Custom 1557v by Christian Fletcher and Angus Trim
Nov 30, 2009 5:53:44 GMT
Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Nov 30, 2009 5:53:44 GMT
Review of the Christian Fletcher / Angus Trim Custom 1557v (with vines!)
by Tom K of Seaside, OR
I had just received my CF/AT Antioch and was very happy with it when I went to Christian Fletcher's web site and saw this beauty for sale as a special custom one-of. I have wanted a 1557 for a long time and I had planned to commission one from Mr. Fletcher either as my next sword or the one after that. normally there's no way I could have gotten this sword but luck conspires in strange ways once in a while and I basically hit sword-jackpot. this was a "must have" luck-sack acquisition if there ever was one.
Historical Overview:
From 1410 to about 1510 the Type XVIII and it's variants were the most popular sword in use all over Europe. At that time wealthy knights and royalty who were armored in extremely advanced plate armor from head to toe which needed an extremely good thrusting point to poke through the gaps and spread the mail links beneath ruled the battlefield as nearly indestructible human tanks, while at the same time the common soldier was often armored in very little. Brigantine or jack-coat of plates and a simple helmet were very common and fighters in these armors could be cut down and killed or disabled more expediently with a cut than a thrust. so a weapon was needed that was good at both cutting and thrusting. from this need the type XVIII was born.
Initial Impressions:
the moment I first picked this sword up I thougt "you've got to be kidding, this is too light. it's a TOY!" I have seriously held toy swords that moved slower and felt heavier than this sword. but yet somehow after a second or two the deadly power of the sword starts to sink in. the sword is beautiful in the extreme with all the etching and the green grip and the triangled risers and the perfect satin finish, but I was still afraid it would prove delicate.
Vital Statistics:
Overall length: 33.75 inches
Blade length: 27 inches
Blade width at cross: 2 inches
Width of cross guard: 8.5 inches
Grip length: 4 3/8 inches
Center of Percussion: 14-19 inches (the entire blade other than the very first few inches of point are as solid as a lot of other swords COP but the COP on this one is about 5 inches long and it is absolutely rock solid)
Point of Balance: 3.25 inches
Weight: 2 pounds 1 ounce
Since I was measuring the blade thickness of the Antioch and a bunch of other swords I went ahead and took blade thickness measurements every 3 inches starting at the cross of this one too with the following results:
.228 / .212 / .200 / .184 / .160 / .131 / .115 / .104 / .104 / .098 @25 inches / .084 @26" / .042 right behind the point.
By comparison:
Antioch every 3 inches is:
.225 / .165 / .158 / .150 / .144 / .130 / .128 / .125 / .115 / .110 / .065 (.25” behind the point)
MHAT XII thickness every 3” is:
.240 / .195 / .187 / .180 / .165 / .152 / .139 / .120 / .108 / .097 / .079 (.5” behind point)
Hanwei/Tinker EMSHS:
.235 / .230 / .203 / .181 / .161 / .124 / .115 / .092 / .105 / .090 / .070 (.25” behind point)
First generation AT303:
.255 / .235 / .232 / .230 / .229 / .215 / .203 / .176 / .164 / .159 / .123 / .095 (5/8” behind point)
The Blade:
the 27 inche blade had a perfect satin finish when I got it. there was absolutely NO polish flaws on it at all and I looked up and down as hard as I could. nothing but amazingly smooth and even grey satiny steel no mater where I looked.
the central ridge lines on each side of the blade line up perfectly with each other. I expect this from an ATrim but I have seen lower price production swords have dificulty with this. the blade is stiff and springy but not as stiff as a katana. the edges came, well, dull-ish. no paper slicing with these edges, at least not how I got them. I could even see small flat spots reflecting the light at I looked down the edges. this sword needed to be sharpened.
the point section starts tapering in fairly far back on the blade (from the view-point of a guy more accustomed to type XII's) and narrows with profile taper until the width and thickness are almost the same in a nasty pointy awl-like shape.
looks to me like one of the edges tapers in a little faster than the other, but the point is on the true centerline so this is very small potatoes.
