When Does a Long Knife End and a Short Sword Begin?

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This is a video response to some of you dear noble ones who wrote some thoughts in the comments section of my most recent video, namely my review of the film the Northman. I hope you find this topic interesting and always thank you for giving me opportunities to learn and explore new topics!
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[@metatronyt]

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[@ezrafaulk3076]

Hey Raff, this isn't really related to the subject of this video, but I think it'd be a cool subject to talk about. I recently rewatched Skallagrim's video on super ornate weapons, and when talking about Tutenkhamun's meteoric Iron dagger, Skall at one point said that Meteoric Iron was *superior* to Bronze; but having watched your video on Iron compared to Bronze, I wondered if he was unwittingly perpetuating the myth that the linear technological advancement myth created of Iron being superior to Bronze, so I looked Meteoric Iron up in terms of how strong it was, and I've seen people on one end claim that a Meteoric Iron sword could rival one made of modern high carbon steel, and I've *also* seen people instead claim it to be too soft to hold a sharp edge for as long as a battle ready blade would need to; but I've *also* read that a lot of axes from ancient China were *also* made from Meteoric Iron. Knowing that Meteoric Iron *is* in fact different from terrestrial Iron in a *lot* of ways, like its super high *nickel* content that makes it a stainless alloy, I'd like to know the absolute *truth* , and so I think it'd be interesting to do that video again, only *this* time, comparing *Meteoric Iron* to bronze, terrestrial Iron, and steel.

[@arnijulian6241]

As an Engineer & craftsmen I see the deciding parameter different to the lot of you. A knife is tool for even carcass splitter/ hog splitter is a large knife just like any cleaver. Which is a tools of a butcher. A machete is a knife because it is a tool as well though large. A dagger & sword are martial weapon! Purpose, function & application decides the criteria not the size for Knife dagger & sword or any of the parameters mentioned. A dagger is not a sword when 1 handed sword techniques like fencing are no longer available due short length. You can improvise a machete as sword but it is still a knife. You can improvise a Drop point, skinners blade or sheep foot blade as a dagger but it is Still a knife. Even a make shift shiv is not a knife in any sense most of the time but any spike like object can improvise as dagger. I welcome any criticism but this is how my elders instructed me who where both forces & craftsmen. I like my odd's of being right as I have worked & used such since a nipper.

[@jordanthomas4379]

I would like to acknowledge that the character played by claes bang was wearing really great armour during the scene where he executed the king played by ethan hawke.

[@tsamoka6496]

I also am not a big fan of the hollywood reverse-grip. But, I will acknowledge that other people like it, so if they want to use it for looking cool, then by all means. Where I definitely disapprove of it is when it's being used with a double-edged blade. Because people tend to hold the blade with the edge in-line with their arm, the edge on the backside of the blade is as well. This makes it far more likely then is wise that the blade may cut the person holding it, especially if they try blocking with it. If you (random person) really insist on using a reverse-grip for whatever reason, then at least do it using a single-edge blade with the sharp side pointing away from your arm. There's nothing wrong with looking cool, but being safe while you're doing it is also important. =^x^=

[@jonathanmayland2651]

J

[@Intranetusa]

In some cultures or regions, the words sword and knife are interchangeable. The word "dao" can refer to both a knife or a single-sided sword (the double sided swords being called jian). Even single-sided swords that are especially long (such as zhanmadaos which can be 6-7 feet long) are still called "daos," the same word that is used for "knife." Similarly, the butterfly swords (a pair of short dao) are sometimes called butterfly knives in English. So there isn't really a clear cut differentiation in many cases.

[@morriganmhor5078]

So the Germans are one of the lost Han tribes (Schwert / messer).

[@lanfrancoadreani9212]

Some cultures don't even have a bidet.

[@winminexp]

Knife in Chinese is 小刀 (Little dao, small single edge) or 匕首 (specific for small double edged blade).

[@Intranetusa]

@@lanfrancoadreani9212 Are you making fun of Muricans?

[@lanfrancoadreani9212]

@@Intranetusa no, I am making fun of all cultures beside Italy,Spain,Portugal,Greece and Albania(and France partially). In these country the bidet is common the rest of the world is fare behind.

[@douglasyoung927]

As a Bladesmith I've been thinking and talking about this for years. I've decided that what makes the most sense is how it's used. The effectiveness of the techniques is dependent on the size, mass, mass distribution, geometry, handle to blade relationship and/or ratios, rotational and vibrational nodes, gaurds, etc. It is also determined by the size and training of the warrior but also by the equipment, armor, shield, etc. of the warrior. So if it's used like a sword, it's a sword, if it's used like a knife it's a knife. Matt Easton has a video about when a blade is simply too short to be used reliably in a manner described in sword treatises. This obviously leaves room for some overlap, but the way I see it is like any other compromised design. You can have a thrust or a cut design or you can have a cut and thrust compromised design that will do both but is not optimized for either. Likewise you can have a sword/machete compromised design, that is a weapon and a tool, that may do both jobs well enough but isn't optimized for either job. So if you don't have the original user or the original context available for analysis, and you're still asking the question, "is this a large knife or a short sword?" The answer is probably "yes"

[@Arassar]

Yeah, my first instinct was "it's gotta be mostly how it's actually used."

[@OldieBugger]

Generally, I agree. Then consider this scenario: When a pissed-off wife stabs (some people might say, justifiably) her unfaithful jerk of a husband with a kitchen knife, should the tool used as a weapon be called a sword?

[@ulfhedtyrsson]

Yeah i call the handle scaled machetes i make, swords. Even though they are knives. Even with all different types of historically inspired blades technically they should still be knives

[@m_d1905]

Great explanation! Makes a great deal of sense.

[@CreepSoldier]

Any weapon can be used in any way possible to be used, but it will mostly only excel in the specific way it was designed for

[@JMagician.]

To me it’s always been functionality that differentiates a knife from a sword. If you’re using it more for stabbing at close range more often than not it’s a knife. If you’re using it to keep your opponent at a distance with thrusts and slashes it’s probably a sword. There’s probably a flaw in my way of differentiating, but that’s just how I see it.

[@williamjenkins4913]

Can you stab them while dancing?

[@Likexner]

A knife is also better suited to be a tool. You wouldnt use a sword to cut your steak if you had a choice.

[@giodavid991]

Early medieval swords were most likely used primarily as slashing and chopping weapons

[@georue98]

The gladius is described as a short range stabbing weapon.

[@bmxriderforlife1234]

Some knives are meant primarily for cutting though. And we have a name got thrust centric knives....lol daggers. Although does some times relate to number of edges there are many types of dagger that we call daggers that are only single edged. To me it's more so function but in a different way. A sword while not always a primary weapon can be a primary weapon especially with shields. Big knives while often for fighting service multiple purposes more often. Swords are mostly weapons. So size and functionality and their given use case context. Swords can often give up a bit of durability for function in other areas that are performance oriented. A tool can be a bit beefier but built to last.

[@colbunkmust]

Regardless of the way you determine the difference between a sword and a knife, I still wouldn't advocate using a Seax in a reverse grip as it was shown in the film.

