Pros and cons of axes compared to swords
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- People have been asking me for it and here it is: A video about (fighting) axes. So I'm talking about the general traits of axes as well as the advantages and disadvantages on a historical battlefield, compared to swords.
The axe, or rather tomahawk, shown in the video is a Woods Chogan T-Hawk made by CRKT. The sword is the Caithness, a Scottish medieval sword made by Albion.
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www.albion-swor...
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Step one: Get in the line on the battlefield.
Step two: Find a rich-looking guy in the other army with a sword.
Step three: Kill him with your axe.
Step four: His sword is now your sword.
PROFIT!!
Or find the rich guy, take him hostage, steal his gear and get a ransom. Takes more skill but also is paid better.
Stonks
stonks
sell the sword, as you are probably a medieval peasant in the scenario, you are probably starving right now, buy a bunch of cows/goats/chickens by selling the sword, and now you have something to feed your poor family with
Can you unscrew the pommel from the rich guys sword?
There was a fictional character I used in my writing that uses a Cavalry Saber and an Axe more accurately a Tomahawk.. The axe being the offhand weapon and the saber as the main weapon. The axe to be used for binding the opponents weapon and moving it aside for the saber, or for heavy blows while keeping defense handy with the saber.
Both swords and axes are tools. Swords though are uni-taskers. Axes are multi-taskers.
One can use swords for lots of tasks, just their design isn't really intended for much other than chopping, slicing and/or piercing through plants, animals and/or other people. I've seen a few creative uses of swords.
You forgot sword juggling :)
stefstefstef6789 And swallowing
I wouldn't recommend a sword for woodcutting, though. It'd probably break.
Hunting, though, sure, and cutting thin plants could work, if you needed to.
You get it wrong axes are uni tasker becouse you can only chop with them with sword you can slice, thrust and do pomel and guard strikes and axe is ekhm for peasents
The Viking reenactment group im part of tested viking sword, axe and langseax against viking shield and pig. sword are useless when hitting the brim of a shield and it can get stuck, if this happens you are dead you do have longer reach. It is amazing against flesh, long and deep wound especially in the abdomen. Axes do not easily get stuck in shields and is not stopped by ribs, it is however shorter and you can't really slice with it, a few times people had their axes get stuck in the pig... The langseax is the weapon I use, faster but with less dramatic wounds, stabbing options which isn't really something for the axe or (viking) sword. And because of less power it doesn't get stuck in shields, it does not have the length of a sword of course.
Another thing is it's very difficult to chop down a tree with a broadsword
Not if you're in an anime!
***** You'd probably have a 2 ton sword with a blade as large as a battleship that is embedded with ice and fire that could cause earth-shattering blows. This would probably vaporize your whole entire body and soul.
Purpose-made battle axes aren't great for that either, to be fair.
I cant help but feel like that pun was intended
I had a few questions/ideas for videos. 1st. Say your disarmed and their are no weapons within reach, what else could you grab to use as a makeshift weapon? Exp: Hoe, riding crop, rope,chain, etc. 2nd. Some shows, movies, games, mostly anime have transformable or multi-weapon combinations, (exp: gun+lance, scythe+halberd) which if any do you think might be usable or make sense? 3rd. Given your skills/knowledge, if you had to make a weapon and had a shop to do it in. What would you make? Bonus if you could make it and show us lol.
+Chris Cox scythe halberd could work. basically either extent the point on the back of a halberd or have a spike each on the tip and the back of a scythe. extending the spike on a halberd would be less practical as you're adding a fair bit of weight to the heavy end of an already incredibly top heavy weapon. either way, i'd imagine it to be situational at best, but usable for sure.
1 thing - battleaxes did have very thin axeheads so material problems are an issue and they would break even more readily than a sword. battleaxes had up to just 3mm thick material cause unlike felling axes battle axes need to be light and quick
Also battleaxes are lighter than swords are because they consist of less dense material (mainly wood as opposed to steel)
***** please look at museums. Most axeheads of waraxes were thinner than swordblades and much lighter...
***** weight is not imortant - what is is the point of balance, the shape and acceleration / leverage. Axes are not good against armor - thats what spikes and hammers are for.
An axe did have advantages but it was not meant to be armorpiercing or inflicht damage beyond chainmail. a battle axe was light and handy because you want to swing around quickly with it annd use the leverage for more oomph - but actually piercing plate amor is easier with a sword than with an axe.
***** dude they were used to stab...the hell did you ever look into axes as topic? the axeheads of waraxes either provide a spike or the axehead is shaped so that you can stab with it - maybe not as well as with a sword or spear but axes can be and were used to thrust at opponents.
and they were also used for draw and push cuts. chopping is mainly for felling axes...
and the point of balance was not as important in battleaxes those tended to bemore center balanced (choppers top swords bottom balanced) the leverage is what creates the oomph mainly.
Axes barely work against armor....
***** and thats how you got no idea at all...please just look at historical battle axes or visit museums or asked a hema expert as you have no idea how battle axes differ from woodchoppers...
Well it light weight and you can chop at the shoulder, miss your mark but pull backward to injure your opponent in the shoulderblade
Sorry if you already did this in a video but can you compare the historical effectiveness of axes used in battle against other weapon types using specific examples of battles?
"If the shaft breaks, you can just put a new one in." lol
Question is, if you do strike to an enemy with an axe, rather than swinging it to reduce the momentum and such to retrieve it faster, wouldn't it be easier to keep a firm grip, loose wrist? Keeping your grip firm would allow you to not disarm yourself when striking, where as the loose wrist would save you muscular damage and such if it impacts against armors, shields or weapons, or at least that's what I think (and in Oblivion, there was a book about the mace's usage that really seemed to make some solid, realistic points from an illiterate point of view). Maybe I'm wrong, and even in that case is better to do what you say, maybe because the thing I said before it's not really that effective (though it sounds like it), or maybe simply because I supose that hammers and axes must have some differences in the way they're wielded and what can be effective with one, it's not with the other.
Wazzup Skall man. Thanks for the vids
But, i gotta say:
I WOULD TAKE A MODERN FULL TANG QUALITY CARBON STEEL TOMAHAWK (Pick One) AND KNIFE (Ontario RD 6 Ranger Combat) COMBO OVER a Sword any day of the week.
Keep the vids comin Brotha and hope you heal well.
Speaking of tools, could you use a similar fighting style with a hammer? Like a claw hammer, the one you'd commonly find in a tool chest. I'm assuming that the weight being at the head of the ax would make it similar in action to the hammer.
