Greetings All!
The first time that I saw one of Jerry Hossom's- http://www.hossom.com - bowies, I was struck by how much they resembled miniature Filipino swords like the Pinuti and the Zanzibar. I asked Jerry if he had ever thought of going beyond bowie length blades and making swords. It turned out that Matt Draper- our very own Waxy
- and Don Rearic had already been pushing him to do the very same thing.
So, after some research by all of us into traditional Filipino swords, proper weight, flexibility, balance point, belly to point ratio, and so forth- and with some excellent drawings by Matt- Jerry was inspired to create this:
The Millennium Espada.
Is she something or what?! The grind lines, the edge, the polishing, the fit and finish of the handle- all reflect Jerry's artistry and attention to every last detail. Everyone who has seen the Espada has been awestruck by its beauty- as well as its obvious deadliness.
The Stats:
Stock- 1/4" A-2, heat treated and cryogenically stress relieved by Paul Bos to a uniform Rc of 57-58.
OAL- 30".
Blade Length- 25", with a 5" forte(thicker, unsharpened section) just forward of the guard for blocking/breaking the opponent's blade, and then 20" of scary sharp edge forward of the forte.
Weight- 1 Lb. 11 oz.
Point of Balance- exactly 5" ahead of the guard.
Centers of Percussion(sweetspots)- two: one at the handle, and one at the midpoint of the sharpened section of the blade.
Handle- 416 Stainless Steel bolsters, with the lower guard completely protecting the fingers, and scales of black canvas micarta.
Performance:
I decided to test the new Hossom Millennium Espada(E from now on) by comparing it head to head with my Darn Dao(Chinese Broadsword, D from now on) which is the best performing- both in terms of maneuverability and cutting ability- live sword that I own. I know my D like my own hand, so I figured that comparing the E to it would really put the E to the test.
Feel and maneuverability:
The E feels approximately 30%-40% faster in the hand than the D- which is 36" long and weighs 2 Lb. 4oz to the E's 30" and 1 Lb 11oz. BTW, the D is of 1/8" 5160 stock.
Both swords balance 5" in front of the guard- which is ideal for one-handed swords of this length- and so they each move beautifully, with just the right amount of weight towards the tip to facilitate slashing. The E is simply a lot faster. This is especially noticeable in combination attacks- changing direction is much faster with the E. Plus, the E moves extremely well in traditional Espada y Daga flow drills and Karrenza.
Grip:
The D has an excellent traditional cord-wrapped grip that is secure in all maneuvers and cutting tests. The E's grip- which is in Jerry's signiture ergonomic style- is likewise absolutely secure and comfortable in my hand through all maneuvers and every cutting test. It never slipped or rotated even once in my hand, and remained comfortable after hours of testing. It is truly a fantastic sword handle, Jerry.
Impact Resistance:
Impact resistence is extremely important for a sword, where you simply must be able to parry the opponent's weapon with the flat of your blade without snapping yours. So I tested this aspect of the E with a vengeance
.
First, I slapped the flat and spine of the E against the edge of my oak desk very hard multiple times and it flexed and snapped back perfectly with no deformation of the blade. The blade flexes to 40 deg. and returns to true evrey time. This is maybe a hair less than the D- which also withstands these tests- but is certainly adequate for a combat sword.
Next, I performed parries with the flat, edge, and spine of the E, as well as slashes and thrusts, against the training dummy. Again, no problem with impact whatsoever and no uncomfortable reverberations into my sword arm- that sweetspot at the handle really did its job
. In addition, the E thrusts deeply into the dummy with no damage to the tip. It's thrusting ability against dense targets is far superior to the D's. Likewise, the E's slashing ability against the training dummys tough "skin" is much better.
Next I roped my next door neighbor Jim into helping me. He is a big strong weight-lifter/grappler type.
