Review: Albion Mercenary
Aug 10, 2011 18:57:14 GMT
Post by Lukas MG (chenessfan) on Aug 10, 2011 18:57:14 GMT
Review: Albion Mercenary
Introduction:
Let me start out by saying that this is not my sword but belongs to fellow forumite William Swiger. He lives quite close to my place and last time we met he asked me whether I wanted to do a review on the Mercenary. I’ve long been eyeing this sword but being a poor student I could never afford it. Given the chance to handle and cut with it for free, I didn’t hesitate for a second. Yes please!!
Btw, this is only my second review and English isn’t my native language so please forgive any miswording and use of sloppy grammar.
Anyway, lets get started!
Historical overview:
The Mercenary is a Type XVa, common on medieval battlefields from the middle of the 14th until well into the 15th century. Edward Oakshott describes this type as having a straight, strongly tapered blade of flattened diamond cross-section with an acute point. The purpose of these blades was to defeat the increasingly effective armor of the period that rendered cuts useless and made the thrust the only way of attack that stood at least a chance of injuring the mail and sometimes plate clad enemy. The type XVa is the longer, hand and a half version of the purely single handed Type XV.
Initial impressions:
The first thing I noticed when picking up the Mercenary was the to me odd feeling placement of the middle riser. I don’t think anyone reasonably grown can fit his hand between the guard and the first riser. My pinky (and I have small hands) had to grip south of the riser. While this seemed strange to me at first, it totally makes sense now after some handling, giving a nice and secure grip. I suppose it’s usually that way (the VA Kriegschwert is the same for example). The other thing that struck me immediately was the simple and straightforward beauty of this sword. Clean lines, smooth bevels, very balanced, harmonic aesthetics overall. I liked it!!
Stats:
Overall length: 108cm (42,5”)
Blade length: 85cm (33,4”)
Handle length: 16cm (6,3”)
Blade width at base: 6cm (2,4”)
Blade width 1” before tip: 0,8cm (0,31”)
CoB: 10cm (3,9”; funnily right where the Albion maker’s mark is)
CoP: 48cm (18,9”)
Blade thickness at base: 6mm (0,250”)
Blade thickness at CoP: 5mm (0,196”)
Blade thickness 1” before tip: 3mm (0,118”)
Guard width: 19cm (7,4”)
Weight: 1360g (2,99lb)
The blade
The Mercenary’s blade is its most striking feature. 2,4” wide at the base and radically tapering in almost straight lines, only barely noticeably convex towards the tip, it leaves an impression of being massive and in no way delicate, despite the narrow profile. I wouldn’t hesitate to put it up against heavy targets. “Rigid” doesn’t even begin to describe this blade’s stiffness; it’s practically as stiff as an I- beam with very, very little give. Combine that with a thick and acute point and you get a tool perfect for puncturing mail. The crisp diamond cross-section makes the blade very attractive and shows almost no wandering, a slight waving at the tip being the only flaw. A bit waviness can also be seen in the bevels in the upper third but again only a small amount. If this was a blade I made I wouldn’t tolerate it though. 5min drawfiling would easily take care of it.
When sharpening the blade (more to that later) I found the steel to be of good hardness, a tad softer than I prefer my own blades but certainly good enough, around 50-54Rc if I had to guess.
The blade features a very convex distal taper with most taper in the last third of the blade. With the very narrow and comparably thick upper half it’s certainly not a sword engineered for cutting but it still does it with comparable efficiency and grace as we’ll see in a minute.
In short: this blade is very obviously designed with the thrust uppermost in mind, very attractive and well made. I did notice some minor flaws but I look at every blade from the perspective of a blade smith who eyes his own blades for a long time trying to make out imperfections and I notice things many sword owners would never notice. None of these minor quirks were apparent on my ATrim though. They do not detract from the beauty of the blade but I do wonder if all Albions are like that of it this one was a bit unlucky.
