The Windlass Bowies really surprised me in my testing. They have thin tangs, but they do take a real beating. My Coffin Hilt Bowie survived long chopping sessions, chipped and bent surprisingly little when whacked against stone and even survived me stepping on the blade, so that the tang junction had to hold my whole weight (120 kilo back then). It bent, but not too badly and nothing broke.
I found one today in a thrift store. Was marked 24.99. Must have been half of for the color of the trash because it rang up at 24.99 then showed half off. So got it for 12.49. I'll take it.
That has to be one of the most threatening looking knives / swords I've ever seen on your channel. The shape of it just looks extremely effective against flesh.
It's a fighting knife so it better be. Honestly you should just get the cult of Athena sharpening service with this thing and make sure the one that you receive is in bent and this honestly looks pretty good, I honestly would care more about the build quality than the edge that it comes with because the edge can be fixed anytime. That point is wicked.
Hey, skall. So, I was playing Expeditions: Viking the other day, and I saw a character that looked a bit like you called skallagrimr. Made my day, lol.
Seems pretty representative of current Windlass offerings. Good steel, fittings are more basic (and maybe slightly questionable design/construction), but still functional.
Imagine what that thing could do when properly sharpened. Definitely went above my expectations, especially as far as durability goes. Seems like this thing shines best when thrown.
Beloraf Frost Hammer send him a message on Facebook and on UA-cam instead of a comment, that's what he prefers if you're going to make him something or give him something.
Glued tangs are completely historical actually so I'm not too surprised that it held up. There are antique swords that have survived to the modern day with glued tangs that are still rock solid.
Hey Skall, you often use a lapel microphone for your videos indoors and even this video. when I try to use mine I get a ton of clothing noise. How do you prevent it?
Wear clothes that fit... The less movement in the clothing the less noise it will make. Also, as others have said, avoid unnatural fibers. Or get a suit coat, the actual lapel to clip it on will help too since it will be less likely to rub on your clothes when you move.
So I would honestly love to see this after some repair work. Resharpening, unbending the blade and guard, polish, etc. If this knife can take damage like that and then get fixed up again, that would make it a great tool.
That bend was almost certainly due to a warp during heat treat that they failed to fix. Unfortunately, if the heat treat is good, there's no way to fix that warp without removing the handle and fittings, which would mean replacing the handle. It needs to be done before the handle is affixed.
The video froze at exactly 5:29, so it looked as if the knife bounced of the wood, flew upwards, fell back down onto the tree tip first and buried itself into it a bit. That would have been quite impressive.
I came back to rewatch this video today something put it in my mind lol one thing I'll say about Windlass; over the years that I've dealt with them the quality of the swords has certainly been up and down, but generally shorter blades especially their knives I thought always good value for the money. We all know scale abuses the hell out of his stuff and if this Bowie stood up to his punishment and is under a hundred bucks... Yeah I think it's pretty good quality
If the blade is durable then my suggestion for this thing would be a conversion project. based on the throwing tests, that point makes it idea for stabbing and lancing. so why not convert it into a sort of glaive?
Hey Skall have you tried no spin knife throwing before? I find it to be much easier than how you are doing in this video. I find you can pretty much throw anything from small knives to machetes and it still works with the no spin technique.
Yup. Tang sunk in cutler's resin. If you wanted to fix that up a bit, lower the edge angle so it's like a butcher's knife, unbend the upper grip with a vise and screwdriver, then melt up some silver solder or lead sheet with a torch let it cool and puddle into thin leaves, shove the leaves into the guard/blade gaps, and then remelt it with the torch applied to the guard/blade, ferule. A fairly authentic fix. The edge thing always bothers me. These things would just be for ad-hoc butchering and getting into trouble in town. In a knife fight folks wanted even the most frantic, off-balanced, and weak strike to cut, and get through thick wool and cotton clothing. A 45 degree chisel edge wasn't going to do that very well. yeah a thin edge could be damaged, knicked, turned and dented, no one cared about pristine edges when blades were out blades were cheap. A thin edge that bit through a sleeve and cut some tendons or layed the scalp open to the skull with even sloppy glancing flick, get the blood flowing, 50/50 chance of cooling passions, anyway, a butcher-edge, was a fight-ending asset.
