AI Video Summary: Our collection of swords, axes, and polearms - 11 January 2015
Channel: Skallagrim
TL;DR
The host presents a comprehensive tour of his personal weapon collection, featuring a diverse array of swords, axes, and polearms from various historical periods and manufacturers. He provides brief reviews on the quality, balance, and usability of each item, ranging from budget-friendly bronze replicas to high-end custom pieces, while also highlighting specific defects and standout features.
Key Points
- — Introduction of the budget Khopesh by Neil Burridge, a fully functional bronze sword with forged edges.
- — Review of the Cobra Steel 'tactical' Kindjal by Windlass, noted for its light weight and thrusting capability.
- — Discussion of a vintage Roman Gladius by Raven Armoury from the mid-1990s, acquired via eBay.
- — Critique of the Northstar Capless by Privet Ear Armory, described as too light and lacking mass for effective cutting.
- — Presentation of the Cobra Kukri, a massive cutting tool from a family-run smithy, noted for its immense chopping power.
- — Showcase of the Willow Leaf Dao, a traditional Chinese weapon praised for its excellent cutting ability despite being front-heavy.
- — Highlight of the Albion Arms Haiden Caithness, the host's most prized possession, noted for its perfect balance and flexibility.
- — Review of a Darkwood Armory rapier that arrived warped, with the host praising the company's customer service for sending a free replacement.
- — Demonstration of the Humongous Hunway Lowlander greatsword, described as massive yet surprisingly lightweight for its size.
- — Examination of a Hungarian axe by Arms and Armor, praised for its unique shape that allows for both chopping and thrusting.
- — Critique of a budget Arms and Armor axe, which has a well-made handle but an edge geometry that is too thick to sharpen effectively.
- — Final showcase of a composite Scythian horse bow by Grozer, featuring a 45-pound draw weight and smooth performance.
Detailed Summary
The video begins with the host introducing an updated tour of his extensive weapon collection, noting that the previous video is a year old and no longer reflects his current inventory. He explains that the collection is sorted by size and emphasizes his diverse taste in weapons, ranging from ancient replicas to modern tactical designs. The first item presented is a budget Khopesh by Neil Burridge, made entirely of bronze with forged edges, which the host praises for its surprising slicing capability despite common misconceptions about bronze weapons. Following this is a Cobra Steel 'tactical' Kindjal by Windlass, a lightweight, thrust-oriented dagger with a rubber grip, and a vintage Roman Gladius by Raven Armoury from the mid-1990s, which he acquired on eBay and notes is an early model from a now high-end manufacturer. The tour continues with a bronze word park sword by Neil Burridge, described as a thrusting-oriented blade often mistaken for a rapier. The host then critiques a Northstar Capless by Privet Ear Armory, arguing that it is too light to be effective as a cutting weapon, lacking the necessary mass to penetrate clothing. In contrast, he showcases a massive Cobra Kukri, likely from a family-run smithy, which he describes as an oversized cutting tool capable of hacking through almost anything. He also presents a Bush Cutlass by Cornor, a thin machete-like sword that performed well in a test against a table, and a 'Zombie Tools' River Cleaver, a monstrous butcher's cleaver with impressive chopping power but poor agility and reach. Moving to larger blades, the host highlights a Willow Leaf Dao from Seven Star Sword Company, praising its traditional craftsmanship and cutting ability despite its front-heavy balance. He then shows a Windlass Shamshir, a recent gift with a pronounced curve, though he notes a minor ergonomic issue with the handle's metal protrusion. The centerpiece of the collection is the Albion Arms Haiden Caithness, which he calls his most prized possession due to its incredible balance, flexibility, and durability. He briefly mentions a generic katana included for completeness, noting its low price and lack of attachment, followed by a Jim Gary cavalry saber from Universal Swords, which he finds well-assembled and balanced. The host then addresses a Darkwood Armory rapier that arrived heavily warped, commending the company for their excellent customer service in providing a free replacement. He also displays a Popinheimer rapier with a shell guard suitable for both left and right-handed users. The collection includes a Stay-on White Poodle, a sturdy but overly flexible polearm, and a massive Hunway Lowlander greatsword, which he describes as humongous yet surprisingly light for its size. He compares this to a Humongous Claymore, noting the latter is slightly less balanced than his previous Arms and Armor model. The tour shifts to axes, featuring a Hungarian axe by Arms and Armor that allows for thrusting, and a budget axe from the same maker which suffers from an edge geometry that is too thick to sharpen effectively. He also reviews a CRKT Woods Chokin tomahawk and a Windlass Italian me, noting the latter has some rough welding spots but is solid for the price. The video concludes with a look at an Arms and Armor warhammer, praised for its solid construction even if the wooden handle cracks, and a comparison of practice swords from Dark Sword Armory and Hard Way, with the former showing better durability. The host briefly shows a cheap, poorly assembled sword that rattles and a multi-functional cane with a hidden compartment. Finally, he presents a Valiant Armory 'Zombie Slayer' and a high-quality composite Scythian horse bow by Grozer with a 45-pound draw weight. The video ends with a chaotic pile of all the weapons and a few bloopers.
Tags: weapon collection, sword review, historical weapons, martial arts, blades, axes, polearms, hema