Windlass Qama: Buying one.... should I ?

BePrepared

BePrepared

Joined
Aug 26, 2010
Messages
4,441
I'm sitting here with my debit card trying to decide whether to buy one of these... opinions on this would be helpful

I'm probably going to go to Kult of Athena. Is their sharpening good enough to be worth the extra money, or should i order it unsharpened and then do it myself with my worksharp?
 
If you think you might want it for something then I suppose $40 isn't a bad price for what it is.
Cold Steel makes something similar. The Gladius Machete, which is plastic and nylon instead of hard wood and leather. But it also comes sharp. I'm assuming that windlass uses something similar to Cold Steels 1055.
I'd probably prefer the Qama simply for aesthetics.
What are you going to use the knife for?
 
BePrepared said:
I'm sitting here with my debit card trying to decide whether to buy one of these... opinions on this would be helpful

I'm probably going to go to Kult of Athena. Is their sharpening good enough to be worth the extra money, or should i order it unsharpened and then do it myself with my worksharp?
Click to expand...
I say get the Cold Steel Gladius, strip and polish it, and enjoy. The Qama looks like spring steel.
 
I didn't mean to distract people from your question. But the Cold Steel Gladius Machete is in the same price range and the same style. Weather it has the same feel or blade thickness etc I don't know. I just thought that I'd give you another option if you hadn't notices the Cold Steel offering.

Have you checked out the Youtube reviews on the Qama? I found a good one. The guy doesn't actually use the Qama, but he has some things to say about it.

http://youtu.be/m4n4Q1va9nE

Later he makes it into a spear.

http://youtu.be/eTfGuLUAqkw
 
If you do get one, let us know what you think of it. I have been eyeing it too
 
Between the CS machete and the Windlass qama I say go with the qama. The machete feels like...a machete. A nice one, and a sword/machete hybrid, but it doesn't scream "sword!" when you look at it or feel it move. Since you were looking for a sword, get a piece that looks and feels like a sword. And that's coming from a guy who sells the CS machete. :)

That being said, either would be a blast and a good buy for what you're looking for.
 
I own both Cold Steel Gladius and Qama and prefer the Gladius, bigger and solider. Kult of Athena do a good sharpening job but the Qama hilt is very small, I have small to medium hands and it's a bit too small for me. For the price you can't go wrong with either. Another option and my favourite of the 3 is the Windlass Cobra Steel Kindjal, lighter, faster with the best grip but about twice the price.
 
Thrustus said:
I own both Cold Steel Gladius and Qama and prefer the Gladius, bigger and solider. Kult of Athena do a good sharpening job but the Qama hilt is very small, I have small to medium hands and it's a bit too small for me. For the price you can't go wrong with either. Another option and my favourite of the 3 is the Windlass Cobra Steel Kindjal, lighter, faster with the best grip but about twice the price.
Click to expand...

Hey since you have the Qama, I got a question for you. What the thickness on the blade? I can see from pictures that it actually does have a grind (which is why I was thinking about picking one up). Also which one has a longer blade length? (I know you said the gladius is bigger, but I don't know if you meant OAL)
 
anyone know what steel the Qama is made from? is it 1055, 1095, or something else i haven't even considered? also, should i have it sharpened by KOA or do it myself?

I'm a bit worried that i'll round off the tip with my workshop
 
BePrepared said:
anyone know what steel the Qama is made from? is it 1055, 1095, or something else i haven't even considered? also, should i have it sharpened by KOA or do it myself?

I'm a bit worried that i'll round off the tip with my workshop
Click to expand...

Depends on your sharpening skills. Sounds like you might be better off having them do it.

Also I doubt it is 1095
 
Just measured both, Qama hilt is buffalo horn 5" with a 17 3/4" blade, Gladius hilt 8" with a 18 1/2" blade. Both blades are similar thickness(pretty thin) and the Gladius is slightly wider and wasp-waisted.Unfortunately my son is not here to post photos for me and I don't have scales, weight wise they feel fairly close.
 
Just talked with someone at Atlanta Cutlery.. they are owned by Windlass apparently.

The Qama is made of 1085 steel... I'm buying one
 
BePrepared said:
Just talked with someone at Atlanta Cutlery.. they are owned by Windlass apparently.

The Qama is made of 1085 steel... I'm buying one
Click to expand...

Wow that is quite surprising.

Thrustus said:
Just measured both, Qama hilt is buffalo horn 5" with a 17 3/4" blade, Gladius hilt 8" with a 18 1/2" blade. Both blades are similar thickness(pretty thin) and the Gladius is slightly wider and wasp-waisted.Unfortunately my son is not here to post photos for me and I don't have scales, weight wise they feel fairly close.
Click to expand...

Thanks! This helps a lot.
 
BePrepared said:
Just talked with someone at Atlanta Cutlery.. they are owned by Windlass apparently.

The Qama is made of 1085 steel... I'm buying one
Click to expand...

Yup! Atlanta Cutlery and Museum Replicas Limited are both owned by Windlass Steelcrafts. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top