Name: Cold Steel 88GMS Grosse Messer Sword 32" Blade
Brand: Cold Steel Knives
SKU: CS88GMS
Price: 268.95 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4 (7 reviews)

Qiang
lansing Mi usa

Dec 17, 2012

Pros: Blade Material, Overall Quality, Materials, Finish, Usable

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

CS Grossemesser review

I bought the CS Grossemesser for WMA training. I intend to train with heavier weapon and fight with lighter. that is the main reason i picked up this sword. i have to say that even its weight nearly 1.8kg, it is well balanced and do not feel that heavy at all. however the total mass is still there so that will make you tire faster in real fight. if you use it as a training weapon, this won't be a problem. the extra mass can be reduced by carefully remove some materials from the cross guard and pummel by either drilling holes or cutting groves. the blade itself came with a surprisingly fine polish. the edge and spine are both straight, no sign of bending. the edge came with OK sharpness. It took me less than an hour to make it shaving sharp though i do not suggesting you do that to a sword of this size. i did it just to see how easy i can sharpen the blade. the blade cuts well, especially to heavy targets. it can easily go through 20cm tatami mats. the blade is quiet strong, it hack through a nearly 4cm diameter shovel handle with a single swing. well not quiet clean cut, mostly was the impact shattered the staff. and no damage to the blade at all, except the cross guard felt a little lose after 2 hours chopping. but that can be easily fixed. one thing cs really need to improve is the sheath and the handle. they feel so cheap. the leather is so thin, and come lose. and i don't know if its real leather after all. man i don't mind paying extra 50$ for some improvement on sheath and handle. right now everything else feels like American quality, then when you look at handle and sheath. it spells made in china. but overall i am really happy with it.

Cjgarvin
Oregon

Jun 21, 2009

Pros: Handle Material, Finish, Blade Material, Materials, Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard, Usable

Cons: None

German Great Knife

I bought this sword, dulled the blade and rounded the tip to use for WMA steel on steel sparring in the Liechtenauer and Myer fechtbuch tradition. I highly recommend this sword for Messer enthusiasts for this purpose, for it is attractive, strong, practical, and accurate enough for training purposes. It holds up well in full contact against Albion's sparring swords and Arms & Armor training swords.

Randall
Spring Branch, TX

Aug 27, 2021

Pros: Blade Material, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Materials, Sheath/Scabbard, Finish, Usable

Cons: None

Excellent sword

This is an outstanding, although slightly underrated messer at times. It is, in fact, very sturdy, balanced, and well-made. Don't confuse this particular Cold Steel Grosse Messer (CS88GMS) with its cheaper, "Man at Arms" counterpart (CS88GMSM). I use it for sparring, cutting and stage production. This particular Messer can be retail priced at upwards of $500 or so online - still about half the price of a Krieg Messer. So shop around. Knife Center had the best price on it I could find. It comes with a decent wood/leather scabbard. Ordering, customer service, and shipping were great. I highly recommend this Messer, as well as Knife Center.

Mike
San Francisco, CA

Feb 21, 2010

Pros: Blade Material, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Materials, Sheath/Scabbard, Finish, Usable

Cons: None

Cold Steel Grosse Messer Sword 32" Blade

GReat buy. Sword is excellent in handling. It can slice a yellow-page phone book in half with one blow. I tried slicing a full grown hog at my uncles slaughterhouse and it is more ferocious than cold steele's katana. The gross messer can dlice an entire 200lb hog in half with one swipe. It Will definitely be there for you when you encounter a significant threat to your life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness. Definitely recommend for home defense.

Gggawain
Missouri

Apr 15, 2009

Pros: Blade Material, Materials, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard, Finish, Usable

Cons: None

Strongman's sword

I'm a sabre' fencer and used to a light blade, but this Gross Messer is very well balanced and easy to handle. The rosewood grips are attractive, and the blade is strong and true. Although strong, the cross guard and knuckle ring are stamped metal and to a degree ruin the swords looks. But in general, an attractive and imposing sword that is practical for self-defense and practice. However, I would not want to face another experienced swordsman with a lighter point blade. Against another longsword, though, it would do surprisingly well because a committed strike would be hard to block with this chopper, and would catch some flesh, but the recovery is less than desired. And a nimble, fit opponent with a rapier would kill you. The black leather wrapped-wooden scabbard is very nice quality and at first tight on the sword, but gets smoother with use, which is a good thing because you don't want it flopping around. Overall, an 8 out of 10, which is very good for the price. No, it's not an Albion, but fix the cross guard, and lower the wt. by a half pound, and you'd have an extremely competitive sword. I like mine.

Aaron R
Michigan

Jul 25, 2014

Pros: Handle Material, Sheath/Scabbard

Cons: Blade Material, Materials, Usable

Pretty but dangerous to it's user.

I HAD a Cold Steel Grosse Messer. When I had it, it was nice. It was VERY sharp and had great balance. The guard loosened and rattled some but since the handle was not peened on tight, I figured this was normal. When I say "HAD" it means that I figured I'd hit a pell with it. I thought, it's full tang, a messer, good steel. I should be able to whack a pine pell and it would be ok. After all, their machetes can take it fine and this blade was thicker. However, second hit and the sword instantly got lighter. I noticed I was holding the handle while the blade flew off to the side luckily missing my son who was standing nearby. This thing would have easily impaled him. Simply put, the steel is TOO hard for this type of battle use. You can expect it to break should you actually try and use it hard in any type or real battle. I've had a number of Cold Steel machetes all of which have been very durable and good. The sheaths for them are not so good, but the steel is. I also love the tomahawks (with a little finishing that is). They're extremely nice and durable. This thing is just plain dangerous. It's an expensive wall hanger and unless they fix this problem, it's almost as dangerous as a rat tailed wall hanger.

Akidd
Connecticut

Dec 16, 2015

Pros: Usable

Cons: Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard, Finish

Used??

This was ordered as a gift; the Grosse Messer appeared to be used. The locket on the scabbard was stained; the blade was excessively dull and the blade and scabbard were dirty. It required significant cleaning to be presentable to give as a gift.