Finally an Accurate Low/Mid-Range Kopis Reproduction! (Kris Cutlery)

In the sub-$500 (and especially sub-$300) range there are many reproductions of the Hellenic kopis on the market that are only loosely inspired by historical originals. This one here is a direct replica of a specific find, displayed at a museum in Korfu, Greece.
The only other reproductions of this particular kopis that I'm aware of are high-end, meaning well above 500 or even over 2000 dollars. Of course you can't expect the same level of quality, but this sword definitely impressed me, especially considering the constraints of offering a historical replica for a bit over $300 (upper budget or lower mid-range).
It did better than I expected when cutting tatami and a ballistic gel torso. Also held up beautifully in hard chopping tests on wooden branches and particle board. Overall easy to recommend.
Where to get it:
ww4.aitsafe.com/go.htm?go=kult...
www.kriscutlery.com/european-...
The "deluxe" version made by Manning Imperial:
www.manningimperial.com/produ...
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** Music **
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Outro:
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[@jameswoodard4304]

Also, I suddenly got this mental image of the Celtic barbarian hordes that invaded Ancient Greece and sacked Delphi suddenly stopping when they got to the borders of Greece to put on their shades before continuing.

[@dragonfell5078]

Lmao

[@michaelkean5969]

skall: how about something greek today Persian Viewers: Sweating intensifies.

[@Jackboy019]

Persian Viewers: OUR VIEWERS SHALL NOT BLOCK OUT THE SUN Skal: THEN I WILL RECORD IN SHADES

[@drops2cents260]

@@Jackboy019 Well played, good sir, commendably well played.

[@Imortalcat]

That Feeling is mutual if you know the history 🗿

[@yoursexualizedgrandparents6929]

A Greek sword you say... I'll go and get the olive oil. Skall: *ruins the mood in the intro*

[@PobortzaPl]

I was expecting a joke about feta cheese or resin flavoured wine...

[@jatisoem7472]

And give it good ol' rub

[@FinalFantasyIXIIII]

"How about something greek today?" "No you dont need to lube up for it" "Its a sword" Well maybe YOU dont need to lube up for it...

[@peterjones288]

it sounds like my knees when i try bending down *cries in old man*

[@SmphnyOfBullets]

I get this too *cries in Infantry*

[@TheRPGentleman]

Cries in 28 years old but has bad knees already.

[@psychronic8327]

@@TheRPGentleman cries in torn knee cartilage

[@sebastianriz4703]

lol I am 22 and my back pops 15 times every time I bend over. Kek

[@wendigo1619]

Sounds like my elbow, i'm 22 and had elbow surgery when i was 14

[@ozlemashimiyamoto1403]

**sadly comes back home after assuming there would be an oil 0rgy**

[@michaelhoy4249]

The Macedonian cavalry used this sword during the time of Alexander the Great. This is the type of sword that he would have used.

[@morlath4767]

Eye-balling this sword, it seems like they went for the blade to be the key reproduction focus, had a price range in mind as to what they were going to sell it for, and then cost-cut everywhere they could to make it work. Wait, you guys call chipboard particle board? Huh...well I suppose it does exactly what it says on the tin.

[@kettlebells-ez9xi]

Yeah looks like chip board to me. Particleboard is that other one that is more particle like

[@morlath4767]

@@kettlebells-ez9xi Exactly. Although now I'm thinking about all the furniture units I've destroyed with a hammer and how I could have stress-tested swords on them instead.

[@sebastianriz4703]

I think the scabbard is a huge cop out. Rounding the corners and oiling it would have made it look better and would have taken 20 min tops to do both and yet they didn't. I dont like to see that. The blade itself looks like it is worth as much as it is but the scabbard is a bit of an insult on the quality. I mean look at Albion. Their swords are masterpieces and they dont come with scabbards. These guys could have just not built the scabbard and yet they did and rushed it.

[@morlath4767]

@@sebastianriz4703 Don't get me wrong, I absolutely do not approve of the quality level drop and it's obvious that it's been "half-arsed" everywhere but the blade itself. In fact, there's no way I'd buy anything from this company because of this as the lack of quality and care with the rest of the sword might just be a sign of a deeper issue. My comment was very much in regards to the dramatic difference between the blade and everything else.

[@sebastianriz4703]

@@morlath4767 true, I do commend the blade for being of mostly decent quality. For $300 ish you will get a sword with minor problems (such as my swords I get from Swords of Northshire.) it will be a solid construction with details added onto it but it will never be perfect. A fitting will loosen uo, glue will rub off (especially when making the sword in one enviroment and it ships to another. I had to reglue fittings on my nodachi and katana because I live in a desert. No fault on the smiths but still.) A good blade deserves a good scabbard.