Can you do a review of your Norland Axe?
Did they ever put guards on the handle to protect the fingers?
How would you replace the shaft? Seems like it would be hopelessly loose
The axe head seems a bit thick for fighting, looks like a splitting axe but of course I could be wrong.
How would axes deal against lighter armor, like chainmail? I'd imagine a sword would have a lot more trouble dealing with that, since large part of the sword's damage comes from cutting, and they'd have trouble getting through chainmail, but an axe could be used kind of like a mace in that regard, in that you'd be able to hurt someone wearing chainmail pretty badly just from the force of the impact alone. Or am I just twisting tabletop RPG rules into reality again?
Sword: years of training required to use it properly.
Axe: "Take this and go kill these guys."
Hahaha,
Also you can build shelter, make fire, chop wood, and remove the wood from the axe for better storage.
Seems more useful
I'm not sure a sword is good for chopping wood, but im sure better at cutting tall grass, brush, and jungle like things , kinda like a machete.
@@oscarbear7498 an axe also requires less metal so it is cheaper than a sword.
@@oscarbear7498 actually. Battle axes aren't really that good for chopping wood
@@olp3850 True, but still better than a sword at choping wood.
@@oscarbear7498 depends on the sword, a machete is used for those purposes and it's basically a sword
The axe is like the ak of the blade world, they're reliable, cheap, anyone can pick up, they have a powerful blow and are really damn effective in the right hands
I'd say the same about the spear.
The spear is more of an AR-15.
+Eeli Tanskanen a spear is way more like an AK
I'd have to say an axe is like an ak and a sword is like an ar-15. A spear would be something like a shotgun
+Jacob Bragg ow? Why a shotgun if I may ask?
so axes have basicly the blunt force of a mace but the cutting power of a sword?
***** isnt it a tomahawk on the video technically?
Bozus Think of it as the in-between grounds. The axe has the weight and cracking power a mace does, however it has the edge that does help hacking through rigid materials.
+Bozus half the blunt force of a mace anld the cut of a sword. an axe is high attack low defence. where a sword is 50 50. as a shield with the axe its where it shines
+billybobboberson a general rule for throwing knives or axes is thus
-dont throw if it is your only weapon
-don throw it if you opponent is UNarmed as they could pick it up and use it
don't throw it unless you are immediately ready to attack after the throw.
+Bozus Axes give a bonus to should damage
Big problem with the axe; no pommel to end your foes rightly.
You can always just flip the axe and end them with the handle.
+0hn0haha Unscrew the handle and throw it vigorously?
+0hn0haha Take off the head and act like it's a pommel.
Still have to take your spear and shield under your arm.
+0hn0haha flip it round and use the hammer
Please, I've played Fire Emblem.
Clearly axes are better than swords when fighting someone with a lance.
Hatchet or War Axe choose
Well, questionable. Dane axe compare to, for example, carolingian sword? Yes. For example, Battle of Hastings, where saxons have used dane axes versus norman knights' cavalry pikes(but saxons have lost, I must remind). But kriegmesser is more effective in that case, cause you have more control of your weapon. In fact, landsknechts have used kriegmessers for cutting pikes of swissmen.
Someone is overthinking.
The Weapon Triangle is likely more about the weapon users than the weapons. The typical lance user in Fire Emblem is a heavily armored soldier, and axes are great against that type of opponent. The typical sword user is an agile striker and dodger, and axes are too clumsy against those types of foes, but the range advantage provided by a lance hampers sword users quite a bit when they clash with spearmen/spearwomen.
Check out this reply on GameFAQs. I think that the weapon triangle has more thought put into it than that for which you give it credit.
www.gamefaqs.com/boards/204447-fire-emblem-heroes/75007370?page=2#22
I request "pros and cons of the spear compared to the sword" !
Witch a spear you can poke a hole through the swrodman long before they have time to react
+Kingrhem Sure lmao
I have a question for those who have ever sparred with a spear, or anyone with knowledge.
When fighting with a spear, in the midst of battle, is it possible or realistic to change where you hold the spear?
I mean, continuously according to the distance between you and your opponent.
Yes. By the way, he also has a video where he handles a spear, and he does just that. Though I don't think there's a a name for it, it's just a normal way to use a spear.
Axes are almost like a combination of a sword and a mace. It has some of the weight and blunt power of a mace, with some of the cutting power of a sword. It's a very good well-rounded weapon, basically. Very effective for those who are new to one-handed weapon fighting.
MastaGambit Yep. Combine that with it's double-use as a tool if necessary (or originally), and it's just a great all around item to have on the battlefield. It's actually very utilitarian if you think about it.
TomDarkwulf87
Indeed, it very much is.
*****
That's certainly true. Do you think that could be remedied, say, by adding some sort of cross-guard somewhere on the middle of the axe's shaft? You would still be able to shift where you hold the axe if need-be.
Also, since maces don't provide that level of protection either, that's also why I consider it a middle-ground between sword and mace.
*****
Ah right I forgot about the balance.
But if you're talking about enemies hooking your weapons, well, an axe head can already be just as easily hooked in that manner.
While I recognize that guarding is important, I still think an axe is an important tool to help learn of both force and cutting power. I still think axe-and-buckler is a good starter's arrangement.
i think the greatest advantage of the axe was the whole multi purpose thing. a norse warrior could use this in battle, go back home and STILL use it as a farming tool. great channel BTW. subbed.
+guy weinstein what farming would happen with an axe
+Jason Reyes I think he means log chopping.
Collin Buckman guy weinstein wood chopping isnt farming either its more of a tool to cut smaller branches so guy weinstien aes are not farming tools
+Jason Reyes what about farming animals? o.o
Number1Irishlad why would you use an axe for animal slaughter you use knives
when I saw the title of this video my first thought was: The swords are more likely to critical hit and axes have more accuracy. Games have dammaged my life
ivan vasiloff
Don't forget that axes have a bonus against shields ;)
ivan vasiloff yeah no shit kharjo
ivan vasiloff Oh and by the way, with axes you get the bonus bleeding damage ;)
***** Actually that would be maces
It would actually be the other way around. An axe is heftier and more awkward than a sword but if you land a hit it does a massive amount of damage as Skall states in his video but a sword would get the agility stat due to the fact that it is lighter and easier to handle because it less awkward Skall also states that somewhat :) (Skall did not word for word state either of these but he implied it so plz nobody freak out this is maninly just my opinion)
overall the axe makes an AXEllent weapon
End me rightly pls
Let Undyne suplex you or let San use Gaster Blaster shoot you
Just Noob How do you even know I like Undertale?
