Albion Squire Line Clontarf
Jul 9, 2012 17:14:59 GMT
Post by Ninjadave89 on Jul 9, 2012 17:14:59 GMT
Albion Squire Line Clontarf
Introduction
I’m not really good at doing reviews but thought I should as I cannot find any full reviews of this sword online. I’ve recently had a bit of an interest in Viking swords, and it’s a type that has been missing from my collection for a while. I’ve done some cutting with a H/T Viking but didn’t really have enough time to properly test it out. When Albion announced that they were going to increase their prices slightly from July, I was determined to buy a sword from them before then. My budget wasn’t very high so realistically I could only afford one of the squire line. Browsing through Albion Europe’s website the only sharp squire line sword they had in stock was the Clontarf, so I figured I would buy that one instead of waiting 4 months for any of the other SL swords. Ordering from Albion seemed very easy, except for when my payment was declined and I got an automated phone call 10 seconds later from the bank saying that they have blocked payment because of an unusual transaction! I can’t think why buying a Viking sword is unusual, but I guess they thought it was. After explaining to the robot on the other end of the phone and confirming that it was me who was buying the sword, I attempted to order again and succeeded. This is of course no fault of Albion and ordering from their site was very easy. It cost 420 euros and 45 euros for shipping from Sweden and the large box with the bright red Albion sticker arrived 6 days later.
Historical Overview
I am definitely no expert when it comes to Viking swords so all I can really say is that it definitely looks like a Viking sword should. It is a wide Oakeshott Type X with a fuller that runs almost the whole length of the blade. It is not a total recreation of a historical weapon, but the details on the hilt have been inspired by the Ballindery sword found in Ireland dating from the 9th Century.
As you can see from the picture, the designs on the hilt are well executed and replicate the original quite well. Nevertheless the pommel and guard on the Albion are slightly different to the Ballindery. The original also has the wire wrapped around the pommel whereas on the Albion it is just simulated. To be fair these things don’t really matter as this was never supposed to be a recreation of the museum sword. Albion has succeeded in creating a Viking sword that has the same look and feel of a 9th century original, but at an affordable price (albeit a little less affordable now that the prices have increased).
Full Disclosure
I paid for this sword with my own money and have no affiliation with either Albion or Albion Europe.
Initial Impressions
Opening the box (I finally found a use for the small knives I got with my HI kukri) I was quite surprised to find very little packaging, even so the sword is tightly secured in 3 bits of foam and there is no way it would get loose during delivery. Albion also included some sword oil which was great as I had forgotten to buy any.
When I removed the sword my immediate reaction was that it was very blade heavy (this is to be expected with Viking swords and is historically accurate) but not uncomfortably heavy. The weight seems to be perfectly distributed and you can tell that it just wants to be swung. From the stats I knew the grip would be small, and it definitely is. I’m 6’2 with quite large hands and I cannot in any way grip the sword comfortably. I’m hoping that with time I can get used to this but it will take some practice. Vikings must have had really small hands as a short grip seems common in all the pictures of the originals I have seen.
Ok time for some stats…
Blade length – 77cm (30.3 inches)
Grip Length – 9cm (3.5 inches)
Hilt Length – 14cm (5.5 inches)
Blade width at guard – 5.6cm down to 3.5cm at end of fuller
POB – 17cm (6.5 inches) from guard
Overall Length – 36 inches
Weight - 2lbs 8oz
Blade
It has a very wide and well polished blade with a fuller that runs from the guard and ends just before the tip. It has a surprising amount of flex but is in no way whippy, just right I’d say. The tip of the blade is not exactly pointy but it stabbed through the box it arrived in quite easily. It is clear that the Clontarf is more of a limb remover than a stabby weapon. I’ve heard that all the squire line swords have a secondary bevel and this one is no exception, but it is hardly noticeable and ridiculously sharp. It passed the paper cutting test with ease.
