Warborn BladesThe Cutlass: The Sailor's Sword, Plainly Explained
Short, heavy, curved and built for close quarters.
What a cutlass is
A cutlass is a short, broad, slightly curved cutting sword with a heavy hand guard, carried at sea from roughly the 17th to the 19th century. Blades run 24 to 30 inches — short enough to swing below deck without burying the tip in a beam.
The guard is usually a solid shell, basket or cup of iron or brass. Sailors fought crowded, in the dark, with rigging in the way. The hand needed a roof over it.
Cutlass, sabre, machete
A sabre is longer and lighter, built for a rider's reach. A cutlass is shorter, thicker and built for a deck.
A machete is a tool with a sword's shape and no guard worth the name. Many cheap cutlasses are simply machetes with a shell bolted on; check that the guard is pinned or riveted, not glued.
What to look for
Carbon or spring steel for anything you intend to swing. Full tang. A guard fastened through the tang, not merely seated against the grip.
The curve should be gentle. A dramatic scimitar curve is a fantasy piece, not a naval pattern.
Naval reproductions worth knowing by name: the British 1804 and 1845 patterns, and the American Model 1860. Those are the shapes a knowledgeable buyer expects.
The wall this cry speaks of
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Where this steel hangs
Medieval Swords for SaleAsked of the house
- What is the difference between a cutlass and a sabre?
- A cutlass is shorter, broader and heavier with a full hand guard, made for crowded shipboard fighting. A sabre is longer and lighter, made primarily for cavalry.
- How long is a cutlass blade?
- Typically 24 to 30 inches, deliberately short so it can be swung in confined space.
- Were cutlasses actually used by pirates?
- Yes, and by every navy of the age. It was issue equipment, not costume.
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