When you trying to take the bark off, it seemed like it was doing better with a draw slice rather than static shave motion? Can't be sure since you might of been moving you hands slightly while doing it that we wouldn't know of.
I'm sure someone else probably mentioned it, but that blade warp is likely due to bad heat treat / QC. That would explain why you can't straighten it back out, it's like a spring now.
Hey Skall, would you consider doing a review of the Ka-Bar Fighting/Utility knife? I've heard a lot good about them, it certainly seems good (I own one), but I haven't actually seen abusive testing done on it...And I don't really want to do abusive testing on mine, so I figure you're the next best person to ask.
I would say that It's bent more than before. From what I recall of the previous video the blade itself was bent out of alignment. Now the grip and the blade are out of alignment too.
(5 minutes into the video, had to see it's cost) The add said an old general used it on the frontier, the vibe is that it's an exact copy. The knife looks like it might have been sharpened a thousand times with the longer hook on the guard, if it came from an important person in history, he may have acquired it in any number of ways. Grandpa's old skinning knife, a gift from a noob blacksmith, something ruined by someone's nephew and repaired to that shape blade as the best case situation. Maybe it's 1900's tactical haha. I just can't get over the tip, guard, and general shape of that thing..... time to finish the video
@Skallagrim tell me, the hilt is made of many parts as to reduce stress and shock transferred to hand. what if a sylikone rubber would be applied into the gaps between elements? not as role replacement for pin, but exactly as additional stress normalizer
Yeah. The knife is being torture tested, basically...it's intended as a fighting knife, not a woods knife. But Windlass can't sharpen to save their lives so it doesn't cut like it should.
Hum, not bad, as long as they get the quality control fixed. That much bend in a blade should never make it out of shipping. Also, even though the handle held up, I would still drill two holes though the handle and tang and put some pins in there. All in all though, that held up rather well. I think you are right. If it ever goes on sale, might be a good knife to pick up. Would make a good dedicated combat knife...after being sharpened.
Hey Skall! I found a $60 USD Bastard Sword online and I'm going to buy it and run a destruction test on it, one of the reviews said it was actually functional if sharpened, no idea what to do with the fact it has no scabbard. Just about how bad of an idea is this?
why do i get a satisfying feeling when you cut branches while the waves wash onto sure its a nice feeling its a pretty effective sword though especially from all that force and cutting
If one thing about it could be changed design wise. I'd say it should loose the jimping. Due to the guard you couldn't place a thumb on it for stability (it's longer than it would need to be for that any way). It's also very pronounce jimping but not quite serration. Clearly it is just decorative. But losing the jimping could add a lot in the way of functionality. A spine that is very flat, and doesn't roll or bevel where the edges of the spine and face meet, is about the best thing for debarking. A spine like that will never gouge too deep. And it preserves the edge by putting the workload on other parts of the blade. Also a glued handle doesn't have to be bad. But I do prefer resin. Specifically dragon's blood. A natural old world resin that is often burnt as incense or used in making incense. But also has a long history of fixing tangs in handles.
Jeremy Clarkson reading the introduction for this video, "In this episode, Skallagrim cuts a stick. Skallagrim chops some wood. Skallagrim disarms himself... repeatedly." (Or, the obvious third line... "Skallagrim gets good penetration.") :D
I mean being from Texas it's an awesome knife appearance wise, sucks it was bent. I mean from the abuse test it looks to be extremely well made. I mean you were chopping some serious wood with it even with a blunt edge. I mean that wood looked like it some moisture in it so not easy to chop for a knife. Sharpening wouldn't be too bad and the fact you couldn't bend it back despite putting your weight into it is a positive. Sorry you got a bad one though. Great vid still. p.s. will you do a vid on Baltimore Knife & Sword in general and what you think of their quality? You have covered one of their products before in a vid covering a bunch of stuff but just thought of what you thought of Matt and Ilya as far as talent.
