Cold Steel 88CS 1917 Cutlass Handle with Leather Scabbard, Black

This makes a great addition to my collection. I own several cold steel swords, knives, tomahawks, and even a spear. But this is by far the most well built of all of them. And that's saying something.Of all the cold steel products I own this is my first choice for a larger survival blade. It's good for defense in closed quarters and has enough reach to be effective in open areas as well. It also doubles as a machete.The only down side is that it is a bit on the heavy side and the point of balance is almost 6 inches from the guard. Which makes it hard to wield for long periods of time. But that weight adds power too. Also if you intend on using this I recommend you watch cold steels saber training videos on youtube. The main reason being that most people swing a sword like a bat and use too much wrist movement. If you have the right technique the weight is much less of an issue. Personally the point of balance is much more of a concern when it comes to swords. Too close to the guard and you have no power. Too close to the tip and you are off balance. But I would rather have the POB closer to the tip rather than closer to the guard. After all you can always compensate for the in-balance with good technique.The sword itself came well greased and packaged separately from the scabbard. It also had a nice edge to it with the exception of the last few inches by the tip. Which was easily fixed with a file and a stone. The blade and guard also have a nice even bluing. Also please keep in mind this is not a knife. If it is too sharp it will chip or fold when used. This sword in particular has a very hard temper and can have more of an edge to it than longer or thinner blades. But it should not be razor sharp, nor does it need to be. To be honest some cold steel swords I have bought came too sharp, requiring me to dull them with 0000 steel wool.Additionally, one of the rivets in the grip was not as tight as the others and stuck out a bit. So I tightened it with a flat head and used a file to smooth out the male end of the rivet to match. I also covered the handle in masking tape to prevent scratching while I was filing down the rivet.Now for those who don't buy or collect a lot of swords this may sound like a lot of work. But I assure you it is not. Swords are hand made unlike most cold steel knives so they will have some imperfections. But for the money cold steel makes great stuff. If I had to do this kind of thing with an Albion that I paid $1,500 for then I would be a bit disappointed. But for $150 I have no complaints. To be honest I have gotten swords from cold steel that were (relativity speaking) perfect. Which goes to show you just how good cold steel is.Furthermore, the sword came with a dark brown scabbard rather than the tan one. Which may be historically inaccurate in terms of color but the quality is still there. To be honest I was actually quite impressed by the quality of the scabbard. It fits well and is made very nicely considering the overall cost. Also I personally find the dark brown scabbard to be much more attractive than the tan one. All in all with the proper care and respect this sword will be around for generations.P.S. For those who are interested I will be uploading photos of my sword to amazon for all to see.UPDATE: April 2015So I've had this thing for about a year not and I've got to say my opinion has changed a bit. After all I have swords from windlass, hanwei, darksword, and I even just got an arms and armor rapier. Now I won't bother comparing this $150 sword to a $1,200 or even $600 sword. That would be dumb. I will however compare it ti every other sword I have. Don't get me wrong It's still durable and well made but there are a few issues I have with it.First, it's too heavy. Yes, this cutlas was made to be on the heavy side but mine is a bit overly so. Now that being said a few friends have bought this and none of them weigh the same. Mine, as luck would have it, is heavier than the other two by as much as 9oz. That's over half a pound. In the sword worlds that's a lot.Second, the secondary beveled edge is too steep. What I mean by that is where they sharpened it is at to great an angle. As a result it doesn't cut well as is. I have re-profiled the edge twice using a belt grinder. However it took some doing to get it up to snuff with my other swords that cost about the same. Even the 1917 cutlas machete from cold steel cuts better out of the box. Even not the cutlas is so thick that it's almost as good as the machete was when I got it.Long story short every cold steel sword I have, with the exception of the Italian long sword, required a lot of work to get it up to par. None of my other swords from other companies have required any work done to them. If you don't mind doing the work this is probably just as usable and durable as my darksword or arms and armor. Now that's assuming the Q.C. doesn't miss a tempering issues or what not.In the end I still like cold steel. However, I won't be buying swords from them any more. I will buy their knives, machetes, training swords and axes. I even have a few items from their 2015 catalog on the way right now. But none are swords.

