The venerable cutlass was a mainstay of navies and pirates alike during the age of sail; compact for close-quarters fighting amidst the cluttered decks of a 17th or 18th century ship the wide blade with a thick spine was capable of powerful chops and hacks and would be found in the hands of pirates and naval boarding parties alike! Kingston Arms has recreated the Cutlass here in a classic Shell Guard form. It is well balanced and the blade is sharp and well-tempered 1566 high carbon steel. The blade has a weight-reducing fuller groove and the spine of the blade stays relatively thick right to the tip to give the blade plenty of stiffness and resilience whilst remaining agile and responsive.
The hilt is crafted from stainless steel with a slightly antiqued finish for flair. The shell guard gives ample protection to the hand and gives the sword great character without being excessive or ostentatious as befits a rough-and-ready weapon for the armories of the great sailing ships. A thumb ring opposite the shell guard gives options for greater control. Both the knuckleguard and shell guard leave plenty of room for the hand and the wooden grip which is bound in leather is a comfortable and secure handhold. It is surmounted by handwoven knotting of braided wire in a classic “Turks-Head” knot.
The sword is paired with a well crafted scabbard of wood with a tight leather wrap and matched antiqued stainless steel fittings with an integrated button on the locket to allow for it to be slung from a cutlass or saber frog attached to a sword belt or baldric.
aarwashick (verified owner) –
Great sword. Looks and feels exactly how I would want it. Hilt construction seems sturdy. Came with good sharpness out of the box.
Simon Sundy (verified owner) –
The sword is overall great quality. The blade comes with a decent edge, and holds an edge very well. It cuts exceptionally well. It is a balanced a bit far forward despite the relatively complex and heavy hilt and guard. The thumb ring on the left side of the hilt is sized far too large to be of any use to anyone with human sized hands. I simply took a hammer to the thumb ring from different angles to both move it closer in to the hilt, and adjust it slightly more upwards to the blade. After doing so it now looks more similar to actual historical thumb rings and does help add more control. In doing so the guard loosened, as would be expected. The pommel is threaded, so I simply tightened it until everything was once again tightly fitted. Overall I am satisfied with the sword. The only thing that kingston arms should consider is adjusting the thumb ring to be more usable out of the box.