WHICH SWORD will Tod & Skall CHOOSE? With

[@tods_workshop]

Hi Matt, A great walk through of the swords and a lovely reminder of a great fun day. It was also really interesting to handle the sabres and small swords- things out of my home turf.

[@Skallagrim]

Yeah, so the main takeaway here was: The spadroon is not actually utter trash! :o Jokes aside, thanks again for bringing all those swords, Matt! It was very interesting to take a close look at them and find out how they handle.

[@Lamawalrus]

Thanks for doing this

[@EriktheRed2023]

This collab is the gift that keeps on giving! Skall made the most of that trip.

[@Bassalicious]

"..it goes from about 4.5mm to a little under 3mm here." Tod casually estimating thicknesses to within 0.2mm tells you what a craftsman he is. Calibrated eyeball and all.

[@kaoskronostyche9939]

Or he is entirely full of some kind of excrement ...

[@AveragePicker]

Every time he does that it floors me.

[@Zombie-lx3sh]

Pretty sure he estimates with his fingers more than his eyes in this case.

[@Bassalicious]

@@Zombie-lx3sh I'd call any estimation not involving measurement eyeballing but I get what you mean.

[@sd3457]

It's called an eyecrometer.

[@franciscofunari2343]

Skall has the hair for the 3 of you

[@ZYNeel]

i just commented the same thing then saw rhis

[@akumagouki8668]

He's the youngest of the trio by far, they're his mentors.

[@JimmyCoutinho]

@@franciscofunari2343 and the lard

[@catgirldogfood]

Damn, imagine being so insecure that you feel the need to comment on other people's bodies. Let's all point and laugh at Jimmy for being so pathetic

[@razechaos3489]

​@@JimmyCoutinholol did someone hurt you?

[@IlBarbafluff]

I am Italian, and when I started HEMA I tried a bit of everything, borrowing swords from peers, and I always found saber grips terribly uncomfortable. My thumb kept getting jammed and I had no control of the blade. The went back at my parents' attic and find an old sword from my grandfather. It had that thumb feature and I found it wonderful. Maybe Italian thumbs are just made different 😅

[@vincentromezin8702]

It's probably all the hand gestures !

[@Theduckwebcomics]

​@@vincentromezin8702🤌🤌🤌🤌

[@natespurgat6245]

Do folks in Europe just find swords in attics like we Americans find guns in attics?

[@IlBarbafluff]

@@natespurgat6245 I guess so 😁. There were a couple guns as well though, from some WW2 adventures.

[@CreationGrid]

Spadroon. The curve of sabres confuses the enlisted of what you are pointing at.

[@Kaiyanwang82]

but it's great for improvised and unexpected (even by the commanding officer) flanking maneuvers

[@Tungdil_01]

0:52 Spadroon 12:02 Pattern 1796 Officials Light Cavalry Sabre 20:19 Osborn & Gunby Pattern 1796 Troopers Light Cavalry Sabre 24:32 Italian Cavalry Sword 1870s

[@carlpowers7291]

Good stuff with really good people

[@datguy12100]

You know, I've seen you handle smallswords, spadroons and the odd colichemarde and never quite realized how big they really were, having never seen them in real life. They honestly looked a lot smaller in your older videos and I always assumed they were quite dainty because of that. Something about the way you guys framed this particular video made me realize they're a lot bigger than I thought. Of course, the fact that Tod and Skall are both a little bit shorter than you (not being derogatory, of course) probably helped.

[@cheyannei5983]

Iirc Matt is a bit over 6 feet and he's quite a lanky 6 feet. He really does have the body of an accomplished knight and the training to go with it. Absolutely the kind of person for whom the longest weapons/examples of a type were made for

[@TheSilent333]

Dream collab!!! Yay!!!

[@Atamusk]

"And on that bombshell," Wait, I thought that was a different trio of enthusiasts?

[@brianj.841]

Did one of them buy the trebuchet? :)

[@vlad3967]

Tonight on Top Spear, I present my Precious Antiques, Tod gauges the girth of a spadroon, and Skall swings with the wrong end of the sword.

[@Tommiart]

"Some say he comes from a country that milks goats for their chips and that he dances naked in the snow with the elk at the full moon...all we know is he's called the Skall."

[@Ptaaruonn]

Some say he is a blunt weapon. Some say he is as sharp as a razor. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ All we know is that he is called The Stig!

[@APlayOfHopesAndFears]

I love these collabs!