[@Raz.C]

They used it in the icepick-grip? I freakin' HATE how movies try to make a character look cool by making them use the icepick-grip, without ever thinking about how much this restricts what the character is able to do and how far they are able to reach (or rather, how far they can no longer reach). I am almost 100% positive that if a person (who's had training) is fighting for their life with a long knife, the absolute LAST thing in the universe that they will want to do is to (A) reduce the reach of their weapon and (B) reduce their offensive capabilities down to just 1 offensive action; the downwards stab. In other words, if you've had training and you find yourself fighting for your life, you're NEVER going to willingly use the icepick-grip, regardless of how cool it might make you look.

[@AnotherDuck]

Icepick grip is for stabbing and grappling. Outside that I see little point.

[@alejandromacarthy7249]

@@AnotherDuck And it's exactly what he did with it

[@AnotherDuck]

@@alejandromacarthy7249 Then it's fine. Probably. Haven't seen it.

[@newcraftsman4777]

I’ve found that a knife is generally a tool that can be used as a weapon; a sword is designed exclusively for combat.

[@jacktheomnithere2127]

so the difference between them is primary purpose, then? makes sense.

[@dermannindermenge2541]

As a native German speaker, I'd like to thank you, for not butchering my language, especially since it's hard for any non German speaker, not to do so. "Kriegsmesser", "Langmesser", "Großmesser", perfect.

[@metatronyt]

My pleasure! I certainly tried :)

[@LilithLonelyHeart]

Honestly, I think it might be more about utility, I think most of the Sax knives were designed to be survival tools and weapons, while the big Messers or Gladius are clearly weapons 1st and foremost and probably doing some of the survival tasks that are demanded of a tool blade, like clearing the shrubs or chopping wood, would damage or at least seriously dull combat blades(and it's not even a matter of quality, just of what kind of damage resistance are these types of blades designed for) we could see distinction like that used quite clearly between battle axes and tool axes, and well even with machetes we rarely call them the sword even if they are usually comfortably meet all the criteria to be considered as such

[@Intranetusa]

It's also a linguistic issue. The Germans use the same word "messer" (knife) to refer to knives (for kitchen use) and to certain single sided mostly straight swords (for warfare). In China (and maybe Vietnam too?), the word "dao" can refer to both a knife or a single-sided sword (the double sided swords being called jian). Even single-sided swords that are especially long (such as zhanmadaos which can be 6-7 feet long) are still called "daos," the same word that is used for "knife." Similarly, the butterfly swords (a pair of short dao) are sometimes called butterfly knives in English.

[@LilithLonelyHeart]

@@Intranetusa yeah Metatron mentioned it in vid too

[@shinobi-no-bueno]

So daggers are short swords

[@oduffy1939]

Think you hit the nail on the head, the tool vs. weapon is probably the most important distinction. In the Philippines the machete is primarily a tool, but in wartime, it's a weapon. There are Bowie knives, going back to the 19th century that are long enough to be called swords, but their primary design and use were as tools. From the Roman period, the Dacian falx was first and foremost an agricultural tool, for pruning trees and clearing brush. That it also cleaved in Roman helmets was good for a Dacian, but it was not its primary design or function. PS a Romanian gentlemen posted on Matt Easton's FB page, that even today in Romania, an identical tool is still used to prune trees.

[@Riceball01]

@@oduffy1939 But what about daggers? Tehy're a form of knife but are not used as tools but as weapons.Then in the 18th/19th century you had certain troops areed with pioneer or engineer's swords which, because of the kind of soldier they were, often used them as tools but were sword length and called swords.

[@WhatIfBrigade]

I think it is fine to use "long knife," "long seax" and "sword" interchangeably depending on context and use. If a Roman saw a long seax and called it a sword, it would be reasonable. If some martial art system defined "knives" as being short enough to use at zero distance then they might call a Gladius and Wakizashi "knives" based on the techniques employed. All of these words are given a lot of modern ahistorical meaning that people in that day and age would have regarded as nonsense.

[@thesexybatman263]

"You call that a knife? THIS is a knife!" -Hans Moleman, 1993.

[@jonathancunningham6933]

Great discussion! I loved how you mentioned that an ancient warrior wouldn't just view someone flourishing a blade as an idiot, but as an impressive acrobat or performer instead

[@carebear8762]

Gun spinning tricks versus gunfighting skill. The dangerous guy may be able to do both, but the former isn't the latter.

[@darthplagueis13]

There's definitely a bit of a grey zone inbetween a long knife, a sword and possibly as a machete. One difference would be that a sword is always a weapon. A knife may be used as a weapon, but the majority of knives are actually tools, used to prepare foods, skin animals, cut cloth, carve wood, cut strings and so on. Another potential definition could be centered around the hilt construction: A knife is generally just a handle with a blade, whereas a sword is typically going to feature some form of additional hand protection, be that a crossguard, a basket hilt or a tsuba. I think a question that complicates the matter is: Are daggers also knives or are they considered something separate? Like, my current working definitions would be: Knife: A tool that consists of a blade on a handle of a length not exceeding that of the users forearm Machete: A tool that consists of a broad, often top-heavy blade on a handle, usually about as long as the users forearm Dagger: A thrusting weapon, most commonly with two cutting edges and some form of hand protection, the length of the blade not exceeding that of the users forearm Sword: Thrusting and chopping weapons consisting of a handle with a single or double edged blade at least the length of someone's forearm (but potentially far longer) I think the forearm criterion is pretty solid, as a knife longer than its users forearm would seem absurdly long and a sword shorter than the users forearm would seem absurdly short. As for the Seax, I'd simply define it as neither and instead define it as a specific type of bladed implement that can be either a sword or a knife or a machete, depending on its usage and size

[@aaronseet2738]

Daggers are knives designed for combat.

[@DJRockford83]

Intent. That pretty much sums it up. Knives are tools. Daggers are separate as they are not designed to be a tool. Messer came about due to guilds which said knives had to be built a certain way, like the STG 44 originally being designated the MP44 I guess.

[@jonc.8074]

Then there is the maguro bōchō which is definitely a knife but some have a blade 60 inches long....

[@BigBex]

@@aaronseet2738 exactly

[@nathankeesler428]

Weapons are tools. Tools designed for a specific purpose.

[@andredulac4456]

If I remember one of the Skallagrim video, a "sword" is called a knife when the handle is 2 pieces of wood pined together all along like knives are, while sword handle is stuck between the guard and the pommel. With that difference, in certain countries (like Germany if I remember) only weapon smith can forge swords, but any blacksmith can forge a knife.

[@sowianskizonierz2693]

Yes but that's just a specific legal loophole that knife guild members used to be able to legally make swords. Since legally the knife was defined as having that type of hilt/no pommel knife makers could make swords. It's like how in the USA today you will find people showing off their "pistol" but it's really just a rifle with a "pistol brace" instead of a stock, so legally it's a pistol but any reasonable person would still call it a rifle/carbine. Here is a picture comparing an AR rifle (top) and AR "pistol" (bottom) brdgunworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/166494568_465380731569252_5376239621499555827_o.jpg

[@pavelp3442]

This doesn't apply to all cultures however. Perhaps it was the case in Germany (I'm thinking the hilt of the messer). In the Ottoman empire however, all swords had this kind of hilt - look at the kilic (literally means "sword" in Turkish)

[@ishii3230]

@@sowianskizonierz2693 I have never heard of anyone calling a Rifle with a pistol grip a "Pistol". In fact that picture that you showed, both of the rifles had Pistol grips.

