Albion Trip, Part 1 (Pic Heavy)

Among the rocky western hills of western Wisconsin lies the quaint little town of New Glarus, or “Little Switzerland” as many know it by. There are houses built in the style from the old country, flowers all in the windows, and wreathes on every door. Little Christmas trees can be seen decorated in windows with brightly colored ornaments and stars atop the boughs. Atop the sheer cliff faces are large mansions one of which is New Glarus Brewing Co, home of Spotted Cow. In the small town there was what was once a sausage factory, now abonded, run down, and bland looking on the outside. On the inside it much the same story, bare drywall, rough wood floors, a makeshift desk. However, on these plain walls are works of art. Swords of such magnitude and quality that they are near legendary in status and craftsmanship. For in this desolate building lies the headquarters of Albion Swords.

In all there were some 34 swords in the display room at Albion. And while my picture girl didn’t get me holdling all of them, I spent at least five minutes with each of them. I will try and give my impressions of some of the pieces. And this is only the first part. So keep your eyes peeled for more in the future. If you have a question about a piece seen in a picture, by all means ask. I took extensive notes, and will try and answer any questions you may have. I attended with my Fencing Master, and other TA’s from various fencing classes here at the University, I apologize in advance for any blurry pictures. Now sit back and enjoy the ride.






First up is the Arn Sword:

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This sword really caught my eye, with the polished bronze, crosses, straight lines, the inscription, of them all, this was probably the most eye catching. It was also the first blade I held, and all I can say is it is solid, perhaps a little too solid. It was a heavy beast of a sword, too heavy for one hand in my opinion. And on top of that the grip really bothered me. Four risers made it very uncomfortable, even with a leather glove on. As a whole it was a clunky beast. Heavy and authoritative, but altogether I found it too unwieldy. I did not see myself ever taking that one off the wall if I had it, except for the occasional cut. Purely looks this one.


Next up, The Valkyrja<------Disregard that, it's the Ulvbane:







Here was another looker. When I first picked this one up, my initial impression was the same as the Arn, way too heavy. However I held it a little longer, and did some dry cutting, and found that it was heavy, but not unwieldly. This blade had some strength, and requires a bit of strength in exchange. Also, the double beast emblem both on the guard and pommel were exquisitely done. The hilt held most of the weight, but you could still tell the blade was there, and it felt as though it would be a mean chopper. A solid, and pretty piece of construction all around. Though not one of my favorites, I really had to tip my hat to this piece as I could tell it was a dangerously handsome sword.

Then comes the Thegn:







The Thegn, what can I say? A phenomenol example of an Anglo Saxon. The grip was smooth to the touch and while small, it wasn’t uncomfortable. No I would say it was a snug fit, and made my hand feel secure. Nothing to fancy here, but the lines on this thing got to me, the gentle lines looked great. Again, a very solid piece, that I would feel comfortable with. It was the golden retriever of the bunch, a sword you can trust to be around for a long time, and to get the job done, no whistles and bells, just a great blade. Definite authority again, and this time, it was light. A very pleasant handling all around, and what it didn’t have in speed it made up for in power.


A lot of you asked about this next piece, and so I give you the Galloglass:







This piece, as a whole, is probably my second favorite of the bunch. You can easily see this sword has some character while at the same time being subdued, nothing too flashy here, but to the trained eye one can tell it’s a keeper. I have handled several Atrims and VA’s of various sizes and I can say, this is my favorite longsword/hand and a half. What’s not to like? The Irish pommel catches the eye. The hexagonal cross section is so smooth, and the attention to detail on the hilt and blade is incredible. The lines are so smooth to make the sword appear dull, when really it was quite sharp. I just loved that illusion. It was a really well balanced piece as well, and it took little effort to hold it one handed, and the two hands really gave power and control to this piece. The blade is a bit on the thin side (in terms of width, not depth) which slightly worried me, but it the end really won me over. Like I said, this one should be on everyone’s list.


