Landsknecht Emporium – Karl Messer with Scabbard – Beechwood Grip
In stock
$698.00
- Shipping estimated at checkout
- Every blade inspected before shipping
- 30-day returns
- Class
- Battle Ready
- Overall Length
- 35 3/4"
- Weight
- 1 lb 15 oz
- Brand
- Landsknecht Emporium
- Culture
- German
- Era
- Medieval
Overview
Landsknecht Emporium - Karl Messer with Scabbard - Beechwood Grip
Landsknecht Emporium's Karl Messer has a longer, thinner blade with a spearpoint tip ideal for thrusting and puncturing, as well as swift slashes and cuts due to its inherent agility and responsiveness. The blade has a thick spine to give it durability and stiffness and it stays substantially thick right up to the tip to support the tip for piercing with great ability. The cross section of the blade has a chisel / wedge form idea for slicing deep into a target and separating it with ease as the blade passes through the target. The sharp and well tempered blade is hand-ground from 6150/51crv4 high carbon steel.
The guard is crafted from mild steel and the Nagel is a separate piece peened on the other side of the quillon block, as it should be. The quillons are slid upward from the end of the grip with the blade protruding in the bottom. The tang is peened over the steel pommel plate. The handcrafted grip is crafted from two halves of polished Beechwood which are robustly riveted to the thick blade tang for a durable and lasting grip construction. The sword is paired with a wood core scabbard which is tightly bound in quality leather and completed with a knotwork-attached suspension of a leather belt with a bronze buckle with brass tongue.
Landsknecht Emporium products aim to have the aesthetics of historical pieces, not the finish of mass-produced items. Each product bears the signs of its making; of small tool marks and various handcrafted imperfections, which do not affect the build quality or usability but give each of our pieces its unique character.
Specifications
Every measurement that matters
- Brand
- Landsknecht Emporium
- Culture
- German
- Era
- Medieval
- Pommel
- Integrated
- Overall Length
- 35 3/4"
- Blade Length
- 28"
- Weight
- 1 lb 15 oz
- Edge
- Very Sharp
- P.O.B.
- 6"
- Thickness
- 5.5 m - 2.8 mm
- Width
- 31.2 mm
- Grip Length
- 7 1/4"
- Class
- Battle Ready
- Country of Origin
- Hungary
Reviews
What collectors are saying
Q&A
Questions from the community
Q What is this Messer built for—display, cutting, or historical study? Common Question
This Karl Messer is Battle Ready with a Very Sharp edge, built as a functional single-edged sword rather than a wall piece. The spearpoint tip and thick, stiff spine support both thrusting and slashing cuts, making it suited to cutting practice on tatami or water bottles as well as historical study and display.
Q Does this sword have a full tang? Common Question
Yes. The tang runs the full length of the grip in the same 6150 high carbon steel as the blade and is peened directly over the steel pommel plate, with the beechwood grip halves riveted to it. That is the construction you want for a durable, battle-ready hilt rather than a narrower tang pinned into scales.
Q What is the Nagel on the guard, and what does it do? Common Question
The Nagel is the small side-guard piece peened onto the quillon block, a hallmark of the Messer style. It gives extra protection to the hand and was historically used to help catch or deflect an opponent's blade near the guard.
Q How does the point of balance affect handling? Common Question
The point of balance sits 6 inches out from the guard, which keeps weight forward enough to give the cut some authority while the blade stays maneuverable for thrusting with the spearpoint tip. Paired with a weight of 1 lb 15 oz, it handles as an agile, responsive single-edged sword rather than a chopping-heavy blade.
Q What is the blade cross-section and thickness, and what does that mean for durability? Common Question
The blade has a chisel/wedge cross-section suited to slicing deep into a target, and it tapers from 5.5mm at the base down to 2.8mm, staying thick well toward the tip. That heavier spine gives the blade stiffness and durability, including support for thrusting with the point.
Q What are the scabbard and carrying strap made of? Common Question
The scabbard has a wood core tightly bound in leather, with a knotwork-attached leather baldric strap finished with a bronze buckle and brass tongue for suspension. The photographs show the throat and midsection reinforced with darker leather wrapping where the blade enters.
Q How should I care for this sword to prevent rust and keep it in good condition? Common Question
Since the edge ships Very Sharp and the blade is high carbon steel, wipe it down after handling and apply a light coat of oil to the blade before storing it. Store the sword dry, and don't leave it sheathed in the leather-bound scabbard for extended periods, since leather can hold moisture against the steel.
Q What is the grip made of and how is it attached? Common Question
The grip is two halves of polished beechwood riveted directly to the tang, which the photographs show as a light hardwood grip secured with visible peg fasteners along its length. This is a traditional, durable way to mount a grip on a full-tang blade.
Video
See it in motion
Landsknecht Emporium Karl Messer | Kult of Athena
The Maker
Landsknecht Emporium
The Landsknecht was the archetypal mercenary of the late 15th and most of the 16th century, with their heyday being in the second quarter of the latter. They were pretty much the meanest & baddest soldiers around that time, with a heightened sense of fashion. Our goal is to create weapons a period Landsknecht would be proud to use, mostly on a budget that keeps it accessible to modern recruits.
Due to the continuous research we are doing, we sometimes stray from that time and location to better understand trends that led to the development of weapons we aim to recreate. We are progressing from simpler items towards the more complex ones. We started with making Messers in 2016 and it was our main focus in these past few years. We intend to cover most of the styles relevant to our interest, while we’re planning to expand our repertoire with Katzbalgers, Bidenhanders, various daggers and all kinds of awesome stabbiness in the foreseeable future.
We founded Landsknecht Emporium to this end in March of 2016 in the outskirts of rural Hungary, at the end of a dead-end dirt road in a house not unlike those of murderous hillbillies in the movies that we call home.
Often paired together
This is my first sword, I have been doing research for years before buying and was not disappointed. The build quality is what you would expect from something hand assembled. There are imperfections I am talking about are from tool marks and very small gaps that cannot be fixed at this price point. The gaps are where the crossgaurd meets the hilt, this doesn’t effect function nor overall durability. The weapon comes sharp enough for me cutting cleanly through brush with ease, and I cut though 1.5 inches of cardboard clean cut 10 inches with a wrist cut with ease.
The suspension system and scabard that came with the sword is beautiful and worth almost as much as the sword. It holds the sword in whatever angle you put it at and the sword will not fall out.