Albion Lady Vivamus and DBK Scabbard
Feb 22, 2010 0:22:54 GMT
Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2010 0:22:54 GMT
Albion: The Lady Vivamus Saber and Scabbard by DBK
Introduction: Historically and personally my own affinity for edged weapons remains planted in the 18-19th Century. Not that I’m not fascinated with the greater cultural continuity of martial arts through the ages, just that my awareness and enthusiasm for the modern epoch is just that more keen.
Having been carried away by sword collecting I eventually came to Albion Swords. Amidst all these amazing early and medieval swords, buried away in the special limited editions, are two swords with associations to Arthurian lore and science fantasy. Neither would interest me much until I saw the Vivamus itself. It was lust at first sight. The $3000 price tag (just for the sword mind you) was a real cold bath. But last June Albion declared a recession busting sale with 15% discounts: plus they would also tag on the 10% military personnel discount. The 25% incentive helped quiet my self-consciousness and cross the emotional barrier.
It took 10 weeks to produce the sword. At first I wasn’t going to get the scabbard, but finally asked for one. I was informed that Albion had scrapped its leatherworking program and there was no get well date in the near future. It was suggested that I contact C Fletcher. He already had a 7-8 month waiting list. I knew Brian Kunz through Jason Ryan’s Arms of Valor. I’d routed two swords to DBK for minor handle and sheath mods. I offered the commission to Brian Kunz. He agreed and a build was scheduled for February 2010.
I took receipt of my Vivamus in Sept 2009 and got four months to court it before sending it to Utah. Sword and its new scabbard were returned to me 16 Feb 10. The three pics below were done by DBK during the build.
Overview
The Lady Vivamus sword is a fantasy construct based on the science fantasy novel “Glory Road” of Robert Heinlein. The saber was submitted to the Heinlein foundation and given their endorsement.
Frankly, that’s more than I wish to know regarding the Heinlein connection. I’m not a Heinlein fan. Nor, for that matter would Jody Samson’s involvement in the project elicit particular interest. I always associated Samson with edgy, fantasy swords that didn’t do anything for me.
What I fell in love with instantly was the pure period military caste of this weapon. The sword screams central European heavy cav at you with the cut of the blade and the pistol grip. The bell guard is a little quirky, but it’s practically the Spanish 1860.
I’ve provided a lay down of three 19th Century Cav weapons I have on hand currently that fit In the same genre as the Vivamus. The one I really need here is a late model Prussian Kurassier; it’s that much closer in concept than the others. As you can see the Vivamus is right at home with the other models.
( L to R: US 1913 Cav, US1840/FR1822 Cav, BR 1896 Cav, The Vivamus )
Initial Impressions:
This sword has a BIG blade. This sort of blade went out in the 1820s as being too slow. When you pick it up you know it’s heavy. Bit of a surprise that it’s 3 pounds heavy; it handles very well considering. There’s only one way to hold on to this monster. The handle is tight and encourages the use of a closed fist: with good reason.
The old fashioned wood scabbard actually causes the sword to look smaller in the sheath, but that’s because of the size of the wood box nestling the sword. Discussions, such as had at MyArmory, blow hot and cold on the scale and function of scabbards. One commentor looking at one of DBKs new creations expressed the opinion that the scabbard "overwhelmed" the sword.
Aesthetically, that's a subjective matter of interpretation. Personal taste I want the scabbard to present itself distinctively. It is the scabbard that draws the viewer to the sword and then reveals its treasure to the viewer.
Albion swords are individually made. Mine comes in heavier overall and in the blade than as advertised. ( No, it ain't the sword knots fault ;D )
Statistics Vivamus
Blade Length 35 in
Handle Length 4 in
Overall Length 41
Blade Width 1in 3/8th
Point of Balance 4.25 ins
Percussion Point 26 ins
Sword Weight 3 lbs
Scabbard Weight 10 ozs
Components:
The Blade: A 1075 steel, 35 inch long blade that is 1.38 inches at the ricasso. Blade is hollow ground with 34 inches of front edge and 8 inches of back blade.
The Handle: Wood molded to conform to a finger grip, covered with rayskin, and laced somewhat stingily with four slight strands of silver wire. The workable handle length is only 4 inches. Adequate for necessary closed fisted grip: barely. Additional furniture in the form of a guard pad of leather covered felt fronts the handle.
The Guard: A prominent 16 gauge full fisted, solid bell guard, approximately 5 ½ inches in diameter. More than adequate hand protection.
The Pommel: The saber employs a high polished steel backstrap that ends in a substantial pommel cover. That takes up an inch in the butt of the sword. Brian Kunz commented that he found the sword to be slippery. I laughed, commenting that I come from a gauntlet culture and don’t understand “slippery”.
