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 Reviewed
by -
Brian K. of Utah, USA
I was talking to Jason with Arms of
Valor, and he talked me into trying out
the Windlass Castillon Bastard Sword. He mentioned it had a
really good feel to it handling, and is one of
his preferred Windlass swords. So one
week later...
DESIGN, FIT & FINISH
Initially I was a bit hesitant not
having a fuller, as I prefer the look of
one. But in it's own unique way, it
looks good. The blade, handle, pommel,
and guard are all firmly in place, and
no rattle occurs between the guard and
blade when in use. The blade feels about
right in balance, and the handle and
pommel are perfect with an extra hand,
but this sword handles well with one
hand as well. My initial impression
though, was that the brass was a bit too
shiny, and almost has a plastic look to
it from a distance. The blade polishing
job from Windlass isn't flawless either,
as several places on the blade show poor
mirror polishing. The brown leather
handle has a sheen as well, and I would
rather have a black matte or flat black
as well. This sword handles better than
it looks for sure, but that isn't to say
it is a poorly designed sword. It just
needed a little more attention to
polishing the blade, and perhaps an
antique brass finish would better suit
the Windlass Castillon Bastard Sword.
CUTTING
The Castillon came razor sharp from Arms of
Valor, and I mean razor. It sliced
through paper like butta' with no
tearing. So applause to Jason and his
sharpening skills. Now, I didn't
try to hack anything big and heavy, as I
didn't want to risk a poor form
experience and tweak my blade. This
being my first Windlass sword, I didn't
know what to expect for blade
durability. But what
I did cut, it handled with ease. This
consisted mostly of water bottles and
milk cartons. But I did do multiple
water bottles, and the Castillon passed
with flying colors. Multiple bottles are
a good test of sharpness and blade
durability, and even on some cuts that
the blade angled poorly the blade shined
through with no bend or tweaks. Nothing
like batting a bottle across the yard
and the blade remains in good form.
CONCLUSION
Seems like a great performer, and nice
light cutter. The blade doesn't look
like it is built like a tank, so I
hesitate to test it too much, for now.
But the common entry level cutting
materials pass with flying colors. As
you can see with the image to the left,
it is quite a flexible blade, but short
enough to not be 'whippy'. So I wouldn't
classify it as a heavy thrusting sword,
as I would reserve that for a sword with
stiff flex. This seems to be common with
Windlass swords, and the longer the
blade is the greater chance you would
get a 'whippy' sword. At the same time
though, the flex capability is also a
fine demonstration of a great tempering
of the blade.
 The Castillon is a recommended Windlass product
in my book,
though there are other blades in the
same price range that might beat it. But
it handles beautifully and feels really
good as mentioned to me by
Jason with Arms of
Valor, which is a plus in this price
range.
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