Cold Steel88GMS Grosse Messer with Leather Scabbard, Brown

I have several swords and do not propose to be an expert by any means. I do recognize quality, and this product surely offers that! The very sharp blade is so well polished you could comb your teeth in it. The guard and pommel are free of any marks and are well blued with no sharp edges. The scales have just a touch of grit to them that I believe a bit of handling and oil will smooth, with the rivets smooth and blued. Everything is tight with no rattles. The sheath is tight, especially when it nears the guard, but not so tight you would have difficulty removing it. Of course you will need a frog if you wish to carry this sword, which reminds me of a bayonet were the guard ring relocated. The sword is heavy, so unless you have been spending an inordinate amount of time working out, two hand use would be needed for any real use. It would be a shame to take this into the field (hacking down trees etc.) for use because it is so nice to look at. I read something recently that these swords were designed to savage the body of an opponent, not trees or barrels etc. Of course at $200 I do not expect a present-day sword to hold up to that sort of use. But of the period swords utilized during the renaissance, what of their use against shields or armor?

If you're looking for a sword that rivals the chopping and hewing power of an axe, look no further. The Grosse Messer from Cold Steel is one of the most absurdly powerful hand-to-hand combat weapon I have ever had the privilege to use.The single edge, combined with the upswept tip mean that it's possible to take a full, baseball bat-style swing at either wooden or softer target, and there's a good chance this blade will go right through it. 3-4" branches? Sure. A small tree? It'll be a few strokes, but you could do it. A man shaped target in chain mail armor? Goes through it like paper. The tip is razor sharp and extremely well balanced by the pommel at the end of the weapon, but while it's completely capable of running a man through, you bought this thing for the edge.The handle, handguard, and pommel are all very well made, but could be better in at least one aspect. The rosewood scales are handsome, no nonsense, and perfectly ready to use right from the get go. The hand guard is thick, stamped, blued steel with a knuckle guard on the right side, and wobbles slightly, but this is to be expected and can be fixed by an armorer. The pommel is my real buggaboo: rather than weld it on to make it virtually inseparable from the tang, Cold Steel chose instead to peen it to the tang. The pommel comes rather tight, and is fitted well, but will start to loosen after use. I suggest nutting up and welding it to the tang.In short; this is a blade that anyone who knows the sharp end from the blunt end of a sword can use to learn to use effectively. You will not regret making this purchase.

Ok, this is my first sword, and for the price and quality I am happy with it. With that said there were a few issues. On arrival there was some damage, one of the guard had broken out of the side of the box and had a small ding in it. I was rather supprised at it was double boxed and had bubble wrap over the sword itself. For me this is going to be a used sword not a display sword so a few marks just add charachter. for over all fit, finish, and quality, it could have been better. the metal of the guard was well blued but a little rough, I would have liked to see it a bit more polished to match the pommel and fitting on the scabbard. the handle was not sealed, which i was very happy with, varnish can be rough on the hands. the handle was also a little bit rough, i am probably going to smooth mine just a little with some 220 grit sandpaper, and seal it with some boiled linseed oil that i use on wooden tool handles. (once a day for 7 days, once a month for a year, then once a year) the fit of the handle was good, the wood wraps all the way around. it was however not lined up perfectly, near the guard and pommed there are a couple spots where it stick out maybe 1/16th from them but is nothing I found to be an issue. the sword came with grease on it to prevent rust. when i cleaned and degreased I did find some light surface rust, mostly on the blued steel of the guard, pommel, and fittings of the scabbard, these mostly wiped away with some brake cleaner and a paper towel. i decided on using a wax to seal the blade, i prefer renaissance wax, which is a museam grade wax, but any wax should do. this will seal the metal and prevent rust, and it wont flash off or dry up like oils can. the blade was decently sharp out of box but from my perspective needed some work. over all, to get a functional sword, it is a good deal for the money.over all I would recommend this sword.

It’s a cool sword and it definitely cuts up basic stuff like bottles and fruits but the packaging was terrible and for some reason my guard is bent upwards. It could be made that way or something got really messed up on the swords way here. Other pictures on the sword from both reviews and the Amazon listing have straight guards

The swords being sold on Amazon might be seconds like mine was and have some issues like blemishes. However it hasn't diminished its tauted toughness. You need to treat it like any sword even if it is much more robust than the average. That means not trying to cut through entire logs. As for the loose hilt issue that often comes up, keep the grips well oiled so they don't shrink. Mine did and I noticed a rattle and looseness, but after better care it has been resolved and is now unnoticeable.This version is also far better than the MAA edition which has terrible edge sharpening. This one has a very steep flat grind that runs all the way to the spine it seems. Not like the MAA which has a very obvious bevel and thus performs much worse. The blade is also usually polished to a mirror finish unlike the cheap black of the MAA.Overall it's a great deal.