[@LeWille00]

intersting question though : would lubing the blade increase the cutting/thrust?

[@b1dover]

no, it'd slide right off the target

[@Number1Irishlad]

Itd only make it kinkier

[@Croatilillious]

@@Number1Irishlad You can lube my blade anytime. ;)

[@spamhonx56]

A fine layer of oil on a blade would certainly help it in its first few cuts or thrusts, in that it would make a good cut cut a little deeper, but it would not redeem one where the edge alignment is off. Historically, it was not uncommon for oil to be used to maintain swords, and so clearly they would have known that the first few cuts would do a little better, but i cannot think of any source that mentions oiling a blade purely to make it hit harder (as in the witcher). To me, it seems like more effort than it's worth, and as this is the simplest conclusion it's also probably why they didn't bother in the past. Some sources mention waxed arrow tips, however, which makes more sense as they only have to hit once, and wax stays on the arrow head more easily.

[@lachy1709]

Interesting question, Tod from Tods Workshop showed that waxing an arrowhead helped it penetrate gambeson, so it would make sense for that to transfer to sword thrusts. For slashes and cuts I’m not sure though, it would require testing

[@SteelBerserkChannel]

I always wanted to know what Skall would say about a Falcata but I guess the original Greek Kopis one is close enough. Thanks for the video mate!

[@alexandrosbeleris6957]

Appreciate the Hellenic mention......

[@theblackhood4121]

Aide na ektimoun Kai tipota oi ellines edw

[@gabethet8458]

That sword speaks to me, I creak in weird places too.

[@Boggsy.]

Unfortunate that they’re going out of business, from what I heard. This does seem to be a great blade, though. A lot of Kris’s stuff was recommended to me in the forums coming up all the way through the 2010’s, so I’m glad that they get a Skall shout-out as part of their swan song. Edit: Just saw the bird pommel, that’s some bittersweet coincidence.

[@terabit.]

8:05 One thing really notable at this point of the video is the " *_ERICKSON_* " name on the safety tape. In Greek phonetically means " *_ΕΡΙΞΟΝ_* " (the ancient form of past perfect of verb " *_throw_* " (" *_threw_* ")) or in Greeklish " *_ERIKSON_* ". And it has many uses depending on the context that this verb is used. For example: When we say in Greek that " *_I shut him 3 times with the gun_* " we say it as: " *_Του έριξα 3 πιστολιές_* " or in ancient Greek (if Greeks had invented firearms 🤣 they say): " *_έριξον αυτώ γ σφαίρας_* " (or in absolute translation to english (word by word): " *_I threw to him 3 spheres_* ". And in phonetic Greeklish: " *_erikson afto 3 sferas_* ". In the "knives/swords contexts" we would say that "I cut him 3 times*_ " as: " *_Του έριξα 3 μαχαιριές_* ", or in absolute word by word translation: " *_Ι threw to him 3 knifecuts_* " And in phonetic Greeklish: " *_Tou eriksa 3 maheries_* " LMAO !!! Was that tape there just by coincidence? 🤣🤣🤣

[@CreedofDarkness]

I heard the clicking and my first thought was "Oh damn, Skal's getting old."

[@theultimatederp3288]

Canadian Summer Sun: Wassuuuup! Skall:[Vampiric Hiss] I can relate.

[@Gurfbagel]

Great video, it's nice to see quality reproductions in a price range most folks can afford.

[@Ranstone]

Since I'm early, I'm going to apologize for not buying your old RX100 after I wasted your time with our emails. I also like Pepsi, rain and I crashed my bicycle the other day. Thanks, just some things I needed to say. :3

[@zichithefox4781]

Hope your bicycle's okay.

[@Ventruethful]

Only true patricians know that Pepsi > Coca Cola.

[@seanheath4492]

@@Ventruethful But Dr. Pepper > all. :P

[@seanheath4492]

@@Ranstone That's only a 2-liter a week, give or take. Not seeing much of a problem here. :P

[@stinker1822]

Pepsi is best

[@QualityPen]

This sword is out of stock everywhere and no longer in production. :( why do you taunt us like this, Skallagrim?

[@pinpetos]

He's got 1.3M subscribers. Any sword that gets a mostly favorable review has this happen to it.

[@45calibermedic]

This looks like a great blade to hilt for oneself. Honestly, there might be a substantial market for budget-minded bare blades that focus on good proportions/handling and accuracy (for historical pieces).

