an axe is much heavier than a sword? they are not even comparable in the force difference between them a blunt axe cleaving an arm is very different from a blunt sword an axe has a top ended heavy weight so even blunt it would work like a hammer not something a sword can do.
Yes, but you can make up for the blunt force of the axe by leverage, weapon length and technique. It has been demonstrated.
And Yes, it would have an edge. but the idea that that edge should be razor or even very sharp is what is being discussed. A sharp edge is going to be more weak by virtue of the amount of steel there. The sharper it is the more it get dulled, chipped and worn.
swords would have to be sharp enough to an extent to cut through thick materials that is a fact, the question lies in how sharp that has to be, in order to remain effiecient it would have to be reasonably sharp or probably be rendered useless by the end of a battle anyway given it is being used repeatedly for around an hour.
This is where I disagree. The sharper the edge, the less resilient. In a battlefield scenario, and edge you put on it wold be gone and turned into a saw with in minutes. A more modest edge over less of the sword is going to be your best bet.[/quote]
As for grabbing the edge of a sword without touching the edge and fighting like that i suggest you try it, the hand strength required would be ridiculous.
I do it all the time. A bunch of my forms do stuff like that.
,the problem in my opinion is that medieval sword manuals make for poorer evidence that practioners realise which is why you barely see them noted as an academic source. what they show for a tournament was not necessarily intended for use on the battlefield when your actually trying to kill your opponent and people grabbing weapons/ grappling was more of a risk.
I am not going by those sources. I have never read any of them.
I think this will be last post on the matter as we have reached an obvious impass and iv derailed the thread enough.
That is unfortunate.