Handle/grip:
the grip is your typical cord-wraped leather set up with a very rich and deep green dye job with black undertones. super attractive! the risers are cross-cut to creat a triangular pattern. I love the risers Mr. Fletcher has done on this sword. super sexy!
the seam on the leather is visible but not overly so
Cross guard:
the crossguard is exactly what I could have ever wanted for a sword like this. graceful, forward sweeping, etched with beautiful designs, it really is well done.
the only thing not perfect about the crossguard is the recess for the blade. it is a bit hacked up looking. not too bad, but enough so I noticed.
Pommel:
a standard wheel pommel with vines etched around it. simple and yet beautiful. the etching is better on one side than the other but it is attractive on both.
The peening of the tang on the back of the pommel is extremely neat and well done.
Handling and Cutting: this sword is just stupid-rediculous-fast. turning from guard to guard is effortless with a subtle feeling of power in your hand. in the video below I started out pretty good then I made a mistake and tried to cut with it like it was a type XII instead of an XVIII. this sword doesn't have the blade presence to let you relax and have it do the work for you on the back swing. this mistake resulted in my dropping the sword over the railing of my porch and onto the ROCKS below! I was terrified that it would land in the lake (mised it by a foot!) or that I would find it with the point snapped off. luck was once again with me as I found the sword pretty much unharmed with just a few superficial knicks in the edge near the point and a few scuffs on the pommel and cross. I will not be showing this oops here in this video because it is horrendous and doesn't support the review. I'll put it in an out-takes reel I do sometime in the future I suppose but for right now, just know that I flubbed one cut BAD. I was in a very agitated mood after that but I soldiered on and finished my cutting.
here's the vid, enjoy.
it took me about 2.5 hours of tender loving care to nurse my wounded blade back to full health and now it is properly sharp too. there is still a scar or two on the pommel and cross but they are small and no big deal.
Conclusions:
Pros:
Beautiful - this sword is the most beautiful I have ever owned bar none.
Tough - I dumped the poor sword on the rocks and it survived with barely a knick. I'm not talking about gravel when I say rocks, no, I mean the kind of rocks they make harbour break-walls out of. yeah the giant kind you used to play on as a kid jumping from rock to rock as your mother had a panic attack. those kind of rocks.
Performance I was stunned by what this sword is capable of. I know it's supposed to have some cutting ability but I think it out-cut the antioch. this sword has a massive cutting power that belies its slight siza and weight. this is the sword I would wear to town if I were a knight back in the day.
Harmonic balance. as with the antioch this sword sings when it hits a target. in fact even more so than the Antioch. the vibrations of impact are completely absorbed before the hand ever feels them this sword is harmonically SOLID!
Cons:
Price - as with all swords by Christian Fletcher the quality comes with aprice tag, but let me assure you IT IS WORTH IT. you just have to scrape it together or get very lucky.
there are a few minor cosmetic imperfections that might annoy at this price point. the poor etching on one side of the pommel or the rough chopped recess for the blade in the guard, but these things don't bother me in the slightest even at this price point.
waiting for a sword is always tough and you cannot expect to get lucky like I did this time. it seems as though the 1557's are still being made and people may commission them from Mr. Fletcher but some of the old Atrim models are being discontinued in favor of better designs. it also seems that the age of the standard Atrim is fading away. I'm not sure what the future will bring us from Gus and Christian but I know I will be watching and saving.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
this is one AMAZING sword. it moves super fast, it cuts better than it has any right to, if you want a high performance fast cutter this is THE sword to get.
