Balaur Arms – Kriegsmesser 2.0 – Blemished Grade

This new version of the Balaur Arms Kriegsmesser has been updated with a grip of high quality black walnut wood instead of a lacquered finish.

This Kriegsmesser takes its design cues from some surviving and finely embellished examples of Tyrolean messers that were once the in the hands of the Austrian Imperial family of the House of Habsburg at the end of the 15th century. While not as ostentatious as the museum pieces of the Imperial Household, this example retains the late Medieval Gothic styling of these examples to recreate a Kriegsmesser of status, one that would have belonged to a successful knight or mercenary or a nobleman of the Holy Roman Empire – someone with means and status to possess a stylistically refined example of the Messer to set them apart from humbler examples belonging to men at arms and the lower orders, yet still needing a very functional and powerful sword for war and campaign.

The large, saber-like blade is a hard-hitting cutter and a ferocious slicer; the spine of the blade is thick and reinforcing and the blade possesses significant distal taper to give it a refined balance and optimized cutting along the midsection and tip of the blade whilst retaining a thick blade base for strength. The long fuller trims down unneeded weight and a sharpened false edge along the tip trims the tip of the blade to minimize resistance as the blade slices into and through the target. The sword is balanced enough that it doesn’t feel heavy in a single hand, though the dimensions of the blade and hilt insist on the use of a second hand to truly bring the sword into its own.

The blade is forged from sharp and well-tempered GB 60Si2MnA High Carbon Manganese Spring Steel. The hilt has a guard of stainless steel; its nagel is a separate component which extends through the crossguard. The grip is of smoothly polished black walnut wood and the long pommel which doubles as the second half of the grip is of well-cast brass. The tang of the blade is triple copper-riveted directly to the wooden grip and then further secured with a wide peen over the brass pommel. The Kriegsmesser is matched with a wooden scabbard with a tight wrap of leather and a solid cast brass chape and locket.