A cutlass is a short, broad, single edged sword with a guard over the whole hand. It exists because of where it was used. On a crowded deck there is no room for a long blade and nothing to brace against, so the sword got shorter, closer to the short swords, and the blade got wider to keep the weight in the cut, and the hilt grew a shell or a knuckle bow because a sailor swinging in a crowd needed his hand covered from every direction at once. The same blade did duty cutting line and canvas, which is why the point is clipped rather than needle fine.
The six here run 28 to 31 inches overall with 22 to 25 inches of blade. Three are plain 1095 high carbon hardened to 54 to 58 HRC and three are forge welded Damascus of 1095 and 15N20 at 58 to 60 HRC, hand etched. Guards run from a plain cross with a swept bow up to raised brass shells engraved with a raven or a sun wheel, and five of the six ship in a leather scabbard.
If you want one sword you can swing indoors without redecorating, this is the category.
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Cutlasses
Why the cutlass is short and wide
Every feature of a cutlass comes from the space it was used in. A ship's deck is crowded, low and moving. There are ropes overhead, men either side and no clear ground to step back onto. A long sword in that environment is a liability. It snags, it needs room to draw and it needs room to swing, and you have none of those things.
So the blade shortened. Twenty two to twenty five inches is enough to reach across the space between two people and short enough to draw and use in a press. But a short blade carries less mass, and less mass means a weaker cut, so the blade widened instead. A broad single edged blade with a deep belly puts the weight back where the cut lands without adding length, which is why the cutlass hits like something considerably longer than it is.
The point got clipped. A clipped point takes weight out of the tip so the sword recovers faster between cuts, and it leaves enough of a point to thrust with. It also survives being used as a tool. A cutlass spent far more of its life cutting line, canvas and salt pork than it ever spent fighting, and a fine needle point would have snapped in the first week.
The cutlasses in this collection
Six blades between 28 and 31 inches overall. Three in plain high carbon steel, three in Damascus, and four different approaches to guarding the hand.
Cutlasses in 1095 high carbon
The longest sword here is 31 inches overall on a 25 inch blade, polished bright, with a broad single edged blade, a clipped point and three narrow fullers running along the forte. Fullers take weight out of the flat where the steel is not doing much, which stiffens the blade without making it heavier. Its guard is a straight steel cross with a filed texture and a swept knuckle bow ending in a hooked finial, and the grip is walnut slab scales pinned with three steel rivets under a steel cap cut with an eight point star. Brown leather scabbard, steel throat and chape. At 315 dollars it is the least expensive piece on the page.
The naval pattern runs 30 inches overall on a 24 inch blade, with a near straight spine and a sharply clipped point, polished bright with an etched Norse knotwork band along the forte. Its guard is a steel stirrup knuckle bow with a hooked upturned quillon, which is the classic boarding cutlass arrangement, and the grip is ribbed black leather over a shaped core with a steel ferrule and a peened steel pommel. Black leather scabbard with steel fittings.
The third is also 30 inches overall on a 24 inch blade, with a curved single edge, a clipped point and a mirror polish. It carries an engraved steel shell with a full knuckle bow, and the grip is ribbed leather over a corded core under a steel pommel cap. A corded core under leather gives you a ribbed surface that stays put in a wet hand, which is exactly the problem a shipboard sword had. Black leather scabbard with polished steel throat and chape.
Cutlasses in Damascus
Three blades are forge welded Damascus of 1095 and 15N20, hand etched, hardened to 58 to 60 HRC, and all three carry brass rather than steel furniture.
The shortest sword on the page is 28 inches overall on a 22 inch blade, broad with a deep belly and a cut Elder Futhark rune line. Its guard is a raised brass shell engraved with a raven, with a hooked quillon and a rune cut knuckle bow, and the grip is ribbed dark brown leather over a shaped core with a brass ferrule and a peened brass pommel. Brown leather scabbard, brass throat and chape.
The naval Damascus is 30 inches overall on a 24 inch blade, with an engraved Elder Futhark rune line down the blade and a brass shell guard carrying an engraved sun wheel medallion, a hooked quillon and a rune cut knuckle bow. Ribbed black leather grip, brass ferrule, peened brass pommel, black leather scabbard with brass fittings. At 465 dollars it is the most expensive cutlass here and the most finished.
The third Damascus is 29 inches overall on a 23 inch blade, broad with a deep belly and an engraved panel at the ricasso, under an open brass knuckle bow cut with knotwork, a hooked quillon and a small brass langet. Ribbed black leather grip, brass ferrule and a brass pommel cut with a valknut. One thing to know before you buy it: this is the only sword on the page that ships without a scabbard, in a protective blade wrap instead.
