Greg
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Post by Greg on Apr 7, 2011 6:12:44 GMT
Introduction:
It is with my great pleasure that I am able to present to you the Angus Trim XII.1315+
Stand back for the disclaimer bit. The folks at Tried and True Armory sent me this blade to play with and share my experience with the community. I don't get paid any reimbursement for writing this review, so all opinions and whatnot are mine.
Now then, where were we?
My initial impressions with the 1315+ were that of familiarity. I had seen this blade one thousand times before, and it had always played a support role. It would swing at the hip of the gallant knight who fought for his lord. It has accompanied the shield in countless battles across time. And it has been wielded by the hero's of people's imaginations.
This is THE single handed sword.
It seems like in today's sword market, every sword has a niche. Some are incredibly agile and can whip around faster then the eye can follow. Some are powerful and can cleave through a triple tatami mat with a 2" wooden core. But the 1315+ resides comfortably in the happy middle ground. I does not feel heavy or light. It is not fast or slow. It's almost like if you took every single handed western sword and threw them into a big melting pot, you'd get the 1315+ as a result.
Lets go over some stats.
Statistics:
Total Weight: 2.25 lbs Total Length: 38.875" Blade Length: 32.375" Grip Length: 4.375" Guard Width: 7.375" Blade Width: (Base=1.75") (CoP=1.21") Blade Thickness: (Base=0.23") (CoP=.125") (Tip=0.0625") Point of Balance: 5.5" Percussion Node (CoP) Bladeside: 21.5" Percussion Node Gripside: 0.25" down from guard (just a hair off from where it normally sits on an ATrim) Tip Weight: 6.5oz (Tip Weight Table: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3651)
Components:
Blade-
The blade sticks with the classic type XII shape with a very gentle but consistent profile taper and ends in an acute point.
Since this is a mercenary grade sword, the single fuller was left with the forge scales. However, I believe that Gus has said that all future single fullers, from the mercenary line, will be rough polished out.
The Edge-
Ok, here is where I found a nice little surprise. It would appear that Gus has decided to coin the "tertiary bevel" market. As you can see in the image below, there is a definite secondary bevel, but then the secondary bevel has a secondary bevel of it's own.
However, I do not know if this is a new standard or if this was a workshop fluke. What I DO know is that this did not have any additional sharpening or polishing after it left Gus's shop. So later on in the vid, it's with a Gus Direct edge.
Grip-
Well, this is where this particular blade gets some criticism from me. The grip has what looks like an overlap in the undercord of the grip. I know this is only a mercenary finished blade, but I would expect something like this to drop the grade to munitions. The only saving grace here is that it falls exactly in between the index and middle finger so once the blade is in hand, I can notice it when I hold one edge forward, but not when I flip the blade around.
However, the leather seam is all but invisible and you'd be hard pressed to find it by touch alone. Heck, even areas where the leather tucks under the guard and pommel look good. The ONLY flaw on this blade is the undercord overlap.
Hilt-
Nothing incredibly new here. The 1315+ sports a nice thick tang with appropriately rounded shoulders.
Guard:
The guard is a lovely Style 1 with less tapering, towards the edge, then is normally seen. Very attractive in my opinion.
I did notice that this is one of the few ATrims that I've seen where the edge extends all the way under the guard. Usually, Gus leaves the first 3-4 inches dull.
Pommel-
Nothing to write home about here. It's a standard type G with the machine marks still recognizable. I will note that usually Gus's furniture has some sharp corners, this one does not. I was pleasantly surprised when I swung and the pommel gently rubbed over the heel of my palm.
The Awesome Part:
Before you watch the video, please keep in mind this is an edge directly from Gus, and it was my first time with tatami.
Conclusions and Whatnots:
When I was first taking mental notes of this sword, it was hard for me to get excited about it. I was used to swords that were specialized in speed or power. So at first, I didn't think much of a "Jack of all trades" blade. But the more I got to handle it and the more I thought about it, I would be perfectly happy if this were the only single hander I owned. It does just about everything, marginally well.
Pros: -Happy median between power and speed. A good "all around" sword.
Cons: -The undercord overlap on the grip. If you hold it a certain way, it is readily felt.
This sword should be considered for anyone looking to get the "typical xii." If Goldilocks were picking out a sword, she's pick this one because it's just right. The only reason I haven't bought this is because my sword money is spent for the quarter.
Epic picture to end on!
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Post by Tendrax on Apr 7, 2011 6:31:46 GMT
Very nice Greg.