First, I gave him a long hickory pole, so he could remain at a safe distance from the E
, and had him throw slashes and thrusts at me- whatever he wanted- full speed, full power. I simply slid parried, flat parried, slap parried, and blocked with the edge, the forte, the flat, or the spine. The E performed beautifully. There was no undue shock up my sword arm, no twisting of the E in my hand, no stress to the E whatsoever. Afterwards, there was no damage to the edge or anywhere else.
Very encouraged, I then secured a steel training sword to a shorter pole and had Jim attack me again- full speed, full power. This time I used proper parries with the flat of the blade as much as I could, using the forte to block when necessary. Once again, absolutely no problem. The forte area works beautifully for blocking hard slashes. And the E moves very well in realtime when someone is trying to take your head off, let me tell you
. Once again, I felt no undue shocks up my sword arm.
Afterwards, there was no damage to any part of the E- tip, edge or spine- and it was perfectly straight after all of this. In fact, other than two faint scratches on one side of the blade, the E looks entirely unused!- Sing will attest to this as he had a chance to see the Espada the following weekend. The D passed this test too, but it became permanently bent and had to be straightened, its edge rolled in several places and had to be resharpened, and it sustained several significant scratches.
Jerry, this A-2 is one fantastic sword steel! It is every bit as good as we had hoped
.
Cutting Tests:
Please note that some of these tests may seem odd or unnecessary to some of you players out there, but they are what custom sword makers use to test their combat worthy cut-and-thrust swords, so I decided to perform all the traditional cutting tests on the E that I could. So please bear with me.
First, I clamped a sheet of 1/2" exterior grade plywood to my workbench and executed various slashes and thrusts into it. Here the difference in the blade profiles of the E Vs. the D really stood out. The E. cut cleanly into the plywood from any angle, but only to a depth of 2". Obviously its thicker spine stopped it- as you predicted Jerry. The D typically cut to a depth of 3" - 4".
Thrusting, on the other hand, was a whole different animal. The E actually thrust through the plywood! The tip came all the way through to the other side a good distance. That's amazing! The D couldn't do that to save its life. And absolutely no damage to the E's tip.
And accuracy? Unbelievable! Moving at full speed I can hit within a 1/4" of tiny black spots I dotted on the plywood with a Sharpie. The D is good, believe me- but not this good. The E is as accurate as the much shorter bowie. Remember, this is a 30" long sword we are talking about here!
Next I clamped a 3" dia. length of dry bamboo- very hard, not rotten- to the workbench and slashed at it with diagonal and horizontal cuts. The E cleanly cut through the bamboo at any angle with no tearing of the fibers. The cuts were perfect. The Dao won't cut all the way through this dia. of bamboo without tearing.
Encouraged, I next clamped a 1 1/4" dia. length of solid manau rattan to the workbench and again slashed at it. The E consistently cut 3/4ths of the way through the rattan at any angle with no tearing. The D- despite its thinner edge- cut no better- in fact, its cuts consistently turned up or down into the rattan to follow the line of least resistance. The E cut perfectly straight, on the other hand. The E also cut maple saplings up to 2 1/2" in dia. perfectly.
When I received the Espada, it was easily the sharpest sword, out of the box as it were, that I had ever touched. I was worried, therefore, that such a sharp edge would not be able to withstand cutting hard targets without sustaining serious damage. But, after all this cutting through very dense targets, there were no new scratches, rolled edges, or chips to the E, and it was still shaving sharp.
Next, softer targets- First I cut a thick, two-sided 1/4" cardboard poster/painting packing crate. The E consistently cut 8" to 9" into the crate from any angle, just as good as the thinner bladed D. On a single-layered 1/4" cardboard sheet, I can consistently cut the entire 20" length of the E's sharp edge at any angle, perfectly straight cuts. It slices beautifully, and its blade geometry is terrific.
Next I cleanly cut through a thick cardboard carpet tube. The E transected it at any angle with no tearing. The D can do the same.
Next I filled several large plastic milk and orange juice bottles with water and cut them perfectly through with the E at various angles. The D does this too, but the E definitely cuts them more sweetly. Its cuts were surgical.
Next I cut an empty soda can cleanly with the E- and the base stayed on the table! It was a beautiful thing to see
. The D won't cut all the way through a can consistently.
