Landsknecht Emporium GÜNTHER Review

[@landsknechtemporium6616]

Thank you for the square and fair review, Matthew! There's a couple of things we'd like to address, most of these you already discussed with Adam, we think it would be appropriate to share them with the viewers as well :) The piece has been made about two years ago, a good amount of the nicks and small damages (especially on the scabbard) was caused during use. As far as we know, Ian, the generous owner of the pieces wore this particular messer and scabbard with armor on multiple occasions, which probably caused most of the damage and nicks on the leather. As it has been already mentioned in the comments, the shape of the grip was based on our inhouse preferences; since we received many feedbacks similar to your opinion, the grips are now tapered in both directions, and the cross-section is much closer to a flattened-octagonal shape than on this particular piece. Last but not least, the use of baldric suspension is quite different from what we are used to by modern standards; this type of suspension hangs mostly from the opposite shoulder, or if worn on the waist, it is pulled quite high on the off-side.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Thank you for taking the time to reply! Ian reached out as well to let me know that the swords have seen some use. What I neglected to mention about the scabbard pings and dings is that they mesh well. I would guess that the variation in color is part of the manufacturing process. The inconsistency in color and somewhat rough look make those dings blend in better. Glad to hear you have made impartments to the grip too. I can see why some people like it, it does lock in the hand well.

[@MrEpi321]

I can attest to the swords I sent Matt are all used and loved dearly for years. Unfortunately the all have seen a fair bit of use and are not pristine. Please accept my apologies as I do not have un-used blades and that probably can make for poor representation.

[@landsknechtemporium6616]

@@Matthew_Jensen of course we take time to check out what people think about our work! That's one of the best ways to see what we should and can improve on the products. The variation in color is caused partially by the oiling, different parts of the leather absorb oils differently over time. What is an even coat in the workshop might be something more patterned after just a few weeks. This is somekind of a drawback of using organic materials like vegetable tanned leather. Widely used chrome tanned leathers behave more uniform when absorbing oils and paint, but they are almost impossible to fit nicely on scabbard or make carvings on them.

[@landsknechtemporium6616]

@@MrEpi321 We can not be grateful enough for you, the small signs of use such as dings on the leather and the wood just makes the piece more living! In no way do we think that the pieces you sent to Matthew make for poor representation! We should find some way to compensate you for all the hassle with the shipping and making these reviews possible :)

[@TheJimmyplant]

@@landsknechtemporium6616so much respect that you guys are honest and accept criticism and actually change things. For that reason and many others I think I’m about to buy a Gunther from KOA. Love you guys.

[@1337blackone]

i have a much newer one than this. the improvements since are amazing and i absolutely love mine. it is still a historically imperfectly hand made looking weapon that truly gives the feel and aesthetic of holding a piece of history

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Glad to hear!

[@erichusayn]

And you've just pushed me over the edge of the fence. Again... Looks like she cuts like a dream. Excellent review.

[@erichusayn]

Added to cart, then, The bane of ever sword guys existence "out of stock!" The wait continues...

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Boooo!

[@landsknechtemporium6616]

@@erichusayn Unfortunately we don't know when we will be able to build up stock from the product, you can place your order any time though to receive it as fast as possible :)

[@erichusayn]

@@landsknechtemporium6616 thanks for the reply.

[@danielbalder]

Thanks for the review! I think this is going to be my first sword purchase.

[@ssunfish]

I decided Gustav and Gunter will be my first "good" swords. I had one of great steel and hardening, but it was a ship's anchor! I'm going for something nimble with more reach than a heavy Bowie with a foot long blade.

[@Erebus.666.]

Great review. Non biased, just showing it for what it was, a handmade, well designed beautiful weapon. Big fan of Landsknecht Emporium. On the back of this impartial review, have now subbed.

[@astralshore]

Nice review, subbed. Love Landsknecht Emporium: their swords feel more ‘real’ to me than many other brands.

[@serpnta1267]

Good to see the full review after only seeing half of it while you recorded it on Twitch. Seeing the cutting part of the review is always fun. Great review of a nice looking blade.

