[Hitman Monkey]

so i finally broke down and bought the Reaper from Zombie Tools.

i have had hands on the Deuce - it is an amazing sword.

i just had to go all out and get the meanest looking beast they offer. i will post a review when it gets here next week.


just thought you guys might like to know

[Assassin42]

Can you let us know how good the steel is, is it pretty junk or usable, and does it seem to rust quickly after use?

It is rare now to find anyone that makes blades and swords that are usable, most just produce pretty garbage that rusts very quickly or the blade shatters during use. I had a hatchet shatter a week ago while chopping branches off limbs I cut off a tree last fall. When I looked at the cross section of the pieces there was air holes and slag chunks inside the metal, so it was not forged very well.

[Hitman Monkey]

these guys only use good stuff. 5160 spring steel, differentially heat treated. go to www.zombietools.net and look at the video "destroying the deuce."

it's good stuff. the deuce is about a quarter inch thick. it isn't stainless steel (which is a good thing), but a little love from time to time (mostly, keep a bit of oil on it) will keep it from rusting.

[Assassin42]

Impressive, but how eaten out was the edge from all this. I don't doubt that it looked like a saw blade when they were done.

[massacre07]

Well I guess the obvious question here is have you used it yet? Having handled several antique weapons from Great Britain I can speak that the weights of the weapons I held, used in real combat were on average significantly more than what they have listed for these weapons.

I have never seen this website before and their weapons look very impressive but when hundreds of years of real battle experience dictate that solid steel weapons are heavy and thick then I see these guys (having heard and seen from various sources that most modern forged blades are of poor quality) and think that'll break after 15 minutes of using it on hard targets. I understand that the strength of materials and modern refinement processes can change the game but I have my doubts

I just finished watching destroying the deuce and I hate to say it I'm not really impressed. The first test would've been impressive if it were the 5th test they did, as the video progresses they are more relying on the blunt force of impact rather than the cutting edge of the weapon. They test the breaking strength of the weapon and then finally getting it to break over a concrete divider, but what about the cutting power of the edge after you run it through an aluminum hood or smack a cinder block to pieces. The piece of bread they cut should've really been a fine fruit such as a tomato to show how sharp the cutting edge of the weapon remained, a close up of the edge would've also been good.
If I am purchasing a slashing weapon (for actually a reasonable price) I want to know before hand that after any kind of punishment that the cutting edge (of my slashing) weapon will hold up and I will not need to sharpen it down to a toothpick

I would put the cool factor of these weapons through the roof but until I see more evidence of them being used as a cutting/slashing weapon I will hold off on purchasing. They have also neglected to manufacture a version of what would be my short sword of choice, the Gladius.

[Assassin42]

That sums up much of what I was thinking.

I do have my doubts about the edge after the tests (and before the divider). I read an article last week about choosing good hunting knives and 5160 was named as one of the choices to look for metal. But.... it also mentioned that 5160 is easy to sharpen but on the reverse it also looses it's edge easily during use. I noticed their was not Gladius and I liked the Phalanx from their selection.

[hotlead]

Now, I generally don't go in for swords and stuff, I like to leave that to the leotard wearing reniesaunce (spelling?) faire types. I try to leave them alone and not shit up thier threads.

However, a few points to consider-

Metal technology is much better today than it was 600 years ago, particularly in the different types of steel alloys available. You can make a sword today, every bit as quality as an antique British blade, for 3/4ths the weight or less. It will retain the edge longer, be more flexible, and better resist corrosion.

Like firefighters today, many mideval soldiers didn't put a razor edge on their weapons. The thin edge would flake, break, and dull very quickly. So, a wider edge, more like a skinny wedge, would allow the weapon to have a more consistent edge, and keep that edge longer. All the while increasing the service life of the weapon by not having to sharpen it as often.

[Hitman Monkey]

HAZ!

ok...this thing is sick. 8lbs. good edge. good steel.

i will get more pics up soon, but for now here it is with some other goodies...