What is the BEST Single-Handed Sword in History?

Play Enlisted for FREE on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PS5: playen.link/skallagrim2023 Enlisted is an MMO squad based shooter in World War II. Get an exclusive bonus by downloading through the link! So what's your favorite sword? By the way, don't forget we're talking about single-handed swords... I already see people bring up katanas. xD

I'm much more of a fan of straighter swords, notably arming- and long-, but I have to admit the way the curve of a sabre flows with slashes is very pleasing to watch.

"You can't escape bias." Bless you, sir, for being forthright with this. I always appreciate the honest evaluation including contexts.

There's actually a few historical reasons for the Chinese Jian you reviewed having both that guard and handle length. The sword is based off of one from the Han Dynasty. In the Han Dynasty, they used a type of shield with that sword, which rendered hand protection less necessary. Most swords from later dynasties have more substantial guards because those shields started to fall out of favor, and because the Jian started to be replaced by the Dao on the battlefield, so they became a dueling/self defense weapon. The handle length is because a lot of Jian techniques work with either one or two hands, and at least with the ones that had this handle length, you were kind of intended to switch between one and two handed use as the situation demanded.

Over the past 2 years I've really fallen in love with sabers, especially Hungarian ones. They flow like water and are so versatile.

I think you might not want a guard on a gladius since it might get caught up on your scutum, or the scutum of the guy next to you, or the shield of the guy you are stabbing at.

A 10 hour video on all single handed swords would absolutely be awesome.

As a Polish patriot, traditionalist and nationalist i need to say that Polish hussar sabre is the best weapon for duels. Now i can go back to watching more of your videos.

I realize you aren't a big fan of the Katana, but the wakizashi is a great personal defense sword. It's light small enough to not get caught and be easy to carry, while being a great cutter and thruster, it's also small enough to be concealed if necessary.

I can't believe Skall left out the lightsaber! Easy to carry, easy to deploy and no issues with your blade bumping into things :D I'd love to watch some more sidesword content!

A messer does make a lot of sense as a self-defense sword. It filled that exact role in Germany for a very long time.

I am actually a big fan of the cutlass/falchion/messer variety of swords, as well of the self defense category, so I definitely approve of this video. It's also nice to see that both my preferred usage and sword type line up 😉.

The tulwar is a really good contender for the battlefield category, although the saber and the sidesword do have better hand protection, which is a pretty big deal.

Thank you, Skallagrim! I'm developing a story where the climax involves a sword duel, and videos like this help me to make it as realistically accurate as possible. I appreciate it and all that you do!

Great approach to the topic of “best sword ever!” Skall. The caveats you laid out and the fact that you’re willing to lay bare your biases are such a welcome take on comparing potentially radically different swords separates by centuries and cultures. On the Nimcha, you likely know this, but for those playing along at home, these swords were popular throughout north Africa starting perhaps in the late 16th century, and with distinct forms in Morocco, Algeria and Zanzibar. They often had imported blades from Europe, adapted for local use, and we see a wide variety of sizes and profiles, but initially there was a tendency for shortbladed “Naval” use, effectively seeing them as the role of the North African cutlass.

nice summary. I like the three contexts. You might want to go into the sabre's advantage for horseback combat. If you turn the blade edge up, and stab on horseback - the motion forward (as you ride past) will tend to pull the sword out of the enemy's body, where a straight sword might get pulled out of your hands.

I love these types of videos from you! Not afraid to reveal your bias, while still being very knowledgable, informative and able to thoroughly explain why you believe your opinions! Great choices! Honorable mentions for me would be Zweihanders or other types of greatsword for battlefield use or outer castle defense. And then for carry/civilian defensive swords, wakizashi, falx, xiphos come to mind too. I really agree with your choices overall!

I freaking love basket hilt swords, and you really need superman deltoids to be able to use them like Scotts. Many regimental basket hilts made in Victoria era were much lighter. Some even allows you to saber grip with modified designs.

I've been considering branching out from Fiori Longsword into single handed swords too and this was a super helpful video to quickly cover all the styles of sword I had been considering.

Saber is the most versatile single-handed sword in the history. Keep in mind that since XVIII century soldiers of most European countries were equipped with sabers. The saber is very fast and easier to move than any other sword at closer ranges and your free hand is ready to grab at the hilt or arms of the opponent. A curved blade is also easier to draw. So in short, the curved saber became the military weapon of choice (in terms of swords) because it was far more practical than any other option.😊