I have to say, the fact that the steel of the blade doesn't chip or bend further means it's probably some pretty decent steel. With a good sharpening job, that might actually be a decent blade for, as you said, a project knife. The handle is ugly as homemade sin, but the blade isn't bad, from the sound of things.
Hello Skallagrim I can remember long time ago have watched a video from your channel, where you talk about draw a sword from a scabbard in the back. I can not remember what kind of sword it was, but I have been searching in your channel for a video like that but I could find it. Can somebody help me? Thanks!
"Grown man smashes his wood in a beach with his new mexican toy" wow Skall.
[gone wrong][went sexual][barely survived]
Manuel Enrique what second
i expected less out of it, when you started throwing it i thought "that tip is so gonna bend 90°" since the tip looks specially fragile.
good video
I appreciated the sounds of the water throughout this video.
Seems like a fun blade to throw - those throwing slo-mos are badass :D
Not bad, but it's not cutting edge technology.
*slow clap*
Finally... a good joke. It has been a while.
Retrova your profile pic😂😂😂
best joke in the comments I've seen all day
Take this W and never come back
So a blade with a shape orianted for cutting chops better then it cuts...I don't know what to say.
Wasn't sharpened for legal reasons, though.
yeah, i would wager that blindness is a pretty legal reason for it not being sharp...
The Windlass Bowies really surprised me in my testing. They have thin tangs, but they do take a real beating. My Coffin Hilt Bowie survived long chopping sessions, chipped and bent surprisingly little when whacked against stone and even survived me stepping on the blade, so that the tang junction had to hold my whole weight (120 kilo back then). It bent, but not too badly and nothing broke.
I found one today in a thrift store. Was marked 24.99. Must have been half of for the color of the trash because it rang up at 24.99 then showed half off. So got it for 12.49. I'll take it.
wow given that blade angle this thing held up remarkably well. not planning on placing an order anytime soon but I'm certainly impressed
I like the speed-up in the middle. It is like "turbo mode on" all of a sudden.
That has to be one of the most threatening looking knives / swords I've ever seen on your channel. The shape of it just looks extremely effective against flesh.
It's a fighting knife so it better be. Honestly you should just get the cult of Athena sharpening service with this thing and make sure the one that you receive is in bent and this honestly looks pretty good, I honestly would care more about the build quality than the edge that it comes with because the edge can be fixed anytime. That point is wicked.
Υοu are one of the most intellectual and open-minded youtubers out there
Is it extra polished to blind your enemies rightly?
Utherix no it can double as a mirror
reven50 with your comment you could say, you ended him rightly.
It's for shaving. Use it as a mirror, make sure you didn't miss a spot.
Just kidding, that thing looked dull AF, tear your beard out.
Oh God Please Don't! We all BEG you, do NOT start another "end them rightly" string of bullshit jokes which will last for years!!!!!!!!
Utherix OH COME ON THERE ISN'T EVEN A POMMEL IN THIS!
Imagine being a random guy just walking around and then you see another man just chopping away at some wood with a knife.
LBEfication Not that unusual. Woodworking is a common outdoor thing everywhere humans are found.
LBEfication pretty normal thing to do in an area like that
John Francis Doe Should have phrased my statement better. Shouldve said "flailing madly"
Relaxing video with the waves sounds in the background.
Where are you that the background noise is water lapping at the shore?
Sounds so peaceful
A beach maybe? 😂
this video is satisfying, like the sea and beach sounds and when the knife perfectly hits the log
The face you pull when the knife it's the rocks is brilliant
You are one of my favorite youtubers, always putting out quality content 🏹
Hey, skall. So, I was playing Expeditions: Viking the other day, and I saw a character that looked a bit like you called skallagrimr. Made my day, lol.
More than sturdy enough, I'd say. I was pretty impressed. After all, it's as you say "I abuse it so you don't have to".
Seems pretty representative of current Windlass offerings. Good steel, fittings are more basic (and maybe slightly questionable design/construction), but still functional.
After the throwing abuse, back of the crossguard looks like a fantasy weapon crossguard.