"Begins to unscrew pommel"
I was wondering why he was unscrewing his pummel...Then it hit me....
man theese pommel puns must be pummel- no, no kill me im sorry...
Axe: The hammer you can cut with. Be very afraid!
Best weapon for the bloodthristiest warriors too! Kill your enemy, cop off his head, and carve the pole you want to stick it on, ALL WITH THE SAME WEAPON! Call 06-99-SHIELD-BITE, and get one for free!
Another Pro for the axe, being that the handle, while being replaceable, is also not a fixed length, you could swap it out for a longer or shorter handle if necessary if the size or weight of the head allowed for it.
That is such a beautiful sword
Tis
I kinda hate that "point" on the pommel and the crossguard. The blade itself is gorgeous.
That's an axe bro
I think it belonged TO BREAVEHEART guy from Scotland
@@seychellesman1delta your thinking of Sir William Wallace
He kinda glosses over it a little, but a huge advantage an axe has is off the battlefield. Like he said it is a useful tool to cut wood, or in carpentry. That can translate into better logistics, they could send their axemen to chop wood for cooking fires, or use it as a tool to build or repair siege engines, or if your on board a ship repair the ship to some degree. A sword is pretty much a one purpose tool, sure you can use it for other things, but not many and why risk damaging a sword when they would have a knife that would probably work better anyway. An axe is a very flexible tool, you can ask it to do a lot and it will get the job done, the edge isn't as important and easier to maintain, you can choke up on it and use it as an adze or planer, you can hack down trees, you can butcher animals, hack down doors, even make other axe handles or poles for polearms. It is much more a tool being used as a weapon, where using a sword to do those things is using a weapon as a tool, and it shows. Can you cut down a tree with a sword, probably but don't count on your sword being intact or usable. Maybe not a sword, depending on the tree and the thickness, but with enough swords you could do it. I have seen people shave with an axe, while a sword is sharp enough, the length of the blade makes it a bad idea, not that an axe is a good idea if you have an actual razor, but an axehead is small enough to angle correctly for the shave. All around an axe is by far more useful as a tool than a sword, once everyone was equipped with swords the axes didn't vanish from the army, they were still being used as tools, just not weapons.
+Jason Fraser Great case for the axe! If I had to choose only one, it would be the axe. Or course otherwise it would be easy enough to equip a swordsman with an axe as a side weapon and tool too.
+Emanresuadeen But that's extra weight on the swordsman. Who is already probably carrying a 50-60lb pack on his back for 16 hours a day.
+Jason Fraser why would you use your weapon for something like that? what if it breakes? you would be defenseless carrying tools for repair stuff is better. If you want to you could also use your sword for cutting wood but again why risk it?.
+lumpy1space2princess italian horsemen actually carry mace,swords and axes. why go down in gear and loose the war?
It is an axe, meant for tasks like chopping wood, and some carpentry, it just happens to be used as a weapon as well. It is not going to be significantly damaged doing the job it is designed to do. The haft might break but that is and was easily replaceable, it would be out of commission for a day at most.
I love how this information is completely useless but I love it so much.
It's not like you'll find yourself having to choose from an axe and a sword on the battlefield any time soon, but this information and criticism all seems rather valid.
AsifIcarebear3 You never know... after third worldwar maybe? ;)
Strongpoint100 I doubt there is going to be a World War where citizens have to get involved themselves.
Civilians were already involved in WWII tho. Half of the deaths were civilians, and so needed to protect themselves like when the Nazis attacked Russia, but also in other places. Also, many people were drafted all over the world, and so might not have known how to fight, or been attacked before fully trained.
Or resort to designated melee weapons instead of guns
Axes look more manly
They have beards & have suicidal tendencies....so....yeah. LOL!
All we have to do now is put smiley faces on them as we scream WODAN!
But with swords you get more reach
TWolf2001
The God-Hand
First-Strike, Critical-Strike, Any-Strike, Unhindered-Strike, Final-Strike
Spear, Axe, Sword, Hammer, Long-Knife are the closest physical representations of these principles.
Swords do in general win at combat, but there is a reason why the Nobles still wielded axes more often than swords.
Fear is a more potent weapon than Force.....& the Axe has both.
When you see your brother go down in one strike & your sword doesn't do the same thing, you begin to lose hope, especially if they are armored, carry shields, & are in a conjunctive formation with spear-men, who don't give a shit about the puny reach of your sword.
But yeah, in a duel, a swordsman is more likely to win....but not outright & far less if he is up against an axe & shield, regardless of how big his sword is.
Ben But can you unscrew the pommel? No.
Drako Mallari End him rightly!
Finally! I have been waiting for this video for a long time, and it came out just in time to be my birthday present! Thank you Skallagrim!
Happy birthday then!
***** thank you kind sir! Acknowledge of viewership at its finest!
***** The Axe is better at penetrating armor especially if it has a spike on the other side, if you have a hammer like the one in the video you can still bash plate armor in and cause blunt trauma even so thin bladed war axes such as the Danish War Axe fell out of use once plate came to be popular, they were great at cleaving through maile and leather and even lammellar style armor the Norse and other cultures used before this but solid plate became a problem especially if it was ridged, while the axe could knock you off a horse or on your ass it did little to actually penetrate the armor and not harming the man inside.
This is why smaller axes with thicker heads and spikes became the weapon of choice either in a horsemen's form with a shorter handle or in a pike form with a longer handle such as the pole axe or a bec de corbin (Ravens beak).
Swords are not were pretty much useless at penetrating plate and even good maile, this is why swords starting to be made with a serious taper down to the point and with stiffer blades in order to be able to find the areas between the armor plate and thrust in to wound the man inside.
Eric Moore it's funny how people find better ways to kill each other, instead of just finding out how to get along.
You have that right.
Swords win, because you can unscrew the pommel, and end your opponent rightly.
Drako Mallari Obviously any weapon that doesn't have an unscrewable pommel is worth little more than scrap metal.
Drako Mallari This has got to be one of the only genuinely funny in-jokes on the internet.