The hilt
Truly flawless looking leather wrapped grip with nice cord imprint and comfortable riser placement (once I got use to it). The seam is hands down the best I’ve ever seen. I do however find something to complain about: the fit. During handling, especially when stopping the blade the grip sometimes makes a very gentle clicking/creaking sound as if it was about to move. I never felt any movement but I don’t think the fit’s as good and solid as it could be. The wood probably suffered under climate changes and therefore expanded a bit. Otherwise, no complain whatsoever about the hilt. Beautiful, elegant type 6 guard with perfect fit for the blade, virtually no gap at all. The finish has some blemishes but as this one was bought used I don’t think that’s the way it left the Albion shop.
The type T3 pommel is my favorite feature of the sword. It’s very comfortable to grip and very beautiful with ever so slightly asymmetrically ground facets making for a handmade look. The peen is ground flush and barely visibly. The whole assembly is rock solid with no movement at all, except the already mentioned grip issue.
Handling and cutting
Now to my favorite part…
In short, the Mercenary handles very well. It tracks effortless in both the cut and the thrust. Especially the point control is outstanding (which didn’t keep me from missing some thrusts but still…remarkable) It does have a definite static weight, a bit surprising actually when holding the sword as most of the blade looks so narrow. Once set to movement however, the Mercenary flows through guards and changes directions as fast as a jet fighter. Multiple cuts are no problem at all. It’s very easy to keep the edge correctly aligned, in fact it seems as if the sword helps me a bit with that. Shortly before I whipped out the Mercenary, I had a little cutting session with the VA Kriegschwert and while that one certainly is a more natural cutter and performs admirably (seriously, I didn’t expect it to cut that well and am surprised by how much I like it), I had to concentrate more on edge alignment than with the Albion.
Cutting does take some getting used to when coming from a XII as the CoP on this blade is closer to the hilt and the narrow blade certainly doesn’t forgive sloppy form. But honestly, this sword cuts better than it has any right to do. Against light targets I really haven’t felt that much of a difference in cutting performance compared to for example the VA Kriegschwert or the H/T GSoW. One has to concentrate more on form and follow through which is actually a good thing for everybody wanting to work on his technique. Silent cuts are also harder to accomplish but again, with better technique it’s doable. The Mercenary is not a natural cutter in the way some swords are that just require you to swing in the direction of the target and astonishingly sever it effortlessly. Thrusting of course is completely effortless.
While the sword encourages two hands, one handed cutting and handling is certainly doable. Recovery is a bit slow and the blade’s awkwardly long for a single hander (at least for me), but the Mercenary doesn’t feel too bad at all when wielded with one hand. It truly is a bastard sword that does both with its own elegance.
Now here’s a little vid to demonstrate the Mercenary’s cutting potential. This is not the Albion stock edge btw. The guy Bill bought it from had purchased the sword “butter knife sharp” for demonstration purposes and sharpened it up before selling. The sharpening job was very inconsistent though, ranging from completely dull at the tip to barely paper cutting sharp around the CoP. I touched it up with high grit sandpaper, blended the secondary bevel in and removed the faint scratching that probably was the result of the guy’s sharpening attempt. Now the blade slices paper easily but it won’t pop up hair. So without further rambling, here we go:
For no apparent reason, my camera decided to stop recording halfway in the video so the entire plastic bottle cutting was missing. Cursing I grabbed the rest of my stock pile and filled up the remaining bottles.
Now I will have to wait a while before I can cut again ☹. I will however update the review with some mat cutting I intend to do tomorrow. Stay tuned!!
EDIT: Here are the mat cutting vids. The reason why I don't post them here is that I also cut with another sword and feel it deserves its own thread
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=5948
Conclusion:
Now, would I recommend this sword to other collectors/ sword enthusiasts? Most certainly!! This particular model does have a few minor flaws but they do neither detract from the Mercenary’s beauty nor do they hinder its performance. The grip issue might be a concern for some but so far, I don’t see anything happening with it. A long cutting session didn’t aggravate the problem at all and the overall construction is up to Albion quality. I highly doubt anything will loosen up over time. So the only thing I regret about this review is that I don’t get to keep the sword
For historical fencing à la Liechtenauer this sword is a bit too short but if you’re looking for a quick hand-and-a-half sword with completely effortless thrusting and very (very!) decent cutting ability, this one certainly fits the bill. Highly recommended!!
