Review: Albion Gaddhjalt
Oct 14, 2011 20:24:21 GMT
Post by Lukas MG (chenessfan) on Oct 14, 2011 20:24:21 GMT
Review: Albion Gaddhjalt
Introduction
Hey guys! Time for another Swiger-sword review! Probably my last one for a while as I have started studying medicine this week and I highly doubt I’ll have enough time on my hands to write a review in the next months. So lets get the best out of this one, alright?
The reason I picked the Gaddhjalt for this review wasn’t a lack of other choices (far from it!!) but personally, I have never seen any cutting video with this sword nor any review other than the one on myArmoury, so I thought that would be fairly interesting. Besides, I recall Mike saying that Gus Trim thought the Gaddhjalt to be Albion’s best sword (Mike, correct me if I mix something up) and that made me curious, as I’m sure you can understand.
So, let’s see how this sword stacks up to my high expectations!
Historical overview
This kind of sword, a type Xa, was used from about 960 to 1100, a very important period of history as it saw many important events, such as Wilhelm the Conqueror’s invasion of Britain or the first crusade. The typical sword of this period is a rather long, fullered single hander with very moderate profile taper and a round point, in other words a sword with a strong emphasis on cutting. And that makes sense, considering most warriors at that time were lightly or not at all armored. Mail and other kinds of metal armor were very expensive and accordingly rare.
The Gaddhjalt or “spike-hilt” is characterized by its distinctive thin quillons. A sword like this could very well have seen service in the hands of a warrior at the battle of Hastings or during the sacking of Jerusalem in 1099.
Stats
Overall length: 40,94” (104cm)
Blade length: 34,86” (88,5 cm// Albion website: 35,8”/91cm)
Handle length: 4,3” (11cm)
Blade width (at base): 2” (5cm)
Blade width 1“ from tip: 0,7” (1,8cm)
COG: 6,5” (16,5cm)
COP: 22,8” (58cm// Albion website: 20,8”/53cm)
Blade thickness at base: 0,19” (4,9mm)
Blade thickness at CoP: 0,1” (2,9mm)
Blade thickness 1“ from tip: 0,07” (1,8mm)
Weight: 2,6lbs (1185g)
Initial Impressions
My first impression of this sword was its length. Seriously, a 35” blade is a bit unusual for a single hander. I handled it and the Albion Knight at the same time and was surprised by how well the Gaddhjalt moved despite its size. Other than that, the pommel really caught my eye, being the first brazil nut pommel I see in person. I was also surprised by how stiff the blade was. Speaking of it, lets take a closer look:
The blade
The Gaddhjalt’s blade has the typical shape of early medieval swords. A deep, wide fuller runs almost the whole length of the blade; the tip section is of lenticular cross section and ends in a round point. This shape is very obviously designed with the cut foremost in mind. The long blade means superior reach over most other hand weapons both on foot as well as on horseback. Surprisingly, the blade is very nicely stiff, certainly suitable for thrusting even though the point design doesn’t actually encourage this. The tip would however make short work of textile armor, which was exactly the type of defense it would have encountered the most.
As expected from Albion, the blade is very nicely made. There is some rippling present, especially in the fuller, but the bevels are in fact smoother than on the other Albion swords I have examined, the Mercenary and the Brescia Spadona.
The finish is nice aswell and while one can make out some discolorations, I don’t think they existed when Albion shipped out the blade. The same should be said of the notably dull edges. Either the former owner purchased the sword butterknife-sharp or did a LOT of cutting with it. There is no edge damage in form of nicks, etc though.
All in all, I really like the Gaddhjalt’s blade. Its length is a bit awkward for me but that is a design feature and I can’t fault the sword for it.
The hilt
The Gaddhjalt’s hilt is a very simple, yet reasonably attractive affair. I can’t make myself like the style 1 guard, it just seems graceless to me but I can’t argue with “it works”. While I keep hitting myself in the wrist with it (I’m used to the shorter, more curved type) that’s entirely the result of imprecise handling. The type A pommel however, I really like. It’s the first time that I run across a brazil nut pommel and I tell you what, they already are among my favorites! It slides smoothly along my palm when transitioning in the handshake grip, doesn’t dig or otherwise interfere with my handling. Additionally, it is very attractive, even in combination with the overly simple guard.
Both guard and pommel are nicely finished with the few casting flaws you’d expect. The assembly is rock solid, as you know Albion’s peen and wedge method to be. The hot peen is blended it very well and one has to look closely to make it out.