Jakob Cook Huh, no wonder the katana looks so fucky.
a Mindfish it honestly gets me every time so funny
Hahaha so true!! Drako Mallari
I have an axe myself, with an additional "crossguard" I added close to the head. Why? It looks silly! But honestly, it's because the head also features a hooked spike, which if catches an enemy hit, I can just rotate the axe about 50 degrees and disarm the opponent with ease, due to the cross just scissoring the weapon
Then I pick up his sword, unscrew the pommel, and end him rightly.
In the end, my axe is indeed weird, useful, but very faulty. I should really add a pommel, so I don't have to search for swordsman in the case I face someone with a polearm... I just can't end them rightly.
I love how you made a weapon designed to end your opponent rightly with his own pommel! You win the internet today, congrats!
I know I'm late but you made a legit fully functional swordreaver
Aiden Pearce just put a pommel on it.
The other thing about an axe is that people were often using one from early childhood. You didn't need to think about edge alignment because there was the muscle memory.
I think some boiled leather on the shaft could help the problem if shaft damage
+long live the beard
Yes, that would be a good reinforcement.
+long live the beard Then again. The shaft is both easy and cheap to replace. It only really need to survive one battle.
Thomas Johansson that is true, but id rather not spend the time replacing the shaft. i think its a better alternitive to spend the money on leather once, and replace it when needed.
***** i have heard that vikings may have actulay done that, however since i dont have any sorces its only a posiblity
+long live the beard hehheh, he said shaft damage.
On hitting someone in the chest with an axe: "The axe might get stuck, so that's a bit of a drawback". Ohhh lol, subtle pun there!
And that's why Axes lose to Swords in Fire Emblem.
Crono Loto But why do axes beat spears in Fire Emblem? :)
You need a video explaining that! that must be the answer
***** I would love a video of your thoughts regarding the weapon triangle in Fire Emblem!
***** well hooking a spear if they cant pull out of your weapon allows you to get into your range, and out of there spears
it doesn't matter what weapon is fighting what its who has more skill so a axe wielder can still beat a sword wielder
what could go wrong with a sword made with material that's too hard?
It could break.
+Skallagrim Oh really? Can I ask why?
The harder the metal, the more brittle it gets.
+Wall Of Hooliganism Really? weird. you'd expect the opposite.
HellishWeavile Gaming
Glass is extremely hard, yet it shatters easily. A sword needs both hardness and toughness to withstand impact without breaking.
This is conjecture, obviously, but one would assume that a 'peasant militia' of some determination would be significantly more effective outfitted with axes, by virtue of them likely owning axes themselves! The edge-alignment issue with axes is something you would learn to deal with while chopping wood which would likely be a ubiquitous action for the peasantry anyways.
I think Dane axes are very interesting. Do you feel like making a video about them?
Nice tomahawk. Good maker and design. Exactly my first choice for minimalist bushcrafting in temperate environments. Tomahawks are best for such because the handle top-feeds and requires no wedge. In the unlikely event the handle should break, crafting a new one in the wild is easy, even with green wood--- but better be in an area with maple or ash saplings.
I was dodging the whole time you were swinging that axe.
Is the Weapon Triangle somewhat real?
Sword beats axe
Axe beats Lance
Lance beat sword
Advantage hits better and is difficult to be blocked.
+Jayvee Robrigado Kind of. A Sword has more defensive capabilities than an axe. So in range the sword should trump the axe given equal skill. If the spearmen lets the axemen get close enough to cut him, the raw bite of the axe can actually not cut through the spear, but rend it useless for awhile, making them both draw a different weapon. Fastest one wins there.. Now the hard one. Spear versus Sword. Historically a spear is by far one of the most simplest weapons to use, sure there are styles (I personally adore Blunt Edge style which uses a polearm's shaft to disable the opponent, and then jab the head in with a reverse to end him) but the end goal is the same. Thrust, and control distance. That is why the lance beats the sword, because the spear has massive reach compared to a sword, but an axe man can use that reach against them.
+Jayvee Robrigado Fire Emblem fan in the house? :P
+Jayvee Robrigado I find it hard to picture an axeman beating a spearman of equal skill. The range is just, frankly, unfair.
+Gabriel Rodriguez Well its more that a spear is much easier to damage or break with an axe then with a sword. Even if you don't break the haft, even minor damage will compromise the spear's effectiveness.
+Gabriel Rodriguez One mistake from spear wielder and he is done. True range for both weapons has huge difference but if you manage to block the first spear strike or rather lead the spear head away from you like you would block a punch with swing like motion the spear wielder would be done unless he managed to draw out his knife, seax or sword but thats a whole different weapon as spear would become useless because axe wielder would move in for close combat.
Skall, what are your thoughts on Polearms and Halberds?
You can also hook the blade of your opponent and accidentally move it towards yourself haha.
Fernandino Alonsini more like youre helping them end your career man
Hook your axe beard over your foe's weapon and slightly retract for one point of contact,
Parry it away,
Then twist your axe on its longitudinal shaft axis to catch their weapon between your blade beard and your haft to create a bind,
Then rotate at your wrist to wrench their weapon out of their hand.
---
Alternatively, hook 'em and retract 'em,
Twist 'em and bind 'em for a moment,
Then quickly untwist to release the bind1 and thrust your axe blade's upper horn at their face or throat or weapon arm.
A couple things you didn't mention (which I was surprised by) were that axes also have the distinct quality of being able to foul shields easily (they can either smash them apart or get stuck in them which weighs them down, rendering them almost useless). And for throwing-axes, when they bounce off of the ground their trajectories are wildly unpredictable and can fly into legs/feet *or* faces - altogether difficult to guard against even if soldiers are formed in a phalanx.
When he was talking about using it as a hook, it reminded me of when my dad would talk about his time in the SCA (I think that's what it was called. I'm not sure). His favorite style was axe in one hand, sword in the other. Apparently, one of the most common guards used by SCA fighters with shield and sword is to have the shield in front of them, and the sword held horizontally above to block cuts to the head. What he'd do about that is pull both the sword and shield down with the axe, and... well, I think you can imagine the rest.
I'm willing to bet no one cares about anything I just said, but I'm putting it here anyway because why the hell not.
Sounds like me in most video game... oh everyone runs meta build?? Well I'm just going to run hard counter (example was all the super heavies in ESO so I made an armor pen stacker... they ran away lol)
When I used to spar with faux weapons an axe and shield was my favorite combo. Simply amazing in it's aggressiveness and brutality, especially in large scale melees. A (broad/long) sword is almost useless in close quarter fighting which any type of battle devolves into.You really have to keep your distance with a sword. In my experience, a sword is great from horseback, against unarmored opponents, in single combat, or short (like a roman gladius) while in melee.