[@jonnysimpson093]

I love those forward leaning swords like the sika or however you spell it and of course the kopis. They just look cool

[@DisinterestedHandjob]

Nice to see Manning Imperial get a mention. I've bought stuff from them in the past and they're great folks.

[@jackmann5626]

wow good job on getting in shape gg senpie

[@neatchipops3428]

Excellent presentation, man, thank you.

[@kleinjahr]

There are several ways to improve/decorate the scabbard. The corners can be rounded, sand paper or a bevelling tool. You can also carve or woodburn designs in it. Wrap in wire or inlay wire is also possible. Shallow vee grooves cut in then filled with glue and ground copper can be quite intricate. Cut a design out of a contrasting wood veneer and glue it on. So on and so forth, it all depends on how much work you want to put into it and how much bling you want it to have.

[@lordaragorn001]

Didn't watch a video of yours in a long time. The intro,fucking legend. I needed that.

[@efrainlagunas]

Love the kopis. This kopis in particular looks amazing for the price

[@PiFrame]

I honestly watch your vids to see historical weapons cut through stuff

[@JaggedVeil163]

Man, Skall is just pumping out content now. Not that i'm complaining

[@JSRLPadre]

If the detailing bugs you, you can always carve into the wood grip anyway...

[@fuferito]

The word itself, _kopis_ sounds like the word for the distinctive sickle-like Egyptian sword, _kopesh._ Also, the raised ridge in the middle of the blade seems to be a vestigial design memory of a bronze weapon for which that ridge was essential for strength and integrity of the blade.

[@chrisfromgreece9031]

Kopis means "cutter" in ancient Greek . I'm Greek btw

[@samueltheblonde]

Humm. Isn't the Kopis a mix between the Kopesh and the Greek sword? At least, that's what I'm told.

[@jasondoe2596]

It's a coincidence that they sound alike. _Khopesh_ is almost certainly a very, very old Egyptian word (and I think the vowels have been reconstructed, so it could have easily been _khepesh_ or something similar - correct me if I'm wrong). _Kopis_ very clearly comes from the greek verb _koptō_ (κόπτω), meaning "to cut", which has a proto-indo-european root. (Egyptian is an afroasiatic language, not PIE.) There are countless other words in Greek coming from koptō. You are right though that the ridges were a design gesture in many older bronze swords (greek, egyptian and others). *edit:* "feature", not "gesture". Damn you auto-correct! (leaving it for the lulz)

[@beeldpuntXVI]

Linguïstische influence is a real thing, egypt was know in in greece from the minoan period....

[@jasondoe2596]

beeldpuntXVI, ...and your point is... ?

[@themaskedpinapple]

Great review. Definitely interested in getting one at some point.

[@panagiotiskaragiannis2674]

Hello from Greece, I love very much you job keep Goin like that

[@jeffreycierniak8536]

I really like Kris Cutlery. Not top end stuff, but good quality for the money. My first sword ever was a katana from then when I was doing kenjutsu. It did take a slight bend when I tried to cut doweled tatami (I was 15 or 16 years old...) and I didn't have my alignment perfect. It is now 15 years old and more relegated to yardwork as I don't practice Japanese sword anymore, but has held up very well.

[@TheMalarz1989]

Very cool sword. I like those ancient designs.

[@MrMakto]

Tang cracked inside the handle. Love the blade style, I want to make one now.

[@Cigokar]

It looks beautiful, and 100% like my type of sword but.... that's not ebony. I know it doesn't matter, but it looks more like ziricote from the shade/grain. Often sold as "ebony" by online sellers, much like they call every veined wood "rosewood" nowadays. Sauce: I'm litteraly carving a ziricote/ebony mix mallet as I watch this

[@johndododoe1411]

It's decorated iron. Looks like wood, but not really.

[@oliverbarnes8191]

350 dollars is mid/low range? Luckily a man only needs one kidney to live...

[@RooRguy27]

Hope you never want to get into guns bud.

[@Don_Rodrigo44]

a nice staff mite be more your speed bud

[@Sareth94]

for swords, yes that is low range. Expensive hobby, but skimping on that can lead to helicopter-of-death scenarios...

[@ScottKenny1978]

You don't want to see the prices for a traditionally forged katana, then.

[@TheRPGentleman]

If that's seems high then you have no business buying a sword unless you plan on using it for a living.

[@Gravedigger432]

I love the Kopis and the Falke they are my two favorite historical blades

[@han5vk]

You could make this into a little project: round off the guard, maybe add some detail to the handle and the scabbard... Seemed like they made the blade solid and skimped out on the rest :)

[@tamlandipper29]

That's an interesting idea. You could do a sword with blank copper or aluminium decorative bits, leaving the buyer to acid etch them.