The Scabbard: The DBK custom's a wood boxed, leather cased, classic scabbard was obtained. The ring lockets are leather. The chape is steel. The color is supposed to be silver grey, but dye dried out with a blue tinge. It’s not a serious concern for me, but depending on how bright the lighting the scabbard’s perceived color shifts from light grey to a brindled slate. As to the functional aspect of the scabbard it is snug, quiet, and significantly lighter than steel.
Handling Characteristics: There was a golden rule for sabers set in the later 19th Century, that they shouldn’t weigh MORE than 2.5 pounds. More than that was considered too hard to control, over stressful physically, and to slow for defense. Using these criteria the Vivamus fails as a cavalry sword. However such conditions are generalized and don’t necessarily apply if the swordsman is of above average stature and/or well conditioned.
The Vivamus supports a fairly large blade. To get the PoB moved back requires a fairly substantial hilt. However trading off balance and keeping overall weight from running away requires some constraint. Thus a somewhat cramped hilt is mated to the full blade.
I can’t address every armed martial art, but for my own education in sword craft I know it was always emphasized that in fighting one should concentrate on the form and the hand, not the weapon itself. If your hand is going where you want and need it to go the weapon will be there. Simple to say, but it takes a lot of practice to realize the concept.
I mention that here in the context that while the Vivamus is a heavy single handed saber, it’s a well balanced sword that will respond to you very well.
Conclusions:
Pros:
Gorgeous good looks. The epitome of saber beauty.
Excellent Offensive Saber characteristics in both cut and thrust
Cons:
Horribly pricey at $4k for sword and scabbard.
A heavy weight at 3 pounds. Hard to move.
Fussy hilt issue with handle wire coming loose after 4 months of light use. This has nothing to do with structure, but having a bauble go sproing after you dropped all that money is pretty annoying ( I said something else...
)
The Bottom Line:
Buying something like this is nothing more than idiotic self indulgence. It’s over priced and there are all kinds of cavalry swords that can do the same job as well or better for 1/5th of the price. I gave myself the same sort of BS speech when I climbed into my first Corvette.
I bought the Vivamus because it takes my breath away every time I look at it. It makes me grin every time I pick it up and practice moving thru my cuts and parrys. It’s not the best sword in my collection: but it IS my favorite.
" The Opera ain't over til the Fat Lady Sings... ;D"
Pic file for these and more at:
s747.photobucket.com/albums/xx115/kelly1863/21%20Feb%202010/
Introduction: Historically and personally my own affinity for edged weapons remains planted in the 18-19th Century. Not that I’m not fascinated with the greater cultural continuity of martial arts through the ages, just that my awareness and enthusiasm for the modern epoch is just that more keen.
Having been carried away by sword collecting I eventually came to Albion Swords. Amidst all these amazing early and medieval swords, buried away in the special limited editions, are two swords with associations to Arthurian lore and science fantasy. Neither would interest me much until I saw the Vivamus itself. It was lust at first sight. The $3000 price tag (just for the sword mind you) was a real cold bath. But last June Albion declared a recession busting sale with 15% discounts: plus they would also tag on the 10% military personnel discount. The 25% incentive helped quiet my self-consciousness and cross the emotional barrier.
It took 10 weeks to produce the sword. At first I wasn’t going to get the scabbard, but finally asked for one. I was informed that Albion had scrapped its leatherworking program and there was no get well date in the near future. It was suggested that I contact C Fletcher. He already had a 7-8 month waiting list. I knew Brian Kunz through Jason Ryan’s Arms of Valor. I’d routed two swords to DBK for minor handle and sheath mods. I offered the commission to Brian Kunz. He agreed and a build was scheduled for February 2010.
I took receipt of my Vivamus in Sept 2009 and got four months to court it before sending it to Utah. Sword and its new scabbard were returned to me 16 Feb 10. The three pics below were done by DBK during the build.
Overview
The Lady Vivamus sword is a fantasy construct based on the science fantasy novel “Glory Road” of Robert Heinlein. The saber was submitted to the Heinlein foundation and given their endorsement.
Frankly, that’s more than I wish to know regarding the Heinlein connection. I’m not a Heinlein fan. Nor, for that matter would Jody Samson’s involvement in the project elicit particular interest. I always associated Samson with edgy, fantasy swords that didn’t do anything for me.
What I fell in love with instantly was the pure period military caste of this weapon. The sword screams central European heavy cav at you with the cut of the blade and the pistol grip. The bell guard is a little quirky, but it’s practically the Spanish 1860.
I’ve provided a lay down of three 19th Century Cav weapons I have on hand currently that fit In the same genre as the Vivamus. The one I really need here is a late model Prussian Kurassier; it’s that much closer in concept than the others. As you can see the Vivamus is right at home with the other models.