I can see that. With a shield I think an axe is awesome.
Hey Skall, just wondering, what are your thoughts on rapiers and would you ever review any?
Anyway, great video, keep them up!
This is something I would definitely like to see.
I've never handled a rapier unfortunately. I'd love to but you know how it goes... so much interesting stuff, so little money.
***** I'll say this much. They happen to be very fast, very light, but they lack in the power category. You aren't going to be knocking anyone's guard to the side, and in most cases you won't be able to slash very well, but the thrusts are second to none. My favorite, the Espada Ropera, has a large guard that will protect the hand quite well and is quite good for guard bashing. The pommels aren't very good at crushing armor, but I have once poked through the plates in a set of armor I was practicing on (and this was some pretty good leather armor.) The best choice is to carry a buckler to compensate for the relative easy guard to break. I believe you are familiar with the techniques of buckler-sword combat.
Pardoner Oswald Rapiers are not light, they weight the same than regular sword but are much longer
Pardoner Oswald Really - light and easy to maneuver? I have wielded a lot of weapons, but when I had my hands on a rapier, I thought that it's the most awkward and inefficient design - they feel really heavy compared to any other weapon you will hold in one hand. The mace is 60-70% size of a rapier and it wieghts about the same - however, just like Skall said, axe (and mace) are hard to maneuver in mid-swing because of their point of balanced. The hand-and-a-half sword is maybe the most comfortable sword to use as a newbie because you have a very strong grip with both arms => very good control. Sorry, but I think you used some sort of longer foil or something, because rapiers feel really cumbersome compared to other weapons. I don't say that they are not good, but that you need some practice in order to use them in an efficient way - more than other one handed weapons do.
why don't axes have pommels?
Why don't bullets have parachutes?
meet the axe's big brother...Halberd
*cough* forgive me lmao
The axe's big brother is... poleaxe.
Halberds were actually much closer to the spear.
Two handed axes seem like a better fit. Halberds were more like spears than axes
minecraft pvp players
Skall, what is your opinion about Toledo recreation swords? Yes, it's just wallhanger.
Gongasoso
You answered your own question. It's just a wallhanger.
Did some research. What about those that aren't just hallhangers, any opinion?
Models that claim to be "battle-ready"
Gongasoso
Not sure, so far I've only seen the cheapo wallhanger variety of Toledo swords.
Ok, thank you for your time.
You mention that the axe is/was considerably cheaper than the sword. Do you happen to know what the costs of these weapons would be, in modern terms?
People mostly still traded precious metals, gold, silver & items back then :P
Axe, Home Depot. Sword, Ebay.
Good sword: $2000. Good axe: $60
rsbandbj1 He meant how much they would cost in medieval times in today's dollar value.
Don Evenson indeed, I found some pawn shop fighting axes for $45 and $60 but they had bad dents and the $45 was just the head of the thing, the handle was missing and even then it looked very blunt!
Clint Eastwood demonstrated what could be done with a nice piece of hickory in "Pale Rider."
Are there any REAL 'Double-Headed Axes'? or is that a fantasy creation?
Mistah Bryan In India there were some, and in medieval Europe as well (although rare).
You see them in the ancient Minoan Crete culture, but I think more for cult reasons.
Thank you gentlemen for your prompt reply
:)
I used a double headed wood cutting axe to cut wood at a civil war reenactment. I think he idea is that you can use the other side once one gets dull, and it's balanced. A lot of them have some kind of metal balance thing like a pike or hammer. Why not a second axe? Not the perfect answer to your question, but some info hat might help.
Mistah Bryan yes, there were! but they wer (almost) never used as a weapon, they are used as a tool, and a perfectly good one at that! Adrian Ivashkov had it partly right, the "other" side was normally used to help with the rooting of a cut tree, and this side was more dull and course, since it was often striking into the ground, this was epic since the one side was kept razor sharp to cut the trees down in a jiffy! they are also a dream to cut down trees with, cause of the added weight! :)
A good general overview. The axe and the sword promote different fighting styles, which is why you rarely see an axe/sword combination as the body mass is used differently.
What do you think about flails? Probably not the safest thing to swing around, id probably just smack myself in the skull xD
I imagine you have to be really well trained to use it.. I mean one thing is being able to master a move in front of the mirror without hitting yourself, another is doing it with the adrenaline pumping and on a moving and dodging opponent who's eagerly doing his best to kill you as well.. I figure every rational thought of how flail physics work is gone by then :o
Mia Gadegaard I agree. Flexible weapons are always harder to master.
Mind you, most of the people who used flails either wore armor or were using offset handles. That is the handle was much longer than the flexible part of the flail. That made it a bit safer to use. Mostly short flails were used by armored knights and long flails were used by peasants.
Heard a flail is only useful for as long as you keep it moving when in a fight, upside is that the enemy has to be cautious around you, downside is that it would be really tiring to keep swinging something like that, you could potentially injure allies around you easier (and yourself if you lose control of it) and if you slipped up and the enemy got to close you wouldn't have enough time to generate force to hit the enemy in close quarters if they were using a weapon more precise. Hence why most men would of wore armor if they could when using them.
Correct me if I'm wrong but i thought that a flail was optimized to strike an opponent behind a shield, chain hits the side of the shield and the head keeps traveling. it would strike little different to a mace, if it hits an armored opponent.
Eternal_Deceiver That is one use for it, but it is quite different to a regular mace strike on a regular armored opponent; you'd be surprised how much kinetic energy is generated by the centripetal force around the chain swing.
Dunno if you talked about it already, and I doubt it was done, but I'm still curios: was dual wielding actually a thing in the past? If anything, I could imagine 2 axes working (hook + strike), 2 swords not so much. But I doubt either was practiced ..?
EnCey2 I'd suggest starting here: watch?v=-1R-xZy-Gb4
Scholagladiatoria and Lindybeige both have more videos on the topic.
EnCey2 Yes, both in Europe and in Asia.
Until recently, using a Main-gauche in the off-hand in fencing was very common.
It was generally reserved for more skilled people as its difficult to do without a lot of practice.
+Steven Lockey and later the main-gauche were changed into "Degenbrecher". im not sure if there is an english word for it, but it just says *rapier breaker* and it does exactly what its named :)
NO IT WASNT.