[@Selckunk]

It’s rare to hear Skall talk to positively about a sword in the budget range

[@Kombereloni]

About the metal guard to wood handle issue; Another option was making the metal guard flared and a bit larger, making it a kind of hand stop. Not exactly a reproduction at that point but would have been nicer to handle. Ps; Also, the scabbard feels perfect for a beginner / amateur leatherworking project. :)

[@primalwolfe4711]

It's a very nice kopis. I'll have to add it to my collection.

[@deanospimoniful]

Grip reminds me of an umbrella my grandfather had.

[@scarecrow2097]

Best commercial replica of a kopis i have ever seen. It saddens me so much that nobody brought it to Europe because I cant buy from the us :(

[@chrisVvV1821]

"The sun is too much,i can't handle it,i am not Greek" Hahaha! Greetings from Greece my friend!

[@BouncingTribbles]

Beautiful sword

[@danielclark-hughes692]

Damn, that's a beautiful sword

[@user-fz5jc6xt1c]

I live in Corfu Greece and have seen this in person. Also I'm obviously into swords for being here! I can verify that this sword was not meant to cut from both sides. There is a slight dull sharpening for about 15cm from the tip on the upper side, for penetration purposes. The actual cutting edge is from the down side.

[@erichusayn]

Nice. Looks better than some of their other offerings...

[@coryjordan863]

Awesome review! I know how you feel about cold steel, but I am interested in you reviewing their German longsword

[@shadekeigarblacksky]

That's a beautiful dueling weapon

[@thelastfeelbender]

"You don't need to lube up for that!" I don't get it

[@benjaminpilat1553]

The ancient Greeks invented anal lube lol

[@GothicLeviathan]

@@benjaminpilat1553 wow🤣🤣🤣

[@Sean-ow8rf]

Little greek boy left home. He didn't like the way he was being reared. He came home though because he couldnt leave his brothers behind.

[@davidbengtsson4964]

No, it's a reference to how Greece is anal fucking the rest of the EU

[@GothicLeviathan]

@@davidbengtsson4964 wdym?

[@KirkWilliams300]

A read a book stating that this weapon was an evolution of hand scythes and I still find that interesting

[@chrischristopoulos6544]

Greeting from Greece Skall!!

[@amberfuller16]

love your videos I hope you're doing well

[@taianonni]

Hey, my ankle does that same noise when I shift it!

[@boot_boy_6945]

I’m really surprised by the size of the sword. My interpretation of the Kopis was always that of a really short proto sword that really resembled the Khukri.

[@Fede_uyz]

I mean, with that scabbard you can probably shave the edges down, so some wood burning decorations and add some oil or tans to make it look better. Nothing really to complain

[@brianmiracle8993]

Video 2 of asking him to review the guan dao

[@SpieleFlut]

For me, it looks like the head of a horse, not of a bird. Sounds reasonable, that a cavalry sword would get a horse head, me thinks :)

[@MrBottlecapBill]

Agreed, if you look at the original you can even see the horse's lips. Are they called lips on a horse? I have no idea but you get my point. :)

[@M.M.83-U]

There are some with horse's head, and some with eagle.

[@tamlandipper29]

@@MrBottlecapBill - my brain, overheating in the weather: if it has lips then you could kiss a horse.

[@magicspook]

@@tamlandipper29 You know what else has lips? lizards, fish. yeah...

[@Aron-ru5zk]

All I see is depressed swan...

[@Hazza57t]

Love it!

[@Sethrain]

Bird grip? Looking at the picture of the original shown, I'd have said seahorse (possibly hippocampus?).

[@jugglerjohn]

Nice Tee shirt, i own the same one. nice sword, seems very affordable.

[@jefferyautry3555]

Kopi are my favorite

[@Leftyotism]

The Machaira was also around at least 500 BC.

[@peterjones5493]

Please do more windlass swords! The in the right price range and have some very interesting new designs!

[@The_Judge300]

Nice review Skall. I really like the look of it. I would like a nicer horse head and a smoother guard against the hand.

[@nzoththedeepwatcher1616]

Kris Cutlery is good for functional blades from my experience, the owner cecil was chill too with any issues

[@masterofpuppets4771]

Yay Kopis review I'm So HaPPy :3

[@prestonparks9031]

A lot of longsword feders develop that creak in the handle while still maintaining their overall rigidity, mine's had a creak for months with heavy sparring, but everything is still solid.