[@sowianskizonierz2693]

@@ishii3230 you have to look at the buttstock of the bottom rifle. The stock is a "pistol brace" and not a rifle stock. It has nothing to do with the pistol grip. Therefore the bottom one is legally classified as a pistol. You can search up videos on KZbin to help explain

[@ishii3230]

@@sowianskizonierz2693 I believe you, the NFA makes so many weird classifications when it comes to guns, that it doesnt surprise me that it has to do with the stock.

[@burned357waffles]

It's such a breath of fresh air when people can take constructive criticism and turn it into a great discussion. We need more people like you who don't back further into their corner when they are told they've said or done something wrong. I think that's a major problem with our society right now and it is great that you are leading by example. Keep it up!

[@andreas_rr]

for me, as both a cook and a weapon enthousiast, it's dead simple: knife = tool, sword = weapon. it's primary purpose counts, thus a Kukri is a knife, and a Seax is a sword. however, that doesnt explain what is a dagger and what is a sword. In that regard, i'd really just break it down first to how it is used as a weapon and second how large it is.

[@adambielen8996]

This does seem like the best definition.

[@hanbot9981]

But it always more complicated. There are Seax that are clearly tools and Seax that are clearly weapons and then there is the grey area in between :)

[@corrugatedcavalier5266]

I think that's pretty good and partially what I go with, but not perfect. Rondel daggers and trench knives (there are more) are definitely intended as weapons imo.

[@andreas_rr]

@@corrugatedcavalier5266 daggers are definitely weapons. the only issue is how to differenciate daggers now from swords. And to be honest, there is no one parameter that defines what is what. Personally, i'd call a trench knife a dagger, since for me, a "dagger" is a "weaponified knife" and anything around that. It doesnt matter if there's the word knife in trench knife, because, lets face it, just because something is called in any way, that doesnt mean it must be qualified as such. In the end, it's the function / usage / etc that matters, and as such a trench knife would be a dagger and not a knife according to my definition

[@Jcdoyel]

The title of the video itself is a really good question. I never really thought of that long enough to bring into to topic. Awesome video. Love all your videos. Keep doing what you're doing. 👍

[@behindyou529]

I have a long seax, about 55cm blade length with a bowie knife style crossguard and a two handed grip, I don't think anyone would seriously consider it a "knife" just because of the classification it falls into, then again, it's not really a traditional seax

[@giodavid991]

It's not just a "non traditional seax", it's not even a seax.

[@behindyou529]

@@giodavid991 If you took the blade of a longsword and fit the handle scales and crossguard of a katana on it, is it no longer a longsword? Would you have created some entirety new beast just by changing a single element? That's a bit of a strict definition I think.

[@giodavid991]

@@behindyou529 No, it is not a longsword from the historical point of view, it just loosely resembles a european longswords. As well as saxes across Europe share some common features that lead them back to a specific category of weapons. There clearly were trends regarding saxes since in some macroareas they pretty much all looked alike. Expecially guards have almost never been seen in saxes, even though there are cases of scandinavian langsaxes that were turned into swords adding sword fittings, but that's a different situation

[@Duke_of_Lorraine]

For purely legal reason, the difference is in how the handle is made. Just so that you can remake this Crocodile Dundee "that's no knife" scene by showing off a 2-hand kriegsmesser.

[@Chevalier_knight]

In the uk its both length and handle you have to have fixed knifes and under 3inch

[@sihilius]

That's what medieval law states. And that's why the "lange Messer" even exists - cause it was created to bypass a law that classified the object in questioin pretty much only by it's hilt construction. The knife makers guild was making good money with that law i'd guess.

[@tommeakin1732]

@@sihilius This has been debunked I believe. I'm not sure if the "truth" has been clarified, but I believe it has more to do with guilds and who could get away with building what. Knife making guilds could get into the sword market by making "knives" that were functionally swords. Unless of course that's what you were referring to by "bypassing laws"

[@saluteadezio7893]

Also fun fact. In Poland word for sword ethymologically means double edged weapon so by definition sword must be doubleedged. Because of that some weapon purist get angry when someone calls katana a sword. This shows the other problem with definig the difference between a knife and a sword, as in different countries there will be different definitions. From what I know in germany they defined a knife by handle construction so even kriegmesser would be a knife while small "knife" with sword handle could be a sword. One could try to make an objective definition but it would be completly ahistorical.

[@seanrea550]

Where do sabers fall in then. They are typically single edged or have a shorter false edge.

[@r_k_m4695]

Its actually the same in japanese, except of course for them the single edged 刀 is the standard, not the double edged 剣.

[@Recoil1808]

Technically, a sufficiently small blade with a sword-hilt construction would be a dagger, though yes, also a sword.

[@arpioisme]

What word is used for sword in polish?

[@vladprus4019]

@@seanrea550 Sabers in traditional Polish terminology are considered separate things from swords. Single edge is used as a reason for this differentiation. And fun fact: Katana was commonly referred to as "saber" in Polish back in the day, it started to being refered to as "sword" due to influences of English-language media and sometimes terminology purists in Poland like to say that katana is a saber nopt a sword. In other words, what in english is reffered to as "swords" in traditional Polish terminology is generally splitted into "swords" and "sabers" as separate, but closesly related, weapon type

[@andreasarnoalthofsobottka2928]

I very much appreciate that you mentioned the Messer, because I thought about drawing the line alongside the purpose like fencing/ wielding = sword vs. (precision) cutting, stabbing, tool = knife. But than I remembered that the cutlass is called "Entermesser" in German. (lit. bording knife) Further more there are other weapons which are neither sword nor knife like epee, foil, rapier, and chepesh. When going through the comments I got another idea. "Was willst du mit dem Dolche, sprich!", entgegnete ihm finster der Wüterich. "Kartoffeln schälen, verstehst du mich?" So what we have here is a distinguishing thing between still useful as a tool = knife (you can peel potatoes with a dagger) and purposely designed for combat = sword. Works maybe for the entire world except Germany's Messer. Btw when you use a long knife in reverse grip like a shield, the thing you will lose first are some of your fingers.

[@superrobotmonkeyhyperteamf3194]

Only thing i remember seeing swords being in reverse grip was to finish opponents that are lying on ground for the finishing blow. Another thing that i could imagine would be if you need to carry your sword with you dont have a scabbard and carry it reverse becaues you dont want your axe blow to entangle with your sword. That sometimes does happen with two swords, in my experience at least(training godinho/palladini) In germany they often didnt really differentiate. Some early 16th century drafting lists of citizens state they should have good Seitenwehren(sidearms)/kurze Hauer(short cutter/hewers) and the long knife is along with other swords and even the peasant knife mentioned there. As long as it was a good cutter they wouldnt care what one would call it.

