Customer Reviews

1860 Naval Cutlass Military Sword

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I ordered this sword to use with a pirate costume, and it certainly looks the part, but there were a few shortcomings.The scabbard is fairly well made, but the brass stud that holds a real cutlass in its frog (the thingie you hang the scabbard from your belt with) isn't attached to the scabbard, as it would be in the genuine article. Instead, it's a separate casting that does nothing useful whatsoever.The frog itself is made of a particularly stretchy variety of pleather. This means that the scabbard slips free of the frog after a few minutes of wear, dumping the scabbard on the ground. I fashioned a better frog using leather scraps left over from another project.The sword itself is quite convincing, has the proper heft, and screams "pirate!" without having to paste little skulls and crossbones all over it.If you want detailed historical accuracy, keep looking. If you want an inexpensive accessory for a nautical costume and are able to deal with its shortcomings, this cutlass and scabbard is a bargain.

The stock photograph is not the same cutlass that arrived. I am a historian with a museum, trying to put on a Naval display. The stock photograph is of a better made reproduction. The one I received has a very different blade, which makes it less sturdy and an inaccurate reproduction.

I got this sword from the other seller on Amazon for a few bucks cheaper.

Well, I like it.

First of, the compliments; the sword has a good weight and handles well, if a little tip heavy (but not much).
The blade is perfectly designed for general cut and thrust techniques, and is very stiff.
The blade is also very tough and seems to be pretty good quality steel (more later).
The guard looks nice and protects the hand extensively without being too much of a pain while worn on a belt.
The grip feels nice, looks nice.

The complaints; first thing I noticed is that the bowl portion of the guard is a particularly thin layer of brass, and dents easily after a couple of hand blows on a training pole. Fortunatly for me, I think it looks kind of cool that way, but I could definitely see this bothering someone.
Secondly, the grip, although nice at first, becomes a little irritating on the hand after some use. I think it's the wire wrap...some gloves did the trick and made prolonged use easier.
The biggest problem a sword buyer would have to keep in mind is the fact that the blade beings to wobble after extensive blows. It's not going to fly out or anything (full tang), but it spins inside the hilt and after a few smacks you will have a sideways cutting edge.

I remedied this, and was expecting to have to do so when I bought the sword because I knew I was going to test it severely. I stuck some plastic wedges in the spaces on the sides of the blade, extending down the length of the hilt. I tapered them accordingly so after some blows with a wood block and hammer they stay snug, and now keep the blade sturdier than ever.
This is a common problem with many swords and people do this all the time. It's pretty easy.
That's my only real complaint with the sword.

I've found the steel of the blade to be exceptionally tough and am very pleased with the functionality of it. I haven't had the heart to cross another blade yet, but the thing cuts through wood and high impact plastic with no ill effects.
It's good to know you've got a real-life sword, and that's what I bought it for. I'm satisfied in that regard.

Overall, there's a shining combat-worthy sword somewhere inside this product, but it might take a little modification to get it the way you want it.

Unlike many others out there, I didn't buy this sword just to play dress up. I've a powerful need to own a sword that can do some damage and actualy hold it's own in a fight. It may surprise quite a few people to know that most nerds and geeks have at least one sword. Most of them harbor some kind of fantasy about either traveling to some Narnia type world and using their sword to become a great hero or traveling to the distant past like maybe King Aurthur's Court or a post apocolyptic future where guns and bullets have become extremely rare (see Battle Angel Alita) or they're waiting for the zombies to attack because when facing off against zombies nothing beats a sword. The thing is, nerds almost never bother to train with their swords beyond pulling them out and taking a few practice slashes in front of a mirror, and only a small few know enough to not buy a mere, stainless steel, "display" sword. With the current political turmoil all over the world the odds of living in a post apocalyptic near future have gone up. Many religious fanatics believe that the apocolyps is right around the corner. That would bring about the walking dead. Al Gore says the polar ice caps are going to melt soon, submerging much of the world in water. That would certainly bring about a rise in piracy. So I decided to train with my swords while putting much of my collection to the test. Now, as of yet, I've not had occasion to cross blades with any nerds, heroes, zombies or pirates, yet. But after a few intense training sessions, invloving large firewood logs hanging from ropes attatched to tree branches, this blade doesn't have a single dent, nick or scratch. The hand guard has a couple dents and scratches but it's nothing more than I expected. The hand guard is brass after all. The hilt wobbles a little bit but that was to be exptected as well, and it's only a tiny bit. The frog is a piece of cr@p but who needs it? The sheath is strong and sturdy. I am quite confident that with this sword I could cut through nerds and zombies like butter. I'll give heroes and pirates a little more credit and say that I could hold my own for a while but I think the sword would remain after I've been cut down. If you're looking for a sword that has some practical functionality, this is it right here.