Angus Trim XIIIb.1
Sept 29, 2011 23:11:14 GMT
Post by Greg on Sept 29, 2011 23:11:14 GMT
Angus Trim
XIIIb.1
Gents and ladies, it is my great pleasure and slight embarrassment to introduce to you the AT XIIIb.1
The reason for the embarrassment is that Tom had sent me this sword a while ago and I am only now getting around to posting the review. So please accept my apology in the delay.
As always, I receive no payment, gifts or favors from Angus Trim or Tried and True Armory for doing this review. I try to conduct my review in an unbiased manor and not let past products, reputations, or image sway my review.
So, lets kick it off with some stats!
Stats!
Weight: 2lb 2.6oz -or- (2.17lb) (0.982kg)
Total Length: 37.5"
Blade Length: 31.25"
Gripping Length: 4.25"
Blade Width: Base=1.625", Blade Percussion Node: 1.25"
Blade Thickness: Base=0.25", Blade Percussion Node: 0.126"
Guard Width: 7"
Blade Percussion Node: 20.5" from guard
Hilt Percussion Node: .025" from from guard
Center of Balance: 6.125"
So, from the stats above we can already see that the blade has quite a bit of presence. The center of balance is out a little further then the standard 5.5" and the hilt percussion node seems to right just slightly above the center of the index finger.
Parts
The Blade:
The blade is downright beautiful. As you can plainly see by now, the profile taper is very shallow until just before the tip. At first glance the edges almost looked parallel until you look at the stats and realize you only dropped .5" over the entire length of the blade.
Personally, I've always been partial to semi parallel edges and "strong cutter" blade geometries.
In the video I mention that this might be the first of the XIIIb's that Gus is putting out and that the .2 will be wider. That is only speculation on my part and I had only based that on a dodgy memory.
The Guard:
This guard is kind of unique in that it is currently undergoing a rework by Tom. It looked like it came with a standard rectangle cross section, but Tom had decided to file down the edges and reworked it into an octagonal cross section. He informed me that it was still a work in progress, but it's very near completion as is.
But enough about the finish, lets talk about the fit! Holy cow! The way the guard fits on to the blade is nothing short of perfect. When you lower the guard onto the shoulders of the tang, you are left with a gap, approximately 1.8". If you pick the guard back up and drop it onto the shoulders, there is no longer a gap and the guard is SNUG.
The Pommel:
Here is your standard recessed pommel with one difference. The machined finish that is common from an ATrim has been dulled with a few dips in an acid bath. In the picture above, you can still see the lathe marks, but only slightly. The rest of the finish reminds me of a dull pewter. With a few more acid baths, the lathe marks might disappear completely.
The Grip:
The grip is the standard ATrim grip with softer then usual wrap texture. The seem is slightly wavy, but completely unnoticeable in hand.
Handling:
This is an incredibly interesting sword in that it doesn't come alive until you actually swing it. If it were sitting on a table and you went to pick it up, you'd likely think that there was to much blade presence or that it was slow and clumsy. Even if you did some mock swings, you still wouldn't feel the full beauty of this blade. But as soon as you swing it against a water bottle or tatami, you then understand what this sword is capable of.
The edge that came with it was barely able to cut paper. It would start to cut the paper and then just rip it as it moved towards the tip. But don't take my word on this, here's the video!
Conclusions:
This is another solid sword from the workshop of Angus Trim. With a more forward balanced blade, but still just over two pounds, this blade excels at cutting. In the cutting session that didn't make it onto the video, I made some really great cuts with the tip as well as the forte and this sword did it even with an edge that could use some touching up. The geometries of this sword are awesome and if the rest of the XIII line preform as well as this does, then the type XIII will likely become my new favorite single hander of choice.
XIIIb.1
Gents and ladies, it is my great pleasure and slight embarrassment to introduce to you the AT XIIIb.1
The reason for the embarrassment is that Tom had sent me this sword a while ago and I am only now getting around to posting the review. So please accept my apology in the delay.
As always, I receive no payment, gifts or favors from Angus Trim or Tried and True Armory for doing this review. I try to conduct my review in an unbiased manor and not let past products, reputations, or image sway my review.
So, lets kick it off with some stats!
Stats!
Weight: 2lb 2.6oz -or- (2.17lb) (0.982kg)
Total Length: 37.5"
Blade Length: 31.25"
Gripping Length: 4.25"
Blade Width: Base=1.625", Blade Percussion Node: 1.25"
Blade Thickness: Base=0.25", Blade Percussion Node: 0.126"
Guard Width: 7"
Blade Percussion Node: 20.5" from guard
Hilt Percussion Node: .025" from from guard
Center of Balance: 6.125"
So, from the stats above we can already see that the blade has quite a bit of presence. The center of balance is out a little further then the standard 5.5" and the hilt percussion node seems to right just slightly above the center of the index finger.
Parts
The Blade:
The blade is downright beautiful. As you can plainly see by now, the profile taper is very shallow until just before the tip. At first glance the edges almost looked parallel until you look at the stats and realize you only dropped .5" over the entire length of the blade.
Personally, I've always been partial to semi parallel edges and "strong cutter" blade geometries.
In the video I mention that this might be the first of the XIIIb's that Gus is putting out and that the .2 will be wider. That is only speculation on my part and I had only based that on a dodgy memory.
The Guard:
This guard is kind of unique in that it is currently undergoing a rework by Tom. It looked like it came with a standard rectangle cross section, but Tom had decided to file down the edges and reworked it into an octagonal cross section. He informed me that it was still a work in progress, but it's very near completion as is.
But enough about the finish, lets talk about the fit! Holy cow! The way the guard fits on to the blade is nothing short of perfect. When you lower the guard onto the shoulders of the tang, you are left with a gap, approximately 1.8". If you pick the guard back up and drop it onto the shoulders, there is no longer a gap and the guard is SNUG.
The Pommel:
Here is your standard recessed pommel with one difference. The machined finish that is common from an ATrim has been dulled with a few dips in an acid bath. In the picture above, you can still see the lathe marks, but only slightly. The rest of the finish reminds me of a dull pewter. With a few more acid baths, the lathe marks might disappear completely.
The Grip:
The grip is the standard ATrim grip with softer then usual wrap texture. The seem is slightly wavy, but completely unnoticeable in hand.
Handling:
This is an incredibly interesting sword in that it doesn't come alive until you actually swing it. If it were sitting on a table and you went to pick it up, you'd likely think that there was to much blade presence or that it was slow and clumsy. Even if you did some mock swings, you still wouldn't feel the full beauty of this blade. But as soon as you swing it against a water bottle or tatami, you then understand what this sword is capable of.
The edge that came with it was barely able to cut paper. It would start to cut the paper and then just rip it as it moved towards the tip. But don't take my word on this, here's the video!
Conclusions:
This is another solid sword from the workshop of Angus Trim. With a more forward balanced blade, but still just over two pounds, this blade excels at cutting. In the cutting session that didn't make it onto the video, I made some really great cuts with the tip as well as the forte and this sword did it even with an edge that could use some touching up. The geometries of this sword are awesome and if the rest of the XIII line preform as well as this does, then the type XIII will likely become my new favorite single hander of choice.