[@matianlong7907]

I remember Shad to also have made a video on this, and one of his conclusions was something like, the knife piece of metal extends also into the grip and it's held together by "bolts"; while for swords the metal piece was just the blade and ( I guess) welded to the grip

[@christopherpurches2774]

I've used a system of classification for a while, which is mostly connected to game rules. If you want it to base it on blade length relative to the wielder's measurements, then you would do as follows: Up to a span - Dagger Up to a cubit - Long Dagger/Shortsword Up to mid-pelvis - Arming Sword Up to xyphoid - Longsword Up to collar - Warsword Greater than collar - Greatsword

[@seanrea550]

I would make allowances for tool knife that are longer and not quite sure what a span references?spread of the hand?,so perhaps definitions for span and cubit (length of elbow to finger tip i believe)

[@christopherpurches2774]

@@seanrea550 span is from thumb-tip to pinkie-tip on a stretched hand, approximately a half-cubit. You raise a good point for tool knives. I hadn't included tool blades in my list because they're not strictly meant as weapons.

[@seanrea550]

@@christopherpurches2774 I came into an issue as a player in trying to work out what damage a wood axe would deal, not primarily a weapon but a weapon of convenience if the need arises. Tools are not designed to be used in the same way as weapons and so can be more cumbersome in combat (attack penalty and possibly more damage).

[@christopherpurches2774]

@@seanrea550 that is also true. Dungeons and Dragons classifies weapon damage by bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing. Axes are usually considered the last of these and some game masters will consider woodcutting axes to follow either handaxe or battleaxe stats with the improvised weapon rule (disadvantage on attacks). I usually handle tools on an event to event basis in games, since rule of cool is the mainstay.

[@sandrios]

I think that what differs a knife from a sword is that for what it is intended for, as well as what features it has

[@GuitarsRockForever]

then dagger is a sword. it is intended as only a weapon, usually double edged, and has cross guard, sword like handle, and usually a pommel too. really, there is no objective definition, just what ever people called the thing.

[@seanrea550]

@@GuitarsRockForever a dagger is a dagger, separate from a knife and used differently than a sword.

[@GuitarsRockForever]

@@seanrea550 If you ask most people (me included), dagger is a special form of knife. That's the point (problem) of definition by "intended usage".

[@seanrea550]

@@GuitarsRockForever that is the issue with categorical language, daggers being a sub category of knife which are primarily weapons. Which is enough for me to separate them. Alot of these tools/weapons were made before the Victorian rigid categorization craze. And so edge cases exist in abundance.

[@sandrios]

@@GuitarsRockForever I would say that the dagger is a tricky question. A shorter dagger would be a knife sized sword, and the ones that are short sword length are usually more thrust oriented and less capable in cutting chopping etc. than the sword, as they feature don't feature blade that capable.

[@-Zevin-]

A messer is also a "knife" and many messer are also definitely a sword. I haven't heard anyone argue that a Langmesser is a knife, how are Longsax different? Both just translate to "long knife" at the end of the day, and what even is a sword but a big knife? Even the fairbairn sykes dagger is considered a knife, and yet double edged, with distal taper, and a small cross guard. Another interesting aspect of knife vs sword that wasn't touched on in this video is utilitarian purpose vs a tool only for combat. Kukri and Bowie knives are almost always called knives not swords, while they are both weapons they were also both very much so survival and frontier tools, from butchering animals to chopping wood. While a Spartan Xiphos is always called a short sword, yet is in similar proportion to large bowie knives, or even shorter than some Kukri. Still so, it seems pretty subjective, in the end, knife and sword can be used interchangeably and it doesn't hinder communication.

[@Shadow25720]

Messer is actually the german word for knife.

[@MrTrilbe]

If the thing about the Messer being legally a knife is true, then someone would have argued it in a court, it's just human nature

[@simdal3088]

It is a mess 🙃

[@-Zevin-]

​@@Shadow25720 Same with Seax, it's quite literally the old English word for knife. A Long Seax is basically the same term linguistically as Lang Messer. Both just mean "long knife" The question I have, is did ancient peoples even have a specific word for sword at first? My suspicion is no they didn't not until someone invented the term, cavemen obviously didn't know what a "sword" was because they hadn't been invented. I know people did eventually have a specific word for "sword", but I imagine in very early tribal settlements where spears, clubs and axes were more common weapons, the evolution of swords, simply started as lengthened knives. Hence "Long knife" and when you look at early bronze age weapons that we call swords what are they but quite literally longer knife designs. After all what is a "knife" in its most simple form but a sharpened piece of metal. I would hazard to guess that if you traveled anywhere in the world, from Scandinavia to North Africa, to east Asia, and knew simply only two terms in their native language "big" and "knife" and pointed at a sword, people regardless of language and culture would know exactly what you mean.

[@hismajestylordsmenkhare5878]

I believe the hilt construction of teonside scales rather than full enclosed hilt and no pommel is the difference, Messer's were the knife making guilds way of getting around regulations and making weapons to sell, it's a blurry gray line but Messer's are knives all of them just huge knives

[@Honeybadger_525]

Oh boy, this question is definitely a tricky one. Here goes nothing, but I'll take a stab at it (pun intended). Knife: Generally has a shorter single-edged blade. The blade can be fixed or folds into its handle. Often used as a cutting tool but can be used as a cutting or stabbing weapon. Dagger: Generally has a shorter double-edged fixed blade. Intended to be used primarily as a stabbing weapon. Sword: Can be either single or double-edged. Intended to be used as a cutting or stabbing weapon. The blade should be long enough that you can perform parries, winds, beats and other fencing techniques against another weapon. Needless, to say these definitions are somewhat arbitrary and there is definitely some overlap between them, but as a native English speaker, intuitively this is how I would classify bladed weapons. I think it really just boils down to semantics.

[@boden8138]

I thought the different names (sword, knife, machete) refer to the primary purpose of the blade. Swords against people, knives for food or carving wood, cutting rope, etc. and machetes for clearing land or trails.

[@froggystyle642]

I often ask the same question in...totally the same context.

[@xanimeragex365]

Same

[@julietfischer5056]

Bilbo's sword, Sting, was the dagger part of an Elven sword and dagger combo. If he's 3 feet tall (Hobbit average) and the dagger is the usual length for such a pairing--around 18 inches--Sting would be a sword (and longer than the one in the movies).

[@Herr_Damit]

I always thought the handle was what differenciates them. If it's a flat piece of metal with two sides of the handle rivotted on, it's a knive. If the handle is scrwed on with a pommel it's a sword. That would mean a Großmesser is actually a knive.

[@IamOutOfNames]

Wasn't that only in Germany?

[@Herr_Damit]

@@IamOutOfNames I live in Germany, so that's possible.

[@miguelperez9906]

Could the classification of knife vs sword be based on intended use of the type of weapon rather than the length of naming praxis?

[@Intranetusa]

It's also a linguistic issue. The Germans use the same word "messer" (knife) to refer to knives (for kitchen use) and to single sided straight & curved swords (for warfare). In China, the word "dao" can refer to both a knife or a single-sided sword (the double sided swords being called jian). Even single-sided swords that are especially long (such as zhanmadaos which can be 6-7 feet long) are still called "daos," the same word that is used for "knife." Similarly, the butterfly swords (a pair of short dao) are sometimes called butterfly knives in English.

