Fable Blades Anduril
May 25, 2011 15:34:52 GMT
Post by SwordFan on May 25, 2011 15:34:52 GMT
Introduction:
This is the third of my five new reviews for this week and Iv gone with the Anduril from Fable Blades .
This was one of my easier decisions to make when choosing from Brendan’s completed swords purely as I am a big Tolkien Fan and love Lord Of The Rings .Iv always wanted a Functional Anduril and this is Brendan’s interpretation of Anduril of which I think he executes with great skill and imagination capturing the essence of Tolkien’s works .
I ordered this sword together with the Excalibur and both made very good time to me with no delivery issues .
Historical overview:
This is a Functional Fantasy sword and hence has no real historical background as such , here is a description taken from the Fable Blade’s listing :
Anduril
Before leaving the Elven homestead at Rivendell Strider first had his forefathers' sword Narsil reforged anew by Elvish smiths. On it's blade it had now been engraved with crescent moon, a rayed sun, and between them seven stars as word breaks amongst many runes. These Cirth runes are in the Sindarin language.
On the blade - Between the Sun and Crescent moon :
"IM*AEN*ESTAR*ANDURIL*LACH*NED*I*ANNUN : I Am Called Anduril Flame of the West"
On the reverse, between a device of the White Tree of Gondor over Gondorian Wings, and a Sun & Crescent Moon.
"TAUR*NED*GONDOR*GOBBENATHREN*A*SI*MAETHA*ENNI : Kings of Gondor Past and Present Wield Me"
Specs:
Weight: 1825g (4lb o.4oz)
Overall Length: 1195mm (47”)
Blade Length: 915mm (36”)
Hilt Length: 290mm (11.4”)
Grip Length: 203mm (8”)
Guard Width: 252mm (10”)
Point of Balance: 90mm (3.5”)
Centre of Percussion: 540mm (21”) from guard
Hilt Node of Percussion: 50mm (2”) back from guard [Centre of fore grip.]
Distal Taper 50%: 6mm at hex section tapering over the diamond section to 3mm, measured 4cm behind tip.
Profile Taper: 40mm (1.57”) to 30mm (1.18”) at 6” from tip, before tapering acutely
Steel: 9260 spring steel, oil quenched, then tempered twice to a hardness of approx 52Rc. Grip timber: European Beech.
Initial Impressions:
I received the package which contained both my Anduril and Excalibur and as always Brendan had done a great job with the packaging . He ships the sword disassembled which really helps bring down the shipping costs when using a courier service . After assembling Anduril I was amazed at the beauty of the sword and just how much detail and care had been put into the creation of this fine sword .Everything fitted together perfectly and the sword fully assembled is truly an amazing piece of art in its own right . The engravings and the placement of the jewels in the hilt have been amazingly well done with skill elvish skill and workmanship (So who knows ,Brendan you part Elf perhaps ? LOL ) . I was expecting a really heavy handling sword ,but honestly for its size and it being a fantasy piece it is balanced really well and actually feels really well in hand . In fact I even managed to do some cutting with only one hand (bottles) so once again a testament to Brendan’s skill as a sword maker .
Statistics:
Taken from Fable Blades :
Specs:
Weight: 1825g (4lb o.4oz)
Overall Length: 1195mm (47”)
Blade Length: 915mm (36”)
Hilt Length: 290mm (11.4”)
Grip Length: 203mm (8”)
Guard Width: 252mm (10”)
Point of Balance: 90mm (3.5”)
Centre of Percussion: 540mm (21”) from guard
Hilt Node of Percussion: 50mm (2”) back from guard [Centre of fore grip.]
Distal Taper 50%: 6mm at hex section tapering over the diamond section to 3mm, measured 4cm behind tip.
Profile Taper: 40mm (1.57”) to 30mm (1.18”) at 6” from tip, before tapering acutely
Steel: 9260 spring steel, oil quenched, then tempered twice to a hardness of approx 52Rc. Grip timber: European Beech.
