Red Dragon Combat Bastard Sword Review

[@TheAngryAstronomer]

I really appreciate this review. I'm just starting out my collection and didn't want to spend a lot of money. Being a nice looking sword and coming with a nice scabbard really sealed the deal for me on this one. I didn't expect high cutting performance and you've confirmed that for me but none the less it should make for a sufficient introduction to cutting for me. I ordered mine from the Knight Shop on the 23rd feb and it was on back order and I'm still waiting! UPDATE: I've had mine for 2 months now. Over all I'm very happy with this sword for the cost. Mine is actually peened a bit nicer than the example seen here being more thoroughly blended in. Sharpening service was OK but not great, enough to get me started. The cross guard edges on the ends are pretty sharp and need a light file. I'm a lefty so I realised after it arrived that I can't wear it on my right hand side but I've been dabbling in leather work and fairly easily replaced one side of the belt to correct this so bare this in mind if you are also left handed. I also tidied up a couple of bits on the scabbard by dying the rough side of the leather and burnishing the edges and it really brings it up to a nice finish. Cutting performance is about as expected. Suitable for your first cuts and actually felt very nice cutting my first milk bottles (clip on my channel of my first ever cut). I haven't tried it yet on tougher targets.

[@jackjosh1981]

thank you so much, I was tempted by this after seeing Matt Easton recommendation which for the price had me excited,, but I thought to myself I would rather a review from someone who has actually held the sword in their hands and swung it with purpose, it's been sold out for a good 6 months and has only just returned to stock, I was looking to use it for test cutting so your review is most welcome

[@tobytoxd]

Thank you very much!

[@Bluemax54]

I subscribed recently. Would you consider Albion swords as good investments, will they hold or appreciate in value? I have recently ordered a Principe. Do you have suggestions for a sword for investment?

[@LIERHEMA]

Albions tend to hold their value rather well. Especially as the order queue is rather long you could possibly get your money back on an albion which is in good condition. I wouldn’t really concider any sword an investment. Rather unlikely to get more than you paid for, especially concidering inflation etc. I’d be surprised if any sword, outside some completely random cases, would beat a basic index fund. Naturally you can make a profit in some rare cases when it comes to out of production models or such.

[@Bluemax54]

@@LIERHEMA Thank you for your reply. I hold a common interest as you in long swords and appreciate your content. I think I'll stick with Albion. I'll look into Mateusz Sulowski also.

[@NetMillionaire]

What is the best handling sword at this length? Price is not a problem 😊 I want the best?

[@LIERHEMA]

@Simon Stepsys That is a very difficult question to answer. The very tldr; answer is "It depends", but don't worry I'll give some opinions a bit later. Firstly what is considered "this length"? Should the measurements be exact or is there some leeway? Should the total length be the same or is the blade length important but the handle length not so much. Also the definition of "best handling" is very subjective and depends on the application. Are you ready to sacrifice some cutting performance for nimbleness or the other way around or should it have good balance of both. In that case what is "good balance" becomes the issues. Should it be good for thrusting or is that of no concern? Here are some some swords from the top of my head. I also have videos on all of these on the channel. And please do note that my experience with swords is very heavily Albion centric so there is a wide array of swords I have not handled. Albion Alexandria is a bit shorter in general. It handles very well but is definitely rather cutting centric, meaning it has more presence in the blade thus losing some nimbleness in transitions and such. Albion Brescia Spadona is a bit longer in general but the blade is a bit shorter. It is more of an all arounder and handles very well. Much more nimble than Alexandria. The Kvetun Longsword Prototype with a short handle and long blade is a bit longer in general, evenly from hilt and blade (this is the one I really like in the preview video). It is very nimble and cuts extremely well but the blade is less rigid so it loses to previous swords in thrusting capacity. It is also not yet available For cutting performance from those three I would pick Alexandria or Kvetun depending on your preferences. I personally like the Kvetun one better as it handles better in my opinion and has a bit longer blade. I know people who would rather have the Alexandria. Brescia is definitely the best when it comes to thrusting. If you want a sword more capable in the thrust or in general an all arounder go with that. Again some people would pick it for cutting over the previous two. I personally like both Brescia and Kvetun more for cutting purposes than the Alexandria. Though if I need to cut very thick targets etc I would pick Alexandria as it is simply better for that in my opinion. As said, it depends. If you can try swords out you can find what kind of handling you like and then start from there. Try to specify what the application for the sword will be and/or what kind of handling characteristics you like. Do you want the blade to feel light or have a lot of presence. Do you want it to feel light and nimble in the hand, especially during transitions, or do you want it to feel like it wants to just cut anything on its way. Do you want a sword which is excellent when winding and binding and thrusting and so on. And as said, there are so many good swords on the market that my experience is very limited.

