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Post by TheMu on Oct 28, 2013 15:21:22 GMT
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Post by Bryan Heff on Oct 28, 2013 15:36:54 GMT
Again with the loose pommel? That is kind of unbelievable....sorry to hear it. That really stinks.
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Post by William Swiger on Oct 28, 2013 15:51:47 GMT
That is so weird. I have had 7 SL swords over the years with no issues. 5 I bought new from Albion USA and 2 pre-owned that were bought from Albion USA by the original owners.
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Post by mcapanelli on Oct 28, 2013 16:18:17 GMT
I've never seen this many problems with three successive Albions before. I've only had one very minor problem in over 40 orders from them, squire line included. All my dealings have been with Albion US though. That should't make a difference though as all the swords are assembled in the US. I don't know man. I'd give Mike over at Albion U.S. a call and inform him of this.
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Post by Nilfgaardian on Oct 28, 2013 20:15:19 GMT
This whole affair has been very strange indeed and I never expected Albion to have this lack of quality control. I agree that its a good idea to contact Albion U.S. about this.
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Post by TheMu on Oct 29, 2013 13:39:19 GMT
I added statistics that I measured myself to the statistics part of the review, and a picture and a few words to cutting part of the review. I'll add cutting video later when I have time. After cutting session I inspected the pommel carefully and noticed this: I suppose the tang is taking a peek between leather and pommel. Wood goes all the way from guard to pommel and there are no gaps but somehow there is a piece of wood missing and the tang is visible from the side. Tell me if I'm nitpicking. I was ready to accept this sword as it is, but now I'm starting to think should I really contact Albion again. Albion Europe said that they are going to inform Albion US of the QC issues with the previous sword. I've pretty much had enough of this shipping back and forth. So, what do you guys think, does the tiny bit loose pommel and the tang issue make the sword dangerous to use? If not I probably won't contact Albion anymore. I'm just going to enjoy my new sword for now. Attachments:
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Post by mcapanelli on Oct 29, 2013 14:18:59 GMT
I would bypass Albion Europe and go right to Albion US. If what your experiencing isn't happening to U.S. customers than theres another issue afoot.
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Post by mcapanelli on Oct 29, 2013 14:21:32 GMT
[/attachment]
I suppose the tang is taking a peek between leather and pommel. Wood goes all the way from guard to pommel and there are no gaps but somehow there is a piece of wood missing and the tang is visible from the side. Tell me if I'm nitpicking. I was ready to accept this sword as it is, but now I'm starting to think should I really contact Albion again.
Albion Europe said that they are going to inform Albion US of the QC issues with the previous sword.
I've pretty much had enough of this shipping back and forth. So, what do you guys think, does the tiny bit loose pommel and the tang issue make the sword dangerous to use? If not I probably won't contact Albion anymore. I'm just going to enjoy my new sword for now.[/quote]
I think you should take the leather off and rewrap it. You'll be able to fill in the hole with some filler, wrap the wood core in thin cord, and rewrap in leather with a coord imprint over it. It'll look better and be stronger than the stock grip. You should also get a gift certificate or at least a tee shirt for your troubles. Call the U.S. number and speak to mike, trust me.
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Post by Lukas MG (chenessfan) on Oct 29, 2013 15:10:58 GMT
Rewrapping the grip or better yet making a new one would maybe take care of the pommel's looseness but it really isn't your job. A 500$ sword should come without these issues, ESPECIALLY when the customer has a history as you do. Obviously Albion Europe is not capable of inspecting a sword (goes a long way to show how much they understand about swords...). I agree with mcapanelli, contact Albion US directly.
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Post by Nilfgaardian on Oct 29, 2013 15:23:57 GMT
Looks like they need to fire some people at Albion Europe. Hope we get to know what caused these issues, I for one will not buy a squire line sword from Albion Europe until this has been resolved.
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Post by TheMu on Oct 29, 2013 19:28:32 GMT
I added a cutting video. I'll contact Albion Europe tomorrow and see what happens. I'll contact Albion US later if necessary. Let's not lynch anyone yet. I'd like to hear your thoughts about the review and the sword in general. Let's forget the pommel etc. for a while. For example tips on how to cut with European style sword are most welcome! I'm also interested to hear your thoughts on the strange grainy surface on pommel and guard. Also the weight variations caught my attention. Or just casual conversation. Now I just hope that the pommel issues won't make empty all the work I've done with the review and that everyone could look at the review behind the issues. Thanks everyone.
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Post by Bryan Heff on Oct 29, 2013 22:04:14 GMT
The review is excellent. Great pictures, very honest, plus a video = all good stuff. In your vid when you thump the handle right there in the beginning...I think I HEAR the looseness...that "tink" sound is usually not a good thing, sound that something somewhere is not locked down. Not 100% sure what you mean by grainy surface but my guess is that it's the standard finish on a SL sword you are seeing and just may not be used to it, which means to say its not going to have a full satin or glossy finish on the furniture, but still show some sanding marks perhaps.
Great review, thanks for it!
p.s. - Your story with the 3 problem swords is truly memorable based on my experience with Albion swords (both directly with them and secondary dealings) and reading many others. The blunt being shipped while unacceptable you can almost just chalk up to the person filling the order just grabbing the wrong sword. The fact that the next 2 had out right defects as you described is the real shocker based on Albion's reputation, which is VERY good from what I know.
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Post by mcapanelli on Oct 29, 2013 23:00:19 GMT
I don't think a lynching is in order, but I do think you'll have better luck contacting Albion US directly as the sword was assembled by them, at least as far as we know. Especially considering this is the third sword of the same type with issues. No one will be lynched or even reprimanded but IMO you'll get a much better outcome when you go directly to the source.
As for the review, its great. You cut very well too, but your form looks better with two hands (Everyone's a critique :-) ) Your pictures are especially nice. That's something I always struggle with. I've come to accept that I'm a terrible photographer.
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Post by TheMu on Oct 30, 2013 13:13:20 GMT
Thank you all, I got things sorted out with Albion Europe. Now I can finally get into using this sword properly! I added an epilogue to the end of the review PART 3. There's more details. Here's a picture of the grainy surface of the pommel next to the previous swords pommel: I'll probably fix the strange "gap" between pommel and handle by filling it with epoxy for now. And later when I customize the whole handle I'll fix it properly. Attachments:
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Post by william m on Oct 30, 2013 13:38:36 GMT
That grain is from the pommel having been cast. With employee time/wage being the most expensive part of the sword, I can see that they would certainly minimise the finishing on the SL swords to get it down to 500 USD.
You can use some sandpaper and polish that away with some time and elbow grease.
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Post by mcapanelli on Oct 30, 2013 13:54:04 GMT
Mine has the same grainy surface. Its from giving it a rough finish from then foundry and not taking ti to a full polish. Instead of bringing up the finish I jet ;et it rest and then sanded it. Now it's a nice dark grey that looks like a light aging job.
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