The Cinguedea, One of the Most Effective Personal Weapons Of All Time

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Oct 25, 2003
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Those who watch "Forged in Fire" might remember the episode involving the Chequedea. IMHO, it was the most effective short sword/long knife they tested. I handled one years ago in the old Museum Replicas factory store. It was an incredibly surprising weapon, made by Del Tin, of Italy. I couldn't afford it then and regret it to this day.
The Chequedea proved to be a incredibly effective slashing sword, probably the most effective tested (among short-swords). It's sharply tapering blade and super-wide base made devastating gaping wounds when used to stab.
The hilt reminds one of the Roman puglia. Obviously designed to hold onto, greasy and bloody. Can you just hear the Internet "Experts," and what they would say about this grip design?

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Form follows function

The Chiquedea is a weird looking sword. Few modern knife experts would pick this as being an effective weapon. They might claim it isn't designed to be a slashing sword, or even a particularly good stabbing weapon, as it's obvious size would seem clumsy and unresponsive. despite the weight-reducing fullers, it's still pretty substantial. Many modern wags would find it too different, too extreme. They would deem it inferior, silly.
They would be wrong.
The Chiquedea evolved during an incredibly dangerous time in Southern Europe (primarily Northern Italy, 15th-17th century). Crime was rampant and streets teeming with danger. People didn't choose this weapon because of its style and grace. They chose it because they needed it.
While often heavily decorated, this was no couch cushion. People died in street fights everyday. People who didn't do their own fighting, or only fought duels, carried a rapier. People who might have to face-off against a street gang, carried a Chiquedea.
This was a purely civilian design. To my knowledge, it was rarely used in military. The common military sword patterns being the cavalry saber and the cut-and-thrust swords used by the sword and buckler armies. I believe artillery, crossbow, and pike, carried short-swords, but they were more the Agincourt pattern.

The Chequedea was a sword for an individual fighter.

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So why is one of the most proven and effective personal weapons almost unknown and practical unavailable. In all the world of knives for "self defense," why isn't the Chequedea selling out to those who may not buy a gun. Why isn't it selling out to those who just appreciate effective weapons, one of the best word designs ever conceived?

I'll tell you why. Because it's weird-looking

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Great post! I too regret not picking up one of the old MR models. Have you seen the Cold Steel Cinquedea?
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Shouldn't this be in Practice Tac? ;)

~Chip
 
why isn't the Chequedea selling out to those who may not buy a gun.

I suppose if some one were shooting at you, you could hide behind that broad blade.
a Cold Steel ad for the Colossus or a reference to it quoted some one who said "If you can't go long go wide". I don't know what that means but looks like they had the Chequedea in mind when they said it.
 
Cold Steel always wants to thread their tangs. I hate that! I always worry that it's just a $%#@ screw welded to the tang (rat-tail tang, total crapola). I just don't trust it. I'd much rather them peen the tang. At least then you'd know it went all the way through. The Del Tin and almost all the originals had full tangs. That's the way to go.
 
The blade shape reminds me of an Indian Katar, which I think would be a more effective weapon, or at least more exotic.

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I am intrigued

I never thought much of the design but than I never liked the Smatchet till I got a good one ....with a pinned pommel :)
 
Carrying swords around day-to-day is impractical, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with more than a few isolated cases in the last few decades where a sword made a difference in a violent self-defense case. The impracticality and sheer dumbness of open-carrying a sword for self-defense will far, far outweigh any possible advantage one might have in the imaginary knife fight one uses as the reason to do so.

Buy a Mora, you'll kill the same amount of attackers with it as you will with that relic of a blade.
 
Any large blade at all is unacceptable in today's world. I've long argued that today's weapon HAS to be small and concealed. Even the smallest sheath-knife draws weird looks. I've spent months walking the back paths of Montana. I'm not usually caring what people think, but a large Bowie knife looks like a total wanker to anybody you happen to meet. They don't think twice about a .44 Vaquero, but a huge knife screams "Dork." I have to live in the real world.
Nobody's going to carry this around, let alone me. I carry a knife everyday, but it's 9" overall and hidden away quite completely.

We on Blade Forums however, are not limited to the practical or acceptable. We are free to pretend that short swords are a totally reasonable self-defense option. That's why we are able to talk ourselves into BUYING these things. I have two shirts of chain mail and five metal helmets. Don't talk to me about practical.

The Cinquedia is a PROVEN design, Sure maybe there's a better design, maybe. But if they could have found a better design, they would have used it. This sword isn't an armchair theory. It's a weapon designed by necessity.
That's the whole point. We need to look at proven weapons, Proven, that people, who needed weapons, chose in the days when people actually did kill each other with them.
Look at all the knives today with no guard, no pommel, and theoretical designs. When they are used violently, the police just look for the guy with the severely cut hand. See how easy? "He did it. See, he cut the crap out of himself. They all cut the crap out of themselves, cause they use knives with no guards."
Modern.