Albion be hanged, I'm an Atrim/ Fletcher man! I have hated 100% of the Albion swords I have held and I have LOVED 100% of the ATrim swords I have held. now I know that's only 1 for Albion and 3 for Atrim but still, I can tell you ther first place I'll look for a high end blade is www.Christianfletcher.com
by Tom K of Seaside, OR
I had just received my CF/AT Antioch and was very happy with it when I went to Christian Fletcher's web site and saw this beauty for sale as a special custom one-of. I have wanted a 1557 for a long time and I had planned to commission one from Mr. Fletcher either as my next sword or the one after that. normally there's no way I could have gotten this sword but luck conspires in strange ways once in a while and I basically hit sword-jackpot. this was a "must have" luck-sack acquisition if there ever was one.
Historical Overview:
From 1410 to about 1510 the Type XVIII and it's variants were the most popular sword in use all over Europe. At that time wealthy knights and royalty who were armored in extremely advanced plate armor from head to toe which needed an extremely good thrusting point to poke through the gaps and spread the mail links beneath ruled the battlefield as nearly indestructible human tanks, while at the same time the common soldier was often armored in very little. Brigantine or jack-coat of plates and a simple helmet were very common and fighters in these armors could be cut down and killed or disabled more expediently with a cut than a thrust. so a weapon was needed that was good at both cutting and thrusting. from this need the type XVIII was born.
Initial Impressions:
the moment I first picked this sword up I thougt "you've got to be kidding, this is too light. it's a TOY!" I have seriously held toy swords that moved slower and felt heavier than this sword. but yet somehow after a second or two the deadly power of the sword starts to sink in. the sword is beautiful in the extreme with all the etching and the green grip and the triangled risers and the perfect satin finish, but I was still afraid it would prove delicate.
Vital Statistics:
Overall length: 33.75 inches
Blade length: 27 inches
Blade width at cross: 2 inches
Width of cross guard: 8.5 inches
Grip length: 4 3/8 inches
Center of Percussion: 14-19 inches (the entire blade other than the very first few inches of point are as solid as a lot of other swords COP but the COP on this one is about 5 inches long and it is absolutely rock solid)
Point of Balance: 3.25 inches
Weight: 2 pounds 1 ounce
Since I was measuring the blade thickness of the Antioch and a bunch of other swords I went ahead and took blade thickness measurements every 3 inches starting at the cross of this one too with the following results:
.228 / .212 / .200 / .184 / .160 / .131 / .115 / .104 / .104 / .098 @25 inches / .084 @26" / .042 right behind the point.
By comparison:
Antioch every 3 inches is:
.225 / .165 / .158 / .150 / .144 / .130 / .128 / .125 / .115 / .110 / .065 (.25” behind the point)
MHAT XII thickness every 3” is:
.240 / .195 / .187 / .180 / .165 / .152 / .139 / .120 / .108 / .097 / .079 (.5” behind point)
Hanwei/Tinker EMSHS:
.235 / .230 / .203 / .181 / .161 / .124 / .115 / .092 / .105 / .090 / .070 (.25” behind point)
First generation AT303:
.255 / .235 / .232 / .230 / .229 / .215 / .203 / .176 / .164 / .159 / .123 / .095 (5/8” behind point)
The Blade:
the 27 inche blade had a perfect satin finish when I got it. there was absolutely NO polish flaws on it at all and I looked up and down as hard as I could. nothing but amazingly smooth and even grey satiny steel no mater where I looked.
the central ridge lines on each side of the blade line up perfectly with each other. I expect this from an ATrim but I have seen lower price production swords have dificulty with this. the blade is stiff and springy but not as stiff as a katana. the edges came, well, dull-ish. no paper slicing with these edges, at least not how I got them. I could even see small flat spots reflecting the light at I looked down the edges. this sword needed to be sharpened.
the point section starts tapering in fairly far back on the blade (from the view-point of a guy more accustomed to type XII's) and narrows with profile taper until the width and thickness are almost the same in a nasty pointy awl-like shape.
looks to me like one of the edges tapers in a little faster than the other, but the point is on the true centerline so this is very small potatoes.