[@Obi-WanKannabis]

Whilst Swords are always (to my knowledge) instruments of combat against other humans, knives have too many uses, there are knives that are tools, but there are combat knives too, therefore I don't think you can call a combat knife a sword just because it's use is the same as a sword (weapon against humans)

[@MrSharpClaw]

I agree with this: the same question could arise from trying to categorize a machete as a knife or short sword, while it is technically tool.

[@Bagginsess]

@@Intranetusa I feel like it's an error in translation. If we were to rather think of messer or seaxe as "blade" rather than "knife" I think it makes a lot more sense.

[@coltonm6821]

I've been thinking about this a lot recently in regards to Bowie knives. Because there are some very long bladed Bowie knives, basically short sword length. So I have been wondering when a knife stops being a knife and starts being a sword, meaning when does a knife stop being wielded as a knife and starts being wielded more like a sword? Interesting topic imo.

[@valandil7454]

Matt has already weighed in on the use of a knife or dagger when it reaches a certain size. I commented that my background's in Japanese Jujutsu and a knife was one of my 1st weapons, based on the use of the Tanto which is a relatively short knife I'd be using a reverse grip to reinforce my defence, close and deliver draw cuts, slashes and stabs. He pointed out that a larger blade you can fence with would give you the reach to avoid letting your opponent into a space where they can threaten you too which makes the reason for the Saex to be so big make more sense as they used them alongside shields if they couldn't get a spear

[@GamerGarm]

I have ALWAYS pondered this question amongst my TTRPG playing friends. For my own game, I decided to codify the skill with these weapons as "Blade" and treat knives and swords as the same. Some games go for "Short blades" and "Long blades", as well but for me, the skills with a bladed implement are mostly transferable between "short" and "long" blades so I decided to use just one type of skill for them.

[@PVPTawa]

I've once heard someone say it depends on the length of the blade relative to the wielder. Longer than forearm is a sword.

[@drakefang8368]

That was the first thing to pop in my mind. Even if it's in a fantasy setting, the Hobbits used human daggers as short swords.

[@Zaephrax]

From my knowledge the difference between a knife and a sword is down to the hilt/handle construction. Knives tend to have a full width and full length tang with scales applied to either side of the metal for ergonomics, whereas a sword has a partial width tang that is completely surrounded by the handle. So (using this logic) with the messer, for example, although it is called a "knife" in German, some of them are constructed as swords as their handle fully surrounds a partial width tang, whereas others are constructed a knives with scales being riveted to either side of a full-width tang. The presence or absence of a guard (including its size and shape) is more a reflection of its intended use rather than whether it is a sword or knife, as knifes intended for combat almost always have guards, and kitchen knives (for example) almost never have guards. The correlation of knives are typically shorter than swords could come down to the effective limitations of each design: the knife design (as defined above) would be cheaper and easier to make but offer less vibration dampening, so larger blades would have more inertia and therefore be more likely to hurt the user if the blade encountered resistance which may explain why longer blades tended to have the "sword" construction.

[@Recoil1808]

Put more eloquently than I could, though I entirely agree. I know just about everyone technically defines it differently, though this is the definition I, myself, go by, as it's the one definition I know that's completely black-and-white, easy to explain to a layman, and actually practical.

[@sevenproxies4255]

Regarding the fancy moves: i'm thinking of Maximus in Gladiator when he ends the fights a bit too quickly and professionally: "Are you not entertained!?"

[@ElDrHouse2010]

I think the martial art they practice is what defines them. Swords practice swordsman, swordstress techniques. Daggerists do daggerist stuff & or use them as tools in their survival kit.

[@unarealtaragionevole]

1) if single edge qualified a knife then what's a dagger exactly? 2) the only advantage I find with reverse grip is the potential to conceal the weapon for a stealth attack. people keep telling me we can brace the knife against the arm for a stronger block, but this depends on the knife as if the shape is off you can snap your wrist or break the arm more easily with this grip.

[@gabzsy4924]

A dagger is a dagger. It could be described as a particular kind of knife with double edges. Just like a baguette is still bread but it has it's own characteristics, thus we call it baguette and not bread.

[@shinobi-no-bueno]

@@gabzsy4924 daggers break most of the rules people tend to make regarding knife vs sword but everyone agrees a dagger is a knife

[@unarealtaragionevole]

@@gabzsy4924 but isn't that the point that Metatron's is making here. saying a dagger is a particular type of knife doesn't change the fact it's a knife. it's a moot qualifier as the qualification is one's point of view. so it's not wrong to call a dagger a knife, nor a knife a dagger. but i see "passionate" people foolishly go to war online when people call a dagger a knife, or a knife a dagger. it's crazy when you think about it.

[@Recoil1808]

A dagger is a blade with a sword hilt construction which is too short to be reasonably considered a shortsword, sometimes made with field utility in mind alongside battlefield considerations.

[@unarealtaragionevole]

@@Recoil1808 But this is Metatron's point, if we use this definition, or any of the quasi-definitions for both knife and dagger...then a dagger is not dagger cause we always end up just describing a knife in both form and function. We can, and do...call them whatever we want. And this is what some novices, and even some 'experts' can't seem to understand or accept. Of course, they are entitled to opinions; but that's all they really are. A dagger is a knife and sword is just a long knife....at end of the day they are all just sharp, pointy, metal sticks.

[@midora588]

Ah, but that is relative. A knife of a giant may be sword of a dwarf. Of course, ignoring the difference of tang.

[@MrTrilbe]

you can't count on tang construction, there's rat tailed and full tanged knives and swords

[@Blondie42]

Like the jokes about Sting in Bilbo's hands as opposed to a dwarf or a human/elf "I'm not sure it is a sword, lad. More of a letter opener, really." 🤣

[@profepik7525]

I suggest to define a sword : a bladed weapon that is too long to be efficiently used with the reverse grip. And inversely, the knife can.

[@joebloggs5318]

Every blade can be used with a reversed grip. Hold a longsword in a reversed grip, kick your opponent's legs from under him and suddenly that reversed grip is real useful.

[@vhuyjgvyj]

@@joebloggs5318 Key word is efficiently tho, what you described isn't really that efficient.

[@M.M.83-U]

That's a good one

[@marcogenovesi8570]

reverse grip is inefficient and inferior even with short blades

[@profepik7525]

@@marcogenovesi8570 No, reverse grip on a knife is a good idea for stabbing. A arab told me to always use the reverse grip in a knife fight.

[@magister.mortran]

I think the distinction refers to how it historically developed. A knife remained a knife, when it followed the design of earlier knives, even if it got longer than many swords.

[@Ezyasnos]

Regarding 9:24 I think the grip/blade length ratio might be a good measure. I'd say if the blade is more than 2.5 times the length of the grip I'd call it a sword. That would mean the Saex in the video actually is a sword.

