Albion Ringeck Test Cutting & Review (Oakeshott Type XVa Medieval Longsword)

[@MacA60230]

Have one, my favourite sword by far just because of how elegant it looks. It feels incredibly knightly without being "fancy"

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

It certainly is one of my favorites!

[@maievshadowsong7471]

I like how elegant and slender and tapered this sword is.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Indeed, type XVa is one of the most attractive and iconic medieval longswords.

[@TheHazmate]

Hmm, So goddamn sexy... I'm talking about the sword, I promise

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Yeah, I agree. This blade has almost no curvature in any sort, not from the profile taper, or the natural curve on single-edged blades. Although curvatures are often associated to sexiness by sword enthusiasts, this straight blade has all the grace and elegance to be very attractive, especially with the taper so even though overall it feels slender, at the base it’s not, and there’s a gradual transition in width and thickness. The choices of scentstopper pommel and curved guard also add to its sexiness.

[@KnyghtessMorningStar]

I love how elegant this sword looks.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Me, too!

[@alientude]

Outstanding discussion about how swords evolved through the centuries - information that's absolutely vital for understanding why XVa developed. Shame about the sharpness straight from Albion. I'd love to see what the Ringeck could do with a properly keened up edge.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Thank you! I definitely plan to give it a professional sharpening service before a second attempt at mat cutting. It probably would do just fine--not competition cutting level, but capable, and easy to perform trick cuts in rapid succession.

[@thelevinlance6566]

Another awesome piece.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Thank you, brother!

[@blackprince3780]

Great video

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Thank you very much!

[@ravedubin3515]

That’s a good one, literally an express train through medieval history.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Yeah it's what I would like to achieve.

[@nataragini9854]

Very good demonstration, sir. Very good. It looks like a sword that can go through the armor and then the entire body under the armor. It is chilling.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Yes, against maille armor, probably wouldn't have enough power to penetrate the entire body after busting a mail ring. Maille armor is usually worn on top of thick and resilient textile protection like the gambeson.

[@KF1]

Good review. Well spoken and enjoyed the historical notes. Given the rigidity I'm betting it would cut alright sharpened up, even if primarily designed for thrusting.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Thanks a lot! The fact that it still went through the tough aged Japanese tatami mats a few times is a testament of the design. I definitely believe that this sword, when properly sharpened, would do very well at cutting that fulfills its purpose of a dueling longsword that leans more toward thrusting but still has enough threatening cutting power--not a sword to cut an opponent in half from head to crouch, but one that would disable anyone in plain clothes with one quick slash.

[@rogerwilliams2629]

Always super informative, Kane! Thanks! Albion will probably always be more expensive than i want to spend for a sword, Im going to go with RK for swveral reasons including price mostly, but Albions are works of art. That is a beauty!!

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Thank you very much!

[@MatthewCross2]

Great review and a whealth of knowledge always fun to watch!! This review put that sword on my radar big time! I love the grip color on yours! Thanks for sharing!

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Thank you very much! Definitely a sword for enthusiasts of period longsword treatises! I love the campaign brown color, too. First saw it on Matt Easton's Ringeck, and I think the rugged look fits the Ringeck quite well!

[@alexzandererdman2631]

I thought I was watching a documentary on the History Channel.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

I try my best discussing the historical context of the sword’s usage. The swords came before it, the swords came after it, and the armor and weaponry contemporary to it.

[@zenhydra]

I'm curious about how the Albion Munich (Oakeshott Type XVIIIb) compares to Albion Ringeck (and their Oakeshott Type XVa longswords in general). I have a Munich, but haven't had a chance to handle any of their type XVa offerings.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

The Munich is lighter, because at the base the blade is narrower than any of Albion's other type XVa and XVIIIb model. It doesn't taper in the profile as much in the first half of the blade, so the weight distribution dictates that it doesn't feel as lively as Fiore/Ringeck/Talhoffer/Agincourt (I will not attempt to compare these with the shorter Mercenary/Castellan/Constable), and it doesn't feel as substantial as the Regent and Earl. But it does retain some width on the upper portion of the blade, so it has better cutting capacity than the XVa, and there's enough rigidity and acute tip to thrust really well. Overall I would say the Munich is somewhere in between the Ringeck and the Regent, handling wise.

[@economicroyalist2586]

Great review! Been looking at this sword for a purchase for a long time!

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Glad to be of help.

[@adriancibran2202]

dude your balcony is nice af

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Thanks!

[@salvadordali3566]

I like your review style.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Thanks!

[@lorenzhelmschmid]

Like your style. Keep these reviews coming please.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Thanks! I have a review for an Angus Trim longsword and a Valiant Armoury Leaf-bladed Longsword coming soon!

[@GrantArcher-q5v]

extremely helpful, thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Glad it helped! Thank you for watching!