Next, I threw single sheets of paper into the air and cut them as they fell. The E cuts the sheets completely and perfectly straight, time after time. It is a joy to move with. It is fast, without a doubt. The D is not so good at cutting paper cleanly, much less when it is floating.
Finally, the Piece du Resistance- the Meat Cutting Test
:
I bought both a leg of lamb and a big shank of beef for this test, figuring that if Jerry's fighters could cut a leg of lamb, that I would test the Espada out against the toughest flesh and bone I could get( my butcher just glows when he sees me come through the door now, BTW
).
First I hung the leg of lamb and took a #1 angle- forehand diagonal- slash through the thickest part of the shank with the E- cut it through like it wasn't even there! No resistence whatsoever. The D was also able to cut through the leg of lamb successfully, although I did feel the cut more.
Encouraged, I moved right on to the shank of beef. The shank measured 14" long by 12" wide by 9" thick, with a 2" diameter bone running through its length. This thing was heavy- weighing a good 15 Lbs!
Again I took a #1 angle slash through the thickest part of the shank with the E. Cut it clean through! Through 14" by 9" of fascia and muscle, as well as 3" of beef bone on the diagonal! And the cut was just perfect, you guys. The cut piece landed directly below the hanging remainder. That's beyond good. And I have the pictures to prove it(which I will send to you, Jerry, once the film is developed).
OK, so I figured what the hell, and cut a #4- horizontal backhand- and #1 combination- very fast. Splat! The piece fell to the floor right below what little remained hanging. The #4 angle slash had cut all the way through the shank, bone and all, leaving the cut piece hanging from a thread of gristle. The follow up #1 angle slash above it had completely amputated the shank again, dropping it to the floor
. That's some serious, serious cutting, my friends, through some very tough flesh and bone.
I rehung a big piece of the shank and cut it with the Dao. It was able to cut through the flesh and part way through the bone consistently, once cutting all the way through the bone, but not out the other side. A good performance, without a doubt, but not even in the same league as the Millennium Espada.
Finally, the E thrust all the way through the shank at will as far up the blade as I wanted with absolutely no resistence.
After all of this, the blade remains perfect- no new scratches, rolled edge, chips, nothing. It is still shaving sharp.
Overall Impression:
The Millennium Espada is without a doubt a combat worthy sword in the finest tradition. It does absolutely everything that we wanted it to be able to do well- and more. It is the sharpest sword by far of any I've ever used. Jerry, you really have taken your edges to another plane. And despite its sharpness, the tip and the edge remain very strong- so there is no trade-off here whatsoever. The sword looks unused after the bashing I gave it. There is no question in my mind that one could go into battle with this Espada- it will not break under any reasonable circumstance. I feel completely comfortable staking my reputation- for whatever little that may be worth- that this sword is fully combat worthy.
The Espada loves to cut soft targets and does so beautifully. It is less happy with wide, hard targets- but that is to be expected given its hollow grind. And, besides, it is not an axe, it is a sword.
It thrusts beyond belief!
It is fast in the hand and extremely accurate for a blade its size.
Its handle is magnificent. I never felt insecure, even when cutting the hardest of targets, or defending against the steel trainer.
The only thing that I would like to see different is that I believe that the Espada could stand to be a few ounces lighter and maybe a hair more flexible- to make it even faster in the hand and to increase its safety margin even further. Now, I know that Jerry purposefully overengineered this prototype, leaving it a little thicker and using the 1/4" stock- because he knew that I was going to test it for all it was worth
- but I am certain after testing this one that he could safely make future Espadas a little lighter with 3/16" stock without risking the sword in any way. But, regardless, the A-2, and the sword as a whole, performed wonderfully.
Jerry, once again you have amazed me. Is there nothing you can't do with a length of good steel? To tell you the truth, I honestly never expected your first Espada to be this good. I expected that we would have to tweak the design several times to achieve everything we wanted. Instead, you are 99+% of the way to creating the perfect Combat Espada- by every single important measure- on your first go-around! I honestly don't know how you did it. Do you just see the ideal blade in your mind and then proceed to make it? I am genuinely in awe of your talent. There is nothing else to say.
