First, believe it or not, this is my first review of anything on the forum. I've never been that great at reviews, but I wanted to give it a shot with my new purchase from Kult of Athena.
I am sure most on the forum are acquainted with KoA; great customer service and a site that has quite a selection as to weapons, kit and gear for the discriminating Ranger, as well as those who are on a budget. It was with this in mind that I was looking at the site last week, and came across this:
http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp ... +Bone+Grip
With a reasonable price (to me) of 89.95, this attractive short sword looked to be a steal. Although it is not stated in the description, a little Googling showed that the sword does come from the elves of Pakistan. I am sure that if I had emailed KoA, I would have found that out as well. But, this did not deter me from ordering. I love the look of the hilt, and the use of organic materials. So today the short sword came and I like it very much. Now, I have no experience with the "damascus steel" or the claim that it is battle ready, but in the hand it feels good. Here are the stats per KoA:
Overall Length: 23 7/8'' Blade: 18 1/4''
Retail Price: $129.95
$89.95
Weight: 1 lb 8.9 oz
Edge: Moderately Sharp
P.O.B.: 3 1/8''
Thickness: 4.9 mm - 5.4 mm
Width: 51.9 mm
Grip Length: 4''
Pommel: Peened
Here are some pics from the website:
![Image](http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab45/freerangecelt/sword1_zps2c56c4b2.jpg)
![Image](http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab45/freerangecelt/sword2_zps56affbd1.jpg)
![Image](http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab45/freerangecelt/sword3_zps8317fddc.jpg)
![Image](http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab45/freerangecelt/sword4_zps745a974d.jpg)
![Image](http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab45/freerangecelt/sword5_zpseef24e1d.jpg)
Overall, the workmanship is good, but the brass spacers could have used a bit more smoothing, as there some minute burrs that can be felt with the finger. The wood is beautifully polished and lacquered, and the horn and bone are devoid of cracks, but the bone does have imperfections expected with a natural item, that, to me, add to the appeal of the sword. The meeting of the blade to horn guard is firm and tight. I am assuming that this is a carbon steel blade, as I have no experience with "damascus" or pattern welded blades. The blade did come oiled. It is peened, which is interesting, as coming from Pakistan, I would have thought it would have been threaded to the stainless steel pommel. The scabbard seems to be generic and is ill fitting, in both form and use, for this weapon. I intend to make one that is a little more fitting for this short sword. As for fitting into my Ranger arsenal of weapons, my conceit is that of the eket http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/e/eket.html that we have spoken of many times on the group.
In conclusion, to me this is an inexpensive sword with an attractive hilt of natural materials that makes for a nice addition to anyone's armory, as long as it's limitations are respected. Any questions, comments, or opinions are greatly encouraged, as well as ideas on a scabbard for this sword.
Ken