The Lancaster and Castellan comparison









I found these two interesting because as far as I could tell they both had the same blade profiles (type XV I believe) but their handling was like night and day. The Castellan was alright enough, but seemed clumsy and slow. It had moderate point control. Really nothing outstanding IMO.

The Lancaster however was a true diamond in the rough. It is one of Albion’s recent additions and let me just say I have never held a faster blade. The point control was outstanding. I am a fencer and can honestly say I have held foils and epee’s with worse point control. There was a target ball available, about the size of an apple and I put the point dead on three times in a row with little effort. The sword practically does the work for you. If you get the chance, and like a quick little cut and thrust for your buckler I would hands down say pick this baby up.


Next up is the Lindsay Sword








Now, this isn’t just Albion’s Lindsay Sword. Our man went into a glass case and pulled out some brown paper wrap to reveal a tarnished hilt that had seen a lot, but I instantly recognized the shape of the sword. What you see here in these pictures is the original prototype, the first of the Lindsay Swords. It was a humbling experience, holding that blade. And it really put into perspective the amount of work and research that goes into making an Albion, and at that moment I forgot all doubts about what they charge, I would very much argue and contend that they charge exactly for the amount of work that is done. You really get what you pay for.

The handling was just as humbling. The point of balance seemed very close to the hilt, indeed you hardly noticed the blade at all. And while some see this as a negative thing, I do not. This blade was incredible to handle, it felt very good to be able to make a cut. The wire wrap grip was easily the most secure feeling out of them all, with or without a glove on. When swung, it didn’t feel like you were swinging a sword, but rather just your arm. Even as a prototype this blade was a thing of beauty.


There are some times in a man’s life when a Bear Roar is appropriate. Those times when sitting on a couch in a bachelor pad with two of the poms girls (not those cheerleaders, I’m talking the dancers) while watching three hundred and chasing shots of Jack Daniel’s with a PBR and listening to Johhny cash while taking tears from home made venison beef jerky and not wearing any pants to speak of. Take one of those times and put it into sword form and I give you the Dane. One mean two hander that makes the opponent’s run crying for their mammies and villainous water bottles cut themselves in half out of fear. If chuck Norris were, a sword, he would be the Dane. Although I didn’t particularly enjoy the rounded wooden grip, I was impressed by how well balanced the Dane was. At a whopping length it was a little awkward, but only due to my own inexperience, not the balance.







I'm literally looking around to see if anyone else heard Zues say " F&*# YEAH SON"

Up now is the Albion Kriegsmesser:



Here is an all meat and potatoes sword. No nonsense in any way. I felt like I could easily sheer a moose clean in half. However, the handle is merely slabs of sanded and sealed wood on the tang. So while it may be able to cut through that birch tree over yonder, you better brace yourself for the reverberations which would most likely leave your eyes rolling and your hands numb. Also, the grip seemed quite slippery even with the gloves. A far out point of balance made this puppy feel more like an axe than a sword.

For the Grand Finale: The Cluny








Everyone with me had a chance to hold the cluny, and even my photographer girl, who knows nothing of swords or handling said it felt like a dream to hold. The Cluny is a slim, almost spike of a blade, with a point that is only visible if you squint hard at it. Handling this beauty felt like water from a steam flowing over you when swung. The leather grip gave the blade some character, and also a positive traction grip. The blade may be thin, but it is quick, the fastest hand and half I’ve held. I would venture to call this blade the Lord of the Bastards. When picking it up, you can see I can easily hold it with my fingertips, which leads to very nice point control. The balance of this sword is so beyond any of the others, it is on it’s own level. You could close your eyes and barely notice you were holding steel, and each movement felt graceful no matter how clumsy it actually was due to inexperience of the others holding it. In a pinch, I would believe there is a third of the blade that could cut, but piercing is really where the Cluny will excel. If you want an out of body experience with something other than a woman, wine and dine the Cluny.

For those of you who asked about news on the Maximillian and other complex hilts, the word I heard was that they are due in production starting next year.