The grip is wrapped with red leather (oxblood?) and while I love the fact that it is not black and like the feel of it in hand, I do find a bit to complain about. The seam is a lot more visible than on the other Albions I had the pleasure to handle and more importantly, the grip makes a slight clicking sound. Not as bad as on the Mercenary I reviewed some time ago but it’s definitively there. That’s the second Albion sword out of three that does that and by now I’m pretty annoyed by it.
Handling and cutting
In short, the Gaddhjalt handles as a sword from that period of time is supposed to handle: it’s a very powerful cutter that shows its potential against heavy targets.
This sword encourages to be swung in wide arcs, it’s no weapon for fast sword and buckler play but packs a punch as I have never felt it on a sword before. I can really imagine a Norman or other horsed warrior raining down blows on pitiable foot soldier. The power of such a blow combined with the horse’s momentum could only have been absolutely devastating. Cracking shields and skulls, smashing bones through mail, all that would certainly have been fairly easy with such a sword.
Despite its size and blade presence, the Gaddhjalt isn’t a cumbersome or sluggish sword. It does in fact move surprisingly well. I was able to execute multiple cuts fairly easily. Once set into motion however, the Gaddhjalt is very hard to stop or redirect. If you deliver a cut, you damn better be sure it hits its target, as recovery while not terribly slow isn’t exactly fast either. For a mounted knight, this is no problem though as you’re usually well past your opponent after the first cut. And on foot… well, this sword was used from behind a big shield so you’re not left too vulnerable even when you miss a swing. As with the Gaddhjalt’s unexpected agility, its point control and thrusting ability took me by surprise aswell. The point does not wander but stays largely on line during thrusting maneuvers.
While I can’t say I particularly like cutting with the Gaddhjalt, especially not on light targets (it just feels like overkill), I can’t deny the thrill it gives you to swing such a massive hitter. Unfortunately I couldn’t prepare any mats this time but I have some cutting on branches that gives you an idea about the cutting momentum of this sword.
Light targets:
Hard targets
Conclusion
Would I buy the Gaddhjalt? No, because it just isn’t my type of sword. I prefer quicker, shorter and more agile weapons. Does that make the Gaddhjalt a bad sword? Again no, one just has to know what to expect.
If you want an early medieval/ late Viking sword that handles and cuts just as you would expect from such a sword, then the Gaddhjalt is for you. It is an attractive package, a very well made sword and if you play along and don’t try to fight it, it rewards you with devastating cutting performance while remaining quite agile and not cumbersome at all.
Introduction
Hey guys! Time for another Swiger-sword review! Probably my last one for a while as I have started studying medicine this week and I highly doubt I’ll have enough time on my hands to write a review in the next months. So lets get the best out of this one, alright?
The reason I picked the Gaddhjalt for this review wasn’t a lack of other choices (far from it!!) but personally, I have never seen any cutting video with this sword nor any review other than the one on myArmoury, so I thought that would be fairly interesting. Besides, I recall Mike saying that Gus Trim thought the Gaddhjalt to be Albion’s best sword (Mike, correct me if I mix something up) and that made me curious, as I’m sure you can understand.
So, let’s see how this sword stacks up to my high expectations!
Historical overview
This kind of sword, a type Xa, was used from about 960 to 1100, a very important period of history as it saw many important events, such as Wilhelm the Conqueror’s invasion of Britain or the first crusade. The typical sword of this period is a rather long, fullered single hander with very moderate profile taper and a round point, in other words a sword with a strong emphasis on cutting. And that makes sense, considering most warriors at that time were lightly or not at all armored. Mail and other kinds of metal armor were very expensive and accordingly rare.
The Gaddhjalt or “spike-hilt” is characterized by its distinctive thin quillons. A sword like this could very well have seen service in the hands of a warrior at the battle of Hastings or during the sacking of Jerusalem in 1099.
Stats
Overall length: 40,94” (104cm)
Blade length: 34,86” (88,5 cm// Albion website: 35,8”/91cm)
Handle length: 4,3” (11cm)
Blade width (at base): 2” (5cm)
Blade width 1“ from tip: 0,7” (1,8cm)
COG: 6,5” (16,5cm)
COP: 22,8” (58cm// Albion website: 20,8”/53cm)
Blade thickness at base: 0,19” (4,9mm)
Blade thickness at CoP: 0,1” (2,9mm)
Blade thickness 1“ from tip: 0,07” (1,8mm)
Weight: 2,6lbs (1185g)
Initial Impressions
My first impression of this sword was its length. Seriously, a 35” blade is a bit unusual for a single hander. I handled it and the Albion Knight at the same time and was surprised by how well the Gaddhjalt moved despite its size. Other than that, the pommel really caught my eye, being the first brazil nut pommel I see in person. I was also surprised by how stiff the blade was. Speaking of it, lets take a closer look:
The blade
The Gaddhjalt’s blade has the typical shape of early medieval swords. A deep, wide fuller runs almost the whole length of the blade; the tip section is of lenticular cross section and ends in a round point. This shape is very obviously designed with the cut foremost in mind. The long blade means superior reach over most other hand weapons both on foot as well as on horseback. Surprisingly, the blade is very nicely stiff, certainly suitable for thrusting even though the point design doesn’t actually encourage this. The tip would however make short work of textile armor, which was exactly the type of defense it would have encountered the most.
