Arrival! ['My First Fable Blade!', part III]
Jun 22, 2009 19:47:15 GMT
Post by SlayerofDarkness on Jun 22, 2009 19:47:15 GMT
Firstly, I'd like to say that this is a continuation of the continuation of a thread I started roughly 4 months ago. Here's a link to the original thread: /index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=9354&page=1
And here's a link to the second part of the original thread: /index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=10624&page=1
Anyway...
Well, ladies and gentlemen, my Fableblades have finally arrived!
To me, that's a statement as wonderful and profound as 'heaven is right over there', 'you just won the lottery', or 'look! A kitten!', but maybe I'm just weird. ;D
I'll have a full review with pics and video of both the sword of Garrigal and the FTW up hopefully within a week, but here are my first impressions.
The packaging was excellent. The blades survived their overseas ordeal with nary a scratch, thanks to Bren’s excessive (in a good way) use of PBC pipe, cardboard and newspaper to securely, um, secure them. One of the Garrigal’s quillians DID poke through the side, but just barely at that. It was still covered by a flap of cardboard and all is well. With the level of packaging/padding Brendan put, there’s no reason that it would have been able to poke through other than by the carelessness of a USPS employee. *grumble, grumble* Now, on to the good parts!
[melodrama]The Sword of Garrigal: Wonderful. Awesome. Powerful. Natural. These are the words that come to mind when I look at my new favorite sword. ;D
It is beautiful, and makes the wielder (that would be me. ;D) feel incredibly powerful, as if the sword were actually enchanted with Elven magic. [/melodrama] In all seriousness, this sword is VERY powerful and has a feel as if I just found it in a secluded grove in the middle of a forest. It feels natural, in tune with nature. Pretty cool, if I do say so myself. ;D
It IS a bit heavy for me, at just over 3 lbs and with a POB of about 5" from the guard, but it still handles pretty well. While it feels significantly heavier than my ex-Windlass Verneuil, I still prefer the Garrigal by a significant amount. As I told Brenno in an email, 'Hey, I'll grow into it. Just another reason to exercise!' Best of all, the Garrigal feels 'right'. You know how our very own Shadowhowler is always saying how the reason he buys and sells so many swords is that he's perpetually looking for those that feel 'right' in his hand? Well, the Garrigal definitely feels 'right'. In fact, while I can't yet wield it effectively for more than about 5-10 minutes consecutively, it is still my favorite sword to handle. Also, the peening is very clean and well done. All in all, a wonderful sword that I am proud to own. ;D
Now, you can obviously tell that I love my Fableblade, right? Well, if the Garrigal feels 'right', the FTW feels ULTRA-MEGA-SUPER 'right'. ;D
Seriously, this dagger/knife/tanto/wakizashi is a dream come true. The FTW fits my hand perfectly; literally as if Brenno made it specifically to that end. Better yet, it cuts better than my RoninKatana Wheel Katana and my Cheness 30" Nagasa (both of which I LOVE btw. Seriously, you want a nice, heavy-duty TH kat? Look into Cheness's and RoninKatana's stuff. I'd say that the RK is nicer, while the Cheness is tougher. Now, back to Fableblades. ). The FTW also fits the wonderfully made custom scabbard Brendan made for it for me perfectly. The scabbard is beautiful, sturdily made and as said before, fits well. Not to mention that the striker/pommel packs a heck of a punch! The dent it made in a 2x4 is seriously impressive! And as an added perk, the FTW has finally proven that gold does indeed look good with silver. ;D (that would be the brass pins/mekugi in the handle and the steel blade, respectively.) Best of all, the handling is smooth and flowing. While the FTW is heavy for a knife of it’s size, it’s also lightning fast and hits HARD. Tough as nails, quick as lightening and as dangerous as they get, this weapon excels in every category.
I couldn't be more pleased. In fact, I highly doubt that there's anything I could've bought with the money that would have pleased me more.
On a separate note, Brenno was a pleasure to deal with, and was incredibly helpful and understanding of my needs throughout the process. Communication was top-notch, and he was genuinely interested in making me happy. +1 and MAJOR kudos to him!
As I said in my last thread; if you have any reservations about ordering a FableBlade from Brendan, banish them now. He gets a 175% out of one-hundred from me! ;D
Reviews coming forthwith.