Mario
------------------
Gaucho
Tuvo muy mala suerte...se callo en mi cuchillo.
[This message has been edited by Gaucho (edited 03-02-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Gaucho (edited 03-02-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Gaucho (edited 03-02-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Gaucho (edited 03-02-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Gaucho (edited 03-02-2000).]
The first time that I saw one of Jerry Hossom's- http://www.hossom.com - bowies, I was struck by how much they resembled miniature Filipino swords like the Pinuti and the Zanzibar. I asked Jerry if he had ever thought of going beyond bowie length blades and making swords. It turned out that Matt Draper- our very own Waxy
So, after some research by all of us into traditional Filipino swords, proper weight, flexibility, balance point, belly to point ratio, and so forth- and with some excellent drawings by Matt- Jerry was inspired to create this:
The Millennium Espada.
Is she something or what?! The grind lines, the edge, the polishing, the fit and finish of the handle- all reflect Jerry's artistry and attention to every last detail. Everyone who has seen the Espada has been awestruck by its beauty- as well as its obvious deadliness.
The Stats:
Stock- 1/4" A-2, heat treated and cryogenically stress relieved by Paul Bos to a uniform Rc of 57-58.
OAL- 30".
Blade Length- 25", with a 5" forte(thicker, unsharpened section) just forward of the guard for blocking/breaking the opponent's blade, and then 20" of scary sharp edge forward of the forte.
Weight- 1 Lb. 11 oz.
Point of Balance- exactly 5" ahead of the guard.
Centers of Percussion(sweetspots)- two: one at the handle, and one at the midpoint of the sharpened section of the blade.
Handle- 416 Stainless Steel bolsters, with the lower guard completely protecting the fingers, and scales of black canvas micarta.
Performance:
I decided to test the new Hossom Millennium Espada(E from now on) by comparing it head to head with my Darn Dao(Chinese Broadsword, D from now on) which is the best performing- both in terms of maneuverability and cutting ability- live sword that I own. I know my D like my own hand, so I figured that comparing the E to it would really put the E to the test.
Feel and maneuverability:
The E feels approximately 30%-40% faster in the hand than the D- which is 36" long and weighs 2 Lb. 4oz to the E's 30" and 1 Lb 11oz. BTW, the D is of 1/8" 5160 stock.
Both swords balance 5" in front of the guard- which is ideal for one-handed swords of this length- and so they each move beautifully, with just the right amount of weight towards the tip to facilitate slashing. The E is simply a lot faster. This is especially noticeable in combination attacks- changing direction is much faster with the E. Plus, the E moves extremely well in traditional Espada y Daga flow drills and Karrenza.
Grip:
The D has an excellent traditional cord-wrapped grip that is secure in all maneuvers and cutting tests. The E's grip- which is in Jerry's signiture ergonomic style- is likewise absolutely secure and comfortable in my hand through all maneuvers and every cutting test. It never slipped or rotated even once in my hand, and remained comfortable after hours of testing. It is truly a fantastic sword handle, Jerry.
Impact Resistance:
Impact resistence is extremely important for a sword, where you simply must be able to parry the opponent's weapon with the flat of your blade without snapping yours. So I tested this aspect of the E with a vengeance
First, I slapped the flat and spine of the E against the edge of my oak desk very hard multiple times and it flexed and snapped back perfectly with no deformation of the blade. The blade flexes to 40 deg. and returns to true evrey time. This is maybe a hair less than the D- which also withstands these tests- but is certainly adequate for a combat sword.
Next, I performed parries with the flat, edge, and spine of the E, as well as slashes and thrusts, against the training dummy. Again, no problem with impact whatsoever and no uncomfortable reverberations into my sword arm- that sweetspot at the handle really did its job
Next I roped my next door neighbor Jim into helping me. He is a big strong weight-lifter/grappler type.