Handle
Simple 2 piece wood grip epoxied over the tang and wrapped in black dyed leather. It is wider at the guard end and tapers towards the pommel. The seam is not noticeable when handling but can be seen. To some this is annoying but it doesn’t bother me at all. I imagine the grip would be quite comfortable if it were longer.
Guard
Nice simple guard shape with the vine pattern on both sides. 4 inches wide. Don’t know if the guard is a specific type as my knowledge of these swords is limited. I’ll let the pics do the talking.
Pommel
Apparently most pommels on original Viking swords were made of 2 parts. The Clontarf’s pommel is cast in one piece. The NG Clontarf has fake rivets on the underside of the pommel that replicate’s many originals whereas the SL version has got rid of these most likely to keep the price down. As mentioned earlier Albion have not wrapped the pommel with wire as some originals were but instead simulated it as part of the pommel casting. This is quite effective and cannot be noticed unless looking very close, although if Hanwei can use real wire on the much cheaper H/T Viking, I don’t see why Albion can’t. The tang is hot peened over the pommel and blends in very well.
Handling Characteristics
Despite being rather blade heavy, the Clontarf handles extremely well. It can deliver very powerful strikes and recover quickly and easily. I don’t think anybody would have any particular difficulty in using this sword. In my opinion it just takes some getting used to with the small grip and forward balance making it feel more unwieldy than it actually is.
Test Cutting
Well it certainly makes a great sound when my edge alignment is good! Cutting is effortless as the blade does most of the work. I thought it would be difficult to get anywhere close to doing silent cuts, but as it turns out it was quite easy. Some of my cuts failed miserably (I even managed to cleanly cut a large chunk of wood off the stand) but there was absolutely no damage to the sword.
Conclusion
I am very impressed by this sword. Although Albion prices seem to be high, I am in no doubt that they are worth it and I intend on buying more of them in the future (got my eye on the Trajan at the moment).
Pros
- Great cutter
- Very sharp blade
- Excellent overall quality, it is an Albion after all
Cons
- Short grip is historically accurate but still quite uncomfortable
- Availability
Bottom Line
Would I recommend this sword to anyone? Absolutely, especially if they have an interest in Viking swords. I don’t really know what else to say so I hope this review was somewhat helpful.
Introduction
I’m not really good at doing reviews but thought I should as I cannot find any full reviews of this sword online. I’ve recently had a bit of an interest in Viking swords, and it’s a type that has been missing from my collection for a while. I’ve done some cutting with a H/T Viking but didn’t really have enough time to properly test it out. When Albion announced that they were going to increase their prices slightly from July, I was determined to buy a sword from them before then. My budget wasn’t very high so realistically I could only afford one of the squire line. Browsing through Albion Europe’s website the only sharp squire line sword they had in stock was the Clontarf, so I figured I would buy that one instead of waiting 4 months for any of the other SL swords. Ordering from Albion seemed very easy, except for when my payment was declined and I got an automated phone call 10 seconds later from the bank saying that they have blocked payment because of an unusual transaction! I can’t think why buying a Viking sword is unusual, but I guess they thought it was. After explaining to the robot on the other end of the phone and confirming that it was me who was buying the sword, I attempted to order again and succeeded. This is of course no fault of Albion and ordering from their site was very easy. It cost 420 euros and 45 euros for shipping from Sweden and the large box with the bright red Albion sticker arrived 6 days later.
Historical Overview
I am definitely no expert when it comes to Viking swords so all I can really say is that it definitely looks like a Viking sword should. It is a wide Oakeshott Type X with a fuller that runs almost the whole length of the blade. It is not a total recreation of a historical weapon, but the details on the hilt have been inspired by the Ballindery sword found in Ireland dating from the 9th Century.
As you can see from the picture, the designs on the hilt are well executed and replicate the original quite well. Nevertheless the pommel and guard on the Albion are slightly different to the Ballindery. The original also has the wire wrapped around the pommel whereas on the Albion it is just simulated. To be fair these things don’t really matter as this was never supposed to be a recreation of the museum sword. Albion has succeeded in creating a Viking sword that has the same look and feel of a 9th century original, but at an affordable price (albeit a little less affordable now that the prices have increased).