-Slayer
P.S. I know this wasn’t that short… but the review WILL be longer, so think of it as short ‘in perspective’! ;D
P.S.S. If I forgot to address something, just mention it and I’ll reply ASAP.
And here's a link to the second part of the original thread: /index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=10624&page=1
Anyway...
Well, ladies and gentlemen, my Fableblades have finally arrived!
To me, that's a statement as wonderful and profound as 'heaven is right over there', 'you just won the lottery', or 'look! A kitten!', but maybe I'm just weird. ;D
I'll have a full review with pics and video of both the sword of Garrigal and the FTW up hopefully within a week, but here are my first impressions.
The packaging was excellent. The blades survived their overseas ordeal with nary a scratch, thanks to Bren’s excessive (in a good way) use of PBC pipe, cardboard and newspaper to securely, um, secure them. One of the Garrigal’s quillians DID poke through the side, but just barely at that. It was still covered by a flap of cardboard and all is well. With the level of packaging/padding Brendan put, there’s no reason that it would have been able to poke through other than by the carelessness of a USPS employee. *grumble, grumble* Now, on to the good parts!
[melodrama]The Sword of Garrigal: Wonderful. Awesome. Powerful. Natural. These are the words that come to mind when I look at my new favorite sword. ;D
It is beautiful, and makes the wielder (that would be me. ;D) feel incredibly powerful, as if the sword were actually enchanted with Elven magic. [/melodrama] In all seriousness, this sword is VERY powerful and has a feel as if I just found it in a secluded grove in the middle of a forest. It feels natural, in tune with nature. Pretty cool, if I do say so myself. ;D
It IS a bit heavy for me, at just over 3 lbs and with a POB of about 5" from the guard, but it still handles pretty well. While it feels significantly heavier than my ex-Windlass Verneuil, I still prefer the Garrigal by a significant amount. As I told Brenno in an email, 'Hey, I'll grow into it. Just another reason to exercise!' Best of all, the Garrigal feels 'right'. You know how our very own Shadowhowler is always saying how the reason he buys and sells so many swords is that he's perpetually looking for those that feel 'right' in his hand? Well, the Garrigal definitely feels 'right'. In fact, while I can't yet wield it effectively for more than about 5-10 minutes consecutively, it is still my favorite sword to handle. Also, the peening is very clean and well done. All in all, a wonderful sword that I am proud to own. ;D
Now, you can obviously tell that I love my Fableblade, right? Well, if the Garrigal feels 'right', the FTW feels ULTRA-MEGA-SUPER 'right'. ;D
Seriously, this dagger/knife/tanto/wakizashi is a dream come true. The FTW fits my hand perfectly; literally as if Brenno made it specifically to that end. Better yet, it cuts better than my RoninKatana Wheel Katana and my Cheness 30" Nagasa (both of which I LOVE btw. Seriously, you want a nice, heavy-duty TH kat? Look into Cheness's and RoninKatana's stuff. I'd say that the RK is nicer, while the Cheness is tougher. Now, back to Fableblades. ). The FTW also fits the wonderfully made custom scabbard Brendan made for it for me perfectly. The scabbard is beautiful, sturdily made and as said before, fits well. Not to mention that the striker/pommel packs a heck of a punch! The dent it made in a 2x4 is seriously impressive! And as an added perk, the FTW has finally proven that gold does indeed look good with silver. ;D (that would be the brass pins/mekugi in the handle and the steel blade, respectively.) Best of all, the handling is smooth and flowing. While the FTW is heavy for a knife of it’s size, it’s also lightning fast and hits HARD. Tough as nails, quick as lightening and as dangerous as they get, this weapon excels in every category.
I couldn't be more pleased. In fact, I highly doubt that there's anything I could've bought with the money that would have pleased me more.
On a separate note, Brenno was a pleasure to deal with, and was incredibly helpful and understanding of my needs throughout the process. Communication was top-notch, and he was genuinely interested in making me happy. +1 and MAJOR kudos to him!
As I said in my last thread; if you have any reservations about ordering a FableBlade from Brendan, banish them now. He gets a 175% out of one-hundred from me! ;D
Reviews coming forthwith.
-Slayer
P.S. I know this wasn’t that short… but the review WILL be longer, so think of it as short ‘in perspective’! ;D
P.S.S. If I forgot to address something, just mention it and I’ll reply ASAP.