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Post by Vue on Mar 11, 2013 17:13:47 GMT
I was just wondering if anyone has any experiences with monsieur Gael Fabre work and if so please share some of your experiences. lately I've come to admire his work quite a lot and would properly place an order soon but just before hand I would like to gather more information about this smith. Here is his site/ blog - gael-fabre-forgeron.over-blog.com/Please feel free to comment on monsieur Gael Fabre work and make comparisons as you see fit. For me personally his blades seems like high quality work and prices are very reasonable.
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Post by William Swiger on Mar 11, 2013 18:05:58 GMT
With the exchange rate, that puts his work in the cost area of many Albion models and A&A models. His swords look alright. I have ordered a couple sharps from this maker and they will arrive early next month. www.berbekuczviktor.hu/angol/angol.html
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Post by Vue on Mar 11, 2013 19:13:02 GMT
Thanks for sharing your thoughts William and yes I do realize the prices are pretty much in the Albion and A&A territories but I personally prefer someone less well known than the major players. Hey if I can get the same quality so why not support the little guys So far I'm fond of Gael Fabre, Szymon Chlebowski and Jan Chodkiewicz work, is there any other Eastern European smiths that you know share's similar quality as these two? I have already seen Pavel Moc and Vladimir Cervenka and a few others but not too impressed but that doesn't mean they make bad swords though just not my taste.
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Post by William Swiger on Mar 11, 2013 20:22:22 GMT
I had some Pavel Moc and Vladimir Cervenka swords but sold or gifted them. I do have a Pavel Moc Hastings on order and due in Apr. Running out of brazil nut options. :-)
The 2 Pavel Moc longswords I had were alright. One was in the Abion price range but not in quality. Cervenka swords were a major disappointment. Had a couple others from Czech that were not that great. Cool thing is trying out these swords as they did not cost very much except for the one Pavel Moc longsword.
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Luka
Senior Forumite
Posts: 2,848
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Post by Luka on Mar 11, 2013 21:02:29 GMT
I like that Fabre's stuff is very thick at the base and weights are not too high. That means he got distal tapering well...
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Post by mcapanelli on Mar 11, 2013 21:10:05 GMT
I'd like to add an Eastern European smith to this list for you. Check out Peter Regenyei I have one of his Feders and it's easily on par with my Albion Meyer, although the Meyer has a much better finish. He makes both blunt and sharp swords as well and he does custom orders. I can't peak for his sharp stuff but I may put in an order after summer. Shipping is where it hurts you but I just wait for one of the US based HEMA groups I know to put in an order and he just tucks my sword in their box. Comes out to about 15€ shipping that way. Judging by the feder I have I'd certainly take a chance with his sharps. in fact I think I'll put in an order for a single handed training sword right now.
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Post by Vue on Mar 12, 2013 8:40:30 GMT
William - Thanks again for your thoughts and you're right some of these Eastern Euro smiths prices are very nice indeed. Luka - from the spec's and images I imagine Fabre's stuff would handle very well and glad I'm not the only one who thinks that. Mcapanelli - Thanks for the link, I've never seen Regenyei work before and his site seems to lack some sharpies to make a fair judgement. From the hilt components alone Regenyei seems to be well crafted but sometimes that doesn't transfer well over to the blade finishes. I'll be very interested to hear your opinion on his sharpies once you have them in your hands. Now, on to more research......
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Post by william m on Mar 12, 2013 9:47:14 GMT
Brilliant!!! While Gael's swords may be expensive for non-europeans for me it poses a decent alternative to Albion, especially as he has done some museum recreations the same as Albion, such as the sword Albion call the oakeshott. Albion oakeshott 1095 Euro www.albion-europe.com/swords/swo ... x?model=69 86cm blade length Total weight 1140g Gael Fabre 720 Euro idata.over-blog.com/2/73/47/90/e ... e_3320.jpg 85cm blade length Total weight 1200g As you can see the stats look very similar, although I can't compare the POB tho that information is only an email away! For two swords that are very similar to each other with a 375 euro difference Gael's swords are looking VERY tempting to me! I was thinking of getting an Albion for my first proper high end sword but now I am wanting to explore Gael's swords as well, they look to be just as good on the surface and are quite a bit cheaper. Sure there isn't anything there talking about all the historical accuracy and research such as Albion do, but that doesn't mean he hasn't done his homework.