+EnCey2 Dual wielding was used to some degree, mainly against sword-wielding opponents, usually with a shorter blade as the offhand to parry(or catch with specialized weapons) and a full sized sword to take advantage of the opening you made.
Edit- It should be noted that this wouldn't be typical of a soldier on the battlefield as dual-wielding wouldn't be able to protect very well on mass battlefield, it being unable to block as wide an area as a shield or have the reach of a polearm or two-handed ax or sword. This would be more of a dueling style of fighting.
Axes underrated imo
Axes are more efficient overall than swords. Swords can be more effective in skilled hands with proper care. But axes are cheaper to make or repair, require less skill to use and much lighter to carry in long marches :)
Hi Skallagrim! I love what you're doing and I have a question for you.
Recently I read a manga about a famous Japanese Swordman called musashi known to be the greatest swordamn in the japan history (the manga is call Vagabond and is freaking awesome you should definitively read it, unless you don't like manga, in that case you can read the original book which I think is just call musashi). I will explain why I had this question in mind in the next paragraph but it will contain prety heavy spoilers for this awesome manga, if you haven't read it and don't want spoiler go directly to the next paragraph^^.
So in this manga Musashi has to fight 70 other swordman alone and he says a realy intersting thing about it, to a 1vs70 I prefer 70 1vs1 meanning that he has to limit the fight to one swing each time. And before you say it's is fantaisist none sens I check about the real guy and it seems that he realy did a fight against 70 other guy and win Oo. even though he says that it is definitively not a good idea, he develops techniques to manages that kind of situation.
So here is the question does European traditional sword fighting techniques have any a fight against many opponent? (for instance in a war?) I know you already talk about it a little in some video, but I wonder if it would be possible to have full video about it^^.
Thank for reading you're awesome! Even though you're video about guns kind of scare me bit! I don't know why maybe because they are weapon that can be used in our everyday life, and less like old relic of the past^^'.
Sorry to break it for you, but the idea of fighting 70 enemies at once is utter bullshit. It's pure anime fantasy, or maybe something that overly vain swordsmen made up to boast about their supposedly god-like skills. But it's complete nonsense. Even an experienced fighter will have a hard time against "only" three opponents who know what they're doing.
The only chance is tactical maneuvering to make sure you're not facing more than one opponent at a time, but guess what... they will use tactical maneuvering as well and try to attack you from different directions.
***** Nono547 omitted the fact that (and this particular duel is historically documented, also documented in The tale of 5 rings written by below named individual) that whilst Miamito Musashi did take on an entire sword school of 70+ practitioners... It was 70+ individual duels back to back, as was the custom in Japan during that period if a ronin/samurai wanted to take over a dojo.
I.E. if you wanted to take over a dojo you challenge the master of said establishment (which is a huge convoluted ceremony) and then his students (lowest skill level to the highest) test your mettle as it were before the Shi'doshi (sensei) will even consider whether or not he'll fight you.
Anyhow I hope that clears up what Nono547 was trying to get at. ^_^
So no video about it I suppose :p.
But you know I already knew that this very part of the story was probably a big load of fantaisy, still this guy has realy exist, and it seems that he has kill every one of the member of a school of swordsmen or at least this is what history remember (maybe he burns the school down and then say "I am the greatest sworman of all time :p" who knows). Yet the guy has wrighten about fight against multiple opponent, my question was not do you think it is realistic (which is not^^, but still cool^^) but more what our ancetors had wrighten about fight against multiple opponent, which they certainly had since in a war for instance you are not in a proper duel (.
Thank for the anwser even if I was hopping about something more detail about it but i suppose there is not a lot more to tell about it.
Have a nice day!
PS: you should definitively read this manga if you are not completly ermetic to the genre, it is totaly awesome even though it is not historically accurate.
nono547
Yes, historical manuals sometimes cover fighting against multiple opponents, although generally the European treatises deal mostly with duels in particular.
***** Historical manuals do cover multiple assonants but this is rare. Manuals are usually for gentleman's dueling arts, and were not a soldier's basic training manual (this is because most soldiers couldn't read.).
Howeaver, there is one historical manual written for the purpose of training soldiers to fight with the basket hilted claymore written by one Thomas Page who was a very famous duleist of the Scottish Highlands. I am part of a fencing club which works using his manual of combat (which you cna read in it's entirity here: www.sirwilliamhope.org/Library/Page/Page.php ) which he wrote at the behest of a lord for the purpose of giving a training method to the Lord's drill instructors.
While it is intended as a beginner's guide to the sword, it is also written for people who will be fighting in mass battles and thus includes guards and attacks which are highly effective against multiple opponents, but also tricks to maneuver around a battlefield and not trip over corpses.
I have been a member of the class for 2 years, with 2 hour classes once a week and am able to hold my own in sparring against up to 16 of my classmates with my sword only, (Though I may not count as I also know other swords styles and am the co-instructor) and up to the full 20 others (instructor not included) if I also have a shield. If you tried hard enough, and got in enoguh practice you just might be able to get to the 70 mark. Though historically a knight/samurai who could take on 20 men and win was what could be expected as normal, and 30 would be extraordinary, more then that would be unheard of (Not that it did not happen happen, just that it would make you an instant legend who's powers of arms would be well given the fishing story treatment by peasants.)
Skall im moving to the canadain woods when im 16 what would be better
an axe a hatchet or a machete
axe and hatchet. But if you can take both because why not.
what about hammers? probably very similar to axes
Definitely similar in many ways.
I do wonder what kind of impact the weight of the hammer has. I guess it would be just like the axe but just with extra crushing power? Also wondering how practical it was to swing. In games you have those giant(, ridiculously sized) mallets and warhammers, but I do wonder how practical a realistic warhammer would be.
Hammers, both one and two handed, relied on blunt force trauma (obviously) very much like maces or trudgeons. However, they were utilized extensively as a specialized weapon against plate armor, where dents could be caved in on the cheast and head areas to cause massive muscle damage (tearing, bruising), concussions, and, to even break bones.
Michsters channel
Anti-Armor weapon. Still very brutally deadly without armor as well but its less agile.
ElDrHouse2010 Less agile than a sword but not less agile than an axe. The warhamers where not big and heavy. The wieght was pretty much the same as a one handed axe, The balance was pretty much the same. So the where very similar with axes and the way you use it is very similar to. The biggest difference is that tha warhammer was mainly used against heavy armored oponents
POV: You are trying to find a Minecraft comment about Sword vs Axe...