Introduction:
Let me start out by saying that this is not my sword but belongs to fellow forumite William Swiger. He lives quite close to my place and last time we met he asked me whether I wanted to do a review on the Mercenary. I’ve long been eyeing this sword but being a poor student I could never afford it. Given the chance to handle and cut with it for free, I didn’t hesitate for a second. Yes please!!
Btw, this is only my second review and English isn’t my native language so please forgive any miswording and use of sloppy grammar.
Anyway, lets get started!
Historical overview:
The Mercenary is a Type XVa, common on medieval battlefields from the middle of the 14th until well into the 15th century. Edward Oakshott describes this type as having a straight, strongly tapered blade of flattened diamond cross-section with an acute point. The purpose of these blades was to defeat the increasingly effective armor of the period that rendered cuts useless and made the thrust the only way of attack that stood at least a chance of injuring the mail and sometimes plate clad enemy. The type XVa is the longer, hand and a half version of the purely single handed Type XV.
Initial impressions:
The first thing I noticed when picking up the Mercenary was the to me odd feeling placement of the middle riser. I don’t think anyone reasonably grown can fit his hand between the guard and the first riser. My pinky (and I have small hands) had to grip south of the riser. While this seemed strange to me at first, it totally makes sense now after some handling, giving a nice and secure grip. I suppose it’s usually that way (the VA Kriegschwert is the same for example). The other thing that struck me immediately was the simple and straightforward beauty of this sword. Clean lines, smooth bevels, very balanced, harmonic aesthetics overall. I liked it!!
Stats:
Overall length: 108cm (42,5”)
Blade length: 85cm (33,4”)
Handle length: 16cm (6,3”)
Blade width at base: 6cm (2,4”)
Blade width 1” before tip: 0,8cm (0,31”)
CoB: 10cm (3,9”; funnily right where the Albion maker’s mark is)
CoP: 48cm (18,9”)
Blade thickness at base: 6mm (0,250”)
Blade thickness at CoP: 5mm (0,196”)
Blade thickness 1” before tip: 3mm (0,118”)
Guard width: 19cm (7,4”)
Weight: 1360g (2,99lb)
The blade
The Mercenary’s blade is its most striking feature. 2,4” wide at the base and radically tapering in almost straight lines, only barely noticeably convex towards the tip, it leaves an impression of being massive and in no way delicate, despite the narrow profile. I wouldn’t hesitate to put it up against heavy targets. “Rigid” doesn’t even begin to describe this blade’s stiffness; it’s practically as stiff as an I- beam with very, very little give. Combine that with a thick and acute point and you get a tool perfect for puncturing mail. The crisp diamond cross-section makes the blade very attractive and shows almost no wandering, a slight waving at the tip being the only flaw. A bit waviness can also be seen in the bevels in the upper third but again only a small amount. If this was a blade I made I wouldn’t tolerate it though. 5min drawfiling would easily take care of it.
When sharpening the blade (more to that later) I found the steel to be of good hardness, a tad softer than I prefer my own blades but certainly good enough, around 50-54Rc if I had to guess.
The blade features a very convex distal taper with most taper in the last third of the blade. With the very narrow and comparably thick upper half it’s certainly not a sword engineered for cutting but it still does it with comparable efficiency and grace as we’ll see in a minute.
In short: this blade is very obviously designed with the thrust uppermost in mind, very attractive and well made. I did notice some minor flaws but I look at every blade from the perspective of a blade smith who eyes his own blades for a long time trying to make out imperfections and I notice things many sword owners would never notice. None of these minor quirks were apparent on my ATrim though. They do not detract from the beauty of the blade but I do wonder if all Albions are like that of it this one was a bit unlucky.