[@bolasdefraile]

Regarding the problem of the size of a knife. In Argentina we had a lot of knifes. As guns were expensive and unusual the ubiquitous weapon was the knife. The most tipical set of knife the Gaucho used (and in some regards still use) were: 1) VERIJERO: Small knife, rather triangular shape, size of a kitche knife. Used to be carried in the front near the groins (that's the namesake) 2)FACON: Very big knife, Around 30 cm. Used for general purposes in the country. It was a work tool, a dueling weapon, entertaining toy, electoral device, etc. 3) CARONERO this is the problematic for the clasification. Its huge knife. 80cm long. Narrow. It usually had not any form of guard. It used to be carried hide between the "Carona", thats under the saddle. So the were made with out any form of guard because it may hurt the horse. It was used to fight, and for some country stuff. Anyway the CARONERO is a knife (at least for their users) but is bigger than some swords.

[@daag1851]

5:30 one of my friends once pullet similar joke on me, "hey do you want to see my new knife" (he wanted to show his new sword)

[@ShadesApeDJansu]

Example that people understand, Japanese wield 2 katanas 1 normal another is shorther. In northern finnish traditional costume there is Helabelt (Hela is metal ornaments in the belt) it containts utility knife, and a smaller butter knife. Were finnish Samurai ? No but we got most asian dna of the european population, maybe that explains the similarity. I want to say that i owned hela knife but i gave it to my BFF as his 40y birthday gift. My friend said if he were viking he would use 2 seaxes with reverse grip, then the anime Vinland came and the protagonist does just that. My friend has trained with gypsy man with wooden knives this kind of techniques and finnish doctors at one point deducted that my friend has reaction time 2x faster than normal humans. So i decided that the hela knife + hela butter knife belong to him, it is not a weapon but it is clear who of us can use it better if wanted to practice tricks. They're very sharp and pointy good for puncturing both in duel situation, or at hand of mad lad of a viking

[@DrBovdin]

As far as I have known, there is (used to be) a classification, at least in many of the Germanic realms, based on the manufacturer of the blade. Depending on if it was a martial implement or not it was a sword or a knife (Messer). I have also seen definitions based on hilt/grip fastening methods. In general I would say that a modern non-technical definition would be that when the knife grows to a length which is impractical to use for “normal” knife-duties it tends to start being regarded as a sword. Thus, the length to user proportions ratio seems to be a rather spot-on description of when in the eyes of a beholder without in-depth knowledge of older weaponry would stop seeing a knife and start seeing a sword. Certain butcher knives for use in abattoirs might be blades where we are pushing it to the limit today.

[@messiaspereira6232]

always happy with realism you bring to your explanations ,fought"sparing" many times with weapons and never saw anyone successfully win with reverse grip with swords,it doesn't make sense and as soon as the fight starts most people that tried it quickly change to normal grip because the advantages are well apparent . continue the great work

[@daopaleo]

There definitely is an overlap, but I would offer a rule of the thumb: if parameters are enought to deliver an effective chop (cut), then it is already a small sword, even if you can cut sausage with it. Knives stab and alice, but not cut; axes chop/cut; swards thrust, slice, cut.

[@gslinger19]

It's a long seax, and it looked long enough for me to think the reverse grip was stupid while I was watching it. It's only done in movies cause it "looks cool" and that's it......and you mentioned it. SO yeah I agree.

[@julietfischer5056]

For me, around 2 feet is when it's time to look at configuration and use to determine if a weapon is a long knife/dagger or a short sword. I have a couple of truck stop items (they looked cool) that are fully long enough to be short swords, but their blades and general appearance says dagger. I also have some that are in the 'let's discuss it' category in appearance.

[@lukewilliams8548]

Another idea is accepting that there will be "in-between areas" and gradients. The idea of a hand and a half sword already exists, a sword that can be used as an arming sword or as a longsword, though as an arming sword it's not as good as a dedicated arming sword, and same for the longsword. A quick thought, you could use colors, maybe red:pocket knife, orange:knife, yellow: short sword, green:one handed sword, blue: longsword, purple: great sword. So a hand and a half sword would be teal, what shad calls a war sword would be a purplish blue, and this long seax could be a yellowish orange.

[@BobHutton]

I just checked my kitchen knives. Some have the traditional (European) handle construction where the tang is the full width of the handle and some where constructed more like a handle on a sword, with a pommel of sorts. However, most have a tang that disappears into a lump of plastic. They are all single-edged and none had a cross-guard, although some had a protrusion on the plastic handle that helped in preventing your hand sliding onto the blade. Some have long(ish) blades for a kitchen knife, but they were all shorter than my forearm (point of elbow to wrist). If we are going to define it purely on length, then maybe the blade being longer than the wielder's forearm would be a reasonable measure. If you want to be more absolute than that, so that the definition doesn't change with the wielder, then taking the average forearm length for a human adult (27cm, 10.5 inch) might be a reasonable length.

[@hellboy7424]

I think an important point is missing... the use of that weapon. While the sword is intended for combat, knives (like axes) often have another use as an everyday tool. Whether for hunting, during meals or daily chores or even crafts such as wood carving. I also think you forgot to mention the fact that the protagonist was using it to scale a fence...and that position would be the correct one in that case. Regarding the reverse knife-sword fighting stance: I think you'll find it interesting to watch "Kali Eskrima" and "Krabi Krabong" matches. And yes... of course it's a movie and all this is for fun and learning! Absolutely agree on that. A cordial greeting!!

[@Kriegerdammerung]

The weapon in question was denomined "long seax" in the famous programme Forged in Fire; and those sages in weapons know their business

[@gehtdichnixan3200]

the definiung factor in the german messer is the tang and the pomel ... it has a messer grip usually not a sword grip

[@Unpainted_Huffhines]

Fun fact: the seax is the weapon so closely associated with the Saxon people, it was the basis for their ethnonym. Interestingly, the Franks (and by extension, the French) were also named after one of their preferred weapons, the small throwing axe called the francisca.

[@ad-ft8zy]

I'm a sort of a blacksmith and i think that the difference beethween a knife and a sword is that a knife would have been used for every day use,the seax in "the northman" looks like to be a broken back langseax with a deer antler handle which could have been used to cut wood and ropes;it's probable that,at least with the longbeards, there was a distinction beethween a sword and a seax because the sword were usually pattern welded and the seaxes were almost always made form a steel edge and a wrought iron back which made the blade less likely to break when cutting wood.

[@Harbinger359]

So, to throw my hat in the ring in answer to that question I would say it ultimately comes down to this: how it is used. How it is used (which includes what it is used for) is inextricably linked to its size relative to the user, so I agree that is the best way to classify these things, regardless of how they are named. Sarcasm warning: I mean, it's not like humans have ever given something a name that is contrary to what it actually is either by mistake or for comedic value or just because they don't categorize things the way we do. I cannot possibly imagine a scenario where someone proudly shows off his fighting dagger and his friend says "that's not a knife, THIS is a knife!" and pulls out a greatsword. Then afterwards everytime one of their buddies refers to Duncan's knife they're talking about his greatsword and snicker to themselves knowing that nobody knows what they're really talking about. It just wouldn't happen, people don't do that!

[@yoursexualizedgrandparents6929]

I believe what should be considered a knife or a sword is whatever it was historically used for and categorized as, and that's all that really matters. So like in the video, the grossemesser was called a knife, but it was used like a sword, so this was probably to categorize it as a sword that is an evolution or longer version of a knife design.