Lengths, steels and fittings across the range
Every figure below is taken from the specification panel of a piece on this page. These are forged and ground by hand, so read the numbers as what to expect rather than as a promise to the millimetre. None of these listings gives a weight, so no weights are quoted.
| Pattern | Steel and hardness | Overall length | Blade length | Guard | Grip and scabbard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirate cutlass, three fullers | 1095 at 54 to 58 HRC | 31 in | 25 in | Straight steel cross, swept knuckle bow with hooked finial | Walnut scales, brown leather scabbard, steel fittings |
| Naval cutlass, knotwork etch | 1095 at 54 to 58 HRC | 30 in | 24 in | Steel stirrup knuckle bow, hooked upturned quillon | Ribbed black leather, black scabbard, steel fittings |
| Cutlass, mirror polished | 1095 at 54 to 58 HRC | 30 in | 24 in | Engraved steel shell with a full knuckle bow | Ribbed leather over a corded core, black scabbard |
| Cutlass, valknut pommel | Damascus of 1095 and 15N20 at 58 to 60 HRC | 29 in | 23 in | Open brass knuckle bow, hooked quillon, brass langet | Ribbed black leather, blade wrap, no scabbard |
| Naval cutlass, sun wheel shell | Damascus of 1095 and 15N20 at 58 to 60 HRC | 30 in | 24 in | Brass shell with sun wheel medallion, rune cut bow | Ribbed black leather, black scabbard, brass fittings |
| Pirate cutlass, raven shell | Damascus of 1095 and 15N20 at 58 to 60 HRC | 28 in | 22 in | Raised brass shell engraved with a raven, rune cut bow | Ribbed dark brown leather, brown scabbard, brass fittings |
How a short broad blade handles
A cutlass feels nothing like a sabre of the same weight. The mass sits closer to the guard because there is less blade to spread it over, so the sword changes direction fast and stops fast. That is the whole advantage in a confined space, and it is why a cutlass is the easiest sword on this site to handle badly and get away with.
The broad blade does the work a longer one would do with reach. A deep belly puts steel where the cut lands, so the sword still hits hard even though it is short. What you give up is distance. Anyone with a 37 inch szabla can stand a foot further away than you can, and on open ground that matters. In a doorway it does not.
Steel and hardness
Two steels run through this page. Plain 1095 high carbon is hardened to 54 to 58 HRC. It sharpens fast, takes a bright or mirror polish, and is the sensible choice if the sword will be used and maintained. Damascus of 1095 and 15N20 is forge welded and hand etched, hardened to 58 to 60 HRC, holding an edge a little longer at the cost of taking longer to bring back.
The Damascus pattern is in the steel rather than printed on it. The two alloys take carbon differently, so the acid etch bites one more deeply than the other and the layers read as light and dark bands across the belly of the blade. Hard polishing flattens the contrast over years, which is a good reason to wipe rather than buff.
Neither steel is stainless. Both rust if you leave them wet and both take a grey patina that does no harm. Every blade here ships with a working edge and can be sharpened further on request at no charge.
Guards, grips and scabbards
Four guard types appear across these six swords, and they protect in different amounts. A straight cross with a swept bow is the lightest and leaves the hand freest. A stirrup bow is the naval standard, a single loop from quillon to pommel that covers the knuckles and nothing else. A shell guard adds a plate across the outside of the hand, which is the most protection here and the most metal. A raised shell does the same and stands proud of the hand, so the plate takes a blow without transmitting it into your fingers.
Grips split into leather and wood. Ribbed leather over a shaped or corded core is the shipboard answer, and it is still the better grip in a wet or sweaty hand because the ribs give your fingers something to close on. Walnut slab scales pinned with rivets are the older and plainer arrangement, and they look better on a wall than they feel in a fist after twenty minutes.
Five of the six come with a leather scabbard, matched in fittings to the sword. The Damascus piece with the valknut pommel ships in a protective blade wrap instead, so budget for a scabbard separately if you want one. Leather stiffens at first and shapes itself to the blade over a few weeks, and no carbon steel blade should live in one for months at a stretch.
Sharpening a broad belly
The section that does the cutting on a cutlass is the belly, roughly the middle third of the edge and often a little forward of it. That is the part to keep sharp, and it is also the part that takes the most metal off a stone, so work it in its own passes rather than trying to run the whole edge in one stroke.
The curve matters. Sweep the blade so the contact point travels along the edge as you push, and follow the angle already on the steel rather than imposing a new one. For 1095 at 54 to 58 HRC a 1000 grit stone puts a working edge back in a few minutes and a 3000 grit polishes it. Damascus at 58 to 60 HRC takes longer to cut and holds the result longer.
