Albion Swords: Are they worth the wait?

[@UnsheathedSwordReviews]

Thanks for the shout out! I think you absolutely hit the nail on the head. If you have the means to afford an Albion you will not be disappointed. Also that Seax though... That thing looks wicked!

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Thanks for the shoutout and you've made a wonderful case for Albion. Having owned 16 Albions, and possibly 3 more dozens of them owned by others, I can say they are worth every bit of penny and all the wait. However, if you can pick up some second-handed in excellent condition (you can expect them to be in basically brand new condition coming from many collectors), you skip 2 years instantly and that seems to be the best way to purchase Albion swords, though you might need to wait a bit also to see a model you are interested in for sale. Grip wise, they are the gold standard. But now there are a great many makers like Atrim, VA, Lockwood, Sterling who are basically outputting grips of the same quality. However, like you have stated, their fittings are still some of the best--not only have the attention to details to all the minute specificities of the geometries found on originals, but also finished in such way that are so comfortable to handle. You can find lots of stunning looking fittings on swords by other makers, but it's common that there are some unrounded corners, some un-chamfered edges and in many cases they can even draw blood if you are not careful. I have been a victims of that while cutting with several high-end swords. The distal taper is also another reason to trust Peter Johnsson's design. It's so emphasized in today's assessment of swords because you are get a good view of details such as the profile taper and cross section, and you can get stats like the weight and the point of balance relatively accurately from honest makers who don't falsify measurement data. Makers like DSA and Windlass can almost never get it right unless you have help from renowned voices in the industry who visit museums and auction houses to collect data on antiques. Most Windlass swords don't even have the linear distal taper you mentioned. The majority of them don't taper at all in the thickness in the lower 2/3 or 3/4 of the blade, and only taper a tiny bit near the tip. The result is that their blades' handling is such a far cry from the originals they claim to be replicating. I'm curious though about the seax's distal taper, you mention the thickness of the middle is thicker than the base? How thick is the base? And how is it tapered?

[@alientude]

Thanks for the shoutout, and great video. You pretty much covered everything I would want to say.

[@FiliiMartis]

Environmental standards, food standards, safety standards... all denote the minimum that has to be met in a given field. If Albion is the standard for swords, why do we accept so many makers that fail to reach the standard? And yes, I'm being pedantic. 😏 Fittings that don't draw blood should be a given, a well shaped grip with a good finish should be a given, makers understanding blade geometries (or working with a blade smith that does) should be a must, and I would even say that having a "Mike" that communicates well with customers must be seen as a norm (shout-out to Mike 👍👍). So yes, Albions are worth the time and money, but they shouldn't. They should have been seen as the entry level CNC standard sword designs that get the discussion started. And then we can move on to hand made, custom historical steels, museum replicas, dynamical experiments... basically, deviating from the standard for a good reason, not just because it was done on the cheap (do not confuse cheap as in bad with good inexpensive options). But it's not as bad as I may imply. I think we do have a lot more good makers today than in the past, and a lot of makers are improving on their respective shortcomings. So Albion is more aspirational than anything else, which is why we all want to have at least one piece from them.

[@r3771-n2r]

I have a few Albions. I love them, but I think they are bit over priced and a bit over wait listed compared to say Valiant, which has the same quality at lower prices for the blades and if scabbards matter they come with great scabbards and less than half the wait times.

[@dlatrexswords]

@@r3771-n2r love the leatherwork VA does. Hard to beat their scabbards, and their swords handle great! The ones I have had a chance to play with have had their fittings come out with laser precision, and I’d prefer if they just tumbled them a bit so they didn’t risk poking my little piggies 🤣

[@r3771-n2r]

@@dlatrexswords 100% my only complaint is sharp corners in some places

[@TheDamokles]

I have owned over 200 swords in the last four years and have handled a good deal more, yet I always come back to Albion for "drama free" swords. I was deeply disappointed by the Windlass Royal Armoury line, I love the handling but can't stand the rest of ATrim swords and had many exercises in frustration (some ongoing) with custom orders. The only swords that surpass the Albions in my collection were made by Peter Johnsson, Vince Evans, Eric McHugh or Leonardo Daneluz. One thing you get with an Albion is peace of mind (and excellent resellability). This is of course just my opinion and your mileage may vary. 😅

[@cjfox2311]

The most noteworthy difference between Albion and VA is that VA’s fittings rust if you handle them just an average amount. It took a Texas summer to get rust on my Agincourt.