[@silverhand9965]

The best mistakes are the ones that can lead to an interesting discussion like this one

[@maissthro3645]

I like a lot the proposal on the categorization of bladed weaponry. Although you have another point that most people that know a little bit of weaponry talk about: built of the handle. I have a friend that calls the katana a "glorified knife" cause it is not built as european weapons all the way through the handle and hammered on the pommel to hold it all together, which is honestly hilarious.

[@walterbarth4690]

Every time I see the reverse grip it reminds me of an episode of a show I watched back in the seventies called Quincy. Pretty much the first coroner tv show. As Quincy was looking through a suspect list he ruled one suspect off because he was formally military and would've been trained to use a knife in the regular grip, not a reverse grip. Maybe some of the viewers who've had military experience can verify this, one way or the other. The reverse grip had been over represented on screens lately. Doug Marcaida from Forged in Fire is one to watch for practical technique. I think I've seen him use knives with both grips. I've never seen anyone from that show use a reverse grip with any sword or short sword. I completely agree with you that the weapon is essentially a sword. Regardless of what it is to anyone, I think some people missed the point, which was on how it was used. Thank you an excellent video.

[@Mammel248]

Interesting point about the length comparative to the size of the wielder! In fact in the Hobbit, Sting (the "sword" Bilbo steals from the trolls) is described as being no more than a dagger for the trolls but a short sword for Bilbo the Hobbit.

[@acarrillo8277]

This jogs the memory of a certain scene from a Paul Hogan movie

[@jiml9856]

We had this conversation drunk around a fire once. "and what's with friggin machetes?" lol

[@Cysubtor_8vb]

I ran into this issue when I got my kindjal. Despite having a fairly long blade, it's often referred to as a dagger yet, when I look at general dagger treatises, you see tons of reverse grip techniques that feels like they're meant for a much shorter weapon. Haven't been able to find kindjal specific manuals, sadly, but it feels like it should be used point forward like a short sword.

[@highmolecularweightRDX]

Maybe the difference between a knife and a short sword is if can be used effectively in the reverse grip? Even longer knives like the rondel can still be knives where a short gladius would not.

[@George-sv1fm]

Leon: That's not a knife, Seax's a knife! Metatron: Hold my messer!

[@ErickAJobim]

This video was very well put together, I liked the editing and scripting. You have a good sense of communication too

[@purpleboye_]

I thought the knife distinction was more about the way the handle was constructed with layers of wood riveted on either side. If you have a short blade with a swordlike handle, you call it a dagger.

[@ElDrHouse2010]

There is also some super big bowie knives that Schola owns that are basically gladius lenght or more. It's all context, propouse, etc. Swords are more meant to be used for combat & knives are more meant to be tools but then what is a parrying dagger? it's exclusively for combat lol. etc, etc. Or the Stiletto it is exclusively for piercing, not chopping wood.

[@jeremypintsize7606]

It's a touchy subject: A Kriegmesser , Grossmesser or langmesser is a sword but if yous traduce from German they are war knife, big knife and long knife. It's a sword with a full riveted tang ... And the Langsax - long seax - is functionally a cutlass without basket hilt.

[@DragonLandlord]

I always take it by function; if the blade is only used in battle, it's a sword, if it's used for more, it's a knife.

[@skjaldulfr]

Yeah. I pointed out that it was a seax because I love viking history, and wanted to share the terminology with everyone. But I did not mean to say that it was any different from an arming sword, for practical purposes--not at that length. I like to judge whether a blade is a sword or a knife based on whether it has more of a "sword hilt," or more of a "knife handle." There are multiple factors to that--not just whether there is a crossguard. Factors include (1) whether there is any kind of guard, (2) whether there is an enclosed tang, and (3) whether there is a pommel. For example, I think the term "messer" is justified because messers have handle-scales like a kitchen knife, instead of enclosed tangs. But admittedly, that system does not work under scrutiny. For example, a katana without a guard has mostly knife handle attributes. And a messer with a crossguard arguably has mostly sword hilt attributes, if we call the metal butt of the handle a pommel. And quillon daggers have every attribute of a sword hilt. I will happily call a grossmesser a knife. A grossmesser is already called a knife! We call it a knife when we say "grossmesser."

[@kaileijten6353]

"In modern archaeology, the term seax is used specifically for a type of small sword, knife or dagger typical of the Germanic peoples of the Migration Period and the Early Middle Ages, especially the Saxons, whose name derives from the weapon." Oxford English Dictionary. Sometimes things dont need to be hard to find out. BTW im dutch, saxons come from here and im part saxon, frank and frisian and my saxon family still speaks saxon. We classify it as a sword or a knife in our language, purely based on size and use. Nevertheles, the fact that you called the seax from the movie a sword is correct in english and dutch (modern frankish), frisian and saxon, because of its size. The word seax actually comes from the word for saw or to saw (sag (zaag in modern dutch)). So then it should be a saw, according to the logic of the people who call it a knife. Because the word is an old germanic word, which is much older then old english.

[@lhinarizona6658]

Societies can also have an effect on what is a knife and what is a sword. The Cossacks had a sword called a Shashka and a knife called a Kindjal (Kinjal). The sword was roughly a 36 inch blade plus or minus, while the Kindjal was roughly a 24 inch blade, plus or minus. The Shashka was a single edged and slightly curved blade. The Kindjal was a double edged, slightly curved or straight blade. Compare that to the Katana and the Wakizashi. The Katana and the Shashka are similar in size and both societies call them swords, depending on translations. The Wakizashi and the Kindjal are also of similar size, but one society considers it a short sword while the other considers it a knife, depending on translations. This does make things interesting to think about.

[@MsMrBigglesworth]

Generally, the decision to name something a long knife vs a short sword is mainly from the culture from which the weapon comes from. In most cases we generally will state that a knife is between 3-15 inches in length. However, as you had pointed out, it is possible to have a short gladius at 15 inches and be called a short sword. This again, I believe is based on the culture the weapon comes from as other cultures looking at the short gladius may call it a knife instead. I also, believe that the issue of the “messer” vs “schwert” as why a grosse messer was a “big knife” instead of a sword was more or less due to medieval laws in Germany that prevented people of lower social ranks to “own” swords made by the craft guilds. Similar to feudal Japan, where non-Samurai could not own a katana, but could own a Wakisashi. The swords or “schwerts” had a through tang handle and peened at the end. While a “messer” or knife had scales and pins on a full tang. So length did not matter, as it was assumed quality was not present on a “messer” construction style vs the true sword or “schwert” style. However as laws were eased, the messers grew in length. In time easily rivalling the swords that the nobles and upper class owned. One last point is that in some cultures derogatory terms are the sed to describe the weapons used such as the famous “Arkansas toothpick” a very long, slender blades dagger; termed a “toothpick” as a means to sardonically refer to the dagger in a colloquial manner.