Components:
The Blade:
The blade features a 9260 spring steel Oil Quenched ,twice tempered blade (52Rc Hardness) which is really sharp .The blade is a work of art with all the engravings done on it .The geometry of the blade is something a little different to my current collection with a Distal Taper of 50% - 6mm at hex section tapering over the diamond section to 3mm, measured 4cm behind tip.A profile taper of 40mm (1.57”) to 30mm (1.18”) at 6” from tip, before tapering acutely . Once again a lovely blade with just the right amount of flex and no whippy nature at all (Yes I hate whippy blades ,lol )
The Handle:
The grip features a European beech core in a dark blue leather wrap with with a secondary portion which tapers down wrapped in copper wire . There is a copper spacer either side of the secondary grip section (as can be seen in the pictures) . I need to make a point of just how well Brendan executes this all . In total the grip consists of 2 parts and 2 spacers ,all of these fit together seamlessly and at first glance actually look like a one piece grip ,that’s how well they all fit together !the wire wrapped portion has been wrapped very tightly and shows no signs of movement at all . The leather section has an almost invisible seam on it and it really requires some very close inspection to actually find it . The leather portion itself is also rather unique as its shape is different and fits very well in hand ,once again the attention to detail is simply stunning .
The Guard:
The Guard is something different to what everyone has come used to seeing on the Anduril we all saw in the movies and personally I find it a refreshing change to have something different .
The Pommel:
The Pommel is solid and has a blue gem sunken into it on either side with sun like detail coming from the gems . Its hard to capture on camera ,but in the sunlight the gems really do look stunning
Handling Characteristics:
I found this to be a well balanced all round piece .With two hands she is able to deal some very powerful cuts . The pommel really provides an excellent counter weight on this piece together with the longer grip .
Cutting:
I need to spend some more time with her cutting as so far iv only had the chance twice to take her out twice , the first being some bottles and the second some single rolled mats .She handled both targets with ease and really do need to find the time to test her on some double mats though I sense she will handle these with ease as well
Conclusions:
This is everything I could have wished for in Anduril and more . The fact that Brendan manages to make such wonderful looking pieces and still keep them fully functional with great handling properties really amazes me . His level of commitment to his work and detail are really outstanding and it is clear to see that he loves doing what he does as it shows in his swords .
Pros:
Great Customer service from Brendan at Fable Blades
Attention to detail
A refreshingly different take on Anduril still completed in true Tolkien Spirit
Well Balanced piece
Cons:
Honestly I personally could not find any ,sure it is more expensive than say a DSA Anduril ,but in all honesty you simply cannot compare the two as they are worlds apart in quality .
The Bottom Line:
If you are looking for a functional Lord Of The Rings piece I strongly urge you to save up and contact Brendan ,his work ethic and customer service is simply outstanding . I now own 3 of his pieces and Iv been more than happy with all three and hope to pick up a couple more in the future .
This is the third of my five new reviews for this week and Iv gone with the Anduril from Fable Blades .
This was one of my easier decisions to make when choosing from Brendan’s completed swords purely as I am a big Tolkien Fan and love Lord Of The Rings .Iv always wanted a Functional Anduril and this is Brendan’s interpretation of Anduril of which I think he executes with great skill and imagination capturing the essence of Tolkien’s works .
I ordered this sword together with the Excalibur and both made very good time to me with no delivery issues .
Historical overview:
This is a Functional Fantasy sword and hence has no real historical background as such , here is a description taken from the Fable Blade’s listing :
Anduril
Before leaving the Elven homestead at Rivendell Strider first had his forefathers' sword Narsil reforged anew by Elvish smiths. On it's blade it had now been engraved with crescent moon, a rayed sun, and between them seven stars as word breaks amongst many runes. These Cirth runes are in the Sindarin language.
On the blade - Between the Sun and Crescent moon :
"IM*AEN*ESTAR*ANDURIL*LACH*NED*I*ANNUN : I Am Called Anduril Flame of the West"
On the reverse, between a device of the White Tree of Gondor over Gondorian Wings, and a Sun & Crescent Moon.
"TAUR*NED*GONDOR*GOBBENATHREN*A*SI*MAETHA*ENNI : Kings of Gondor Past and Present Wield Me"
Specs:
Weight: 1825g (4lb o.4oz)
Overall Length: 1195mm (47”)
Blade Length: 915mm (36”)
Hilt Length: 290mm (11.4”)
Grip Length: 203mm (8”)
Guard Width: 252mm (10”)
Point of Balance: 90mm (3.5”)
Centre of Percussion: 540mm (21”) from guard
Hilt Node of Percussion: 50mm (2”) back from guard [Centre of fore grip.]
Distal Taper 50%: 6mm at hex section tapering over the diamond section to 3mm, measured 4cm behind tip.
Profile Taper: 40mm (1.57”) to 30mm (1.18”) at 6” from tip, before tapering acutely
Steel: 9260 spring steel, oil quenched, then tempered twice to a hardness of approx 52Rc. Grip timber: European Beech.