[@WarmaidenOfficial]

Great collab, you three are my fav swordtubers

[@rasmusn.e.m1064]

I love this. In the other video, I felt like Skall was a bit quiet, but I feel like he came into his own in this one :) The combination of your different experiences really lends itself to a great overview of the swords. Also, that Italian one really reminded me of the futurism movement in its design and has an almost .... a bit of an iffy word to use nowadays, but fascistoid aesthetic to it: brashly unfeminine, as I like to call it. Yeah, it *is* masculine, but very much in a "I am NOT a sissy. Real men don't wipe." kind of way. It's proud of its industrial heritage. I hope that makes sense.

[@cmur078]

Futurists were exactly who I thought of as well when I saw that grip. Obviously that had been the vibe in Italy for a while.

[@me-ib2zb]

Love the collab

[@Kaiyanwang82]

18:12 - nice to hear that detail was in fact accurate. It looked odd on the painting. I say this because I presume the painting in question is "Vive L'Empereur" by Édouard Detaille?

[@dlatrexswords]

Great tour across both time and several different contexts of use for swords. Love seeing all of you three getting together to bring in different perspectives on swords at the same time. Cheers!

[@thomphan9518]

So glad to see the three of you in a shared video! All great content makers, fun to watch individually, and really appreciate the wholesome sword talk.

[@kaizen5023]

Loving this trio collab!

[@mordain3276]

Thanks to all three, really have been enjoying this collaboration, especially this two part sword discussion.

[@daveirwin6903]

The only thing that would make this colab better would be having Seki Sensei from Let’s Ask Shogo along for the ride.

[@Goshu1]

Why not pick the spadroon and command others to the fighting?

[@scholagladiatoria]

LOL

[@myleft9397]

lol, that drop guard is nuts, I thought, no!, what's he doing!? he's bent it, when Tod first looked at it

[@WhatIfBrigade]

40:50 The 1796 Light Calvary saber is long and choppy. I prefer short and choppy, but it seems ideal. Basically my favorite kind of sword but with a longer reach.

[@williamarthur4801]

regarding holding the 96 curving down, see the Airfix hussar box image.

[@WhatIfBrigade]

11:43 Definitely not my favorite design, but if I had to march long distances and point at things it is both light and easy to point with.

[@BigZ7337]

I'm loving these colabs, thanks guys.

[@augiedad54]

My three favorite HEMA You-Tubers all in one viewing. Nice!

[@Resident-cb3yz]

This is really good content!

[@thethinkingfox8862]

God I love the Osborn and Gunby pattern. That’s a dream sword right there.

[@nuuskamuikkunen407]

That's crossover I've been waiting for many years.

[@josephmartin1540]

Very good, you three together! Great video.

[@CDKohmy]

THat bit about the reverse grip of the sabre to thrust, is it possible some people opted to have the edge and guard reversed as well, turning it into a sickle sword?

[@DaveTheRred]

Loving these collabs!

[@Subutai_Khan]

Something about the spadroon that I thought of is that it is a perfect sword for dueling to first blood. It may suck at thrusting and cutting but at least you can be more sure both of you get to go home at the end of the day :). Not that these should be considered safe of course.

[@RedneckeTheFox]

Great collaboration guys, really long awaited! Truly enjoyable to watch you discussing and demonstrating historical weapons together. I want to ask: how does that particular spadroon feel in terms of stiffness against the english rapier from previous video?

[@kaukol]

Matt, could you please sell (or lend) that Osborne & Gunby to Windlass on the same terms as 1796 LC? Pretty please.. :)

[@contematt1113]

Nice to see skall is keeping in shape, looks sharp 👌

[@Skallagrim]

Yeah yeah, I get the biting sarcasm. Round is a shape, too. :p

[@contematt1113]

@Skallagrim You were rounder in the past, you look better now

[@TD-dq1gp]

I took it as genuine. You look healthy. Hope you enjoyed your travels.

[@raswerdelad]

I love sword videos that are outside of my areas of study!!! This was so nice. Loved the closeups too!!!

[@iDEATH]

I hope Skall's trip to the UK was as fruitful for him as it was for me! This has been a great series of videos from all three of you, so much thanks.

[@marcusfridh8489]

I hope he had the opportunity to visit the royal Armory

[@Skallagrim]

It sure was! I'll be busy for weeks, editing all the footage.

[@ianbruce6515]

I just love listening to experts! And as a craftsman myself--I really appreciate Tod's input.

[@rileyernst9086]

I like the folding guard on the spadroon. If you were expecting trouble, like you were on campaign etc I imagine you would have the guard folded out. But if you were not expecting trouble, and were say just carrying it as part of your office when in garrison or camp, well fold the guard up and it's not a problem!