[@funwithmadness]

Two thoughts come to my mind. The first is the original use of the implement. I don't know much about the saex [how is that word spelled?], but I'm curious if originally it's what everyone would have considered a knife and as it was used, its form was modified until eventually it became something more akin to a (short) sword. So, basically the name is an artifact of its original purpose. The other thought comes to me from training in kali. We'd practice a reverse grip with batans, which are generally what I'd consider in the short sword range of length. We didn't practice for flashiness, though. The idea was in the middle of a fight, if you retrieved a dropped weapon or disarmed your opponent, you would not necessarily have the opportunity to grab the weapon in the perfect position. So... You learned to fight with a variety of grips just to be familiar with them. I agree, though, that the longer the weapon, the less useful a reverse grip is. With a knife, it is still highly effective. With something longer than about 18-20", though, it becomes more of a really skinny shield.

[@Xarcht]

I have a replica 14th century Main Gouche. Blade length is 18". Has a heavy cross guard. Blade width is 1.25". Some insist its a knife. Others want to call it a sword. I call it a light sword. Somewhere between the two.

[@Seraphus87]

Regarding reverse grip: if you're using it to stab and achieve penetration, you'd probably want the blade to not exceed an ell. If you're using a longer bladed weapon in the reverse grip you may still be able to slash but the downward stabbing motion becomes less practical, unless you're finishing off an unarmored enemy who is already down. This is why most rondel daggers' blades don't go past the elbow when the blade is held downward and parallel to the lower arm.

[@seymourfields3613]

Reverse grip is really only for smaller knives. It's a technique when brawling with a knife, to give you more options when throwing a punch. The blade coming out of the bottom of your fist can cut the face or neck. It can also be used to stab in a hammer strike motion. Lucky for me, I've never had to resort to knife fighting in my life. Can't tell you if it's really any better than holding a knife in a forward grip. They each have advantages.

[@P3wP3wPanda]

I would like to add on to the naming thing. The Chinese saber is called a dao (刀) which means "knife". The really big two-handed one is called dadao (大刀) or "big knife". The Dao (刀) word can be used to refer to any single-edged blade but is usually used for the single-edged saber when in a military or martial context.

[@808bigisland]

Having fenced...a rapier or a thin degen is very effective. All other types are clubs with an edge..and moschieterre...your harnisch is unpolished, tarnished and fingerprinted. Hand it to your train-maiden for a good polish 🌞

[@reddyforlenny9389]

1:16 "Friendly fire will not be tolerated"

[@raymondfoster9326]

What makes a sword a sword and a dagger/knife a knife, is how it is used. This is why the relative size of wielder and weapon comes into account.

[@ObatongoSensei]

Another troublesome bladed weapon is the baselard. It is defined as a type of long dagger, but it was the archetype for the short sword in role playing games. And it can be used as both a dagger and a sword. The very word "dagger" comes from this weapon, which in Italy was also named "daga" and in Switzerland "dagen". In Italy, as you probably know, "daga" is basically a synonym for "short sword", rather than for "dagger" or "knife". A really ambiguous one.

[@johndelaney5465]

I would say that it depends on the primary use. A knife is primarily a tool where as a sword is primarily a weapon. You can use a knife to stab someone or a sword to cut a cake but those are secondary uses.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

In addition to what you say in this video, I would add that there is overlap between the sizes so it's not that after X Cm of length it becomes a sword and before X it's a knife, that's how law works, not how real life works. So there is a pretty decent gray area where the bladed device can be both a knife or a sword and the only way to decide for one or the other is imho what it is used for, knive is for tools and self-defence, while sword is for offensive use (usually with a shield like with Gladius). And even then there will still be devices that can be both, because at the end of the day it's just a metal blade with a handle.

[@nathankeesler428]

"That's not a knife. THIS is a knife!" --Crocodile Dundee

[@julietfischer5056]

Matt Easton made a video covering the overuse of reverse grips on knives. Besides looking cool, it's safer for actors who don't know how to fence. All the fancy flourishes are Rule of Cool, and have no place in combat even to bluff an opponent.

[@SpacePatrollerLaser]

For my purposes, meaning utilitarian, I use blade lenght and shape Clip and where the edge coruves up to meet the back of the blade are knives In terms of length; 0to 4:": short, 4" to 8:" medium, 8 " to 12": long 12" ro 16" dirk, 16{ to 21" gladius/machete and 21and up :sword. Now, I won a knife with a 13" downcurved blade of about 1/6" thickness. Too thick for a standard machete and made for chopping. I used it for a bush knife Here in New England, we have small plants that are woody or very firbrous rather than soft and fleshy, for thise, you would use such a knofe rather than a machete. I also onw a knofe with a13" upcorved clip blade. I class both of these with dirks in lenght

[@laurahubbard6906]

Having a "Crocodile Dundee" moment. "That's not a knife; THIS is a knife! "

[@ThatsMrPencilneck2U]

I've seen a man in SCA combat use the icepick grip with an arming sword in his off hand. He pretty much used it as a shield. This probably made sense, because an SCA sword, "rattan covered in duck tape, weighs at least twice as much as a real weapon. Doubtlessly, one cannot use a heavy stick the same as lithe steel.

[@windhelmguard5295]

there are several factors one needs to consider, so i would look at all of the following and use the final score to determine the nature of any given sharp implement. overall length number of edges presence of a guard presence of a pommel presence of a distal taper point of balance handle construction (encapsulated tang or exposed flat tang with handle scales) handle length ratio between handle and blade length all these questions need to be taken into account when one decides whether the sharp implement in question is a shiv, a knife, a dagger, a machete, a sword or a decorative ornament.

[@TheTiDman]

As I understand it, having glanced at some Norwegian sourses, a short sword becomes a knife when it`s purpose includes use on plant materials. Engineer blades with saw backs, the Sweedish fascin knife and the French double edged "cabbage cutter" is typical examples, as would a medium size sax. I`m pretty sure a "long enough to not be a good utility toool" sax would be considered a sword.

[@ChillVibes2256]

personally, the simplest way to me seems to be looking at the intended usage. A long seax, while it would work in combat as a main weapon, was intended as a hunting/utility implement. Axes on the other hand, while yes they were made for chores, were also made specifically for combat as a main weapon. I think that once the weapon stops being carried for utility, such as a Rondel dagger, and starts to be carried as a main fighting implement it then graduates to sword status

[@neutronjack7399]

I agree with your thought that the difference between a knife and a sword is in the body size of the wielder. I would go one step further and use a measurement that varies from person to person, the distance between the point of your elbow and the palm of your hand. If it is longer than that, it is a sword. Shorter, it is a knife. I base this on a couple of throwing knives made for me. When my father was teaching me how to throw knives, he showed me the best length for a throw knife was the distance between your elbow and your palm. Hey, it works. As for the reverse grip on the saxe, especially a long one? It might be used for swinging over a shield wall and down onto the head and shoulders of the person behind the shield? I don't know, that is just speculation on my part.

[@ShouOokami]

I really enjoyed this video! Lots of good info and well presented. During the whole thing the cursed knowledge that Pyramid Head's weapon he uses is called the Giant Knife and its a big honking sword.

[@ZeroSalvator]

Excellent category breakdown explanation. I particularly loved the relevance to the size wielder and the bash at the end for reverse grips, they are very situational and not very suited for combat.

[@reaperwithnoname]

I would argue that past a certain length, any blade becomes a sword (thus, some seaxes are swords). But you make a good point that the wielder's height matters.