[@stuffguru]

Messer's are one-handed peasant weapons that got fashionable by elites later on. A lot of the manufacturing criticisms come from maintaining that history in the weapon. But they are great weapons for sure. Also those Redondo's are called zwerckhau in german traditions this weapon originates in. I think the follow up interview with the landsknecht crew would be illuminating for you and entertaining to me at least, as a general sword nerd.

[@messeringaround1426]

With a longsword that would be a Zwerchau, but the names for the master strikes (and guards) change name in Messer (and later Dussack) systems. With a Messer that cut is an Entrüsthau. Sorry about the nit-pick.

[@stuffguru]

No worries, i primarily study Fiore and the italian Corpus. Meyer is a personal pet project but not my main study. And Messer's i never really mess with(but really really want to because i love saber type weapons in general). 🍻

[@bdjcasar8357]

Landsknecht Emporium deliberately leaves forging marks to simulate what a buyer would have gotten in the Rennaissance Period. They made me a sharp, left-handed Dorothea Dussack, and it is a fantastic sword. Forging marks and defects don't lessen that for me.

[@Boggsy.]

Love that the popularity of Messer seems to be growing, and your reviews are always on point. As an aside: Are you talking about the single-handed Cold Steel MAA Messer (with the knucklebow) having a reputation of being heavy in the hand? Just wondering because I’ve heard the exact opposite. I know they have a couple of Messer in their lineup.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Thank you for your comment. I went back and looked into it and realize I am conflating the single handed messer I showed in the video with opinions based on the two handed messer. Indeed it looks like people typically like the balance and weight on that one. Thank you for calling it out!

[@listenup455]

I've been eyeing these, thanks for the review! Quite note, I own a Cold Steel MAA Messer and it is definitely NOT overweight. If anything, my main criticism is that it's too light. It cuts really well, but the blade is more like a machete blade than a sword blade (roughly 1/8th of an inch thick from tip to tang with little to no distal taper).

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Indeed, good call on the MAA, I was confusing the feedback I have heard about the two handed messer. My mistake.

[@listenup455]

No problem! Thanks for the great review!

[@Finnv893]

I wonder if the faux edge design serves the secondary purpose of allowing the sword smith to fine-tune the weight near the tip.

[@jrockoclock7088]

you have an incredible porch and yard pal

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Thank you. It was a lot of work to make it that way. I am blessed to have such a place to call my own.

[@Cloudfencer]

Has anyone tried the leather wrap option?

[@ssunfish]

11:58 very helpful because that's very relevant to what I look for/ hope about this model. Many thanks for commenting about it's imposing looks with still fun handling. I'll have more funnthsn serious use if Gunther because I hope I never hurt anyone, but must if I must.

[@ssunfish]

I just got email and tracking from Landsneckt Emporium that Gunter is expected Groundhog day! I'm pumped about it!

[@JoeSteel1]

Great look at this sword Matt, I've come to appreciate the hand made Aesthetic imperfections of knives,and on swords like these( not katana though)...for the price seems right but if the handle wasn't a box and made better would be even more appealing....looks like POB. is spot on as, you looked to move it around well....looks like a great cutter the handle ruined the look of this whole sword...Great Job Matt...

[@LegionTacticoolCutlery]

I agree about the imperfections. I am not minding them so much myself!

[@JCOwens-zq6fd]

The more "rough & tumble" type stuff doesn't bother me that much but I like the more authentic hand made-iness-ness anyway. I make all my swords & daggers with mostly hand tools like they did back in the day. It takes longer but think the look & feel it can achieve is way closer to the real deal.

[@sandozman6085]

I wonder how it would have handled, and fatigued you if it had the pommel, and knuckle guard for more hilt balance?

[@romanista77]

Thank you for this! I have my eye on the Gunther model :)

[@ssunfish]

YES! Gunter and Gustav! I'm going for both!