[@FiliiMartis]

@@TheDamokles Vince Evans inlaying work on his latest creations reminds me of the old masters (Negroli brothers). So why don't we see people like him get an apprentice or two and start working as part of a workshop? Now that would be a way to move forward with custom works: we would get good pieces at a lower cost, and there would be a tradition developing over the years with apprentices moving on to open their own workshops down the line. I'm just saying, if we adopt the individual work approach of old when it comes to bespoke pieces, why not also adopt the workshop model that came with it.

[@outsideiskrrtinsideihurt699]

I wonder how reshaping and wear over the years impacts the distal tapers of swords that survived to today. I’m sure historical people knew how to shape a blade to achieve the desired dimensions, but the thought always haunts me that what we see presently is not the same sword as when it came fresh from the forge. So we’re just left to wonder how much of an effect sharpening, regrinding, and corrosion played in making the sword we can observe right now.

[@dlatrexswords]

@@outsideiskrrtinsideihurt699 this is something that is part of the evaluation of an antique; for example my yataghan is heavily corroded, and has lost some of its thickness. However there are places where the original surface remains, so I can see what the smith intended for the finish of the blade (in this case it was never polished). The same is true on a case by case basis with older swords. We have medieval swords that show evidence of reshaping, extensive sharpening, and even repair work where the blade was snapped and has been reforged back together. Figuring out what the original specifications of a specific sword are is a complex task. Some swords are very well preserved and do not need much if any interpretation. Others need significant expertise to reveal their mysteries.

[@FiliiMartis]

I doubt that you reshape the blade profile when you sharpen it (we are not talking about modern reproductions done for cheap here 😏). And if you plan to regrind an entire blade to fit a new purpose, why not make a new one instead? I'm not saying it couldn't have been done, I'm saying that it was probably not a wide-spread practice that would affect our archaeological understanding of original pieces. [People that know better, feel free to correct me.] Btw, we know of the practice to re-hilt older blades, so that would indicate that after a certain historical period, the blades coming out of forges were robust enough to survive the passage of time (and relative use).

[@dlatrexswords]

@@FiliiMartis The change of shape due to sharpening, or fixing chips in a blade is observed in many antique swords. However this almost always impacts their profile silhouette and only rarely impacts their cross section (and by extension their distal taper). I'll try to post a few swords that have had their outlines radically changed via sharpening/reshaping over the years to my community tab.

[@FiliiMartis]

​@@dlatrexswords I know what you mean, and no disagreement here (and posts are welcomed). It's the distal taper that I don't expect historically to change once a blade is made. P.S. I see that I used the term "blade profile" to refer to the distal taper profile, so I could see how that is confusing.

[@outsideiskrrtinsideihurt699]

@@dlatrexswords I had no idea broken blades were welded back together historically. I’d think historical people knew that it was no longer usable. I can see a broken blade being welded together if it was a culturally important item and its significance outweighs its need to be used.

[@kaoskronostyche9939]

A funny thing happened to me on the way to the Forum the other day. I seem to have entirely lost my interest in swords. I think it has to do with the fact I live in poverty and I have to save for a half a year to accumulate $500. I think my sudden lack of interest to be pur. frustration at the fact I will likely never make a collection or ever learn HEMA - plus there is no HEMA club here ... which I could probably not afford the tuition. Maybe I will see you again; maybe not. Be well and keep having fun. Cheers!

[@dlatrexswords]

@@kaoskronostyche9939 hope you keep having fun, whatever you’re doing!

[@kaoskronostyche9939]

@@dlatrexswords Thanks for the reply but I live in poverty where there are NO recreational opportunities for men in my town. I never leave my apartment unless I absolutely have to - the elderly are easy prey in my town. I contemplate "leaving" regularly. Cheers ! Be well.

[@raphlvlogs271]

the 1 on top is what I'de call a Megaseax

[@leonnarzilarra8510]

I’ve owned quite a few and sold them. I would say they are nice but not worth it.

[@anoakenstaff]

Hah, and I'm watching this in a country I can't even buy an Albion.

[@dlatrexswords]

@@anoakenstaff well thanks for watching regardless mate! ;-)

[@JCOwens-zq6fd]

They aren't really worth it to me but I'm a special case due to the fact that I make my own & that I don't like CNC machined weapons. It is totally a personal preference thing. They just don't have the same feel as a handmade custom which is what I like. (Besides according to the martial traditions & the forging mthods etc I learned "if it isn't pattern welded by hand of at least 3 diff metals it cannot be a truly live blade & thus cannot hold enchantments" 😂)

[@claytonwoods5603]

CNC is a necessity to ensure consistency. Without that there would simply be too many variables and there would be no way to guarantee that two of the same model would be similar. All of the blades and hardware are still finished by hand.

[@LegionTacticoolCutlery]

I got a couple I want to sell. Squire lines actually.