A few good folks have been commenting of late about how badly they want a KRISS, but life invariably gets in the way… Well, I am here to tell you that never before have you seen a KRISS look this good:
That, my friends, is an officially-licensed-and-endorsed rendition of Lady Vivamus from Robert Heinlein’s Glory Road… and given the choice between it and a KRISS, I would be very hard-pressed to make a decision.
Not as though that is ever going to happen, given their price tags are disturbingly similar.
But, really, 35.25" blade, 2.75 pound weight, double hollow-ground and sharpened blade, 10" reverse edge, hand-hammered bell-guard, black stingray skin molded over a wood grip and traced with silver wire, and, of course, "dum vivimus, vivamus" inscribed on both sides of the blade… It has been years since I picked up a sabre, in anger or not, but that sounds right up my alley.
‘Course, so does having a private 1000-yard range in my back yard and all the fully-automatic toys I can play with, and that is about as likely…
THAT’S what Lady Vivamus looked like? Wow, I think my collection is about to expand.
Or not. Three grand? That’s going to remain just a fond dream.
Having a grip canted downward from the blade’s axis like that always looked odd to me. Are there real fighting blades like that?
@ Dave H:
The grip angle makes sense for a certain fighting type. Pick up a reasonably straight stick and attempt to stab it straight away from you as if into the stomach or chest of a person about the same height as you. It actually requires a less than comfortable wrist angle. That grip type alleviates that.
I’m NOT showing that to my husband, we can’t afford to expand his collection right now either…..
The grip angle also is designed to “present” the blade slightly forward. This allows for more strength in momentum. It creates the advantage of having a light weight blade while offering the same slashing damage of a blade twice its weight.
Linoge,
You said, “It has been years since I picked up a sabre”. Did you fence? Some type of reenactment? Collector?
I always had an attraction to the saber fighting style. I always thought it was a great combination of “hack and slash” and “finess”. It was truly the Swiss Army Knife of its time. Equally effective for personal protection and a multifunctional tool in the right hands.
Tac
Want. Really, really, really want.
Dave_H: That is a pretty normal grip angle for a real saber. As Ruth pointed out, it makes thrusts a little easier.
I fenced mostly epee in college, rather than saber, but I did a little saber, occasionally, and enjoyed it.
@ Dave H: All of the sport sabres I worked with had the bent handle, but I was always taught that it had to do with executing the “flick” that sabres are so known, and hated, for – it simplifies giving the torque on the grip without overly exposing your own wrist.
But, yeah, beautiful thing, no way it is happening.
@ Ruth: That is pretty much why foil fencing is almost all arm work and very little wrist, aside from ensuring that your forearm stays the hell behind your bell…
Sadly, I am in the same budgetary situation, but, still, I do not have an actual fighting-capable sword… *sigh*
@ Tac: Used to recreationally fence with foil and sabre… never really got into epee. Sabre was definitely my favorite – as the saying goes, it is a tool to change your opponent’s mind.
@ Jake: Damned shame that most states would have a cornary if you started carrying it around…
A very interesting saber. But 3 Grand for a wall hanger is ridiculous. Hmmmm, I wonder if Museum Replicas could get the design (not sold as a certified replica of a movie prop) made for a lot less. And they would be weapons grade to boot.
That’s beautiful. I fenced with foil in college, and I wanted to do Spanish rapier. $3,000, though…I’m pretty sure Cold Steel makes sabers and smallswords for less than that, which you can actually fight with. Yes, I am aware that Cold Steel think way too highly of themselves.
@ Bob: Cannot say as though I know a lot about specific steels, but I get the impression that “fully functional” means you could actually use it as a sword if you wanted to. Granted, you would not want to, and they make it clear that such activities void the warranty, but how many sword-fights do we get into?
@ Dreaded Claymore: Not to mention Cold Steel is a little… wierd
. But, yeah, for a knockaround, you can do a lot better. For something that is damned gorgeous, though…