ATrim Maker's Mark Flared Shoulders Type XIII
Oct 14, 2008 2:49:40 GMT
Post by ShooterMike on Oct 14, 2008 2:49:40 GMT
The Angus Trim Maker's Mark Type XIII Flared Shoulders sword is one of the designs based loosely on a sword from Ewart Oakeshott's The Sword in the Age of Chivalry. I say "loosely" because the artifact in Chivalry was really just an inspiration. Here is the quote from Christian Fletcher's website regarding this sword:
Angus writes: “This type XIII is a piece inspired by a sword that seems to be a tweener, a XIII in Oakeshott's "The Sword in the Age of Chivalry" and myamoury's article on type XIII's. It’s seen as a XIIIa in Oakeshott's "Records of the Medieval Sword".
For a Type XIII, it has a long handle, and midsize blade. In my interpretation, the handle is 8 inches, the blade just under 33 inches. Its a heavy sword, 3lbs 3oz, but the long handle makes it handle very well indeed.”
This sword can be seen on the Christian Fletcher website at www.christianfletcher.com/Christian_Fletcher/Makers_Mark_Folder/Pages/Type_XIII_-_Flared_Shoulders.html
For those who are interested, the sword appears as Plate 11C in The Sword In The Age Of Chivalry, and is shown as the last sword of the Type XIII series in the myArmoury Spotlight: Oakeshott Type XIII Swords article (at www.myarmoury.com/feature_spotxiii.html). This sword doesn't actually appear in Records of the Medieval Sword, but a drawing of a very similar sword is XIIIa.13 on page 106. In conversations with Gus Trim about this sword we came to realize that though the blade and guard of XIIIa.13 are similar, the pommel is quite a bit different. Thus the quote on Christian's website is slightly off. But it's really no matter, as the two artifacts are extremely similar and in my opinion, this provides even more validation to the design.
This is a beefy sword and definitely has "presence" when held in the hand. It isn't a huge sword. I would almost describe is as "handy", at least in as much as a dedicated two-hand sword can be described that way.
The specs are as follows:
Specs:
Blade: 32.7 inches
Grip: 8 inches
Overall: 43.4 inches
Guard Height: 8.25 inches
POB: 4 inches from base of guard
COP: 19-23 inches from base of guard with a "long sweet spot" of about 4 inches
Weight: 3 lbs. 3 ozs.
THE BLADE
The most striking characteristics of the blade are the flaring shoulders where the blade widens noticeably just prior to terminating at the guard. This adds a bit of mass just in front of the lead hand. It can be felt when you use the sword. It seems to add a bit of weight, but since it's near the hand and doesn't move much at all when you are swinging the sword, it doesn't slow the movement while still seeming to add authority to the cut.
The fuller is broad at the base and tapers toward the tip in a very pleasing way. The tip is broad, as it typical of Type XIII swords. It is almost spatulate, but still retains a bit of a point. However, this point is not anywhere near suitable for thrusting. It might get through light targets, but it isn't really piercing so much as slicing with the tip of the blade.
The blade shows a smooth satin polish, with straight lines running the length of the blade on the flats. The fuller is straight and even, with no wandering whatsoever. Laser straight would be an accurate description. The fuller still shows some faint signs of grinding as wavy lines that run in a slightly diagonal direction, perpendicular to the blade. I find them to be visually pleasing as they are very evenly done for the entire length of the fuller. But some may find them to be a negative.
THE HILT
The guard has a slight forward curve toward the tip, and the ecussion has a very slight cusp that protrudes down the fuller. I find it to be a thin, and very graceful design. I'd like to have a few more of this guard for other swords. To me is seems like a "clean" design, but at the same time it has a lot of subtle curves that make it very attractive.
The pommel is the standard ATrim large wheel design. It's thin with a slightly raised center and it balances the sword very nicely. It uses the standard ATrim hilt assembly method, composed of a tubular nut that screws onto the tang and butts up inside the pommel. It is made to accept a 5mm Allen head wrench and is extremely easy to disassemble for routine maintenance.
This feature puts some sword collectors off, as it is not a historically accurate method of hilt assembly. I personally view the ATrim swords as more of a modern take on historic swords. Their forte is high performance cutting and such. And in that role they truly excel.