As expected from Albion, the blade is very nicely made. There is some rippling present, especially in the fuller, but the bevels are in fact smoother than on the other Albion swords I have examined, the Mercenary and the Brescia Spadona.
The finish is nice aswell and while one can make out some discolorations, I don’t think they existed when Albion shipped out the blade. The same should be said of the notably dull edges. Either the former owner purchased the sword butterknife-sharp or did a LOT of cutting with it. There is no edge damage in form of nicks, etc though.
All in all, I really like the Gaddhjalt’s blade. Its length is a bit awkward for me but that is a design feature and I can’t fault the sword for it.
The hilt
The Gaddhjalt’s hilt is a very simple, yet reasonably attractive affair. I can’t make myself like the style 1 guard, it just seems graceless to me but I can’t argue with “it works”. While I keep hitting myself in the wrist with it (I’m used to the shorter, more curved type) that’s entirely the result of imprecise handling. The type A pommel however, I really like. It’s the first time that I run across a brazil nut pommel and I tell you what, they already are among my favorites! It slides smoothly along my palm when transitioning in the handshake grip, doesn’t dig or otherwise interfere with my handling. Additionally, it is very attractive, even in combination with the overly simple guard.
Both guard and pommel are nicely finished with the few casting flaws you’d expect. The assembly is rock solid, as you know Albion’s peen and wedge method to be. The hot peen is blended it very well and one has to look closely to make it out.
The grip is wrapped with red leather (oxblood?) and while I love the fact that it is not black and like the feel of it in hand, I do find a bit to complain about. The seam is a lot more visible than on the other Albions I had the pleasure to handle and more importantly, the grip makes a slight clicking sound. Not as bad as on the Mercenary I reviewed some time ago but it’s definitively there. That’s the second Albion sword out of three that does that and by now I’m pretty annoyed by it.
Handling and cutting
In short, the Gaddhjalt handles as a sword from that period of time is supposed to handle: it’s a very powerful cutter that shows its potential against heavy targets.
This sword encourages to be swung in wide arcs, it’s no weapon for fast sword and buckler play but packs a punch as I have never felt it on a sword before. I can really imagine a Norman or other horsed warrior raining down blows on pitiable foot soldier. The power of such a blow combined with the horse’s momentum could only have been absolutely devastating. Cracking shields and skulls, smashing bones through mail, all that would certainly have been fairly easy with such a sword.
Despite its size and blade presence, the Gaddhjalt isn’t a cumbersome or sluggish sword. It does in fact move surprisingly well. I was able to execute multiple cuts fairly easily. Once set into motion however, the Gaddhjalt is very hard to stop or redirect. If you deliver a cut, you damn better be sure it hits its target, as recovery while not terribly slow isn’t exactly fast either. For a mounted knight, this is no problem though as you’re usually well past your opponent after the first cut. And on foot… well, this sword was used from behind a big shield so you’re not left too vulnerable even when you miss a swing. As with the Gaddhjalt’s unexpected agility, its point control and thrusting ability took me by surprise aswell. The point does not wander but stays largely on line during thrusting maneuvers.
While I can’t say I particularly like cutting with the Gaddhjalt, especially not on light targets (it just feels like overkill), I can’t deny the thrill it gives you to swing such a massive hitter. Unfortunately I couldn’t prepare any mats this time but I have some cutting on branches that gives you an idea about the cutting momentum of this sword.
Light targets:
Hard targets
Conclusion
Would I buy the Gaddhjalt? No, because it just isn’t my type of sword. I prefer quicker, shorter and more agile weapons. Does that make the Gaddhjalt a bad sword? Again no, one just has to know what to expect.
If you want an early medieval/ late Viking sword that handles and cuts just as you would expect from such a sword, then the Gaddhjalt is for you. It is an attractive package, a very well made sword and if you play along and don’t try to fight it, it rewards you with devastating cutting performance while remaining quite agile and not cumbersome at all.