[@romanista77]

@@ssunfish ended up with the Gottfried. Very happy with it! Handles wonderfully! Even though I’ve narrowed down to only one sword, I’ve been thinking about the Gustav

[@ssunfish]

I think I will receive in November. I think with both I'll have a certain"range" and ability to make a tactical choice. Looking for more reach and nimbleness than a bowie. I'm glad that you could narrow down your choices and already received! I certainly looked at Gottfried. Honestly I've been wanting a two handed messer like Albion the Knecht, but Landsknecht Emporium came on my radar and I didn't want to wait and miss out like I did with the Knecht. Even the farmer's knife is appealing from them!

[@romanista77]

@@ssunfish I’m sure you’re going to love them! Great handling and well worth the cost. Have fun!

[@r.h5550]

Seems to be an older version of it. On mine the Grip is far less boxy. Landsknecht makes far more customizations than those shown in their shop section. You can tweak the bladelenght, griplenght and add all kinds of embelishments for a reasonable price.

[@caindecarias2856]

You should try the condor small and large messer, had the smaller one for 5 years and it's still a beast

[@erichusayn]

I own the big one. Very fun sword indeed. And for 200 bucks, well worth the money.

[@josepholson3539]

I'm interested. Have several Condor. Always wanted a messer and missed the Albion Knecht. I discovered Landsknecht Emporium and Honshu Boshin. Also interested in Soldat..I ordered Gunter & Gustav this week.

[@LegionTacticoolCutlery]

Great review! Didn’t realize you’re a big fugger. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸⚔️⚔️⚔️🗡🗡🗡 #22aday!

[@Leon_Kozza]

Oof, aesthetically the finish work on it makes Windlass swords look like premium products. Seems good for the price tho. Seeing that it's already pretty roughly finished, you could file the handle to a shape you prefer and then apply some tung oil.

[@batteredwarrior]

It's a pretty historically authentic finish, though. More so than an Albion.

[@Leon_Kozza]

@@batteredwarrior I suppose so. I'm interested to know if most people are satisfied with this kind of finish. Being a smith myself, polishing and finish work takes a tone of time and effort, so it's not necessary then it means less work for me 😁 Not sure how my OCD would hold up tho...

[@Matthew_Jensen]

It looks like something a person could clean up if they wanted and I think the price reflects the level of finish work. The windlass pieces have very similar finishing but they get buffed a lot more. They also tend to be overbuilt, not always but they often are, and this one is not. It seems like a person could send it back in time and it would not look too out of place.

[@swordlad183]

I personally like handmadiness - that sword collectors today expect perfection while the patrons & people of the past did not is a true irony.

[@armoredsweatpants3997]

I know that you serve the whole sword community but I miss the katanas very much.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

I try to rotate..

[@a661992]

Hollow pegs= Copper tubes

[@lordhunter_ost]

Im torn between this and the Gottfried

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Get both

[@BRASSKNUCKLE22]

FIRST!!!!!!!!

[@michaelrizzo5523]

This guy, who just can't leave anything as-is, would immediately start reshaping that grip with his questionable woodworking skills.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Your hand would love you for it. I had a small text conversation with Adam at Landskenct, it sounds like this may have been addressed. Still, I it looks easy enough to customize.. Little file work and some leather would make swinging a little more comfortable.

[@michaelrizzo5523]

@@Matthew_Jensen There are some swords that just scream "Customize me! I'm a project! It'll be fun!"

[@hunterwolfe6295]

how come no Damascus blades? are all the options out there cheap junk? they can be great blades if done right??

[@arnobeveraggi9794]

@Hunter Wolfe what do you mean ?

[@hunterwolfe6295]

@@arnobeveraggi9794 i never see any reviews of Damascus swords. why is that

[@hunterwolfe6295]

like i see plenty of Damascus on all the forgeing channels but i go to any of the sword review channels i never see a Damascus blade ever being tested

[@arnobeveraggi9794]

@@hunterwolfe6295 well, "damascus" (pattern welding is a more appropriate term) isn't a very common method on european swords, so most makers use classic spring steel, also, a pattern welded blade isn't necesserally of better quality, its mostly for aesthetics.

[@hunterwolfe6295]

@@arnobeveraggi9794 better or worse Quality / Common or uncommon method.. whatever the case is a "Pattern welded blade" would be interesting to see and tested.