First, I gave him a long hickory pole, so he could remain at a safe distance from the E
Very encouraged, I then secured a steel training sword to a shorter pole and had Jim attack me again- full speed, full power. This time I used proper parries with the flat of the blade as much as I could, using the forte to block when necessary. Once again, absolutely no problem. The forte area works beautifully for blocking hard slashes. And the E moves very well in realtime when someone is trying to take your head off, let me tell you
Afterwards, there was no damage to any part of the E- tip, edge or spine- and it was perfectly straight after all of this. In fact, other than two faint scratches on one side of the blade, the E looks entirely unused!- Sing will attest to this as he had a chance to see the Espada the following weekend. The D passed this test too, but it became permanently bent and had to be straightened, its edge rolled in several places and had to be resharpened, and it sustained several significant scratches.
Jerry, this A-2 is one fantastic sword steel! It is every bit as good as we had hoped
Cutting Tests:
Please note that some of these tests may seem odd or unnecessary to some of you players out there, but they are what custom sword makers use to test their combat worthy cut-and-thrust swords, so I decided to perform all the traditional cutting tests on the E that I could. So please bear with me.
First, I clamped a sheet of 1/2" exterior grade plywood to my workbench and executed various slashes and thrusts into it. Here the difference in the blade profiles of the E Vs. the D really stood out. The E. cut cleanly into the plywood from any angle, but only to a depth of 2". Obviously its thicker spine stopped it- as you predicted Jerry. The D typically cut to a depth of 3" - 4".
Thrusting, on the other hand, was a whole different animal. The E actually thrust through the plywood! The tip came all the way through to the other side a good distance. That's amazing! The D couldn't do that to save its life. And absolutely no damage to the E's tip.
And accuracy? Unbelievable! Moving at full speed I can hit within a 1/4" of tiny black spots I dotted on the plywood with a Sharpie. The D is good, believe me- but not this good. The E is as accurate as the much shorter bowie. Remember, this is a 30" long sword we are talking about here!
Next I clamped a 3" dia. length of dry bamboo- very hard, not rotten- to the workbench and slashed at it with diagonal and horizontal cuts. The E cleanly cut through the bamboo at any angle with no tearing of the fibers. The cuts were perfect. The Dao won't cut all the way through this dia. of bamboo without tearing.
Encouraged, I next clamped a 1 1/4" dia. length of solid manau rattan to the workbench and again slashed at it. The E consistently cut 3/4ths of the way through the rattan at any angle with no tearing. The D- despite its thinner edge- cut no better- in fact, its cuts consistently turned up or down into the rattan to follow the line of least resistance. The E cut perfectly straight, on the other hand. The E also cut maple saplings up to 2 1/2" in dia. perfectly.
When I received the Espada, it was easily the sharpest sword, out of the box as it were, that I had ever touched. I was worried, therefore, that such a sharp edge would not be able to withstand cutting hard targets without sustaining serious damage. But, after all this cutting through very dense targets, there were no new scratches, rolled edges, or chips to the E, and it was still shaving sharp.
Next, softer targets- First I cut a thick, two-sided 1/4" cardboard poster/painting packing crate. The E consistently cut 8" to 9" into the crate from any angle, just as good as the thinner bladed D. On a single-layered 1/4" cardboard sheet, I can consistently cut the entire 20" length of the E's sharp edge at any angle, perfectly straight cuts. It slices beautifully, and its blade geometry is terrific.
Next I cleanly cut through a thick cardboard carpet tube. The E transected it at any angle with no tearing. The D can do the same.
Next I filled several large plastic milk and orange juice bottles with water and cut them perfectly through with the E at various angles. The D does this too, but the E definitely cuts them more sweetly. Its cuts were surgical.
Next I cut an empty soda can cleanly with the E- and the base stayed on the table! It was a beautiful thing to see
Next, I threw single sheets of paper into the air and cut them as they fell. The E cuts the sheets completely and perfectly straight, time after time. It is a joy to move with. It is fast, without a doubt. The D is not so good at cutting paper cleanly, much less when it is floating.