Imagine what that thing could do when properly sharpened. Definitely went above my expectations, especially as far as durability goes. Seems like this thing shines best when thrown.
So I plan on opening up my own forge at some point and I was wondering if I could send you one of the first things I make for you to test.
Beloraf Frost Hammer forge with pride my freind
Beloraf Frost Hammer send him a message on Facebook and on UA-cam instead of a comment, that's what he prefers if you're going to make him something or give him something.
I will
Ok thanks for the tip
Watch out when tempering, make sure you normalise the steel properly
Glued tangs are completely historical actually so I'm not too surprised that it held up. There are antique swords that have survived to the modern day with glued tangs that are still rock solid.
Side shields on your glasses for safety: Very professional; I wish every reviewer was as safety conscious as Skallagrim.
nice to see you knife testing again, it's durability surprised me at first sight it looks like a cheesy wall hanger
I got one because of this video. It's super fast. Nice fighting knife. Can find some for relatively cheap. For the price I love it!
Hey Skall, you often use a lapel microphone for your videos indoors and even this video. when I try to use mine I get a ton of clothing noise.
How do you prevent it?
IPostSwords Don't wear clothes.
Where would you clip it? Your nipple?
Wear clothes that fit... The less movement in the clothing the less noise it will make. Also, as others have said, avoid unnatural fibers. Or get a suit coat, the actual lapel to clip it on will help too since it will be less likely to rub on your clothes when you move.
@@DrRhinoceros No lapel though...
So I would honestly love to see this after some repair work. Resharpening, unbending the blade and guard, polish, etc. If this knife can take damage like that and then get fixed up again, that would make it a great tool.
That bend was almost certainly due to a warp during heat treat that they failed to fix. Unfortunately, if the heat treat is good, there's no way to fix that warp without removing the handle and fittings, which would mean replacing the handle. It needs to be done before the handle is affixed.
The video froze at exactly 5:29, so it looked as if the knife bounced of the wood, flew upwards, fell back down onto the tree tip first and buried itself into it a bit. That would have been quite impressive.
Looks like it will be fine after sharpening. It would definitely be great for thrust attacks.
Actually a bit surprised, the knife looks like a fantasy game Bowie more than a historical Bowie.
I came back to rewatch this video today something put it in my mind lol
one thing I'll say about Windlass; over the years that I've dealt with them the quality of the swords has certainly been up and down, but generally shorter blades especially their knives I thought always good value for the money.
We all know scale abuses the hell out of his stuff and if this Bowie stood up to his punishment and is under a hundred bucks... Yeah I think it's pretty good quality
it looks gorgeous
it reminds me of one of those plug bayonetts for a musket with the shape if the blade.
I'm extremely surprised at how flexible/tough that steel is. I thought that thin tip would break or at the very least bend after the first throw.
Where can I buy the windlass
I agree a pin to help hold the blade in place would be a good idea also partnered with the glue would make a very sturdy robust handle construction.
This is Skallagrim's eternal reward
Super surprised it stood up to all that throwing! Especially the tip. I thought for sure it would have bent. Great test vid.
If the blade is durable then my suggestion for this thing would be a conversion project. based on the throwing tests, that point makes it idea for stabbing and lancing. so why not convert it into a sort of glaive?
By the picture I thought this video of the lochness monster or some thing in the water, didn't realize it was a knife mid flight.
The good thing about this blade is that if you backstab someone with it you automatically disguise as that person.
Hey Skall have you tried no spin knife throwing before? I find it to be much easier than how you are doing in this video. I find you can pretty much throw anything from small knives to machetes and it still works with the no spin technique.
Devin Long not with that handle... much too short imo
natural sound background, very relaxing
I liked it, and I thought the testing would destroy it
Yup. Tang sunk in cutler's resin. If you wanted to fix that up a bit, lower the edge angle so it's like a butcher's knife, unbend the upper grip with a vise and screwdriver, then melt up some silver solder or lead sheet with a torch let it cool and puddle into thin leaves, shove the leaves into the guard/blade gaps, and then remelt it with the torch applied to the guard/blade, ferule. A fairly authentic fix.
