Review: Albion Brescia Spadona
Sept 13, 2011 15:17:11 GMT
Post by Lukas MG (chenessfan) on Sept 13, 2011 15:17:11 GMT
Review: Albion Brescia Spadona
Introduction
As with the last sword I reviewed, the Albion Mercenary, the Spadona isn’t mine but belongs to forumite William Swiger. We have made it a habit to let me pick out a sword everytime I come to see him and write a review on it (well, at least we’re planning to make it a habit;)). Bill’s collection truly is breathtaking so expect quite a few more reviews in the future!
The Spadona is the jewel of Bill’s collection and needless to say I’m thrilled to have the chance to handle and cut with this sword. There has been a lot of talk and raving about Albion’s Museum Collection line and the Brescia Spadona probably is the most sought after sword in that impressive line up. So let’s see if it lives up to its legend!
Historical overwiew
The Albion sword is an exact recreation of a 15th century longsword currently housed in the Museo Civico L. Mazolli in Brescia, Italy. The original blade is of German manufacture, a product of the famous swordsmiths of Passau. The blade was then hilted in Italy in Italian fashion, perfectly suitable for longsword work following Fiore de Liberi’s techniques. It was probably especially intended for unarmored civilian duelling, combining a light weight, comparably short blade with a long hilt. As with many medieval swords, it doesn’t fall exactly is a specific Oakshott categorie but shares characteristics of both the types XVIa and XVIIIa.
Stats
Overall length: 46.5" (118 cm)
Blade length: 35.25" (89.5 cm)
Handle length: 7.6“ (19.5cm)
Blade width (at base): 2.25" (5.72 cm)
Blade width 1“ from tip: 0.35“ (0.9cm)
COG: 3.5" from cross (8.9 cm)
COP: 19.75" from cross (50 cm)
Blade thickness at base: 0.19“ (4.9mm)
Blade thickness at CoP: 0.14“ (3.5mm)
Blade thickness 1“ from tip: 0.08“ (2mm)
Weight: 3 lbs 4 oz (1.47 kilos)
Initial impressions
The first time I saw this blade in Bill’s rack, I immediately recognized it as the Brescia Spadona. When I held it in my hands, I couldn’t help but smile remembering how I had drooled over this blade so often and never thought I’d ever have the chance to see it in person. The next thing I noticed, apart from the exquisite feel of this blade in hand, was the unusual blade geometry, especially at the tip. The wide secondary bevel, the crisp diamond cross-section with the fuller in the lower half, all that was how I remembered it but a lot more complex than I had thought judging from the pics. Talking about the blade, let’s take a closer look at it:
The blade
The Spadona’s blade is a very complex piece of steel. The lower half features a shallow fuller on both sides that turns first into a hexagonal and then into a diamond cross-section. Additionally, there is a wide secondary bevel running all the way from base to tip. The first 1” below the guard is blunt but then both sides meet in a fairly sharp edge.
All faces are crisply done and the fuller blends nicely into the hexagonal cross-section. The edges and the fuller are laser straight, with zero waviness. There is however some slight rippling present in the blade bevels, result of finishing a blade not by hand but on a belt sander I think. In a few places, especially at the tip, the bevels aren’t perfectly smooth, but it really takes a keen eye to make them out. As with the other Albion sword I examined, I can’t help but wonder why Albion doesn’t drawfile/-sand their blades. Wouldn’t be a problem to do with a little bit of 600grit sandpaper and honestly, for a sword of this price I expect more perfection.
Nonetheless, the Spadona’s blade is extremely attractive and well made. Its long convex curve makes for a sword with a thin and acute point for thrusting but it still retains enough width around the CoP for serious cutting. While I think the blade to be a bit to flexible and thin for armored fighting, it is still very nicely stiff and seems perfect for unarmored dueling, for which it was originally designed. To give you an idea about the flexibility, the Spadona has noticeably more flex than my H/T longsword but is still quite a bit stiffer than for example the Windlass 15th century longsword.
The Hilt
The Brescia Spadona’s hilt is even more unique than the blade. As a modern collector, you aren’t very likely to run into a similar design elsewhere. At least I can’t think of any other sword I’ve seen, both originals and replicas, that has a comparable guard and pommel arrangement. The Brescia Spadona truly is a one-of-a-kind.
The first thing I noticed about the hilt was the very long guard with 10.6” in total. I’ve never handled a sword with such a long guard and promptly hit myself in the head during dry handling. Once you get used to it, it does provide a lot of protection to the head when in high guard so that’s definitively a plus.
Needless to say, both guard and pommel are beautifully crafted and rock solid. I could find but a single minor flaw. The recess for the blade in the guard is a little bit hacked up looking, nothing unsightly but noticeably worse than on the Mercenary. Interestingly, the pictures on Albion Europe show the Spadona with the same little imperfection.