Also, I can see that you respect that sword more than the others :) You don't touch it with your fingers. ...I do the same with my Blades XD
Yeah, I didn't want to have to wipe it off and re-oil it afterwards.
The chogun has great weight. A fine tomahawk, indeed. I’ve had one for years now.
07:12 "an axelant hook"
A significant advantage of an axe, particularly axe-hammers like the one shown in the video, shows up in combat with armored opponents. As mentioned, the axe is liable to be more effective against more resistant materials. Any weapon whose weight is all at the end of a lever is going to be more effective against plate. As you are not likely to just slice through hard armor, combat is liable to require simply bashing one's enemy hard enough to dent armor into the enemy. At that point, a heavier weight on a longer lever is going to be one's best chance.
You can also carry two or three of these rather easily, and can throw them with ease. I worked as a tree surgeon for a while, and had a lot of fun throwing axes into trees. I'd have no idea what I was doing with a sword, but axes just feel natural to use.
as a person who likes utility i much prefer the axe over a sword you didnt mention the ability to accurately throw a axe however and while yes you are throwing your weapon away ( carry a backup lol ) it can be very useful to use it as a ranged attack.
An Axe like that can probably only be lethally thrown about ten to twenty feet, its not a small tomahawk.
The axe IS your backup. Use a bow, peasant.
Have you come across any manuals or accounts of someone using a one-handed sword and a tool axe together?
+TheCaptainsAntics
No, never seen that. Tomahawk and knife fighting exists though.
+TheCaptainsAntics would be logical though... shield breaks... drop it and draw your axe... should have been quite common... so not "noteworthy" for the purpose of sagas and storytelling...
+Skallagrim yeah I heard about that... From assassins creed 3 XD
+TheCaptainsAntics as far as I know, no one would do it if there is a choice, because at the time axes were a popular weapon, the swords were rarely used to parry, the shied was used for that purpose almost exclusively (at least a small one). So having two weapons would leave the combatant exposed.
Exactly, not by choice but it seems like it would be more then uncommon for someone to be attacked while lumbering for a fire as a soldier. Shield are a bit heavy to take lumbering.
ok, i just have to start by saying that i love your stuff! i however don't agree with you in this one (not everything anyway). i have been doing historical battling for several years, and i exclusively use axes (so, yes, i probably am biased:P ) i have to say that that swinging thing you were doing is some of the sillyest thing i've seen in a while :P that move would get you killed in an instant, wether in battle or in a duel. your opponent would see that opening and gut you like a pig! :P what you would do, is put much effort in a single strike, this strike would land, and loose all its momentum (prefferably) in the body if the opponent, in a shiled, in some piece of armor, or the ground (in case of a miss or a glance or whatever). You would recover from this strike, then get ready for another one. with the right equipment, and/or the right training, this is not a problem at all! i use in my fighting both the dane-axe and the regular battle axe, and even with a fairly heavy head, this is the way to go! :)
Cheers! Stig
I agree with Stig here. I actually did come to comment about this but he beat me to it. I too have had a little martial arts training including weapons over the years and do a bit of battle enactments. The idea of impact momentum absorption is very important..vitally so. Just like the video uploader said, we do have to use more force to swing an axe than a sword. But then again, that also means that the axe transfers more force at the point of impact. So with an axe blow we should try and make contact. It is the same principle in boxing, a lot of people including myself train on heavy bags. But I have seen guys neglect shadow boxing much to their peril. When a person thus throws a punch and misses a target, I have seen their shoulders give away..simply because they cannot control the momentum well enough to stop the punch when they need to..the force carries their arm throughout the full range of motion and more causing injury. It is the same with an axe. Proper training will do more than offset this problem but still every axe blow is made with the intention of making contact, be it the opponent's body, armor, weapon, shield etc. That is my two cents on the matter but I do appreciate the video Skallagrim. Thanks.
DORA DAVID
Sorry, wrong account..that was me up there. Anyway Skall, I would like to pick your brains on something. If you were to design a custom weapon for all purpose use, what would it be?
I think that any weapon should have the impact force transfer potential of an axe. The bottom/axe-head weighted feature of an axe is too significant to ignore. I love swords, more than axes and swords are definitely more quicker and easier to handle but blow by blow, axe does transfer more momentum. Is there a middle ground to this?
Stig Førsund If you have some experience maybe you could correct me if I'm wrong here. But I have been to many museums and seen many axes made for battle (both archaeological and newly made replicas) and one thing almost all of them had in common was a very thin blade when compared to the one in the video. Viking axes especially seems to only be 3-4 mm thick at most. Or am I wrong and they are simply the oddity's and thick, heavy ones like the one in the video are the norm?
Dracounius well, as far as I know the viking axe was about 3-5 mm thick. I am by far no expert but this is my experience. You don't need more than that, then it will be heavy, and not necessarily more durable. Now working axes are an entirely different matter ofc. But as far as war axes go.. I reckon this observation is correct
I doubt they actually swung axes around their heads much. Great way to get brain damage.
mouthpiece200
Only if you're an untrained amateur.
***** In most military situations I would guess they'd be in too close of quarters for that. They'd give all their neighbors a headache, especially if they were trying to stay close enough to make a shield wall.
That's ridiculous. It doesn't matter if you're using a sword or an axe, nobody stands close enough for that to happen out of common sense. If you're all clustered together to where you can't even swing a sword or axe, you're probably not winning that fight. The only scenario I can think of where amateur soldiers would willingly stand next to each other would be in a line of pike men. If you think that an experienced axe user can't control where his blade goes, I ask how you think master swordsmen and archers and the like function.
Matthew Leonard That's why I say they don't do fancy moves in the battle lines, they don't have room to. Because they DO stand close together. Axes and swords are not for swinging, in close quarter fights. They are for quick hacks and chops. Fighting in a heavy battle is not the same as one giant duel - the entire weapons strategy changes. Swordsmen and archers are not in serious risk of busting their head open - a swinging axman is. Hard to become a master at something if the practice itself will kill ya. I bet the general would lose as many poor lads teaching them the technique as would be saved by it.
***** Like most peasants?
swords are more fun to make. yeah, the sword i made is total crap, but it was fun as hell to do
Axes overall are much more practical and efficient at EVERYTHING vs a sword.
Axe critical attacks do a lot of damage and are very valuable. However the sword attacks faster and does more DPS
The most difference axe vs sword
In my country , yu can buy axe in convenience store and bring that axe in public area... instead sword, u need to get special blacksmith to tempered sword. AND u can not bring that sword in public area... u will get caught by police if yu bring sword in public...
