Albion's Liechtenauer Sparring Longsword

Discussion in 'Western Martial Arts' started by Langenschwert, Mar 22, 2008.

  1. Langenschwert

    Langenschwert Molon Labe

    So I just got one of them last night. :)

    Link: http://www.albion-swords.com/swords/albion/maestro/sword-practice-liechtenauer.htm

    Wow, it's quite a nice piece of steel. The balance is absolutely PERFECT. It feels like it's a real, sharp sword when you swing it around. I know that sounds odd, but I've handled dozens of sharp swords (at least), both antique and modern, and none of the blunts I've handled (the non-smokable kind!) actually feel like a real sword. When you pick this one up, you feel like you could do a draw-cut with it. They did some funky stuff with the blade profile that compensates for the added mass along the edge.

    The fit and finish are perfect. It's almost too nice to be a practice weapon! It just sings like a bell when it contacts another sword as well.

    All in all, I couldn't be happier with my new toy. I'm just loathe to put scratches on the wonderful satin finish! ;)

    Best regards,

    -Mark
     
  2. koyo

    koyo Passed away, but always remembered. RIP.

    Sounds that you quite like it then?:):):)


    regards koyo
     
  3. RAbid Hamster

    RAbid Hamster Herr Trubelmacher

    Congrats of your new shiny pointy thing

    We expect a full review on handling, construction, service from Albion etc as soon as you stop cuddling the beast. ;)
     
  4. Langenschwert

    Langenschwert Molon Labe

    Hi Koyo and Hamster,

    I've had the chance to put the Liechtenauer through the paces over the weekend.

    Handling: Top notch. The POB puts it between by Agincourt (pointy-stabby longsword type XVa) and my Earl (equal bits cutty and stabby type XVIIIb). The blade presence is quite discernable, so it's closer to the Earl than the Agincourt in handling. It's really sweet when winding... point control is pretty easy.

    Construction: Seems very solid so far. The edge hardness seems adequate to deal with imperfect technique. It tends to dent slightly rather than nick, though I'm pretty much in the "edge to flat-ish whenever possible" camp, so I'm not expecting much edge gouging over time. It seems that most damage (if you can even call it that) can be smoothed over with sandpaper or scotch-brite. The hilt is nice and solid and feels good in the hand. The wrap looks nice out of the box, but my well-used sword gloves stained it very quickly. Perhaps a dark brown would hold up better than the beige they're using now. That being said, any sword grip will discolour over time. Some people find the hilt wrapping a bit hard on the hands, but mine are already calloused from years of lugging amplifiers in a band and working in a warehouse. If you've got delicate skin, then wear gloves. The hilt components aren't the flawless pieces used in their Mark and Museum lines, but they're solid, workaday pieces. The crossguards typically take a beating (Kron vs. Scheitelhau, anyone?) anyway, so making it all pretty would be a waste.

    I really like the blade profile. It's somewhat flexible, but it's rigid enough to break skin on the thrust. To the arms and whatnot, no biggie, but I wouldn't want to take a thrust to the ribs without protection. Fire a bird blunt (you'll have to slit it and tape it around) on that puppy, and you're good to go with reasonable protection like a good gambeson, stout gloves, fencing mask and gorget. Because of the reduced mass in the tip, gettting hit with the edge isn't so bad. It's still rigid enough to seriously mess a person up with a cut to an unprotected noggin, though. It can certainly break a finger. Like any training tool, be careful. The pommel is really sweet... gotta love the scent-stopper style! Also, since it mimics the dimensions of a real blade, your hands are safe behind the crossguard. Some trainers are not broad enough at the ricasso, enabling the opponent's blade to strike the fingers during winding, even when trapped in the crossguard, like doing a winding and absetzen against an unterhau, hence the exaggerated ricasso on the typical federschwert. Not so with the Liechtenauer. Or at least, not moreso than any historical weapon.

    Customer service was apparently top-notch. A friend and I ordered ours in one order, and he dealt with Albion. Apparently, no complaints.

    I kind of wish I could say something bad about it so I don't sound like a gushing fan-boy, but there's really nothing to dislike. It's an exceptional product, far better than any blunt sword I've handled. To quote my friend after training with them: "It's like we weren't even doing swords before".

    Best regards,

    -Mark
     
  5. Polar Bear

    Polar Bear Moved on

    I have to admit it was a close race between an Albion liecty and the Armour Class sword I bought. The only difference was Armour Class are 3 miles from home and their swords have a blade guarantee. I have been back once to get my grip thinned slightly (which they did for free). I do mainly edge to edge blocking and tbh there no real damage to the blade after two months.
    If I ever can afford a second sword I will certainly buy an albion.

    The Bear.
     
  6. Brian R. VanCis

    Brian R. VanCis Valued Member

    Nice looking tool! :cool:
     
  7. Mark Lancaster

    Mark Lancaster Valued Member

    I've got to agree with everything that Mark said. This is an excellent blade and has become our defacto standard. We've given our blades a lot of use over the last few months and haven't hit any problems (we have broken/bent swords in the past).

    The only problem is that they cost too much for new starters - but that's not the fault of Albion as you are easily getting your money's worth here.

    BTW: If you're in Europe then Albion Europe is the best avenue and Soren is an excellent guy to deal with.

    Cheers,
     

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