[@jacobahn9998]

The mentioned holding of the saber upside down for pistol grip stabbing while moving on horseback might explain why tachi had grips that curved with the blade & were mostly curved at the base of the blade. It may have been done with 1 hand or both hands. I haven't seen any depictions of samurai doing this, but this would explain its very unusual design nuances when compared to every curved sword outside of Japan.

[@theamericanwararcher4872]

This video is just too much fun! 3 greats in 1!!

[@HereticalKitsune]

Some good laughs, love the collab!

[@Shot8117]

I've seen the painting where the officer holds a reverse grip saber,it's in AGNSW, a gallery in Sydney Australia

[@kirill1052]

8:06 "You order your servants too shoot him. With guns"

[@Skallagrim]

The gentleman's way, indeed.

[@lieu7enan755]

Indubitably

[@stewrmo]

If you chaps didn't do the 3 amigos dance it was a waste! Terrific to see you 3 together. One love from Scotland. 💙

[@coolsenjoyer]

The Italian one definitely looks like it would be right at home in WW1 where people where using everything from their entrenching tools to makeshift clubs in close quarters fights

[@farkasmactavish]

3:00 HOW DO YOU _EYEBALL_ 0.2???

[@necroseus]

There is a reason there are good craftsmen and bad craftsmen. Some people are simply gifted :)

[@blandedgear9704]

​@@necroseus some people have a great deal of experience, measuring things and making them to measure. If there's a 'natural talent' to it, it's dedication, hard work, and attention to the details of your craft.

[@rasmusn.e.m1064]

I don't know if Tod does it the same way, but my gramps (a retired carpenter) uses his thumb as a reference. Inches across the wide section of the thumb and cm's and mm's along the nail.

[@necroseus]

@@blandedgear9704 Experience is an absolute necessity, yes. However, if you get two people with the exact same level of experience, there is still room for one of them to be naturally better. Some brains are just really, really good at geometrical processing. They pick up on the skills easier and with less dedication, and almost always out perform those without geometrically oriented minds (provided they have enough experience, of course. Some geometrically brained newbie couldn't outperform a non geo brained master)

[@blandedgear9704]

@@necroseus that's as maybe. But either experienced man could end up able to eyeball 0.2, while the geometrically-advantaged brain can only do so if it is experienced.

[@kevadu]

6:13 We all saw Tod do that, right?

[@klabauther]

I wonder if we need to distinguish more between superficial draw and slice cuts vs deep cleaving cuts. The curved blade, especially when curved at the tip, would be quite suitable to draw and slice through a longer stretch of skin, without losing much of momentum. You can then easily disengage and do a follow up movement, or ride off on your horse. This is something you should try in the cutting tests.

[@El_Beardo]

Hi Matt. Going to have to say, I disagree with you when you say the guard of the Italian sabre was inspired by the works of Marey-Monge (published in 1841 if I remember correctly?) The guard is near identical (with the addition of the thumb placer) to that of the 1860 pattern Sardinian/Italian cavalry sabre. Which itself is a very mild update of the 1834 Light Cavalry sabre guard. Which in turn, is heavily inspired by the Sardinian 1824 Heavy, and 1829 Light cavalry hilts.

[@whyjay9959]

"Do they taste different?" "Hmm, just a hint of vanadium..."

[@AveragePicker]

On campaign? The spadroon. You're probably safer pointing at things then having to charge the things being pointed at. 😅

[@neutronalchemist3241]

The guard of the 1871 Italian trooper cavalry saber (the 1873 officer cavalry saber had a different guard) came straight from the 1861 Italian and 1834 Sardinian models. The 1834 guard is a clear simplification of the 1829 Sardinian light cavalry trooper model, where that flat cup of metal with an hole were two flat arches that overlapped at the pommel. However the 1873 saber was definitely lighter than the 1834 and 1861 models that were REALLY heavy beasts.

[@neutronalchemist3241]

There had also been an attempt to replace the 1871 model, with the 1900/1909 cavalry saber, straight "pipe" blade and longer handle without the thumb "cup". However it had not been liked by the cavalry troops, and ended up being distributed to colonial troops.

[@simonbill1510]

I used a quite good 1796 reproduction in a fight during an aggravated burglary, and since the edge was blunt I ended up using the point. The blow knocked the burglar off his feet but did not cause much injury. I think I must have hit the sternum.