Finally, the Piece du Resistance- the Meat Cutting Test
I bought both a leg of lamb and a big shank of beef for this test, figuring that if Jerry's fighters could cut a leg of lamb, that I would test the Espada out against the toughest flesh and bone I could get( my butcher just glows when he sees me come through the door now, BTW
First I hung the leg of lamb and took a #1 angle- forehand diagonal- slash through the thickest part of the shank with the E- cut it through like it wasn't even there! No resistence whatsoever. The D was also able to cut through the leg of lamb successfully, although I did feel the cut more.
Encouraged, I moved right on to the shank of beef. The shank measured 14" long by 12" wide by 9" thick, with a 2" diameter bone running through its length. This thing was heavy- weighing a good 15 Lbs!
Again I took a #1 angle slash through the thickest part of the shank with the E. Cut it clean through! Through 14" by 9" of fascia and muscle, as well as 3" of beef bone on the diagonal! And the cut was just perfect, you guys. The cut piece landed directly below the hanging remainder. That's beyond good. And I have the pictures to prove it(which I will send to you, Jerry, once the film is developed).
OK, so I figured what the hell, and cut a #4- horizontal backhand- and #1 combination- very fast. Splat! The piece fell to the floor right below what little remained hanging. The #4 angle slash had cut all the way through the shank, bone and all, leaving the cut piece hanging from a thread of gristle. The follow up #1 angle slash above it had completely amputated the shank again, dropping it to the floor
I rehung a big piece of the shank and cut it with the Dao. It was able to cut through the flesh and part way through the bone consistently, once cutting all the way through the bone, but not out the other side. A good performance, without a doubt, but not even in the same league as the Millennium Espada.
Finally, the E thrust all the way through the shank at will as far up the blade as I wanted with absolutely no resistence.
After all of this, the blade remains perfect- no new scratches, rolled edge, chips, nothing. It is still shaving sharp.
Overall Impression:
The Millennium Espada is without a doubt a combat worthy sword in the finest tradition. It does absolutely everything that we wanted it to be able to do well- and more. It is the sharpest sword by far of any I've ever used. Jerry, you really have taken your edges to another plane. And despite its sharpness, the tip and the edge remain very strong- so there is no trade-off here whatsoever. The sword looks unused after the bashing I gave it. There is no question in my mind that one could go into battle with this Espada- it will not break under any reasonable circumstance. I feel completely comfortable staking my reputation- for whatever little that may be worth- that this sword is fully combat worthy.
The Espada loves to cut soft targets and does so beautifully. It is less happy with wide, hard targets- but that is to be expected given its hollow grind. And, besides, it is not an axe, it is a sword.
It thrusts beyond belief!
It is fast in the hand and extremely accurate for a blade its size.
Its handle is magnificent. I never felt insecure, even when cutting the hardest of targets, or defending against the steel trainer.
The only thing that I would like to see different is that I believe that the Espada could stand to be a few ounces lighter and maybe a hair more flexible- to make it even faster in the hand and to increase its safety margin even further. Now, I know that Jerry purposefully overengineered this prototype, leaving it a little thicker and using the 1/4" stock- because he knew that I was going to test it for all it was worth
Jerry, once again you have amazed me. Is there nothing you can't do with a length of good steel? To tell you the truth, I honestly never expected your first Espada to be this good. I expected that we would have to tweak the design several times to achieve everything we wanted. Instead, you are 99+% of the way to creating the perfect Combat Espada- by every single important measure- on your first go-around! I honestly don't know how you did it. Do you just see the ideal blade in your mind and then proceed to make it? I am genuinely in awe of your talent. There is nothing else to say.
Mario
------------------
Gaucho
Tuvo muy mala suerte...se callo en mi cuchillo.
[This message has been edited by Gaucho (edited 03-02-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Gaucho (edited 03-02-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Gaucho (edited 03-02-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Gaucho (edited 03-02-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Gaucho (edited 03-02-2000).]