[@Liqweed1337]

1st: The Woods you have in your backyard are just incredible, where is that? 2nd: Very nice blade, thats something i would hang on my living room wall and swing it from time to time when im drunk. 3rd: The only flaw is the Scabbard. I would replace it with a nice leather Scabbard in a northern cord string style. Nice video! Even the wood chopping went very well for such a handy blade.

[@TheRPGentleman]

Did you know that outside of the cities and towns there are woods? It's basically no different from the thick woods that grow in undeveloped areas of the United States, and he lives in Nova Scotia now I believe.

[@jodricpalisbo7916]

Reminds me of the Ginunting with the forward curvature. Pretty good sword I must say.

[@porkchopulator]

Looks like I'm gonna be buying a kopis soon.

[@kasnitch]

digging that raven shirt .

[@The2808erik]

The scabbard could be diy rounded and wrapped with some leather to make it look nicer.

[@StevenHouse1980]

Skall one of these days you realy should do a farce comedy cuting test video for an ancient artifact once known as a light-saber. maybe for next may the 4th.

[@mgatao5]

Hey Mr. Baldur! Today I have decided to call you Skallagrim "Baldur" from the God Of War 4. I can't say this enough but you remind me of him. You two got quite the similarity. P.S. This is positive by the way. ^_^ good content Baldur! Keep it up.

[@xXSirKRXx]

Thank god. Ive been wishing for a decent not expensive onw of these. Hope its good.

[@cinemacritic9571]

Brother, that’s nice

[@Chfoulu]

Would be interesting to handle an aspis koilè (the round shield) to see how the Kopis cuts and if it affects its use. In ancient greek HEMA/reenactment we don't use it a lot because of its damage effectiveness (even the wooden one are blunted with leather), but the way you handle the sword (blade upwards) makes it interesting to fight with

[@counterblast3885]

The way your commentary talks over yourself in the cutting clips is reminiscent of the interrupting voice clips from sonic adventure 2

[@casbot71]

3:45 (2 seconds later) whoa… So much younger, or is it the harsh sunlight??

[@bardiel2cc52]

hmmm I may actually pick this one up when I can

[@Fede_uyz]

No pommel? 0/10: would not end rightly

[@drops2cents260]

Well, the Spartans used to forge sword-shaped pommels, which is the actual reason why they were such badass warriors: Because every single hit resulted in someone being ended rightly.

[@marveen6372]

Kopis don’t get enough credit but as a sword it is as devastating as modern day kukri or yatagan also looks awesome

[@TimmyTurner421]

Haven't seen your vids since forever thought you stopped youtubing

[@jacobnelson7104]

It seems to me like the tang has just popped free on that pin. The pin is so long that the middle of it probably didn't deform a whole lot during peening, which helps immobilize the tang. It sounds like its just sort of smacking around inside the handle cavity a bit, like you said though Skall, probably not a problem that would cause it to malfunction.

[@Celebmacil]

Yep, the blade flexing under hard strikes transfers the bend back until the force goes laterally into the pin and makes it "pop". It wouldn't surprise me if the handle is epoxy bedded or something, either, and that broke loose as well, which might be what's causing the actual little snap under flex.

[@johndododoe1411]

To me it sounds like the hollow handle flexing against the tang. As if the scales were stamped out of flat iron plate.

[@Megatron_95]

Can't help but think of the words "This is Sparta!"

[@undertakernumberone1]

Meanwhile me, an intellectual: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipiWgJ1pjb6Jn9U :P

[@RooRguy27]

SWEET

[@adsonexon2596]

Looks like the red bearded man likes kopis swords 🧐 Great vid skal

[@yokai333]

Have you seen Baree Ra on Facebook? I highly recommend their knives. Amazing design and quality

[@hismajestylordsmenkhare5878]

Maybe the tang is not just pinned but glued inside the hilt and the glue has broken off and is thus rattling about. If everything else has stayed sturdy I can't think of anything else that could cause the rattle. I could be wrong of course

[@fluff926]

Whenever Skallagrim shows a blade that's scratched or bend I just assume he abused it too much rather than a manufacturing problem xD

[@OrlandoPla]

From all the swords that you have held in your hands .... which are the most forgiving or gentle to you hand or other words which cause less pain to your hands, muscles and joints as you make a a cut?

[@zackbolingesoteric]

The creaking sound could just be the wood settling from the stress of movment and tension

[@M.M.83-U]

Nice video. I like the antennae sword from Kris Cutlery, do you know of some other celtic blade on the market for under 1.000?

[@anthonywolfe5304]

Already sold. Out on kult and it's 325 on Kris web site

[@Epicmonk117]

11:39 “It’s the only kopis that’s actually based”

[@TheTaleForge]

KoA is already listing it as unavailable, and the KC site has it as sold out.