[@matts9821]

Thank you for the very detailed review.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

My pleasure!

[@Jet_refueling_center]

Cool sword, man!

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Thanks!

[@vicnighthorse]

I take too strong of antidepressants to have nightly virtue, but IMO that is about the most archetypal sword there is. I like it's brother the Agincourt a little better though.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Yeah the Agincourt, the Talhoffer, the Ringeck, and the Fiore share the most iconic medieval longsword blade type--the XVa, and the slender and longer type among it.

[@ryldauril6379]

just confirm with me and ill make it happen

[@ryldauril6379]

Kane shen you should get an email from lk chen when my sword goes on tour also a few in your area will visit it also fun right!

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Cool, looking forward to it!

[@TRANSPORTCANADAGURU]

Was there any follow up to the Ringeck being sharpened?

[@ryldauril6379]

im getting a imperial chang dao from lk chen but im sending it to a friend first to review i was wondering if you wanted him to mail it to you next to review? i want my Chang Dao to do a world tour. for youtube ppl i like and can trust.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Oh yeah, sure if it's not too much trouble. I would love to review the Imperial Chang Dao from LK Chen. I have a miao dao from another maker and really have had fun with it. Would love to try out that chang dao, which seems to be the longest Chinese sword on the production market so far. If you are interested, I am available on Facebook for contact, user name Kane Shen. All of my reviews are linked on my profile page so it should be easy to recognize. Thanks a lot!

[@ryldauril6379]

@@FortuneFavoursTheBold its huge.. no its godzilla i had to send it back cuse it had carbon marks on the ends so my new one will go to my joplin pak mei kung fu..friend and his sword general friend.. then to you .. i dont do facebook sorry but i got a good chain of command once they make there reviews "once its made" in like 3 weeks and they do there stuff ill Find you..deal?

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

@@ryldauril6379 Sure, I would love to review it. Just let me know whom to pass onto and attach the address to me. I think KK has got my address, as I corresponding with him and he would send models to me for review before me passing onto someone else in those cases, too.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

@@ryldauril6379 Thanks for making it happen! Deeply appreciate it!

[@ryldauril6379]

when its yer turn for the Godzilla monster KK from lk chen will email ya.

[@ryldauril6379]

i was out bid by 50 bucks for that a month ago on ebay i was sad i didnt follow up on the closing on that

[@josephdif]

I don’t know how I haven’t seen this video sooner, but what was it like cutting water bottles with this type of sword?

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

The stock edge that comes with the sword and most Albion swords these days are not great. With their fine edge geometry, however, it is fairly easy to sharpen. 10-15 minutes on WorkSharp or belt sander would be more than enough to take them to competition cutting level of sharpness. Do that, any of Albion swords can cut water bottles, or mats relatively well (some models are gonna do it better than the rest). Type XVa swords are not forgiving however, users must get the edge alignment right or it won’t cut cleanly. That said, being a longsword especially with profile taper this aggressive, it’s fairly easy to accelerate.

[@josephdif]

@@FortuneFavoursTheBold I did notice that lack of sharpness on my Auxilia Spatha. I have my eye on the Albion Bastard and I want to make sure I’m going to be happy with the purchase since I do like to backyard tameshigiri for fun.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

@@josephdif I have 9 Albion swords and none of them came particularly sharp. The sharpest one being the Principe, would be rated a 7 or 8 out of 10 on my sharpness scale. The edge geometry on their blades are all excellent so sometimes it doesn't even take a sharpened blade to cut well, and if you want to sharpen them, it should be quite easy. But yeah, the out-of-the-box sharpness is definitely a problem for them.

[@ryldauril6379]

you feel very small when you hold the imperial chang dao

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Indeed. I have seen the stats on that model, definitely not only the biggest one LK Chen has made so far--dwarfing their Roaring Dragon and Striking Eagle, but also the miao dao and chang dao models available on the current production market. It is a beast for sure. I have two such big swords myself but both of them are Renaissance European, and I have good experience with a 5-foot-long miao dao. Oh I would love to try out LK Chen's Imperial Chang Dao, given their quality and attention to detail!

[@dandragonmc]

what mic do you use ?

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Alvoxcon’s Lavalier wireless mic system.

[@dandragonmc]

@@FortuneFavoursTheBold a lot of noise in the background, makes it hard to listen properly

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

I live next to a waterfall.

[@ryldauril6379]

just promise me you will nuke some water bottles and have fun with it to the max

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Definitely!

[@kauetadaieski3131]

Bastard type of sword.

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

It's a longsword. A bastard is referred to as the crossover either between a longsword and a single-handed sword--so like a hand-and-a-half sword, or between a longsword a true two-handed sword--which will make it a larger longsword. This one with a 36" blade and a 10" hilt just makes it an average longsword.