The edge thing always bothers me. These things would just be for ad-hoc butchering and getting into trouble in town. In a knife fight folks wanted even the most frantic, off-balanced, and weak strike to cut, and get through thick wool and cotton clothing. A 45 degree chisel edge wasn't going to do that very well.
yeah a thin edge could be damaged, knicked, turned and dented, no one cared about pristine edges when blades were out blades were cheap. A thin edge that bit through a sleeve and cut some tendons or layed the scalp open to the skull with even sloppy glancing flick, get the blood flowing, 50/50 chance of cooling passions, anyway, a butcher-edge, was a fight-ending asset.
When you trying to take the bark off, it seemed like it was doing better with a draw slice rather than static shave motion?
Can't be sure since you might of been moving you hands slightly while doing it that we wouldn't know of.
Love my Timber Rattler Bowie I got for $20 from BudK. You'd be surprised how solid it is.
Skal I know that you are looking for a better place to do tests but I gotta say I love the beach where you are currently doing them
I'm sure someone else probably mentioned it, but that blade warp is likely due to bad heat treat / QC. That would explain why you can't straighten it back out, it's like a spring now.
Nice, it's got one of those gaps at the base of the blade to keep blood from running down the edge too.
Canadian lakes are so beautiful. I've been to Winnipeg a couple of times, very nice.
THE INTRO MUSIC LIVES AGAIN!
Have you considered trying a no spin or low spin throw? Works better for me when throwing a big knife.
Hey Skall, would you consider doing a review of the Ka-Bar Fighting/Utility knife? I've heard a lot good about them, it certainly seems good (I own one), but I haven't actually seen abusive testing done on it...And I don't really want to do abusive testing on mine, so I figure you're the next best person to ask.
Skall's bizarre knife-throwing
I would say that It's bent more than before. From what I recall of the previous video the blade itself was bent out of alignment. Now the grip and the blade are out of alignment too.
I want to say it actually looks better with the guard bent up like that. I kinda like the asymmetry.
(5 minutes into the video, had to see it's cost) The add said an old general used it on the frontier, the vibe is that it's an exact copy. The knife looks like it might have been sharpened a thousand times with the longer hook on the guard, if it came from an important person in history, he may have acquired it in any number of ways. Grandpa's old skinning knife, a gift from a noob blacksmith, something ruined by someone's nephew and repaired to that shape blade as the best case situation. Maybe it's 1900's tactical haha. I just can't get over the tip, guard, and general shape of that thing..... time to finish the video
@Skallagrim tell me, the hilt is made of many parts as to reduce stress and shock transferred to hand. what if a sylikone rubber would be applied into the gaps between elements? not as role replacement for pin, but exactly as additional stress normalizer
I've been waiting for this!
9:00 That thing just noped the fuck outta there.
How about measuring the angle off center with a protractor to see how much it changes with use?
you seriously have the coolest beard
Seems like that type of weapon you would use for thrusting or stabbing...if I'm wrong.
Yeah. The knife is being torture tested, basically...it's intended as a fighting knife, not a woods knife. But Windlass can't sharpen to save their lives so it doesn't cut like it should.
This type of bowie knife was designed for stabbing, to kill with a single thrust to the gut or between the ribs into lungs.
Hum, not bad, as long as they get the quality control fixed. That much bend in a blade should never make it out of shipping. Also, even though the handle held up, I would still drill two holes though the handle and tang and put some pins in there. All in all though, that held up rather well. I think you are right. If it ever goes on sale, might be a good knife to pick up. Would make a good dedicated combat knife...after being sharpened.
the thumbnail makes it look like you're testing new knives with a ghost
6:36 That's some Matt Easton level stuff right there.
Hey Skall! I found a $60 USD Bastard Sword online and I'm going to buy it and run a destruction test on it, one of the reviews said it was actually functional if sharpened, no idea what to do with the fact it has no scabbard.
Just about how bad of an idea is this?