Overall though, the whole hilt just works, both visually and functionally. The guard is elegant and gracefully done, the pommel a weapon in its own right. It can however be uncomfortable to grip as it is fairly, hm… spikey. Gripping the pommel, as usually done with longswords isn’t possible here. Fortunately, the grip is long enough. The leather wrapped grip is perfectly done, I love the unusual riser and the feel is just great. The seam is just barely visible under the right light. The hilt, just as the blade, has a certain harmonic flow, both aren’t absolutely perfect but very, very nicely done all the same and really seem to work as a unit. Kudos to both the medieval and the modern metalworkers!
Handling and cutting
Simply put, the Brescia Spadona is the best handling production longsword I’ve ever had the pleasure to hold in hands. It moves absolutely effortlessly, the point control is great, cuts are executed precisely without any undue vibration. Recovery is as quick as lightening, multiple, fast cuts are where this sword shines the most. The cutting performance is what I consider to be very, very good. This sword cuts as well or better than most other swords I’ve cut with so far and quite of few of those had emphasis on cutting alone. In fact, I found the Spadona to be as much a natural cutter as some XII are. The narrow blade shape really belies the cutting ability of this sword. Double beach mats were severed so easily I hardly felt any resistance. The secondary bevel performed well against both light and heavier targets. And besides, the sword made a very beautiful ring every time the edge alignment was good. What more could you ask for? Great cutting with wonderful sound
While the blade cuts best in the several inches long sweet spot, the tip region shouldn’t be neglected either. While the blade is very narrow there, it’s also thin enough for effective light cutting. Exactly this is the reason why the Spadona lacks stiffness for thrusting into hard targets. Against soft targets however, the Spadona’s tip is absolutely terrifying. It went right through a beach mat on a very moderate thrust.
Enough talking, see for yourself what this sword can do:
Conclusion
To sum it up, the Spadona is all a civilian longsword is supposed to be. For unarmored dueling I can hardly imagine a better sword.
Seriously, if you ever run across the Brescia Spadona for a price you can pay, by all means, go for it. It’s the replica of a sword dating from the time where longswords were at the height of their development and I tell you what, you notice that! In a perfect world the Spadona would maybe have a different pommel that allows gripping it without tearing your hands to shreds but holding the sword a bit higher also solves that problem. The lower part of the pommel is comfortable enough, just don’t slip down. Besides, the spikey pommel could also prove useful as weapon so I guess the Italian cutlers knew what they were doing after all. Otherwise, hmm, the bevels at the blade’s tip aren’t completely flat and the guard recess is a bit rough but seriously, the sword still is incredibly attractive and every flaw you might have noticed seems utterly unimportant as soon as you set the Spadona into movement. While the sword’s aesthetics aren’t completely flawless, the handling just is. It really does live up to all the hype around it.
In other words: Highly recommended!
Introduction
As with the last sword I reviewed, the Albion Mercenary, the Spadona isn’t mine but belongs to forumite William Swiger. We have made it a habit to let me pick out a sword everytime I come to see him and write a review on it (well, at least we’re planning to make it a habit;)). Bill’s collection truly is breathtaking so expect quite a few more reviews in the future!
The Spadona is the jewel of Bill’s collection and needless to say I’m thrilled to have the chance to handle and cut with this sword. There has been a lot of talk and raving about Albion’s Museum Collection line and the Brescia Spadona probably is the most sought after sword in that impressive line up. So let’s see if it lives up to its legend!
Historical overwiew
The Albion sword is an exact recreation of a 15th century longsword currently housed in the Museo Civico L. Mazolli in Brescia, Italy. The original blade is of German manufacture, a product of the famous swordsmiths of Passau. The blade was then hilted in Italy in Italian fashion, perfectly suitable for longsword work following Fiore de Liberi’s techniques. It was probably especially intended for unarmored civilian duelling, combining a light weight, comparably short blade with a long hilt. As with many medieval swords, it doesn’t fall exactly is a specific Oakshott categorie but shares characteristics of both the types XVIa and XVIIIa.
Stats
Overall length: 46.5" (118 cm)
Blade length: 35.25" (89.5 cm)
Handle length: 7.6“ (19.5cm)
Blade width (at base): 2.25" (5.72 cm)
Blade width 1“ from tip: 0.35“ (0.9cm)
COG: 3.5" from cross (8.9 cm)
COP: 19.75" from cross (50 cm)
Blade thickness at base: 0.19“ (4.9mm)
Blade thickness at CoP: 0.14“ (3.5mm)
Blade thickness 1“ from tip: 0.08“ (2mm)
Weight: 3 lbs 4 oz (1.47 kilos)
Initial impressions
The first time I saw this blade in Bill’s rack, I immediately recognized it as the Brescia Spadona. When I held it in my hands, I couldn’t help but smile remembering how I had drooled over this blade so often and never thought I’d ever have the chance to see it in person. The next thing I noticed, apart from the exquisite feel of this blade in hand, was the unusual blade geometry, especially at the tip. The wide secondary bevel, the crisp diamond cross-section with the fuller in the lower half, all that was how I remembered it but a lot more complex than I had thought judging from the pics. Talking about the blade, let’s take a closer look at it:
The blade
The Spadona’s blade is a very complex piece of steel. The lower half features a shallow fuller on both sides that turns first into a hexagonal and then into a diamond cross-section. Additionally, there is a wide secondary bevel running all the way from base to tip. The first 1” below the guard is blunt but then both sides meet in a fairly sharp edge.