Initial Impressions:
I received the package which contained both my Anduril and Excalibur and as always Brendan had done a great job with the packaging . He ships the sword disassembled which really helps bring down the shipping costs when using a courier service . After assembling Anduril I was amazed at the beauty of the sword and just how much detail and care had been put into the creation of this fine sword .Everything fitted together perfectly and the sword fully assembled is truly an amazing piece of art in its own right . The engravings and the placement of the jewels in the hilt have been amazingly well done with skill elvish skill and workmanship (So who knows ,Brendan you part Elf perhaps ? LOL ) . I was expecting a really heavy handling sword ,but honestly for its size and it being a fantasy piece it is balanced really well and actually feels really well in hand . In fact I even managed to do some cutting with only one hand (bottles) so once again a testament to Brendan’s skill as a sword maker .
Statistics:
Taken from Fable Blades :
Specs:
Weight: 1825g (4lb o.4oz)
Overall Length: 1195mm (47”)
Blade Length: 915mm (36”)
Hilt Length: 290mm (11.4”)
Grip Length: 203mm (8”)
Guard Width: 252mm (10”)
Point of Balance: 90mm (3.5”)
Centre of Percussion: 540mm (21”) from guard
Hilt Node of Percussion: 50mm (2”) back from guard [Centre of fore grip.]
Distal Taper 50%: 6mm at hex section tapering over the diamond section to 3mm, measured 4cm behind tip.
Profile Taper: 40mm (1.57”) to 30mm (1.18”) at 6” from tip, before tapering acutely
Steel: 9260 spring steel, oil quenched, then tempered twice to a hardness of approx 52Rc. Grip timber: European Beech.
Components:
The Blade:
The blade features a 9260 spring steel Oil Quenched ,twice tempered blade (52Rc Hardness) which is really sharp .The blade is a work of art with all the engravings done on it .The geometry of the blade is something a little different to my current collection with a Distal Taper of 50% - 6mm at hex section tapering over the diamond section to 3mm, measured 4cm behind tip.A profile taper of 40mm (1.57”) to 30mm (1.18”) at 6” from tip, before tapering acutely . Once again a lovely blade with just the right amount of flex and no whippy nature at all (Yes I hate whippy blades ,lol )
The Handle:
The grip features a European beech core in a dark blue leather wrap with with a secondary portion which tapers down wrapped in copper wire . There is a copper spacer either side of the secondary grip section (as can be seen in the pictures) . I need to make a point of just how well Brendan executes this all . In total the grip consists of 2 parts and 2 spacers ,all of these fit together seamlessly and at first glance actually look like a one piece grip ,that’s how well they all fit together !the wire wrapped portion has been wrapped very tightly and shows no signs of movement at all . The leather section has an almost invisible seam on it and it really requires some very close inspection to actually find it . The leather portion itself is also rather unique as its shape is different and fits very well in hand ,once again the attention to detail is simply stunning .
The Guard:
The Guard is something different to what everyone has come used to seeing on the Anduril we all saw in the movies and personally I find it a refreshing change to have something different .
The Pommel:
The Pommel is solid and has a blue gem sunken into it on either side with sun like detail coming from the gems . Its hard to capture on camera ,but in the sunlight the gems really do look stunning
Handling Characteristics:
I found this to be a well balanced all round piece .With two hands she is able to deal some very powerful cuts . The pommel really provides an excellent counter weight on this piece together with the longer grip .
Cutting:
I need to spend some more time with her cutting as so far iv only had the chance twice to take her out twice , the first being some bottles and the second some single rolled mats .She handled both targets with ease and really do need to find the time to test her on some double mats though I sense she will handle these with ease as well
Conclusions:
This is everything I could have wished for in Anduril and more . The fact that Brendan manages to make such wonderful looking pieces and still keep them fully functional with great handling properties really amazes me . His level of commitment to his work and detail are really outstanding and it is clear to see that he loves doing what he does as it shows in his swords .
Pros:
Great Customer service from Brendan at Fable Blades
Attention to detail
A refreshingly different take on Anduril still completed in true Tolkien Spirit
Well Balanced piece
Cons:
Honestly I personally could not find any ,sure it is more expensive than say a DSA Anduril ,but in all honesty you simply cannot compare the two as they are worlds apart in quality .
The Bottom Line:
If you are looking for a functional Lord Of The Rings piece I strongly urge you to save up and contact Brendan ,his work ethic and customer service is simply outstanding . I now own 3 of his pieces and Iv been more than happy with all three and hope to pick up a couple more in the future .