The 1917 pattern Cutlass by Cold Steel

With each advancement in arms, there is always a presumption that all weapons that came before are rendered obsolete.  The sword has suffered from this perception probably more than any other cutting weapon, yet for no good reason other than the revelation of the true nature of human weakness...let me explain.

"Weapons" such as the axe, the lance, the spear, even the pilum are rather "direct" in their employment and are relatively easy to master.  Throwing a spear, pilum, or javalin is perfectly within the capability of a modestly trained person.  The long spear and lance, again, rather simple and easy to learn as they are not meant for radical employment within the classical expectations of combat.

The axe...and it's more battle oriented cousin, the Tomahawk, are a bit more diverse in their use and can be studied and "learned" with significant skill, yet as issued, they are pretty easy to master for the simple purpose of hacking someone down.

The sword on the other hand is none of these.  It has no "farm" purpose.  It is NOT an overbuilt machete and is not at all ideal for chopping one's way through dense underbrush.  The sword exists for one reason only - to kill living creatures, primarily human.  The sword in it's many different patterns can be simply employed, but is really meant to be learned, and mastered.  Here is one reason why I think the average person was eager to toss the sword for the gun...because one demands devotion and practice, while the other is truly "The Equalizer."  For example, a big man with a big sword who is trained well is more likely to dominate the smaller man or woman unless that person has trained for such an encounter.  The gun cares not how large is the man, the woman, nor how strong they may be.  The development of the gun allowed people to stop committing so much time to sword proficiency, and so today, many presume swords have no use.

Many clowns, when asked about owning a sword will respond by saying, "I'd rather spend the money on another case of ammo..."  completely and deliberately ignoring the fact that one can run out of bullets, and one can find themselves in close combat with an empty gun.  Certainly a large knife is a serious and deadly implement, just as is the sword - only the sword more so.  In fact, in a confrontation between a man with an empty gun and a man with a sword - assuming the sword user is serious and committed, there will be only one outcome.  Sword-to-knife?  Same outcome.

The sword doesn't just provide standoff capability over the knife, it provides weight and the ability to not simply block or deflect a knife-wielding hand, but to completely sever it.  If a sword slashes across a human torso with just the first 6" of tip making contact, that person is instantly stopped, and dead, or dying.  The problem with "modern" swords is the sheer lack of evolutionary development over the last 100+ years.  Most swords today are "pattern" swords designed to model older designs for the sake of nostalgia, not for modern battle, and so are not built to be compatible with modern "load outs" as it were.

But suffice it to say, the sword still has a use...especially so in any post-modern apocalypse scenario.

So what is the "ideal" sword?  The novice asks.  A valid question considering sword choices are much like personalities..."personal."

As the title of this article denotes, I think the modern rendering of the 1917 United States Navy Cutlass, built by Cold Steel, is probably about as close to ideal as possible.  Any variation from this design to build a better blade could only be for cosmetic purposes.

Being the owner of a variety of blades from several Katanas to the mighty Gross Messer, a few Gladius, as well as a "pattern" Greek Hoplite sword.  I own a slender, double-edge Odachi that is very similar to the Chinese Jian.  I love them all, and I appreciate what each is capable of.  In fact, if one can only have ONE sword when the world ends...whatever sword that happens to be at the time will be better than any other edged weapon for the purpose of martial combat!

But the ONE that stands out for being truly designed for "everyday" carry and combat is the Cold Steel Cutlass.  It's the result of 2,000 years of sword design, and it shows.  The blade is an almost ideal 25 inches with a slight upward curvature.  The blade is heavy enough without being overweight...an improvement over previous cutlass designs.  The clip point makes sense.  By cutting away the last few inches of upward sweep, the tip is made stronger, and more inline with the blade center line for excellent thrusting behavior, and the clip point is stronger.  The blade is built from a known quality 1055 moderate carbon steel with spring properties.  The blade complies with the British proof test that requires flexing to 45 degrees to either side with the blade returning to true.  It's got enough carbon to be sharp "enough," yet is still flexible - though it will take something more than simply hand-testing the flex to make that blade deflect from center...

The blade is heavy enough to cut through a human torso sized bone-in roast, which means arms and legs are of little impediment.  Since the 1917 is about as modern of a design as possible, it benefits from all that has been learned by those engaged in sword combat over the centuries.  The blade is not too heavy, yet is full-tang with wood scales attached by screw rivets.  Being a cutlass, it of course has a formed sheet steel hand guard which would certainly come in handy in any real "blade-on-blade combat.  Its leather scabbard with belt keeper is easily added to any belt for waist carry with the cutlass hanging vertically and compact.  The 1917 cutlass isn't quite as blade-heavy as is any modern rendering of the Katana, but it's simple, single-handed grip makes it easier to manipulate in close over the classic, two-handed Katana.  Some will say, then why not go with a Wakizashi of around 18" blade length with single-grip Tsuka, but handling one will instantly prove why the pattern cutlass is superior.  The Japanese blade style closest to the cutlass is the Ko-Katana with a blade around 21" yet it looses some due to the two-handed Tsuka.  One can easily tell both the Wakizashi and Ko-Katana lack the blade weight of the cutlass.

Sure one can have a custom 25" Katana blade built with single-handed grip...which would basically end up being no "better" than the relatively inexpensive, yet quality built Cold Steel 1917 cutlass.

Granted the "apple-seed" cross-section of a Katana blade, combined with proper, water stone polish to produce a perfect, razor sharp cutting edge is representative of the sword maker's art at its finest, but for practical purposes this simply isn't necessary, and makes it much harder to keep the blade in perfect condition.  The fact is, any sword blade with enough weight, and "sharp enough" to cut through a human torso is plenty adequate outside the paper-comparison fantasy world.

What does the classic Katana cross-section blade bring to the table that we cannot obtain from the cutlass?  Not much really.  The cutlass blade is much easier to refurbish on a sharpening wheel and capable of achieving razor sharpness.

To further validate the 1917 "modern" cutlass design, by World War II we see many examples of Japanese "Nihonto" built with a western style "saber" grip and hilt, while retaining the excellent, single-edged curvature of the classic blade.

The Cold Steel 1917 pattern cutlass offers amazing value for the money, and gives the "survivalist" a close-in "tactical" blade capable of striking down an enemy at close quarters!
The simple belt loop of the scabbard frog makes it easy to slide onto any heavy belt to be carried in the vertical with little impediment to normal movement, yet readily accessible.


Unfortunately, carrying a sword brings with it the obligation to learn its handling characteristics, and to train with it to develop need "muscle memory" for close quarters combat, but for that moment one is facing an onrushing maniac with an empty gun, the ability to quickly draw and deliver a devastating sword blow is worth the effort.