Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

[Narf the Mouse]

Using one hand and using two hands.

 

Please only answer if you are trained in both.

[AirborneRob]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

Using one hand and using two hands.

 

Please only answer if you are trained in both.

 

Assuming two opponents of equal skill, swords are generally easier to master and use in combat either one handed or 2. A skilled swordsman i think uses a sword as an extension of himself/herself which affords more control of the weapon than an axe. Thrusts, slashing moves, parrying/deflecting from a skilled swordsman is more manageable than the predominately chopping motions of an axe. Lol, without giving you the long drawn out answer, i would say swords by far.

[RexMundi]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

Hmm....Trained in both so I have to say, the question isn't really detailed enough to give a good answer. The Axe, is a simpler weapon to pick up and use, but a more difficult weapon to manage in melee, and hence requires more skill. The Sword is easier to manipulate in Melee, but requires a much longer period of time to Master. There is a similar arguement for Bows vs Crossbows (Most of us know that old saying.....), but in the end they BOTH require a great amount of skill that tends to be developed at different stages in learning how to use the weapon.

 

In other words, as anyone else will tell you that's had some training in both. They're about the same. While not the best example, Deadliest Warrior has several Axe vs Sword show downs where you can actually SEE the difference and type of skill. Not to mention the differences in the type of Men and build of physicality that allow you to exploit the best aspects of each weapon. A good way to think of it in terms of Modern weaponry, is to think of a Sword as a precision Rifle, and an Axe, as a Shotgun.

 

~Rex....In otherwords, Roughly equal, just differnt forms of implementation and advantages in certain situations.

[AirborneRob]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

Hmm....Trained in both so I have to say, the question isn't really detailed enough to give a good answer. The Axe, is a simpler weapon to pick up and use, but a more difficult weapon to manage in melee, and hence requires more skill. The Sword is easier to manipulate in Melee, but requires a much longer period of time to Master. There is a similar arguement for Bows vs Crossbows (Most of us know that old saying.....), but in the end they BOTH require a great amount of skill that tends to be developed at different stages in learning how to use the weapon.

 

In other words, as anyone else will tell you that's had some training in both. They're about the same. While not the best example, Deadliest Warrior has several Axe vs Sword show downs where you can actually SEE the difference and type of skill. Not to mention the differences in the type of Men and build of physicality that allow you to exploit the best aspects of each weapon. A good way to think of it in terms of Modern weaponry, is to think of a Sword as a precision Rifle, and an Axe, as a Shotgun.

 

~Rex....In otherwords, Roughly equal, just differnt forms of implementation and advantages in certain situations.

 

To use your example Rex, because the sword is a precision weapon vs an axe and generally more maneuverable in combat thus more control, swords would be the better weapon overall imo. Basically choosing a scalpel over the hammer.

[RexMundi]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

Ah but Axes are more suited to certain types of people and their level of Injury scales Higher then a sword does. Not to mention, not all Axe designs Were Unwieldy, several require (Especially those of Indonesian and African Origin) exceeding amounts of flexibility and dexterity. The single biggest Advantage a Sword had over an Axe, is that Swords were Lighter, and could be used for longer periods, by smaller people. However that being said there is a reason the Great Axe was one of the most feared weapons on the battle field today, and an even better example for the case of the Axe.....We still use Axes today, and I am a huge fan of the Tactical Tomahawk (Especially the Sayoc Winkler 2) since I always found it easier to use (granted, I was trained in Knife and Tomahawk as a kid), then that stuid Entrenching Tool (Gimme a real shovel anyday, heh).

 

No Swords around today, especially for CQB. Axes, Knives, and Shovels though. No Swords.

