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Post by chrisperoni on Mar 19, 2011 14:04:20 GMT
Pardon the correction Elhru  Valiant Armory (VA) Practical Line (a.k.a their Performace Line) and the Signature Line both use blades made overseas, not by Angus Trim (ATrim). The blade design and specs are Angus creations/approved but the steel itself is not by his hand. I checked into this a while ago to clear things up myself- the answer came from TomK who sure does know his ATrim stuff  viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2413 |
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Post by chrisperoni on Mar 19, 2011 14:14:10 GMT
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Post by Elheru Aran on Mar 19, 2011 14:32:13 GMT
Well that is what I meant, VA Practical/Sig blades are Atrim designed/specifications. I didn't necessarily mean to imply that they're actual Angus Trim blades... guess I should've been more specific.
Also: Lolcats excellent :grin:
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Post by Hiroshi on Mar 20, 2011 0:04:46 GMT
*Some* people say that that Albions are the best. But it really depends on what you want.
Here are the differences I've gathered from talking to Tom & Gus.
Albions blades have a better polish(at the moment Gus is waiting for a special bit of equipment to arrive, after it does, his finish will be just as good if not better)
ATrim blades have better performance and handling, Gus' knowledge is far more extensive when it comes to blade design then the guy's who design the albion blades. A lot of people think albion's swords handle better because the center of balance is always pulled way back with a heavy pommel. And it may indeed "feel" like it handles good when your sitting in your arm chair. But take that swords outside and start cutting with it and you will very quickly discover that ATrim swords, who's center of balance and distal taper are much more historically accurate, cut exceedingly better.
Albion's have cast pommels and guards. Being cast they are capable of more decorative bits and don't have machine marks.
From what I can tell the handles on both swords at this point are on an equal level.
So what it really boils down to is, Would you rather have a more expensive blade, that doesn't cut or handle nearly as well as a less expensive sword that you could by today with no wait?
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Mar 20, 2011 0:20:11 GMT
Hiroshi... I have to disagree with you here.
I've owned over 20+ Atrim swords now... have 6 in my collection currently... and I've owned 10+ Albions and have 3 in my collection currently. I've also handled other Albions and Atrims that I didn't own.
My experience has been that the Albion swords handle and perform evey inch as good as Gus's blades... but the fit and finish, polish, and attention to historical detail on the Albion blades is much better.
Of course... you pay more for that... as a comparable Albion sword tends to cost 50% to over 100% more then a comparable Atrim sword.
I've spoken with Christian Fletcher about this before... and he has worked with Atrim and Albion swords extensively... and he feels both are built pretty much on par with one another as well... again with the Albions having the uper hand in fit and finish... and polish.
Gus makes his swords to be performance focused user swords... Albion makes their swords this way as well... but they also try to make them look and feel as much like a historical sword as possible. Gus dosn't tend to care about his swords looking the part... only DOING the part.
So... in my experience Gus's swords do not out-perform Albions... they just tend to be a better value for those who's ONLY concern is the performance of their sword... not its appearance or historical accuracy. For those what care about both those things... their are Albions.
I don't believe either sword is "Better"... Atrim or Albion... I believe they are made to suit different needs and priced accordingly.
Now of course Gus is going to be proud of his work and feel its better then his competition... and I know Tom did not like the one Albion he owned and is a huge fan of Gus's swords... but coming from a guy who has owned many of both and likes em both (and you can ask ShooterMike about this also... as he owns many of both as well) I'd say I would have to strongly disagree with your opinion on Albion vs Atrim above.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2011 11:35:45 GMT
Well, I disagree on the appearance part. Sure Atrims aren't as pretty, but I would rather have a sword whose overall like I like than one that is shinier and fancier but whose shape I like less. It's just me but albion doesn't have anything that I really liked, more like "Meh, would be neat to have if I had the cash" and less like "Must have now, must get money somehow" Now, if albion had something I just had to have it would depend on how much better it looked, because yea, fancy is nice.
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Post by Elheru Aran on Mar 21, 2011 12:09:20 GMT
Well, for my part I've never handled an Albion or an Atrim, just read glowing praise of both...
But for Albions, I know there are several I'd love to get. Gus has made basically identical blades to a number of Albions-- within the Oakeshott Typology there's only so much room for variation, after all-- but Sean makes a great point that Albion does pay more attention to historical accuracy, fit, and overall elegance than Trim does. I still think they're a little overly expensive, mind you, but that Munich? It's still way and away my favorite sword out there. I know it's not going to be a lightsaber, but the lines and looks it's got going on... mmmm. Yeah.
And I just can't necessarily say that about an Atrim. I'm certain they're excellent blades. The key word in that sentence though-- 'blades'. The rest is more or less an afterthought for Gus; he slaps pommels, guards, and grips on more because they're needed, rather than because he actually wants to beyond the most basic fittings. There's a reason Chris Fletcher's Design-your-own-Atrim was eagerly appreciated here, because Christian does better work than Gus, fittings-wise.
Albions, then, are the complete package, sword-wise; Atrims, on the other hand, are primarily good blades. That's how it sums up, I think.
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Mar 21, 2011 17:49:29 GMT
Ah the Munich... I had one for a time... I had lusted after it forever and finally got one. For such a long sword it was SURPRISINGLY fast an agile... and it was elegant and beautiful to the extreme. I sold it... but it was the hardest sword to let go I have ever sold. The ONLY reason I sold it was the long, thin grip... which is part of its attractiveness... was too thin for my large, thick meat-paws to get a good handle on.  I was so sad... because I loved the sword, but I could not utilize it to its full potential because I couldn't get comfortable with it. For someone with more normal sized hands... the Munich would be an amazing sword.
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Post by Elheru Aran on Mar 21, 2011 17:59:42 GMT
Yeah. If only it came with a hex-key assembly, it'd be just about perfect; I like being able to customize a lot. Probably cost another $2-300 to do though, even if Albion would be willing to do it in the first place. I totally understand the issue with the skinny grip, but the one it has right now just matches the aesthetic of the blade so well with its current size and proportions... You could do that with an Atrim if you ordered it via Christian Fletcher, but in a vague way it just wouldn't be quite the same. I don't know if Angus does XVIIIb's anyway...
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I was so sad... because I loved the sword, but I could not utilize it to its full potential because I couldn't get comfortable with it. For someone with more normal sized hands... the Munich would be an amazing sword.