Rust, salt and storage
Carbon steel and salt air are old enemies, which is why every historical cutlass that survives is pitted. Yours will not be going to sea, but the principle stands. Wipe the blade down after handling, because fingerprints etch into a mirror polish within days and a mirror finish shows every mark. Leave a light film of oil on the steel and keep it there.
Store the sword out of its scabbard if it is going away for months. Leather holds moisture against steel and a damp scabbard is the most common reason a carefully kept blade comes out spotted. A wall rack, a stand or a drawer with a cloth all work better.
Engraving and gifting
Most of these can be engraved after they arrive in the United States. Names, dates and rune lines go along the ricasso, onto a langet or onto the pommel, and several pieces already carry cut work, from an Elder Futhark line on a knuckle bow to a valknut on a brass cap and a raven raised on a shell. Text engraving is 19 dollars, a symbol is 39 dollars and a family crest is 49 dollars.
Elder Futhark is a phonetic alphabet rather than a cipher, so a name is written by sound rather than letter for letter, and there is no rune for the letter C. Engraving is permanent and an engraved piece cannot be returned, so send the exact spelling and read it back before you order.
Where these cutlasses come from and how they ship
Ransack Viking is a US company based in Chicago, Illinois. The pieces are handmade in the Czech Republic, then imported, inspected and shipped from Chicago. Engraving is done in the US after arrival.
Blades are forged and ground by hand, so grind lines, etch figure and the colour of leather or walnut vary between two swords of the same name. Swords ship in a long box with the blade in its scabbard, or in a blade wrap for the one that has none. Check the guard is tight and the pommel is seated before you hang anything on a wall.
How to choose
For a first cutlass, take the 31 inch piece in 1095. It is the longest here, the simplest hilt, the least expensive, and the steel comes back on a stone quickly if you sharpen it.
For the classic boarding sword look, the naval pattern with the steel stirrup bow is the one that matches the picture in most people's heads.
For a wall, take one of the brass shell Damascus pieces. The etch and the engraved shells read from across a room where a plain polished blade turns into a mirror and disappears.
Browse related categories
- Sabres, the longer curved cavalry blade
- Falchions with a broad cleaving blade
- Messers, the single edged knife sword
- Short swords across the wider range
- Basket and shell hilt swords
- Scimitars, the deeper curve
- Damascus swords across the whole range
- Scabbards and replacement sheaths
- Sword stands and wall displays
Guides worth reading first
- How to buy your first sword
- Display sword vs battle ready, what the terms mean
- Damascus vs high carbon steel, and which to buy
- How to sharpen a curved blade without flattening the belly
- Blade shapes and what each one is good at
- How to display swords and axes at home
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a cutlass and a sabre?
Length and width, mostly. A cutlass is short and broad, usually under 26 inches of blade, with a heavy guard over the hand and a deep belly to keep the cut strong. A sabre is longer and slimmer with a shallower curve, built for reach on horseback rather than for a crowded deck.
Why is the point clipped rather than pointed?
A clipped point takes weight out of the tip so the sword recovers faster between cuts, and it leaves the last few inches strong enough to survive being used as a tool. A cutlass cut far more rope and canvas than anything else, and a fine point would not have lasted.
Do these cutlasses arrive sharp?
Every blade here ships with a working edge and can be sharpened further on request at no extra charge. They are not razors out of the box, because a very fine edge on a broad blade chips easily during handling and shipping.
Which one comes without a scabbard?
The Damascus cutlass with the valknut pommel and the open brass knuckle bow. It ships in a protective blade wrap rather than a scabbard, and every other sword on this page comes with a leather scabbard matched to its fittings.
Should I choose 1095 or Damascus?
Take 1095 if the sword will be handled and sharpened, because it comes back on a stone faster and costs less. Take Damascus for the pattern and slightly longer edge retention on a piece that will mostly be displayed. Neither is stainless and both want a film of oil.
What does the shell guard actually do?
It puts a plate of metal across the outside of your hand, covering the angles a knuckle bow leaves open. On the raised shells the plate stands proud of the fingers, so a blow landing on it loads the brass and the hilt rather than your knuckles.
How much wall space do I need?
Less than for most swords. These run 28 to 31 inches overall, so a horizontal rack needs about a metre of clear wall once you allow for the scabbard and the mounts, which is why a cutlass suits a small room better than a longsword.
Where are these cutlasses made?
They are handmade in the Czech Republic, then imported, inspected and shipped by Ransack Viking from Chicago, Illinois. Any engraving is added in the United States after arrival.
A cutlass cousin you can spar with
The hanger is a short sabre from the same family as the cutlass, and it still turns up in sabre fencing. Our blunt HEMA sabres include one, and our sabre guide is worth a read before you buy. The Kaldrast hanger sabre trainer has a D knuckle bow and a rounded blunt tip.