I received my order in 2 days and it arrived in perfect condition. I was immediately impressed by the quality of the workmanship. The fittings and finish were both excellent. Cold steel did a good job all the way around. I am impressed.This sword appears to be a very faithful and historically accurate replica of the 1917 naval cutlass issued to US sailors as late as the 1930s. It's a style of blade that came into fashion as early as 1700 with both navy and army units once everyone stopped wearing heavy armor.The philosophy of use for the 1917 cutlass was simple, provide the troops with a tough, deadly weapon that anyone can use effectively and wasn't as cumbersome or expensive as a longer sword. You can apply the same techniques you would use with a sabre. It's not as agile as a sabre, but the front heavy design gives you a lot of cutting power and the point is somewhat easier to use. You might have a challenge fencing against a sabre or rapier, but for a brawl inside a building or knee deep in mud, this design is perfect.First the dimensions. The blade is ground from heavy 3/8 inch stock 1.5 inches wide. The blade is about 25 inches long and gently curved. This is not a machete. It's a heavy blade capable of delivering a lot of momentum and soaking up tons of abuse. This sword is build to dish it out and take it.The temper appears to be perfect. It comes with a signed document called a "British proof test" that outlines a series of six tests performed on the sword at the factory consisting of striking a block of wood from all angles and flexing the blade 5 inches to each side to prove the temper is correct. Truthfully, I have not been able to test this myself. The blade is too rigid to bend more than an inch or so without a vice.The edge is a fairly conservative sabre grind, which is a convex shape made to take a lot of abuse. It comes with a sharp edge from the factory capable of cutting a steak or slicing bread. It's sharp enough to send you to the emergency room if you get careless.It comes to a wickedly aggressive point, but has a lot of metal left in it almost to the tip, making it a very tough, durable point. If you abuse and ruin the tip (by stabbing it into bricks or something), you will still have a very functional weapon until you can grind it to a sharp point again. The cold steel videos show this blade plunging through car hoods with ease. After holding it, I believe it could do that without damaging the point at all. This is one tough blade.The handle is full tang with scales of well finished hardwood held in place by screws so you can remove them. The fitting of metal to wood is perfect. You can barely see a seam. The screws are polished brass and look nice. It's comfortable to hold and use and very handsome.The guard is historically accurate and built to take it. You can confidently stop another blade or a ball bat with this guard. It may bend slightly if you catch a very heavy blow, but it will protect your hand. You could punch a brick wall with it without any real damage.The scabbard is a work of art. I didn't expect much and I was pleasantly surprised. It's tough leather with heavy stitching, a nice polished brass chape and a very sturdy belt loop. This scabbard is a good replica of the issue scabbards dating back to the 19th century and designed for the rigors of campaigns. It holds the blade securely and protects you from the sword. It looks like it will hold up well.Over all, this is an amazing product for the price.

Seems well made, British proof test means you can get pretty mean with it. Will definately remove an arm in one fell swoop.

Ich kann mich meinen Rezensions-Kollegen CrazyCat nur anschließen!Bei dem 1917 Cutlass wurde besonders Wert auf historische Akkuratheit gelegt.Es gibt jedoch einige Dinge zu beachten.+ Die Schwere, das allgemeine Gewicht sowie die damit einhergehende Balance ist bei diesem modernen Modell höher als bei einem historischen.+ Die Stahlqualität und Verarbeitung dürfte damit die historische übertreffen!

good sword

A few critiques here:- I feel that a sword should either come sharpened well, or it should not come sharpened. This is technically sharpened, but badly (fails paper test and fingernail test).- I measured the center point of this sword just under 17cm from the guard. That's cutting power, but when it's that top-heavy it's a chore to draw back. So, great at slicing (when it is sharpened), but not as great at sustained use (for example, fencing).The second point isn't really a "bad" thing necessarily, but something to keep in mind when picking out a sword.