Angus Trim new 1433 sword review

[Bill Welch]

I have had the pleasure of getting to extensively handle and attempt to abuse the new 1433 from Angus Trim, and I must say, of all the sword that I have had the pleasure of handling this one simply put takes the cake..

The basic facts about this sword.

Weight: 3lbs 6 ½ oz.
Length: over all 45 5/8” blade: 34 7/8
Handle length: 8”
Cross width: 8”
Point of balance: 5” from cross
Center of percussion: 21” from cross
Blade width at cross: 2 3/8”
Blade width 4” from point 1 11/32”

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We were sent this sword by Angus, to test and see if under use, this sword would hold up and not loose an edge. well this sword survived everything we threw at it and kept right on cutting. Upon initial inspection I found this sword to be handy, very tip lively and remarkably quick in the turning and winding. The sharpness was a concern, this sword has a very fine sharp edge, at first but after some tough cutting our concern quickly went away.


We first took this sword to the cutting stand and cut 40 or so light targets such as milk jugs and coke bottles. Needless to say the sharp edge allowed for some very easy cutting on these light targets. I even managed to cut a few coke bottles two and three times.

After these we started moving to something a little harder, coconuts. This Sword easily cut 4 or 5 coconuts with ease and showed no damage to the blade at all. I have never really understood the problem with cutting coconuts; they just seem to cut for a few inches and then just explode.

Next we moved onto the main course PIG SHOULDER. My wife went to the local slaughter house and got a couple of pork shoulders specially ordered just for this cutting session. We explained to the guy what we wanted and he was more than happy to shave the meat off the shoulders to get it about as thick as the meat on a person.

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at first we took it kind of easy on it, just giving some half power tip and a few cuts at the cop, just to see what would happen to the edge, ( I have had trouble with sword edges and bone before).

We then moved to some full power shots and covered the pork with tee shirt to see how protective it could be,

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Well needless to say the tee shirt still allowed some pretty terrible cuts as can be seen from the pics above.

Next we covered the second pork shoulder in denim padding
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/bossqwjw/P3170299.jpg

The next series of strikes were full force, and intent, with three, four and five strikes
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One such strike cut thru the ball of the hip
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The leg was severed and was finished off on top of the cutting stand, after I drove the tip of the sword thru the shoulder blade by banging it against the ground repeatedly.
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The last thing that we struck with the sword was a buckler that I had made out of a piece of 16 ga galvanized steel. We figured we would save the best for last. We put the buckler on the end of a 7 ft pole for safety purposes, and then I struck the buckler a good zornhauw, twice on the flat of the buckler and once on the edge.
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The only resulting edge failure was a tiny rolled edge about ½” long that, I have no doubt could be remove easily with a stone, and the very tip was dulled from being pounded into the dirt, thru the pork shoulder blade.


I am greatly pleased with both the form and function of this sword. It easily transforms from guard to guard, and cuts thru anything I would want.
I am really looking forward to the new line of Agus Trim swords.

[david welch]

If I may, I have a couple of things to add to Bill's review.

First of all, there is really no way of just writing a review and getting the point across on how much abuse we put this sword through. We were cutting on pig bone that was free hanging and swinging through the air. I have read from other sword manufacturers in regards to damage to their blades that the damage was "operator error" due to not having a perfect blade angle on impact. Few of our cuts on the hanging bone were with ideal technique, and we planned it that way. There was a very high percentage of cuts made with the blade angled off the ideal line and it still cut into and through the bones, and they all did so without damaging the blade.

Bill also forgot to mention that as we cut up the bone into smaller pieces, we made several cuts into his cutting stand and made deep and heavy cuts into a very hard, brittle plastic without causing damage.

As a word of caution, Gus wants everyone to know not to try this with any of his other lines as they (along most other swords on the market today in my opinion) simply will not stand up to this amount of abuse.

The following is my interpretation of what I have been told by Gus, and any misunderstanding is strictly my fault.

This line is aimed directly at us, as martial artists. In the past, the biggest buyers of swords have been collectors, and backyard cutters cutting foam noodles, cardboard tubes and grass mats, with their "heaviest" target being light plywood, as a competition material going for cut depth. Most swords that have been offered to us have been these same swords with modifications designed to keep the old customers but beef it up just enough we wouldn't destroy them outright. Gus decided from earlier events that there is just no way to make a sword for us to use... again, as martial artists... while keeping it in line with what the backyard hobbyist collectors want.

This sword is a functional tool. It doesn't feel heavy, it feels robust. The fit is excellent. After all the cutting we did, it was as tight as it was when we started. The finish is functional. There are no deep machine marks on it, but it is also not a highly polished piece. Again, you pick it up and think "tool", not "art".

And last but not least, I believe these are going to run in the $450-$500 range.

I now have what I wanted... a sword maker that is trying to cater to our needs as martial artists. If nothing else, check the guy out and help by giving him some feedback.

We didn't get anything for this except the use of the sword to evaluate it, so it's not like I am being paid to say this. Of all the swords I have held so far, if money was no object, I want my next one to be from this line. If I had to get one to actually use for real, I would want one of these and I would recommend it to anybody with a clear conscience. Don't go to the Blade Show without checking these out.

David Welch

[Lance Chan]

I agree Gus makes very good tools for training. Check here as well for a review of his sword that I wrote not long ago:


http://www.rsw.com.hk/at1561.htm