I must agree with you Tim. Our experiments on cutting fresh raw meat with both replicas and antique baldes, as shown in some of the videos online here, evidence to that. Soft tissue is easily and gruesomely sheared by sharp metal things.
But as with other cuttting tests we did, you can see soft cloth armors were very effective against slices and draws and even short chopping blows from very sharp quality blades.
Recall also the comment by the Nizam in the 19th century to Capt. Nolan when he asked how they dismembered bodies and cut into torsos with single hand blows: “How do you strike with your swords to cut off men’s limbs?’ – ‘Strike hard, sir!’ said the old trooper. ‘Yes, of course; but how do you teach them to use their swords in that particular way?’ – ‘We never teach them any way, sir; a sharp sword will cut in any one’s hands.”
That same year English military officer and writer John Jacob, writing on good cutting swords, declared, “The things cut of themselves, however unskillfully handled.” Then later adds, “Straight swords will not cut, save in skillful hands; curved blades cut fearfully, with very little or no skill on the part of the soldier.”
There are many, many other such comments on the effects of cuts going back to the 16th century. (see my next book for these).
A repeated theme is swords cut terribly, but you must still strike with the necessary skill that produces force.
JC
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This sums up exactly what I am trying to say as well.