 

~Rex

[AirborneRob]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

Ah but Axes are more suited to certain types of people and their level of Injury scales Higher then a sword does. Not to mention, not all Axe designs Were Unwieldy, several require (Especially those of Indonesian and African Origin) exceeding amounts of flexibility and dexterity. The single biggest Advantage a Sword had over an Axe, is that Swords were Lighter, and could be used for longer periods, by smaller people. However that being said there is a reason the Great Axe was one of the most feared weapons on the battle field today, and an even better example for the case of the Axe.....We still use Axes today, and I am a huge fan of the Tactical Tomahawk (Especially the Sayoc Winkler 2) since I always found it easier to use (granted, I was trained in Knife and Tomahawk as a kid), then that stuid Entrenching Tool (Gimme a real shovel anyday, heh).

 

No Swords around today, especially for CQB. Axes, Knives, and Shovels though. No Swords.

 

~Rex

 

Oh, dont get me wrong regarding axes, lol. Very dangerous weapon in the right hands. My point is that if you want to kill an opponent with greater effeciency, the precision of the sword allows for more able strikes to vital areas of the body. As i view an axe, it kills an opponent like any other weapon but generally does so through more severe trauma to the body through maiming and mutilation than a precise thrust a sword can achieve.

[Narf the Mouse]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

Rex, as an aside from the central discussion, would you say these two write-ups are "game accurate"?

 

Axe, Battle: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 2d6 (Medium), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (46 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 12 (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Required Hands One-And-A-Half-Handed (-1/4)

 

Sword, Basterd: (Total: 41 Active Cost, 14 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1 1/2d6 (Medium), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (39 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 11 (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Required Hands One-And-A-Half-Handed (-1/4) (Real Cost: 13) plus +1 with Sword, Short (2 Active Points); OAF (-1) (Real Cost: 1)

[yukonhorror]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

from the discussions I'd have to say yes. The axe will do more dam. The +1 OCV with swords reflects it's precision. It can find the chinks in the armor (so to speak) easier than an axe can.

[RexMundi]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

Both of those are accurate enough for a baseline. Various other factors could modifiy both of them (Style, Balance, Metal, etc), but for a foundation, I would say good enough for game accurate.....

 

Another nice thing for Axes, even the unweildy ones. They Throw a lot better then any sword. Also as far as Accuracy goes. Swords tended to lean towards precision kill tactics because they were effectivly useless against Armor. Axes, on the other hand, even if they bounced off the shell, did BAD things to what was inside (flails even more so).....hence the Deadliest Warrior suggestion wher ethat can be seen visually. Unarmored combat though the edge goes back to the sword, because of the reach, but in all things CQB, the Tomahawk development has been almost unbeatable.....Like I said there is a LOT of back and forth depending on situation.

 

~Rex......REALLY wants one of those Sayoc Winkler 2's ...decides to see if he can get one.

[Narf the Mouse]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

Both of those are accurate enough for a baseline. Various other factors could modifiy both of them (Style, Balance, Metal, etc), but for a foundation, I would say good enough for game accurate.....

 

Another nice thing for Axes, even the unweildy ones. They Throw a lot better then any sword. Also as far as Accuracy goes. Swords tended to lean towards precision kill tactics because they were effectivly useless against Armor. Axes, on the other hand, even if they bounced off the shell, did BAD things to what was inside (flails even more so).....hence the Deadliest Warrior suggestion wher ethat can be seen visually. Unarmored combat though the edge goes back to the sword, because of the reach, but in all things CQB, the Tomahawk development has been almost unbeatable.....Like I said there is a LOT of back and forth depending on situation.

 

~Rex......REALLY wants one of those Sayoc Winkler 2's ...decides to see if he can get one.

Could you post a link to that weapon? I couldn't find it on their webpage.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

Military Times Sayoc Winkler article

[Matt Holck]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

A whip

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

For what it's worth, I've posted, in the past, linkage to an article that mentions that the seven-to-ten pound sword beloved by fantasy authors is a myth promulgated by people who have never actually picked up a sword.

 

Edit: A quick Google search leads me back to the article.

[Narf the Mouse]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

The range seems to be 2-6 pounds, with weights ranging closer to 2 than 6, from what I've read.