[@raydrexler5868]

Talk about robbing the wrong house. My walls are covered in edged weapons, but I am more likely to grab a pistol, bad for them if I don’t.

[@Muljinn]

Hope you gave the blighter a damn good thrashing.

[@colterjohnson1525]

I agree with Matt, I just love how that blade looks although I would like a bit beefier guard on it.

[@christopherbrendeland1206]

I'll take the Osborne! Great video guys!

[@antonius.martinus]

When you lose a duel while weilding that one, you can slightly hear, "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I'VE SACRIFICED!!?

[@christopherbrendeland1206]

@@antonius.martinus Farewell, friend. I was a thousand times more evil than thou! Man was not born to a world of justice.

[@ROMANTIKILLER2]

That stabbing reverse guard shown by Matt has opened my eyes on how as a left-hander I could use my French AN XI and 1822 LC sabres (which currently I just have to use with my non-dominant right hand). 😮

[@user-pi5dd5kp8h]

Great Video Daggers and broadswords for combat. Fencing for nobles; rapiers. Also a matter of station. But I’d bet that even the courtiers left their hat pins at home when facing armored cavalry and especially if it was likely to be unhorsed and have to deal with citizen infantry armed with axes, mace. Flail.

[@SuperThodin]

I love these videos. Hope you three can meet again soon !

[@JohnGilbert-l5l]

Interesting set of swords - thanks !

[@M.M.83-U]

Wonderfull video. 31:00 Of course it is better, it's Italian! On a more srious tone, I will never expect a regiment-sharpened edge to be good, but it's not the entire point of pipe backs to have very good blade geometry and great rigidity for trusting?

[@scholagladiatoria]

In my experience, pipebacks tend to be less stiff in the thrust. The one advantage they can have is to be very light for their size, so they can be really quick.

[@WhatIfBrigade]

32:11 Maybe because I love short choppy swords, but pipe backed blades always seem to me like a solution in search of a problem.

[@thomasroot620]

Out of the 4 swords you presented, I would probably take the 1796 light cavalry saber as well. However I have a contemporary I would pick above all of them from LK Chen, their Beiyang cavalry sword which is like a copy of the German 1889 version that was used in China. It is a completely straight pipe back design with a slightly flared/leaf shaped tip. It is stiff enough for great thrusts and the edge and tip geometry is better than your pipe backed example. It is a sort of polash blade, if the spadroon is the "perfect encumbrance" then I feel this blade is everything the spadroon should have been, with a more modern ergonomic and protective hilt design, it is hands down my favorite sword.

[@mollofamerika]

Saber reverse grip confirmed - but not in the way we thought!

[@guardsmanom134]

I see nobody else has love for the Osborne and Gunby, so I will. Using the British manual for light cavalry, we see the O&B being suggested to use a "at full run, use of a reversed upwards harrying cut, so the blade's edge is facing the head of the horse's onslaught"... this generally negates the thrust from horseback, and reduces the chances of a broken blade if dismounted or unhorsed. I believe the term was, "a Saladin's Slash". Due to the fact that this was a possible "either from horseback or ground" situation, the Osborne and Gunby is the natural choice.

[@joezhangmd]

ooooo I was so suprised to see the Osborn and gunby pattern 1796. I really like the blade design on that thing but alas there are no reporductions of its like. Also would have been super fun to see if the other folks could have tried the 1788 pattern heavy cavalry sword since Matt thought it was one of the best hilt and handle designs ever about 3 years ago. Really curious if the others could have commented on that design.

[@hulkthedane7542]

That cavalry saber, you introduced at 12:45 into the video; you said, you thought it had a shape everyone would like .... I think the tip end (outer 15 cm/6 inches) is too broad. That makes it look clunky. Great video 👍☀️

[@WhatIfBrigade]

22:33 Is the Gunby blade left handed? The scabbard clip is on the opposite side of the 1796 Light Calvary saber.

[@scholagladiatoria]

No, they both have langets on both sides by design, but the Gunby has one langet missing.

[@dervolkstribun6240]

In my opinion the Colichmarde is the sword, wich is close to perfect. Only downside is the lenght, wich is an issue in close combat. But halfswording can overcome that problem. Respect for your brilliant work.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

The "falchion blade" 1796 variant is very very interesting!

[@matthewmarting3623]

My favorite part is the game “Can Tod guess how it was made?”. Extremely fascinating to me, and gives an otherwise absent perspective on why the swords are the way they are. I am actually going to try to make a knife now that has a square to round handle and see if I can use that.