Full res of first and last pics? You should probably just PM me links to any really cool pics you take. It'd save us both time. :lol:
Also did you have any trouble uploading to youtube? Trying to upload a vid of a cutting session, and it's being insanely slow. Kind of wondering if it's me, or if it's youtube.
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Post by chuckinohio on Apr 7, 2011 11:34:44 GMT
"Playin with swords" :lol: Classic
Another swell review Greg, way to keep it down to earth.
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Greg
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Post by Greg on Apr 7, 2011 13:12:18 GMT
Tendrax, sadly I took these on the same day as I took the other ones. But in the future, all sword images will be taken at max res.
Also, I had the fps set lower on my camera, which is why the past two videos have look different then the ones I normally upload. I'll be going back to the old format with my next reviews.
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Talon
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Post by Talon on Apr 7, 2011 17:25:49 GMT
nooooooooooo ,leave the forge scaling in the fuller another great review greg aswell as the epic pics :lol:
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Greg
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Post by Greg on Apr 7, 2011 18:47:03 GMT
I'm sure that Gus would leave the scaling in the fuller if he was requested to do so. I agree, it looks REALLY nice on this blade.
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TomK
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Post by TomK on Apr 7, 2011 18:58:59 GMT
Another good review Greg, man I wish I could see that video. Can you give me a recap of the cutting highlights and any lows also?
I really liked that sword's feel and I agree with you that it is one of those comfortable middle of the road swords that really does a little bit of everything. It is the "I'm only getting one sword and I want it to be a good one" sword.
I have a couple of notes to pass along that may clear some things up:
The guard is actually a style two. it may not look it to our eyes since most style 2 guards on the market taper more in the middle of the arms and have a more dramatic flare towards the ends but that's what it is. I suppose it might be considered an in-betweener. style 1's are generally straight with no taper or straight and taper straight down to points not much in the way of curves on them really. but this is not a big deal, especially if you like it.
The edge: this is one of the places that ATrims have a little inconsistency. I have yet to see one of Gus' edges not cut well. I have made them cut better, but they were still good to start.
Fullers: Mercenary Grade fullers will either be left black (if they are narrow fullers like this one) or they will be rough polished and may show a diagonal pattern in them kinda like this: ///////////// except closer together. The reason we do this is because the wide fullers are not at all attractive in black.
The grip: this grip is typical of mercenary grade grips though that one wrapping flaw is generally not expected, a flaw of that nature will be tolerated on our end for Mercenary grades. So while we are trying to not reproduces flaws like that, they will occasionally be seen.
The truth is that due to our margins on these there is often very little difference between Mercenary and Munitions Grades. The big thing that is going to set Munitions grades apart is that they will not be to spec or they may have visible polish or milling flaws. With Gus having his new grinding equipment now I really foresee a lot less Munitions Grade swords being produced.
Our goal with the Mercenary line swords is to offer an option to the market of swords that have better engineering than anything else in the price range. The Aesthetics we produce on them will be beatable by some swords in similar price ranges. Tried and True grade swords will be a step up in aesthetics, particularly in polish, and they will get the better grips. The grip you find on this sword (from our point of view) has a flaw that takes this grip from a Tried and True down to Mercenary.
We have taken $500-$600+ swords and squeezed them down to their current price range, sadly some sacrifices had to be made. We will be offering swords in the higher price ranges eventually but we will be stepping our way up one improvement at a time. Tried and True Grade is next and a Permanent Assembly option is coming with it.
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Talon
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Post by Talon on Apr 7, 2011 20:18:46 GMT
personally speaking tom ,for the price these a trims are going for i would expect some inconsintencies in the grip/guards/blade grinding as long as the blade is well tempered with the correct profile and distal taper (well they are a trims so they will be) the munition grade swords are actually perfect for me (i dont really want a sword that requires no input on my part) as to the blackened fullers,even if i sent my bare blade to christian fletcher i'd want the fullers left just as they are nice and forged black i was speaking to greg regarding the XII.1,am i right in being able to still order the heavy version
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Marc Kaden Ridgeway
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Post by Marc Kaden Ridgeway on Apr 7, 2011 20:55:41 GMT
Nice review... its a great sword huh? I've always loved my SBG special 1315
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Greg
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Post by Greg on Apr 7, 2011 21:14:38 GMT
Tom: Ah, I see what you mean now about it being a type 2 guard. I'm still training my eye to pick out the small subtitles of the classifications, but you are right, the ends of the guard DO flare, it's just ever so slightly. The reason I focused on the grip so much was because back when the munitions grade first came out, I had seen better grips label a sword as munitions. But now with the new pricing, I suppose it was a little harsh of me to call it munitions, because it's not a one-off.