Full Disclosure
I paid for this sword with my own money and have no affiliation with either Albion or Albion Europe.
Initial Impressions
Opening the box (I finally found a use for the small knives I got with my HI kukri) I was quite surprised to find very little packaging, even so the sword is tightly secured in 3 bits of foam and there is no way it would get loose during delivery. Albion also included some sword oil which was great as I had forgotten to buy any.
When I removed the sword my immediate reaction was that it was very blade heavy (this is to be expected with Viking swords and is historically accurate) but not uncomfortably heavy. The weight seems to be perfectly distributed and you can tell that it just wants to be swung. From the stats I knew the grip would be small, and it definitely is. I’m 6’2 with quite large hands and I cannot in any way grip the sword comfortably. I’m hoping that with time I can get used to this but it will take some practice. Vikings must have had really small hands as a short grip seems common in all the pictures of the originals I have seen.
Ok time for some stats…
Blade length – 77cm (30.3 inches)
Grip Length – 9cm (3.5 inches)
Hilt Length – 14cm (5.5 inches)
Blade width at guard – 5.6cm down to 3.5cm at end of fuller
POB – 17cm (6.5 inches) from guard
Overall Length – 36 inches
Weight - 2lbs 8oz
Blade
It has a very wide and well polished blade with a fuller that runs from the guard and ends just before the tip. It has a surprising amount of flex but is in no way whippy, just right I’d say. The tip of the blade is not exactly pointy but it stabbed through the box it arrived in quite easily. It is clear that the Clontarf is more of a limb remover than a stabby weapon. I’ve heard that all the squire line swords have a secondary bevel and this one is no exception, but it is hardly noticeable and ridiculously sharp. It passed the paper cutting test with ease.
Handle
Simple 2 piece wood grip epoxied over the tang and wrapped in black dyed leather. It is wider at the guard end and tapers towards the pommel. The seam is not noticeable when handling but can be seen. To some this is annoying but it doesn’t bother me at all. I imagine the grip would be quite comfortable if it were longer.
Guard
Nice simple guard shape with the vine pattern on both sides. 4 inches wide. Don’t know if the guard is a specific type as my knowledge of these swords is limited. I’ll let the pics do the talking.
Pommel
Apparently most pommels on original Viking swords were made of 2 parts. The Clontarf’s pommel is cast in one piece. The NG Clontarf has fake rivets on the underside of the pommel that replicate’s many originals whereas the SL version has got rid of these most likely to keep the price down. As mentioned earlier Albion have not wrapped the pommel with wire as some originals were but instead simulated it as part of the pommel casting. This is quite effective and cannot be noticed unless looking very close, although if Hanwei can use real wire on the much cheaper H/T Viking, I don’t see why Albion can’t. The tang is hot peened over the pommel and blends in very well.
Handling Characteristics
Despite being rather blade heavy, the Clontarf handles extremely well. It can deliver very powerful strikes and recover quickly and easily. I don’t think anybody would have any particular difficulty in using this sword. In my opinion it just takes some getting used to with the small grip and forward balance making it feel more unwieldy than it actually is.
Test Cutting
Well it certainly makes a great sound when my edge alignment is good! Cutting is effortless as the blade does most of the work. I thought it would be difficult to get anywhere close to doing silent cuts, but as it turns out it was quite easy. Some of my cuts failed miserably (I even managed to cleanly cut a large chunk of wood off the stand) but there was absolutely no damage to the sword.
Conclusion
I am very impressed by this sword. Although Albion prices seem to be high, I am in no doubt that they are worth it and I intend on buying more of them in the future (got my eye on the Trajan at the moment).
Pros
- Great cutter
- Very sharp blade
- Excellent overall quality, it is an Albion after all
Cons
- Short grip is historically accurate but still quite uncomfortable
- Availability
Bottom Line
Would I recommend this sword to anyone? Absolutely, especially if they have an interest in Viking swords. I don’t really know what else to say so I hope this review was somewhat helpful.