( L to R: US 1913 Cav, US1840/FR1822 Cav, BR 1896 Cav, The Vivamus )
Initial Impressions:
This sword has a BIG blade. This sort of blade went out in the 1820s as being too slow. When you pick it up you know it’s heavy. Bit of a surprise that it’s 3 pounds heavy; it handles very well considering. There’s only one way to hold on to this monster. The handle is tight and encourages the use of a closed fist: with good reason.
The old fashioned wood scabbard actually causes the sword to look smaller in the sheath, but that’s because of the size of the wood box nestling the sword. Discussions, such as had at MyArmory, blow hot and cold on the scale and function of scabbards. One commentor looking at one of DBKs new creations expressed the opinion that the scabbard "overwhelmed" the sword.
Aesthetically, that's a subjective matter of interpretation. Personal taste I want the scabbard to present itself distinctively. It is the scabbard that draws the viewer to the sword and then reveals its treasure to the viewer.
Albion swords are individually made. Mine comes in heavier overall and in the blade than as advertised. ( No, it ain't the sword knots fault ;D )
Statistics Vivamus
Blade Length 35 in
Handle Length 4 in
Overall Length 41
Blade Width 1in 3/8th
Point of Balance 4.25 ins
Percussion Point 26 ins
Sword Weight 3 lbs
Scabbard Weight 10 ozs
Components:
The Blade: A 1075 steel, 35 inch long blade that is 1.38 inches at the ricasso. Blade is hollow ground with 34 inches of front edge and 8 inches of back blade.
The Handle: Wood molded to conform to a finger grip, covered with rayskin, and laced somewhat stingily with four slight strands of silver wire. The workable handle length is only 4 inches. Adequate for necessary closed fisted grip: barely. Additional furniture in the form of a guard pad of leather covered felt fronts the handle.
The Guard: A prominent 16 gauge full fisted, solid bell guard, approximately 5 ½ inches in diameter. More than adequate hand protection.
The Pommel: The saber employs a high polished steel backstrap that ends in a substantial pommel cover. That takes up an inch in the butt of the sword. Brian Kunz commented that he found the sword to be slippery. I laughed, commenting that I come from a gauntlet culture and don’t understand “slippery”.
The Scabbard: The DBK custom's a wood boxed, leather cased, classic scabbard was obtained. The ring lockets are leather. The chape is steel. The color is supposed to be silver grey, but dye dried out with a blue tinge. It’s not a serious concern for me, but depending on how bright the lighting the scabbard’s perceived color shifts from light grey to a brindled slate. As to the functional aspect of the scabbard it is snug, quiet, and significantly lighter than steel.
Handling Characteristics: There was a golden rule for sabers set in the later 19th Century, that they shouldn’t weigh MORE than 2.5 pounds. More than that was considered too hard to control, over stressful physically, and to slow for defense. Using these criteria the Vivamus fails as a cavalry sword. However such conditions are generalized and don’t necessarily apply if the swordsman is of above average stature and/or well conditioned.
The Vivamus supports a fairly large blade. To get the PoB moved back requires a fairly substantial hilt. However trading off balance and keeping overall weight from running away requires some constraint. Thus a somewhat cramped hilt is mated to the full blade.
I can’t address every armed martial art, but for my own education in sword craft I know it was always emphasized that in fighting one should concentrate on the form and the hand, not the weapon itself. If your hand is going where you want and need it to go the weapon will be there. Simple to say, but it takes a lot of practice to realize the concept.
I mention that here in the context that while the Vivamus is a heavy single handed saber, it’s a well balanced sword that will respond to you very well.
Conclusions:
Pros:
Gorgeous good looks. The epitome of saber beauty.
Excellent Offensive Saber characteristics in both cut and thrust
Cons:
Horribly pricey at $4k for sword and scabbard.
A heavy weight at 3 pounds. Hard to move.
Fussy hilt issue with handle wire coming loose after 4 months of light use. This has nothing to do with structure, but having a bauble go sproing after you dropped all that money is pretty annoying ( I said something else...
)The Bottom Line:
Buying something like this is nothing more than idiotic self indulgence. It’s over priced and there are all kinds of cavalry swords that can do the same job as well or better for 1/5th of the price. I gave myself the same sort of BS speech when I climbed into my first Corvette.
I bought the Vivamus because it takes my breath away every time I look at it. It makes me grin every time I pick it up and practice moving thru my cuts and parrys. It’s not the best sword in my collection: but it IS my favorite.
" The Opera ain't over til the Fat Lady Sings... ;D"
Pic file for these and more at:
s747.photobucket.com/albums/xx115/kelly1863/21%20Feb%202010/