[@NetMillionaire]

@@LIERHEMA thank you for your helpful and very detailed reply! I really appreciate it, ok so I’m thinking I want a good well balanced and comfortable sword 🗡️ good for waving 👋 around and practicing the art, if that makes sense? I also want high quality, sharp blade for cutting etc, so comfort, balance and cutting in that order… I have a sword 🗡️ (Marshall sword) my first sword low price just £140 it’s quite heavy but good to look at and to wield but it’s handle is quite small and tiring after short use, also because of short handle it catches the side of your hand and cuts into your hand side! Now my next sword 🗡️ I want to be sure of top grade high quality, desirable and I don’t mind paying the money for it… in other words I want quality over quantity. I did like your bastard sword video and I still might buy this as well as a top grade sword as I do like the look of the bastard! Haha 😆

[@LIERHEMA]

@Simon Stepsys In that case I would not pick Alexandria. It is not that good for practice as it has a very quiet sword wind. The handle is also short and I find it uncomfortable, especially in a thumb grip. In prolonged use with the Alexandria I run in to the sore side of the off hand issue you described. Brescia Spadona is pretty good for this but the pommel can be a bit of an issue. I've scratched my forearms with it quite a few times. For training the sword wind is nice but not great. The Kvetun, when it becomes available, is the most comfortable in hand from these. It also has a pretty nice sword wind. The weakness as mentioned is that in thrusting and cutting it is very heavily leaning to cutting. Albion Earl is also a very nice sword for general practice. It handles nicely, a bit more on the strong blade presence side. It also happens to have a pommel which tends to be a bit prickly. I've also cut my forearms with that multiple times. Between Brescia and Earl I prefer Brescia in general but Earl is better for practice. It has louder and easier to read sword wind and it is not as good of a cutter as Brescia is. From training perspective Brescia is so good that it tends to hide your mistakes. Earl is really good for cutting practice as it isn't too hard to cut with but it also doesn't give you too much slack. Brescia is also double the price of Earl and you don't get double the value from purely functional point of view. I didn't mind paying the museum line premium because I really like the original but from purely usability and quality stand point it makes no sense. If you really want, and I wouldn't, you can file the points of the Brescia's pommel in just a mil or two and gone are the pricking issues. If you would do that to an over $2k sword is another thing. As said those are the swords I have personal experience with and I think would suit your needs. If nothing Brescia and Earl should be useful for comparisons sake. Other people who know those swords might now something similar which possibly fits your needs better. And might even be more readily available. Albion swords are great but the queue is quite long.

[@NetMillionaire]

@@LIERHEMA thank you 🙏 how long the wait for a Albion sword? I like the earl I watched your video and looks super cool 👌 the earl looks good value compared to the double price of the Brescia?

[@NetMillionaire]

@@LIERHEMA which makes the best wind noise? You can’t beat a good LOUD sword wind noise!

[@HASHIRAMA1000]

Im buying this sword right now! Thank you for the review my friend 💯 Edit... They are all sold out.

[@jcmorgan26]

This is a great review! Do you think the cutting issues may be due to the edge profile being quite harsh from factory? Sharpening it using the primary edge should result in a much better cut so it may be a case where buying blunt and sharpening it yourself is the better option. would you agree?

[@LIERHEMA]

@Jon Morgan Sharpening it yourself so that there would not be such an harsh secondary bevel would definitely help. However in my opinion it wouldn't really be worth the trouble. Based on my experience it would cut marginally better. However the blade profile is so poor that it wouldn't help nearly enough to be worth the trouble. The blade is very light and flexible and the mass distribution is totally bonkers. It just doesn't make a good cutting blade regardless of the edge profile.

[@abdallah9647]

Hey, if it's possible could you make a review about the Albion mercenary ?

[@LIERHEMA]

Sadly I don’t have access to that specific sword.

[@r.h5550]

I ended up selling mine because it felt way to floppy in the cut

[@Psycho-Ssnake]

I'm very interested in your opinion about a Ronin Katana Euro, specifically the #2 or the #13. Those seem very much like a "typical" longsword in the market today. Skallagrim has a decent review of the #2 so I would like to see one on the #13 if possible

[@LIERHEMA]

Sadly I have not had the chance to handle any swords from Ronin Katana so I can't really give an opinion on them. From what I've heard and read online they are supposedly good for the price but as said I have no personal experience with them. What comes to a review I don't know anyone who owns one and as Ronin Katana doesn't have an European dealer the swords are pretty expensive to get here with over seas shipping and import fees.

[@jeffreyenglish1815]

If it’s the combat version it is not made for sharpening. It’s a HEMA sword for sport combat, silly!

[@georgeemery3295]

What type of accent is this??