BTW, I think Eastern, Oriental, and Philippine, weapons are over-emphasized.
 
As a former long time practitioner of historical fencing I have an opinion. During 15 - 16th century it became fashionable to carry a sword in civilian population and outside nobility. Swords became fashion items and this shows also in cinquedea. Lots of metal gives lots of surface for the artist to work on. Sure the cinquedea could work as a weapon, but at the same time existed other more practical weapons like daggers.

Rapier and the earlier sidesword were the main weapons, often with the dagger. Rapier fencing was the main art thought in fencing schools during 16-17th century. There were many styles and masters with sometimes very different ideas in Italy, Spain, Germany and France, the most important were italian and spanish schools.
 
Just watch the Forged in Fire episode and let me repeat,

IMHO, the Cinquedea performed better in both the slashing and thrusting than any other short sword I've seen them test.

That's what brought me to this design. I didn't think it would perform well either, until I saw it with my own eyes.
 
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Those who watch "Forged in Fire" might remember the episode involving the Chequedea. IMHO, it was the most effective short sword/long knife they tested. I handled one years ago in the old Museum Replicas factory store. It was an incredibly surprising weapon, made by Del Tin, of Italy. I couldn't afford it then and regret it to this day.
The Chequedea proved to be a incredibly effective slashing sword, probably the most effective tested (among short-swords). It's sharply tapering blade and super-wide base made devastating gaping wounds when used to stab.
The hilt reminds one of the Roman puglia. Obviously designed to hold onto, greasy and bloody. Can you just hear the Internet "Experts," and what they would say about this grip design?

72f2c9829519b1576708e78d515343ed--medieval-swords-waffen.jpg


1495854052_34323.jpg


Form follows function

The Chiquedea is a weird looking sword. Few modern knife experts would pick this as being an effective weapon. They might claim it isn't designed to be a slashing sword, or even a particularly good stabbing weapon, as it's obvious size would seem clumsy and unresponsive. despite the weight-reducing fullers, it's still pretty substantial. Many modern wags would find it too different, too extreme. They would deem it inferior, silly.
They would be wrong.
The Chiquedea evolved during an incredibly dangerous time in Southern Europe (primarily Northern Italy, 15th-17th century). Crime was rampant and streets teeming with danger. People didn't choose this weapon because of its style and grace. They chose it because they needed it.
While often heavily decorated, this was no couch cushion. People died in street fights everyday. People who didn't do their own fighting, or only fought duels, carried a rapier. People who might have to face-off against a street gang, carried a Chiquedea.
This was a purely civilian design. To my knowledge, it was rarely used in military. The common military sword patterns being the cavalry saber and the cut-and-thrust swords used by the sword and buckler armies. I believe artillery, crossbow, and pike, carried short-swords, but they were more the Agincourt pattern.

The Chequedea was a sword for an individual fighter.

5780c51d15197ec21d4a0fe4922be842--medieval-swords-old-master.jpg


So why is one of the most proven and effective personal weapons almost unknown and practical unavailable. In all the world of knives for "self defense," why isn't the Chequedea selling out to those who may not buy a gun. Why isn't it selling out to those who just appreciate effective weapons, one of the best word designs ever conceived?

I'll tell you why. Because it's weird-looking

b27e97c1c5811beb70d54d7496c2a31b--medieval-swords-waffen.jpg

Funny, I always heard the cinquedia was not a very effective sword that was most effective as a fashion statement. Its wide blade providing a large canvas for decoration.
 
Carrying swords around day-to-day is impractical, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with more than a few isolated cases in the last few decades where a sword made a difference in a violent self-defense case. The impracticality and sheer dumbness of open-carrying a sword for self-defense will far, far outweigh any possible advantage one might have in the imaginary knife fight one uses as the reason to do so.

Buy a Mora, you'll kill the same amount of attackers with it as you will with that relic of a blade.


Of course carrying a sword is impractical ....... but having one in your truck isn’t :)

As for a Mora working as well as a sword in actually application ..... you’ve obviously never played with a good sword :)



 
Your line of reasoning reminds me of children at a toy store. If you like it that much just go ahead and buy it. We're all knife nuts here and you don't need to try and convince us.
 
I've actually got my eye on something WAY more practical, a Swiss Halberd. Now to devise a sheath for it so I can go to Wal Mart with it strapped under my pants.

Easy, just tell everyone you have Permanent Erection Syndrome (PES)
 
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