The Most Strongly Curved Single-Handed Cutting Sword I've Tested!

If you like 'em curvy, it's hard to top this... The sliciest of swords (technical term). This is my test and review of the LK Chen shamshir, a remarkably light but powerful saber.

It's a reproduction of a 19th century Persian shamshir at the Metropolitan museum in New York city, and the historical accuracy is a lot higher than most of what you find on the market in this comparatively modest price range.

I went a little overboard with hardwood cores in the tatami mats I was testing several swords on, and while I struggled with most of them, the shamshir was like a cheat code that brought the difficulty way down. Quite impressive!

Hope you enjoy the epic scenery... Filming in this location was a little challenging.


** Specifications **

Overall length: 89 cm (35 in)
Blade length: 73.7 cm (29 in)
Blade width: 3cm (1-3/16 in)
Blade thickness: 5mm at guard, tapering to 2mm near tip (3/16 - 1/16 in)

Weight: 720 g (1 lb 9.4 oz)
Point of balance: ≈ 10 cm (4 in) from the guard

Blade material: GB 60Si2MnA spring steel (comparable to 5160, but higher silicon, lower chromium content)
Guard & fittings: stainless steel


** Pros / Cons **

Extremely light and nimble
Excellent blade geometry, very sharp edge
Strong and durable

Some imperfections in the finish


** Where to get it **

https://www.kultofathena.com/product/... (affiliate link)
https://lkchensword.com/shop-1/ols/pr...


** Sources **

The original
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
Very similar design
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
18th century
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
18thC
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
18th-19thC
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
19thC
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
Richly ornamented
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
Almost identical weight
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Fath Ali Shah
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Subtly but beautifully decorated
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...


Review of a similar saber (not as good):    • This $300 Reproduction Kilij Surprised Me...  
A shield to go with this:    • There is Only One "Problem" with this Shie...  


** Music credits **

"Mektaba" by Elerya
https://opengameart.org/content/mektaba
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (CC BY 3.0)

Outro:
"Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records
https://theslantedroom.github.io/stev...
Used with artist's permission


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