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Post by Vue on Mar 12, 2013 10:35:53 GMT
Glad you find his work interesting as well William, to my eyes Gael Fabre craftsmanship is superb from the fit & finishes; to the crispness of each line in the geometry. In terms of craftsmanship I reckon he's very close or even on par with many more renown smiths such as Peter Johnson, Rob millers, Patrick Barta and Jake Powning etc. I get that each smith is slightly different and some does do more elaborate work but the fundamentals remains the same IMO.
I'm also in the market for a high end piece and I did thought about an Albion but somehow I feel that the smaller smiths could really use some of our support just a tad more. Some of Gael pieces is quite a bit cheaper as well so I think it does make more economic sense even if it is just 20% cheaper per piece. Buy five get one free :lol:
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Post by tabiris on Mar 13, 2013 23:01:24 GMT
These look extremely well made! I definitely do not agree with the sentiment that it's the same as with most east-european smiths. The lines look a lot crisper and the craftsmanship finer, and well worth the price. As for the other smiths mentioned: Červenka makes pretty good stuff - especially his rapiers are amazing. However, the steel tend to be a little too soft for my liking. Pavel Moc makes amazing swords - if you're looking for a blunt. The craftsmanship of blunts is excellent, and they look amazing. I've only hear of one person having his sharp though, and they said it's pretty much a sharpened blunt, so not quite what it should be. Berbekuc Viktor is priced way below these guys, though, and while the sword are OK, they aren't spectacular. I have not yet handled Regenyei's sharps yet. His feders are quite OK, especially the newer versions which have more mass in the point but similar PoB (thinking of the Trnawa feders). Stefan Roth also makes some amazng stuff, but the prices are above those of Albion - the swords are gorgeous, though. They handle really well, too. www.seelenschmie.de/wordpress/?cat=7here's one more smith that I've heard good things about, though I haven't handled none of his stuff: www.robert-moc.sk/pages/sk/galeria/mece.phpOverall, though: Gael Fabre seems to be a good choice! This is a bit of personal experience: Smiths who focus on making practice or reenactment swords usually don't make amazing sharps. Cheers!
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Post by William Swiger on Mar 14, 2013 5:01:23 GMT
Enjoy reading everyones impressions of people who have actually handled swords from these makers. I will have some good input soon on Viktor Berbekucz from the 2 I ordered. I am getting 2 of his museum recreations which run close to the Del Tin price range.
Given the price I paid for these swords and to be fair to the maker, I am not expecting Albion or A&A quality. I am hoping for some hand-made rustic functional swords to add to my collection. I personally feel that most swords in the Viking and Norman times were functional tools and not nearly perfect works of art as some like to imagine. There were some exceptional examples but I personally think the majority of swords were made to be tools for the fighters. Decent looking and functional would be in my opinion the norm.
I went back and looked again at the Fabre website and look forward to someone buying and posting impressions of his work.
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Post by william m on Mar 14, 2013 8:35:09 GMT
What catches your eye of Fabre's work? I am thinking of that Albion Oakeshotte type sword although it is quite a long sword..
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Post by william m on Mar 14, 2013 8:47:44 GMT
Here are my top two, which I am seriously thinking of buying as my first high-end sword. This sword could really be a stunner with some decent leatherwork on the grip. This sword based on one of the finest swords in the wallace collection in london, sounds like a winner!
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Post by William Swiger on Mar 14, 2013 10:06:04 GMT
I already have the Albion Oakeshotte, Regent, Earl and Burgundian. Not sure if he makes something I would want. Maybe the brazil nut sword on the 1st page. Not much for the viking sword guys -
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Post by william m on Mar 14, 2013 10:27:23 GMT
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Post by Crecymar on Mar 14, 2013 20:37:54 GMT
Those sword certainly look top notch and I would be surprised if they weren't actually top notch.
Thanks for the link. Unfortunately for me though, it's in another language and it's foreign, so I think I would have quite a bit of difficulty acquiring one of these, which I would if I could.
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Post by william m on Mar 14, 2013 21:07:03 GMT
Hmm, the link I posted above should be the google translate. From french to english.
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Post by Federico on Mar 29, 2013 1:10:58 GMT
I have a friend who owns 2 Gael Fabre one handed custom made "training" swords. They're made for sword and buckler. I don't do sword and buckler techniques, but I had the chance to compare them to the Albion I33 and the Tinker emsh, and I the Fabre swords had superior handling to both. They just felt great. There was also a lot of attention to detail with a definite handmade feel to them. However, the edges were slightly too thin for trainers (probably because he seems to be specialized in sharps). I can ask my friend to bring them next Tuesday and I could snap a few pics of them if you're interested.
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