The hilt
Truly flawless looking leather wrapped grip with nice cord imprint and comfortable riser placement (once I got use to it). The seam is hands down the best I’ve ever seen. I do however find something to complain about: the fit. During handling, especially when stopping the blade the grip sometimes makes a very gentle clicking/creaking sound as if it was about to move. I never felt any movement but I don’t think the fit’s as good and solid as it could be. The wood probably suffered under climate changes and therefore expanded a bit. Otherwise, no complain whatsoever about the hilt. Beautiful, elegant type 6 guard with perfect fit for the blade, virtually no gap at all. The finish has some blemishes but as this one was bought used I don’t think that’s the way it left the Albion shop.
The type T3 pommel is my favorite feature of the sword. It’s very comfortable to grip and very beautiful with ever so slightly asymmetrically ground facets making for a handmade look. The peen is ground flush and barely visibly. The whole assembly is rock solid with no movement at all, except the already mentioned grip issue.
Handling and cutting
Now to my favorite part…
In short, the Mercenary handles very well. It tracks effortless in both the cut and the thrust. Especially the point control is outstanding (which didn’t keep me from missing some thrusts but still…remarkable) It does have a definite static weight, a bit surprising actually when holding the sword as most of the blade looks so narrow. Once set to movement however, the Mercenary flows through guards and changes directions as fast as a jet fighter. Multiple cuts are no problem at all. It’s very easy to keep the edge correctly aligned, in fact it seems as if the sword helps me a bit with that. Shortly before I whipped out the Mercenary, I had a little cutting session with the VA Kriegschwert and while that one certainly is a more natural cutter and performs admirably (seriously, I didn’t expect it to cut that well and am surprised by how much I like it), I had to concentrate more on edge alignment than with the Albion.
Cutting does take some getting used to when coming from a XII as the CoP on this blade is closer to the hilt and the narrow blade certainly doesn’t forgive sloppy form. But honestly, this sword cuts better than it has any right to do. Against light targets I really haven’t felt that much of a difference in cutting performance compared to for example the VA Kriegschwert or the H/T GSoW. One has to concentrate more on form and follow through which is actually a good thing for everybody wanting to work on his technique. Silent cuts are also harder to accomplish but again, with better technique it’s doable. The Mercenary is not a natural cutter in the way some swords are that just require you to swing in the direction of the target and astonishingly sever it effortlessly. Thrusting of course is completely effortless.
While the sword encourages two hands, one handed cutting and handling is certainly doable. Recovery is a bit slow and the blade’s awkwardly long for a single hander (at least for me), but the Mercenary doesn’t feel too bad at all when wielded with one hand. It truly is a bastard sword that does both with its own elegance.
Now here’s a little vid to demonstrate the Mercenary’s cutting potential. This is not the Albion stock edge btw. The guy Bill bought it from had purchased the sword “butter knife sharp” for demonstration purposes and sharpened it up before selling. The sharpening job was very inconsistent though, ranging from completely dull at the tip to barely paper cutting sharp around the CoP. I touched it up with high grit sandpaper, blended the secondary bevel in and removed the faint scratching that probably was the result of the guy’s sharpening attempt. Now the blade slices paper easily but it won’t pop up hair. So without further rambling, here we go:
For no apparent reason, my camera decided to stop recording halfway in the video so the entire plastic bottle cutting was missing. Cursing I grabbed the rest of my stock pile and filled up the remaining bottles.
Now I will have to wait a while before I can cut again ☹. I will however update the review with some mat cutting I intend to do tomorrow. Stay tuned!!
EDIT: Here are the mat cutting vids. The reason why I don't post them here is that I also cut with another sword and feel it deserves its own thread
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=5948
Conclusion:
Now, would I recommend this sword to other collectors/ sword enthusiasts? Most certainly!! This particular model does have a few minor flaws but they do neither detract from the Mercenary’s beauty nor do they hinder its performance. The grip issue might be a concern for some but so far, I don’t see anything happening with it. A long cutting session didn’t aggravate the problem at all and the overall construction is up to Albion quality. I highly doubt anything will loosen up over time. So the only thing I regret about this review is that I don’t get to keep the sword
For historical fencing à la Liechtenauer this sword is a bit too short but if you’re looking for a quick hand-and-a-half sword with completely effortless thrusting and very (very!) decent cutting ability, this one certainly fits the bill. Highly recommended!!