Another area in which these Maker's Mark swords all excel is with respect to customization. The modular design allows an infinite variety of aftermarket customization.
But if a high-end historic piece is required, these should probably be skipped in favor of a different maker. However, I will mention that I own one ATrim sword that was re-hilted with a peened tang-to-pommel assembly. It required extensive hilt rework, but the finished product was very historic yet still very high-performance. Something to consider if you are looking for something with a blade that isn't offered elsewhere...
The 8-inch long grip has a flat riser at each end and a third riser in the middle. These position the hands very well and I find them to be very comfortable in use. The grip is made with a wooden core covered with cotton twine. The black leather wrap is then fitted with a flat-butted seam down one side of the grip. It is over-wrapped with nylon cord when the glue is wet and left to dry. This results in a pleasing "leather-over-cord wrap" look that is historically appropriate for the design.
THE SCABBARD
This sword does not come with a scabbard unless ordered extra. A plain leather scabbard is available for $95. But since the Maker's Mark Line swords are available exclusively from Christian Fletcher, they can be ordered with any amount of customization along with a scabbard/belt to satisfy your wildest dreams... all for a price of course.
HANDLING
The weight is 3 lbs. 4 ozs and makes for a hefty sword. It is one of the heavier swords in the line. But with just over a 32 inch blade, that heft is concentrated in a fairly compact package that can be moved very deftly. I really like the way this sword handles. The long handle makes it very controllable, as there is enough leverage to really drive the sword where you want it to go. It is very easy to change direction in the middle of a cut. This can be seen in the accompanying video when cutting tatami. On a few double cuts I made a really crappy first cut that knocked the top portion of the mat out of alignment. It was literally sailing away through the air. But the long handle of allowed me to totally reorient the cut in mid stroke to catch the mat as it fell.
First handling impressions led me to believe it would cut heavy targets well. But I didn't expect stellar performance on lighter targets. The handling might best be described as "with authority." You can feel the power this sword can generate when you move it around. Light and quick are not words I would use to describe it. However, it accelerates much faster than would be guessed from the raw numbers of its stats. And the most significant characteristic of the design, at least for me, is the natural edge alignment that the blade design helps you impart.
CUTTING
The blade is basically a broad wing. And it literally "flies itself" in the swing. My cutting is pretty sub par these days, but this sword makes edge alignment very easy, as the sword rights itself if you just hold it in a semi-firm grip. It definitely makes cutting much easier. I found this out on everything from light targets like plastic water-filler bottles and milk jugs all the way up to triple-mat rolls of tatami. In the accompanying video you can see a number of diagonal cuts that sever 16-18 inches of tatami in a single cut.
Adam Sharp and Bill Tsafa had the opportunity to test out this sword when they visited to carry out their "duel" last August. I will leave it to them to state their impressions separately. But the general consensus was that this was the easiest sword to cut with that any of us had ever tried. I know it is for me.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
This is the second example of the Maker's Mark Line I have reviewed. I have the benefit of having had this sword now for about five months. During that time I've had the opportunity to cut with it quite a bit. And I have been able to watch a couple of others use it who had very different backgrounds than me. The first Maker's mark sword I reviewed was the Triple-fuller Type XIII. So they both originally sat in the same category in the Oakeshott Typology, though this swords inspiration was later moved into the XIIIa subcategory. But given that, I couldn't imagining a different pair of swords. While the triple-fuller is a very light, subtle sword, this one is something of a brute on impact while still managing to be subtle in its own way. As you can see from the cutting, it's a powerful slicer and chopper. But still can be used decently with one hand in a pinch.
The retail price of the Flared Shoulders Type XIII is $550 as I write this review. I have heard rumblings that the prices may go up a little in the not-so-distant future. Gus Trim sent me this sword to review after we had discussed my desire for a heavy two-handed cutter. It had been well used by others at the time, as it was a "shop sword" for a while and had been used in various projects. He's insidiously talented at getting me to open my wallet. And he made a hit with this sword. As soon as I cut with this sword for the first time, I called him back and said I would be sending the money via paypal immediately. That's how impressed I was with the way this sword performs. And after using it for another 5 months I am certainly not sorry I bought it.
If you are looking for a heavy duty two-handed cutting sword with moderate blade length and great control, I cannot recommend this sword highly enough.