Second, Axe give slash and blunt damage... sword give yu pierce and slash damage
Third, its better use axe If u want murder someone.... u can make sure ur target incapacitated with broken bone... or axe make better choice if u want mutilate someone.. cause sword not really good for chopping human bone
You forgot the best perk of axes bro..... you can look like a fking viking!!!!!! :D
Un Known Vikings used swords, axes, and spears.. but nice try tho.
All my axes are in Texas.
How about 2 axes?
When you talked about the "hook" use of the ax, my mind went to dual wielding and using them as a kind of large karambit. Not sure how realistic, but it seems if you hook away a blow from a sword with one, you have an open shot with the other. Karambit- ua-cam.com/video/fl_XSzJur5w/v-deo.html
When norwegians wield an axe, we have the eye-sight and intention of hitting something, within that arm/shaft-length. We don't expect to miss. Minimal strength, maximal result.
Big problem with axe: has 1.5 second cooldown ;)
Reference: Minecraft
Not anymore
*combat test snapshots*
and i was here learning minecraft pvp
Where is the video about flails?!
Unfortunately they are banned in Canada. Insane, I know.
***** What in the fuck... backward ass country... I guess chain whips also? (just because they look interesting)
Evirthewarrior Flails are pretty dangerous. To the user as much as to the victim. Not that that's a very good justification for banning them, it's just worth noting.
Evirthewarrior
In Canada we can have all kinds of firearms, even a freaking Barrett M99 in cal .50 BMG, but not a damn flail. That makes sense. XD
***** Maybe the Canadian government is afraid that someone will buy up all the ammunition and then start a bloody coup with only flails. Oh, the horror. LOL
Axes are so good at puncturing armour and hooking shields, the vikings were so well known for that particular strategy. The biggest problem I find especially with Dual Wield Axes is once you've launched an attacking motion your hands, arm and shoulder are extremely vulnerable to withstand hits.
Sword would be ineffective against plate armor, one hit with an axe will penetrate armor with no problem.
+Stevanxo Tutor what .. noo ...
Duksing Chau Yes, imagine one blow whit this - www.excaliburbrothers.com/files/697427/uploaded/20-882443_1.jpg
Sword is good only to fight unarmored foes.
War hammer, War exe, morning star is in big advantage over sword, it is suicide to attack knight with full plated armor and blunt weapon in his hands.
alot of power will bounce off with the sharp edge in one direction. But then you have to consider what it will do then. It will get stuck in thearmor and take time to draw it out, while they are enemies surrounding you. On the other hand, you can do the mordau or half swording to beat plate armor
Duksing Chau When you get hit by a blunt weapon you are history, and of course if you get surrounded in a battle field you are history, the same for the knight with a sword. Axe is more practical for a knight to knight fight, one good strike and you are out, it can penetrate and deform armor and damage you very easily, if you ask me, i would use war hammer in this type of fight, there is much more advantage to go with that, if my opponents are with poor armor or without one, the sword is the best, that is for sure.
So what about duel wielding an ax and a sword? Would that be practical with the right training because the way I look at it like you said the ax can be used to grapple at an opponent. An ax also has advantages against armor as a sword cut against chain mail is ineffective from what I understand as an ax head ,even if it doesn't penetrate the chain mail, could do much more damage especially in the possible case of breaking bones. Or would the balance of the sword and ax just not complement each other well?
Thallanar Rabidtooth A sword with a dagger would be a brilliant combo! At least, I think it would. I'm no expert, so don't quote me on that. :3
A sword and dagger is more of a rapir thing since you can actually parry one with a parry dagger. Against other swords there's just to much energy going with it. I'm thinking more of arming swords. That being said you still could it would probably be a counter weapon though. Block with your sword go in with your dagger.
Thallanar Rabidtooth I'd say you have it spot on; the only way dual wielding is viable when it comes to axes is with other axes. And honestly, I could totally see that as viable in hand-to-had combat; take a swing with one axe, use the other to parry and pull the opponent's weapon out of the way, bring the first one back around for the hit. has a sort of beauty to it, imagining the two blades swirling around a fighter
"dual wielding" is nice trait from the computer games! : ) Real warriors, like for example, the Roman legion, had short stabbing swords and very, very large shields. Ask them about "dual wielding" - at least you should afford them a good laugh : )
Robert Tauzer To each their own, I guess. If you don't agree with it, good for you. Doesn't mean that others can't have an interest in it. Me, I just like the idea of an all-offense fighting style, giving oneself entirely to the attack. Always been a bit of a berserker enthusiast
5:20 Interesting. The axe has a greater moment of inertia than the sword but if it's kept in motion, the inertia which would slow it down is effectively neutralized.
So the ax and the sword is like an ak-47 compared to an m4a1?
One is easier to produce and works well with almost no problems, while the other one is magnificent better and has a better quality and is a better weapon but small mistakes can ruin the whole weapon.
+Alexander Evensen pretty much, yes, though the comparison I often use is between an assault rifle or pistol (sword) and shotgun (axe). The closest modern comparison to the sword is the sidearm, pistol or revolver. Swords have no tool purpose (machetes are a separate category), and were designed for one purpose only- killing people. Shotguns and rifles are useful for hunting as well as war, and compare to axes and spears respectively, but the sidearm was designed from the ground up for the purpose of killing people, thereby filling a similar paradigm.
Wrong, a sword isn’t “magnificent better” than an axe. It depends on the fighter’s skill.
Many people preferred axes or hammers over swords, specifically against armor a sword is virtually useless, an axe has the blade where it’s most effective and the weight and mass of it adds blunt capabilities. It’s clearly a matter of preference, to me axe is better, but I’m not claiming it’s a better weapon than a sword
Another possible benefit of the axe is psychological - it just looks raw, fearsome and dynamic, whereas a sword is something of an objet d'art.
By this axe I rule
Here is just some easy pros and cons you need without watching for 10 minutes.
An axe is both heavy like a mace and sharp like a sword but we cannot thrust/stab and it's good for fighting a man with armor
Sword is light so we can swing it fast and slashing is good with stabbing/thrusting but it's not good for fighting a man with an armor
Should have also added how a sword is a tool specifically for killing where is an ax can be a tool designed for killing but not specifically can do a thousand jobs because it has no specific one job it is built for unless you get a specialty ax which is a whole different thing