All faces are crisply done and the fuller blends nicely into the hexagonal cross-section. The edges and the fuller are laser straight, with zero waviness. There is however some slight rippling present in the blade bevels, result of finishing a blade not by hand but on a belt sander I think. In a few places, especially at the tip, the bevels aren’t perfectly smooth, but it really takes a keen eye to make them out. As with the other Albion sword I examined, I can’t help but wonder why Albion doesn’t drawfile/-sand their blades. Wouldn’t be a problem to do with a little bit of 600grit sandpaper and honestly, for a sword of this price I expect more perfection.
Nonetheless, the Spadona’s blade is extremely attractive and well made. Its long convex curve makes for a sword with a thin and acute point for thrusting but it still retains enough width around the CoP for serious cutting. While I think the blade to be a bit to flexible and thin for armored fighting, it is still very nicely stiff and seems perfect for unarmored dueling, for which it was originally designed. To give you an idea about the flexibility, the Spadona has noticeably more flex than my H/T longsword but is still quite a bit stiffer than for example the Windlass 15th century longsword.
The Hilt
The Brescia Spadona’s hilt is even more unique than the blade. As a modern collector, you aren’t very likely to run into a similar design elsewhere. At least I can’t think of any other sword I’ve seen, both originals and replicas, that has a comparable guard and pommel arrangement. The Brescia Spadona truly is a one-of-a-kind.
The first thing I noticed about the hilt was the very long guard with 10.6” in total. I’ve never handled a sword with such a long guard and promptly hit myself in the head during dry handling. Once you get used to it, it does provide a lot of protection to the head when in high guard so that’s definitively a plus.
Needless to say, both guard and pommel are beautifully crafted and rock solid. I could find but a single minor flaw. The recess for the blade in the guard is a little bit hacked up looking, nothing unsightly but noticeably worse than on the Mercenary. Interestingly, the pictures on Albion Europe show the Spadona with the same little imperfection.
Overall though, the whole hilt just works, both visually and functionally. The guard is elegant and gracefully done, the pommel a weapon in its own right. It can however be uncomfortable to grip as it is fairly, hm… spikey. Gripping the pommel, as usually done with longswords isn’t possible here. Fortunately, the grip is long enough. The leather wrapped grip is perfectly done, I love the unusual riser and the feel is just great. The seam is just barely visible under the right light. The hilt, just as the blade, has a certain harmonic flow, both aren’t absolutely perfect but very, very nicely done all the same and really seem to work as a unit. Kudos to both the medieval and the modern metalworkers!
Handling and cutting
Simply put, the Brescia Spadona is the best handling production longsword I’ve ever had the pleasure to hold in hands. It moves absolutely effortlessly, the point control is great, cuts are executed precisely without any undue vibration. Recovery is as quick as lightening, multiple, fast cuts are where this sword shines the most. The cutting performance is what I consider to be very, very good. This sword cuts as well or better than most other swords I’ve cut with so far and quite of few of those had emphasis on cutting alone. In fact, I found the Spadona to be as much a natural cutter as some XII are. The narrow blade shape really belies the cutting ability of this sword. Double beach mats were severed so easily I hardly felt any resistance. The secondary bevel performed well against both light and heavier targets. And besides, the sword made a very beautiful ring every time the edge alignment was good. What more could you ask for? Great cutting with wonderful sound
While the blade cuts best in the several inches long sweet spot, the tip region shouldn’t be neglected either. While the blade is very narrow there, it’s also thin enough for effective light cutting. Exactly this is the reason why the Spadona lacks stiffness for thrusting into hard targets. Against soft targets however, the Spadona’s tip is absolutely terrifying. It went right through a beach mat on a very moderate thrust.
Enough talking, see for yourself what this sword can do:
Conclusion
To sum it up, the Spadona is all a civilian longsword is supposed to be. For unarmored dueling I can hardly imagine a better sword.
Seriously, if you ever run across the Brescia Spadona for a price you can pay, by all means, go for it. It’s the replica of a sword dating from the time where longswords were at the height of their development and I tell you what, you notice that! In a perfect world the Spadona would maybe have a different pommel that allows gripping it without tearing your hands to shreds but holding the sword a bit higher also solves that problem. The lower part of the pommel is comfortable enough, just don’t slip down. Besides, the spikey pommel could also prove useful as weapon so I guess the Italian cutlers knew what they were doing after all. Otherwise, hmm, the bevels at the blade’s tip aren’t completely flat and the guard recess is a bit rough but seriously, the sword still is incredibly attractive and every flaw you might have noticed seems utterly unimportant as soon as you set the Spadona into movement. While the sword’s aesthetics aren’t completely flawless, the handling just is. It really does live up to all the hype around it.
In other words: Highly recommended!
