Subject: duine-uasal 'man of pride' clan warrior
Culture: Highland Scot
Setting: clan warfare, Scottish Highlands 16-17thc
I bought this during a visit to the Armour Class workshop in 2004, while in Scotland for a conference lecture at Glasgow University. It's a very attractive sword with perfect weight and balance, but this was achieved by making the blade exceptionally thin. This thinness makes the blade extremely wobbly. It buckles when thrust into targets, and whips side to side when attempting to cut.
I would have preferred a thickened, unsharpened ricasso, which would not only help stabilize this wobbling but also provide an extended grip surface for half-swording techniques.
With a shorter hilt and no appreciable distal or profile taper on its blade, this sword is much heavier than the Armour Class claymore above. But this extra blade weight can be offset by half-swording the unsharpened ricasso. The carved twist in the hilt is comfortable to grip.