[@graemegourley7616]

I think I'd pick the same as you Mat. Though aesthetically I really like that heavy industrial construction of the Italian hilt. And as a side note, giving that clip point to windlass or lk chen to use as something they should make might be fun!

[@onyxgrnr666]

I learned so much about handle design in these videos lol

[@haydenduvall162]

Really love this one

[@matthewbreytenbach4483]

In general I would go for the Spadroon. It has a fair amount of hand protection, good length, and it's design would work well with the way I typically approach swordplay. And while it may not be _great_ at cutting or thrusting, a man is just as dead with a severed wind-pipe or artery as a severed head or pierced heart. As a Cavalryman though I would go for that variant sabre. It should be a beastly cutter, and if I have to fight on foot or get forced into a horseback duel I would have good thrusting options.

[@kaydoubleu5802]

7:55, Found it amusing that you're basically saying that the spadroon was more an edged conductor's baton than a sword... which would explain a lot.

[@galaxya40s95]

Thanks Matt, Tod and Skall

[@wojciechprzewozniak597]

Yeah the curvature on sabre for thrusting is interesting. I really like to use naginata for thrusting bc ur enemy need to rise their blocking arm higer which allow for more opportunities to stab..

[@JAKesler]

Love it!, please do more!

[@coreyertz2402]

This was awesome!

[@garys1495]

Thanks for all, nice to see a good dude from the other side of planet

[@DerrillGuilbert]

I'd choose the Italian sword and might try to fix the edge geometry a bit. But given how thrust centric it is, I might not worry about the edge either.

[@gokbay3057]

Regarding the Light Cavalry Sabre looking good, I don't necessarily disagree but I prefer more complex and covering guards (ones with sidebars and (I think the terminology is) partial bells) in sabers. The simple knuckle bows have their place and charm but aesthetically I prefer a little more coverage in the way it looks (In a similar way I prefer swept hilt rapiers to cup hilts ones).

[@frey7631]

Great video as always! May I recommend the 'Deutsches Klingenmuseum Solingen' (German Blade Museum Solingen) for you guys to visit someday?"

[@dantherpghero2885]

Tod not impressed with the wire wrap on the hilt. Until Matt points out it's not wire, but an imprinted metal sheet.

[@cmur078]

I wonder if that Italian attitude you're talking about was what turned at the tail end into the Futurists? I thought of them when I saw the grip, seems like the kind of thing they'd have liked.

[@CitizenSmith50]

I have always thought that holding a 1796 Light Cavalry sword with the arm about 30 degrees from direct ahead and the sword flat and the edge away from you and facing almost direct ahead, (point in line with grip ), it puts the point exactly where it would meet another horseman passing you. Then it would slide neatly out of the corpse as it passed simply by the nature of the curvature of the blade ! Is this how it's used ? A lot of the contemporary paintings of Napoleonic Cavalry charges seem to have people waving swords all over the place (like Lady Butler's "Scotland Forever!" & Edouard Detaille's "Vive L'Empereur", to name just a couple). In fact the only illustration I've found of swords being used as I'd imagined is "Charge of the Grenadiers-à-Cheval against Bavarian Chevau-légers in the Battle of Hanau in 1813". Perhaps it's just that the painters knew nothing about the use of military weapons. Just curious !

[@Templarium]

Awesome videos!

[@Leftyotism]

6:06 Indeed, I have heard them too! lol

[@-RONNIE]

Thank you all for the video it was really good ⚔️

[@jellybryce7742]

Great collab!

[@atarisidequest]

I think a stepped taper would be considerably easier than a continuous distal taper. You'd use jigs with dies or plates to set the geometry of each segment.

[@alexanderguesthistorical7842]

I'd have the spad' but make sure it was superbly well sharpened with a fine (acute/low) edge geometry. I think sharpened like that, despite it's low weight, it's cutting ability would be revealed.

[@owenli7180]

Could pipe-backs serve as a means to help unskilled sharpeners restore/keep blades serviceable while on campaign? Could just imagine the pipe acting as a bit of a "prop" to help establish an acute angle (even one that's not ideal) on the edge when it is pushed/pulled against a flat abrasive. When unskilled people try to "sharpen" flat blades, all sorts of weird things happen (like the flat of the blade getting abraded, but the damaged edge not being touched at all).

[@marcusfridh8489]

The best sword is the sword that doesnt need to be drawn in anger.

[@NickBR57]

I have a Naval Officers sword that has a drop guard and it clips over a button on the sheath to lock it in place and stop the sword coming out of the scabbard accidentally in action.