They heard you :) It's already on sale right now. Not as much as you said, but abut 7.50.
why do i get a satisfying feeling when you cut branches while the waves wash onto sure
its a nice feeling
its a pretty effective sword though especially from all that force and cutting
Maybe that sideways bent is a functional part of the design, intented to improve stabbing efficiency when using the preferred hand and attack.
9:00 When the Log gets tired of your shit and throws the Knife back. I never knew Trees were so good at playing Dodgeball...
If one thing about it could be changed design wise. I'd say it should loose the jimping. Due to the guard you couldn't place a thumb on it for stability (it's longer than it would need to be for that any way). It's also very pronounce jimping but not quite serration. Clearly it is just decorative.
But losing the jimping could add a lot in the way of functionality. A spine that is very flat, and doesn't roll or bevel where the edges of the spine and face meet, is about the best thing for debarking. A spine like that will never gouge too deep. And it preserves the edge by putting the workload on other parts of the blade.
Also a glued handle doesn't have to be bad. But I do prefer resin. Specifically dragon's blood. A natural old world resin that is often burnt as incense or used in making incense. But also has a long history of fixing tangs in handles.
i love the relaxing sound of the waves and shopping wood =)
and it looks no to sharp.
skall when you hit the knife through the wood what is that and is it effective use of a blade or just for durability testing?
When you're doing these videos can you bring a control knife along so that we can see the difference
If you're striking downwards in an arc, would the angle allow the weight of the blade to sit behind the cutting edge?
Did you order this with sharpening from kult of Athena? Or did it come dull and you sharpened it yourself?
looks shiny and overally good but it has major problem...
it doesn't have a pommel
Let me guess... no pommel?
Jeremy Clarkson reading the introduction for this video, "In this episode, Skallagrim cuts a stick. Skallagrim chops some wood. Skallagrim disarms himself... repeatedly." (Or, the obvious third line... "Skallagrim gets good penetration.") :D
skallagrim where do u live that you have such a cool cove nearby? like what region/area? is this the pacific northwest?
CYI3ERPUNK canada somewhere
But will it blend?
No i think it will brake your blender if you try and blend it
Don't Censor it will bend though.
Lord Inquisitor Will still brake it. Not certain if it will break it too...
"Mexican bowie knife" That's a riot.
#Skallagrim can you make a review of the 1917 bowie from coldsteel???
it's a tough little bastard
I mean being from Texas it's an awesome knife appearance wise, sucks it was bent. I mean from the abuse test it looks to be extremely well made. I mean you were chopping some serious wood with it even with a blunt edge. I mean that wood looked like it some moisture in it so not easy to chop for a knife.
Sharpening wouldn't be too bad and the fact you couldn't bend it back despite putting your weight into it is a positive. Sorry you got a bad one though. Great vid still.
p.s. will you do a vid on Baltimore Knife & Sword in general and what you think of their quality? You have covered one of their products before in a vid covering a bunch of stuff but just thought of what you thought of Matt and Ilya as far as talent.
Be careful when chopping into driftwood with blades you care somewhat about Skall, they will often have small rocks embedded in them.
I have to say, the fact that the steel of the blade doesn't chip or bend further means it's probably some pretty decent steel. With a good sharpening job, that might actually be a decent blade for, as you said, a project knife. The handle is ugly as homemade sin, but the blade isn't bad, from the sound of things.
I bet there was an error in the tempering that made it come out bent
I finally remembered what the knife reminded me of. It looks like Your Eternal Reward from TF2.
If you were truly hard core, you would LAUGH when the blade screams in pain
Hello Skallagrim
I can remember long time ago have watched a video from your channel, where you talk about draw a sword from a scabbard in the back.
I can not remember what kind of sword it was, but I have been searching in your channel for a video like that but I could find it.
Can somebody help me?
Thanks!
Imagine yourself having a nice walk around the beach, and you found an adult viking looking man smashing things with a knife and talking to himself
2:16 reminds me of scene from Men in tights.
4:55 I'm dyin
spear test, is it coming soon?
By the end of the throwing test the knife was tired of it and said NOPE. But then skall said "Last one" and the knife "ok one more."
How to make a blade blunt with Skallagrim