But hey, if I give a 'sunshine and puppies' review for every aspect of the blade, then people would start getting suspicious. I try to keep my reviews unbiased, but it's hard not to have a bias towards ATrims.
And Tom couldn't have said it any better, if you were only allowed one sword, this would be the one to get because it does everything pretty good.
Marc: I'm not sure if it's because I like this sword a lot, or if it's just my first experience with "You don't get to keep them", but I'm really gonna miss it when it's gone. I used to spend my evenings playing with the XIV.2 but for the past week it's been the 1315+ every night.
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TomK
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Post by TomK on Apr 7, 2011 23:28:20 GMT
we don't want the sunshine and puppies review either, but I figured I would point out where we are at and try to manage some expectations. flaws happen. we try to contain and prevent them, but they happen. we won't just slop anything together.
the Munitions grade swords have all manner of grip on them, they are really a pot-luck. the guy who got that first munition Xa.2 (you know who you are but I won't tell) got a grip on it that is better than any grip we have yet made. most of the munitions grade swords we have sold have had grips made by a helper of Gus' from a few years ago who's work was not really up to par but Gus had a lot of those grips ready to go and they seemed like a good fit for Munitions grade swords. those grips are starting to run low too and eventually they will disapear completely. Munitions grade is a pot-luck, but we'll tell you what you are getting when we offer it up.
Talon, I believe that Gus changed the program on the XII.1 so that it would make the sword to spec thus the specs for the XII.1H may in fact be lost. Gus may be able to recreate it but I think the XII.1 might be so good that you'd prefer it standard over heavy. I can ask. one way or another we may be able to get a heavier arming sword into the mix if that is what you are after. there will be a pair of XIIIb coming pretty soon and one of them should fit the bill of heavy arming sword rather nicely. but I wouldn't hold my breath for a XII.1 Heavy. I suspect Greg may just remain the sole owner of that one.
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TomK
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Post by TomK on Apr 7, 2011 23:49:04 GMT
UPDATE for Talon: I just got an email from Gus and it turns out that there is ONE MORE XII.1H. it is in the shop, finished and ready to be mounted to a hilt. if you want it just email us at Triedandtruearmory@gmail.com!.
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Greg
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Post by Greg on Apr 8, 2011 2:08:22 GMT
LoL Tom you are the man!
Talon and I have been talking about his next sword for a bit now. He's gonna be thrilled to hear that there is still a XII.1H left. I tried talking him into waiting until I could review the XII.1-standard (ahem) but he was insistant upon a MOAS in the heavy cutter department.
Oh, and I'm really enjoying the back and forth of reviewer and distributor. Contrary to popular belief, I don't know everything about swords. I really do like how Tom can come in behind me and explain the why's and how's after I give the "Weeeeee!"s
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Talon
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Post by Talon on Apr 8, 2011 5:00:12 GMT
pm sent
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Apr 8, 2011 5:57:48 GMT
Oh don't worry Greg... I never assumed you knew everything about swords... or that much at all about them really. :lol:
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Greg
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Post by Greg on Apr 8, 2011 6:38:35 GMT
I really don't even know which end to hold. I've just reached blindly for them up until this point. I guess I just have some incredible luck is all.
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Apr 8, 2011 17:18:37 GMT
Hehehehe... You should see a video ShooterMike made to get my hackles up some time ago... he tries cutting with the sword while holding the blade and smacking a bottle with the hilt... inferring sarcastically that this must be what I am doing. :lol: This came about because we had a difference of opinion on what was easier to cut, 2 litter bottles or 16 oz bottles.
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Greg
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Post by Greg on Apr 8, 2011 18:04:58 GMT
HAHAHAHAHA
I don't know how I've missed that one. Maybe he removed it from public viewing on his youtube channel. Back when I was first getting into swords, I'd sit and watch ALL of the veteran members' videos... maybe that is why I've picked it up so quickly... hrm. Anyway, I'll have to search his channel again to see if I just missed it.
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Apr 8, 2011 19:25:59 GMT
He never made it public... he let me a few others only see it... it was like a private jab.
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Lunaman
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Post by Lunaman on Apr 8, 2011 19:59:55 GMT
And it was a hilarious one. With a snarky title.
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