Handle/grip:
the grip is your typical cord-wraped leather set up with a very rich and deep green dye job with black undertones. super attractive! the risers are cross-cut to creat a triangular pattern. I love the risers Mr. Fletcher has done on this sword. super sexy!
the seam on the leather is visible but not overly so
Cross guard:
the crossguard is exactly what I could have ever wanted for a sword like this. graceful, forward sweeping, etched with beautiful designs, it really is well done.
the only thing not perfect about the crossguard is the recess for the blade. it is a bit hacked up looking. not too bad, but enough so I noticed.
Pommel:
a standard wheel pommel with vines etched around it. simple and yet beautiful. the etching is better on one side than the other but it is attractive on both.
The peening of the tang on the back of the pommel is extremely neat and well done.
Handling and Cutting: this sword is just stupid-rediculous-fast. turning from guard to guard is effortless with a subtle feeling of power in your hand. in the video below I started out pretty good then I made a mistake and tried to cut with it like it was a type XII instead of an XVIII. this sword doesn't have the blade presence to let you relax and have it do the work for you on the back swing. this mistake resulted in my dropping the sword over the railing of my porch and onto the ROCKS below! I was terrified that it would land in the lake (mised it by a foot!) or that I would find it with the point snapped off. luck was once again with me as I found the sword pretty much unharmed with just a few superficial knicks in the edge near the point and a few scuffs on the pommel and cross. I will not be showing this oops here in this video because it is horrendous and doesn't support the review. I'll put it in an out-takes reel I do sometime in the future I suppose but for right now, just know that I flubbed one cut BAD. I was in a very agitated mood after that but I soldiered on and finished my cutting.
here's the vid, enjoy.
it took me about 2.5 hours of tender loving care to nurse my wounded blade back to full health and now it is properly sharp too. there is still a scar or two on the pommel and cross but they are small and no big deal.
Conclusions:
Pros:
Beautiful - this sword is the most beautiful I have ever owned bar none.
Tough - I dumped the poor sword on the rocks and it survived with barely a knick. I'm not talking about gravel when I say rocks, no, I mean the kind of rocks they make harbour break-walls out of. yeah the giant kind you used to play on as a kid jumping from rock to rock as your mother had a panic attack. those kind of rocks.
Performance I was stunned by what this sword is capable of. I know it's supposed to have some cutting ability but I think it out-cut the antioch. this sword has a massive cutting power that belies its slight siza and weight. this is the sword I would wear to town if I were a knight back in the day.
Harmonic balance. as with the antioch this sword sings when it hits a target. in fact even more so than the Antioch. the vibrations of impact are completely absorbed before the hand ever feels them this sword is harmonically SOLID!
Cons:
Price - as with all swords by Christian Fletcher the quality comes with aprice tag, but let me assure you IT IS WORTH IT. you just have to scrape it together or get very lucky.
there are a few minor cosmetic imperfections that might annoy at this price point. the poor etching on one side of the pommel or the rough chopped recess for the blade in the guard, but these things don't bother me in the slightest even at this price point.
waiting for a sword is always tough and you cannot expect to get lucky like I did this time. it seems as though the 1557's are still being made and people may commission them from Mr. Fletcher but some of the old Atrim models are being discontinued in favor of better designs. it also seems that the age of the standard Atrim is fading away. I'm not sure what the future will bring us from Gus and Christian but I know I will be watching and saving.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
this is one AMAZING sword. it moves super fast, it cuts better than it has any right to, if you want a high performance fast cutter this is THE sword to get.
Albion be hanged, I'm an Atrim/ Fletcher man! I have hated 100% of the Albion swords I have held and I have LOVED 100% of the ATrim swords I have held. now I know that's only 1 for Albion and 3 for Atrim but still, I can tell you ther first place I'll look for a high end blade is www.Christianfletcher.com