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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Nov 24, 2009 5:04:59 GMT
Thanks Mike, that is GOOD news. I wonder if my 1557 is one of the new types, it sure does have ultra sexy guard and pommel work on it and it is SLIGHTLY heavier than your older ones. mine is 2 lbs 1 oz vs your 1lbs 14oz. should mean mine has slightly more cutting power, what a thought.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2009 5:44:41 GMT
It is still my dream to buy the old Makers Mark XIII a single fuller from him. Will he still take requests for older models of swords like that? Mr Fletcher, care to comment?
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Nov 24, 2009 5:58:14 GMT
get some money together and ask him, I doubt he will turn down a serious commission, he is a businessman and not a dumb one either.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2009 22:29:50 GMT
The changes to blade properties that Gus is working out are a significant improvement over the swords he made in the last year or two. The guards and pommels will certainly step them up several notches on the desireability scale. And in real dollars, they will cost about the same. Seems to be really no downside to me. Good to hear Mike. I should clarify - when I said I don't think the improvements will be large enough to justify the extra cost, I meant for me personally, not as a general statement. I have no qualms about the overall quality and value of Gus' work, compared to his competitors. I've always said that even if price wasn't an issue, I'd rather have an ATrim than an Albion. So while the guard and pommel improvements are probably nice enough to be well worth the increase (and probably still better bang for buck than his competitors in that range) they're not a priority for me. As far as performance increases go, I am sorely tempted to wait until his new lines come out, because the cost of shipping to Australia always makes me wince (and therefore tend to talk myself into buying something better, so the 'relative cost' of shipping is less). Making the final purchase decision when I find out what shipping will cost me is always a gut check moment. But down that road lies madness...or at least convincing myself that I should just go the whole hog and commission a fully custom piece. What would really help the community would be a rough idea of what the blade property upgrades entail and how significant they are (in generic terms, obviously) and what kind of a price jump we're talking about (are we talking an extra $50 or an extra $500 - Albion range) from those of you in the know. When it comes to performance, I don't think there's anyone here that doesn't have enormous respect for Gus' judgement in that area. If in his mind his older lines are no longer up to scratch when compared with his new stuff...well that would speak volumes to those of us for whom that's the main priority. Or am I completely misunderstanding you? When you say 'real dollars' are you talking about: - a value/$ judgement; - saying that the actual sticker price won't change (which seems to clash with what Christian was saying), or; - saying that the price increase is proportionately comensurate with inflation, wage and cost of living increases? Edit: It goes without saying Mike that as the resident ATrim expert, if you're in the know we'd like to hear your view on the changes as well. It was your review of the MMXIII-TF that cemented the purchase for me.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Nov 25, 2009 1:28:17 GMT
this makes me wonder if the 1557 I just got is an upgraded version or the old classic. mine is 3 ounces heavier than Mike's. the weight difference and nicer guard and pommel make me think maybe I got a prototype of the new improved style or a transitional piece between the old and the new. maybe I'll ask.
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SlayerofDarkness
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"Always give everyone the benefit of the doubt."
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Post by SlayerofDarkness on Nov 25, 2009 3:22:31 GMT
this makes me wonder if the 1557 I just got is an upgraded version or the old classic. mine is 3 ounces heavier than Mike's. the weight difference and nicer guard and pommel make me think maybe I got a prototype of the new improved style or a transitional piece between the old and the new. maybe I'll ask. Please let us know what you find out... I'm intrigued, and anxious to see where this transition leads. -Slayer
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Nov 25, 2009 4:10:10 GMT
I have sent an email to Mr. Fletcher. he usually responds in the mornings so hopefully we will have an answer tomorrow A.M.
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Dom T.
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Success, depress, ambition. Progress, regress, recognition.
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Post by Dom T. on Dec 29, 2009 18:36:20 GMT
Hey guys. No clue how I got to this thread, so sorry if I'm raisin' it from the dead here.
Did you ever get a reply?
It really does seem like a bummer with the changes. Never had the pleasure of owning an Atrim, but I always thought it was cool how Atrim's had the hex nuts at the pommel. Was hoping in the future that I could afford one and customize it after I'd tried my hand at making fittings and found it at an acceptable level (and the hex would make it easier to swap grips and whatnot, right? Would hate to have something semi-permanently attached to a sword that I found ugly later on). Well, this is all already past my feasible price range of sub $300. Not even at the point of customizing my swords yet. Oh well.
Best of luck to Mr. Fletcher and Mr. Trim. Never had the luck to see their work in person, but if the pictures are any indication their stuff is quite awesome. Hehe, sword porn. My dream is to have something custom made by them. Oh how great that would be. Too bad many of us can't afford that.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2009 18:52:34 GMT
The cost of everything is going up so it's only fair that Gus has to raise his prices to make ends meet. If he improves the performance even more, I think it's worth it. I have an Atrim and I am so happy with it I would have paid more...but I am glad I didn't . So I will wait to see how just much prices go up and decide at that point if they are worth it. If my Atrim is any indication I don't think the price increase will be stopping me from buying another.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Dec 29, 2009 19:22:19 GMT
I did not receive a reply but I think the answer is obvious that my 1557 is the sort of work we will be seeing on ATrims in the future. if you look at C/F's website right now there are two Maker's Mark swords in the 650-750$ range. www.christianfletcher.com/Christian_Fletcher/Atrim_Makers_Mark.html Shooter Mike's recent review of the new Maker's Mark XII.1 prototype reveals some of the improvements Gus has made with his swords along the lines of performance. the new XII fits the custom made scabbard for the old XII but the handling is way better. so when we start talking not only better fittings and finish and peened construction (which a lot of people used to complain about not getting on an ATrim) but also better distal taper to improve handling and performance I think a $200-ish price hike is pretty small potatoes for what we get.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2009 23:28:20 GMT
I'd still get one.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2009 12:22:54 GMT
I have an Atrim on order right now for $550, but any higher then that is not possible from me.
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