[AirborneRob]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

The range seems to be 2-6 pounds' date=' with weights ranging closer to 2 than 6, from what I've read.[/quote']

 

Yea, from what i understand, i think the traditional longsword weighs in at 4-5 pounds.

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

Yea' date=' from what i understand, i think the traditional longsword weighs in at 4-5 pounds.[/quote']

 

2-3, according to the article.

[AirborneRob]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

2-3' date=' according to the article.[/quote']

 

Even better

[Yansuf]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

While I think most of what has been presented so far is basically true, I must protest that it is really more complicated.

Great swords (2 handers) defeat armor quite well; "bastard" (hand and a half) swords do so fairly well. But the axe concentrates weight near the end so will always strike with more force than a sword of equal weight.

Swords are easier to use effectively in defense, but most ancient cultures (not all) used shields as the main defense, so the weapon was mostly offense regardless of whether it was an axe or a sword.

 

Regarding the comment that knives, and axes are still used but swords are not; knives and axes are kept more for their use as tools with weapons use as a secondary. Swords are lousy tools for anything but melee.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

I have little to no hands on experience with either but I remember watching a show on History/Discovery/PBS or somesuch about an army in northern Europe (Vikings?) armed predominately with axes and how this gave them quite an edge vs. the armies they faced (armed with spears/swords and shields). But I'm sure I'm forgetting details and the era of armor has a great deal to do with it as well.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

My sword is about 3 feet long (including handle), weighs in at 3.5 pounds of Toledo Steel.

 

I'm not trained to wield a sword, but swinging that around vs my axe - which admittedly is a wood axe, but weighs 4lbs - the axe is much easier to swing, less tiring. Don't know if knowing how to split a log in useful in a fight though.

[Narf the Mouse]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

My sword is about 3 feet long (including handle), weighs in at 3.5 pounds of Toledo Steel.

 

I'm not trained to wield a sword, but swinging that around vs my axe - which admittedly is a wood axe, but weighs 4lbs - the axe is much easier to swing, less tiring. Don't know if knowing how to split a log in useful in a fight though.

A question - Are you swinging the axe with two hands and the sword with one?

[mikesama]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

One handed a sword is easier to wield than an axe, the balance point is closer to the hand making it "feel" lighter and thus is easier to bring around and recover from strikes. On your initial swing however the axe is just as easy if not easier, it is designed to impart all of your swing into the head when you swing it, it's the recovery that is the issue. As far as 2 handed only weapons swords and Axes end up more balanced against each other than most would think, and why do you ask? Simple once you have a 4 foot haft with two hands on it you can change your grip easily ranging from a baseball like grip which imparts heavy force but little control to hands at opposite ends of the haft which allows for excellent control and mobility but cuts down on the hitting power.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

A question - Are you swinging the axe with two hands and the sword with one?

 

two - like you're supposed to. One of the major differences, with the axe one hand starts in the middle of the handle, allows me a rather good amount of precision.

[Narf the Mouse]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

two - like you're supposed to. One of the major differences' date=' with the axe one hand starts in the middle of the handle, allows me a rather good amount of precision.[/quote']

Interesting.

One handed a sword is easier to wield than an axe' date=' the balance point is closer to the hand making it "feel" lighter and thus is easier to bring around and recover from strikes. On your initial swing however the axe is just as easy if not easier, it is designed to impart all of your swing into the head when you swing it, it's the recovery that is the issue. As far as 2 handed only weapons swords and Axes end up more balanced against each other than most would think, and why do you ask? Simple once you have a 4 foot haft with two hands on it you can change your grip easily ranging from a baseball like grip which imparts heavy force but little control to hands at opposite ends of the haft which allows for excellent control and mobility but cuts down on the hitting power.[/quote']

Without trying to be insulting, is that personal experience?

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: Which is easier to swing, an axe or a sword?

 

The article I linked also noted that reproductions of period items tend to be "off". According to the article, a well made sword from the period just feels right -- it "wants to be wielded". GA, I'm curious as to whether that might be the case with yours.