often rather pointy and actually do pierce to some extent, can they really be considered purely blunt? In reality, there is not really a difference between a piercing strike and a blunt strike, blunt objects can pierce a target that is weak enough. I end up concluding that its all essentially the same damage type. I suppose the different categories are a simplification to account for lack advanced physics, so i shouldn't expect it to entirely make sense.
@@elio7610you should look up the damage system in kingdom come deliverance, its quite diverse and comparativly realistic in my opinion.
@@elio7610 I use 3 types, piercing slashing and impact which are multipliers of a base "force" value (how hard the weapon is swung/falling) but a weapon can deliver all 3 at once. So a sword has a relatively small impact multiplier (since they have flex and are balanced towards the hilt) but they still deliver impact damage through armour etc
One thing I noticed that was left out, mainly due to it’s lack of publicity, the katzbalger. Interesting and small with decent guard. Food for thought
I've reviewed one and was not all that impressed.
th-cam.com/video/JEASl6vRAsw/w-d-xo.html
Didn’t the guard get in the way of ease of carry though
Although traditionally it is worn high on the belt like a katana
I picked up a Gladius recently. I like it, weight and length-wise. Where I live, there are varying levels of legality for blades, ranging from no restriction in one place to specofoc lengths in others (wheb you live on a state border, weird things happen). Gladius meets the restrictions for the places that have them, so it was the natural choice
Huzzah for the Langmesser! I was converted to the messer by Skall initially, and it has been my favorite sword ever since.
The chainsaw sword with flails attached to pommel best
Don't forget to have a quick release on the pommel in case you need to end them rightly!
I personally think that a well made spadroon would do really well. Cut and thrust, but still pretty light and has excelent hand protection. For self defense at least.
I always felt Spadroons were just long small swords. Not beefy enough.
@@thecocktailian2091 It would heavily depend on the individual piece. Some where made with really dismal distal tapers, but others had heavtier blades, like the ones seen on backswords and sideswords, (of course shorter than a sidesword) so they would be able to cut decently well. A channel called the Academy of Historical Fencing made a video about the spadroon adressing this very matter. Go watch it, its pretty fun!
Preference aside, time forces all weaponry to move to a point of efficiency given its context in time and place. The question is usually efficiency in what? The thrust, the cut, reach, hand protection, cost, carrying etc. You can see that in the progression of weapons; For example: from the arming sword to the sidesword, to the rapier, to the smallsword, to the epee de combat. I think your video does a great job of explaining the attributes of all of the weapons you showed and why some progressed into becoming the chosen swords for their times and why some may have fallen out of use for certain attributes. Thank you for your video!
My favorite would be what I have designed. A 26" cutlass matched with my full tang 12.5" blade bowie. Great overall video.
Arming sword pretty strong for defense too. Good hand protection that doesn't get in your way, your choice of blade length/weight, extremely proven and versatile design, you get two edges and a good spear point.
Everything is relative, but in my experience the hand protection of the arming sword is pretty bad. Unless paired with at least a buckler you want something better.
It is the epitome of KISS.
I think a cut-and-thrust with a simpler guard would also do quite well for self-defense, but I understand Skall's choice :D
I agree. I'm a big fan of the messer, and I also like a good cutlass.
Finally, important discussions on TH-cam. Bravo
KriegMesser Falchion hybrid with a sharpened crescent moon type clip point would be an interesting sword. I just wish I could get ahold of some really good steels to try making one.
I miss that 'Chinese Willow-Leaf saber.' it seems like some sort of heavy saber mixed with a Katana.
Isnt it a part of the 1 handed Dao category?
i think there are many 1 handed chinese DAO!
@@killerkraut9179 The saber I'm talking about is in this vid: th-cam.com/video/Nx4IjQN_W7w/w-d-xo.html
@@No_Man_Is_An_Island But i think still there are still more dao sabers i think he hade tested more then just 1 dao !
@@killerkraut9179 what are you talking about? I don't get it. your comment doesn't make sense.
@@No_Man_Is_An_Island
Other 1 handed dao he tested
th-cam.com/video/O11W394cKNw/w-d-xo.html
You make a really good case for that Jian.
Loved this!
The Dao honestly seems like a good option throughout, but not of course not the best at anything. I like it, it's versatile. Only the length would make it somewhat unwieldy to carry around.
I have actually thought about how dual wielding a saber and a rapier would work as a combo. This makes more sense in my opinion than wielding two identical swords, since you can switch swords depend on the situtaion. You could even specialize each hand for each sword, for example, saber for the left and rapier for the right hand.
Someone should try this out in sparring.
Considering the weight distribution, lightsaber should probably be used similar to a rapier. Variation of form 2.
Grrr rahhhh (engagement)….. uh… Lightsabers, I guess? I’ve always had a thing for rapiers, but then cutlass makes a lot so sense also.
Thanks for the video!
Great video, thanks! I do think a panabas or short falchion would be my favourite
I'm curious what you think about the kukri from a general carry/self-defense standpoint. Very easy to carry, highly usable as a tool, and the inward curve makes it a very reliable cutter even with less precise edge alignment.
The kukuri was the most effective killing weapon as far as number of kills per knife. Ever
@@Tallnerdyguywhich was done mainly by the Gurkha regiments, and members of other units carried them, especially during the Second World War.
The kukri is a reverse curved sword no? Is basically a sickle. If you have a false edge on a forward curved sword you can do most of what the sickle shapped can do as well. They are better at cutting arms and legs with poor armor but... you do not need to cut the whole arm or leg to stop or kill the opponent. And the fluidity with a forward curved sword is much better.
If I have to choose just one for myself, I'd go for a Falchion.Cuts, thrusts, false-cuts, not too heavy, manageable, hand protection, comfy handle.
Love the Jian.
I'm dying for a Sword of The Daywalker. . . .
I agree and in fact have a messer on my shopping list at some point. Specifically so I can justify it by using it to clear brush and also be a swashbuckler if the need arises.
For the battlefield I think that a blade with a strong pointy crossguard to be used against armoured opponents would be very important. Also depends on the role in the battlefield. Are you a cavalrymen? You better get large curved saber to get some nice cuts. Formation fighting? Then something shorter that can thrust without interrupting or getting obstructed by the formation.
Honestly, I figured it'd have been the Rapier or Side Sword and he picked them both... So I win lol
I 'd only argue a side sword with a shorter blade would also qualify as a good self defense sword as well making it over all "THE BEST SINGLE-HAND SWORD OF ALL TIME!"
Interesting review, Skall. I was especially intrigued by the nod to Filipino weapons as effective self-defense weapons, as I think that many of them are in a similar class as other indigenous tool/weapon blades, including the Thai Enep, some forms of Kukri, and the ubiquitous machete. I think that many of the attributes that make these viable for self-defense (size, weight, speed, ease of concealment, and cutting efficiency) derive from their use as tools in daily life. It is in this class that I think a Bowie knife belongs.