Albion Next Generation Templar
Apr 30, 2014 18:35:07 GMT
Post by Bryan Heff on Apr 30, 2014 18:35:07 GMT
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Overview -
The Albion Templar is a long bladed, short gripped earlier medieval style sword named of course after the famous military order - The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, better know as simply the Knights Templar. This would have been a sword typical of the earlier Crusades when broad bladed cutting swords were the primary type in use.
Purchasing/shipping/disclaimers -
I purchased this sword used from a fellow forumite. This sword has had at least 2 previous owners prior to me taking possession of it. The blade polish is not factory Albion but it is close. I have gone over the blade with light oil and gray scotch brite pads as well as applied a very light gun blue to the cross and pommel and then removed 90% of the color. I bring these details to light to make it clear that this is not a factory Albion, that it has had some slight after the fact changes to it, however minor.
Specifications
Overall Length: 39 1/2"
Blade Length: 33 1/2"
Blade Width at guard: 1 7/8"
Overall Grip Length: 3 3/4"
Cross guard Length: 7 1/4"
Pommel: 2' Wide x 1 1/2" thick
Weight: 2 lbs, 13 oz (From Albion's website)
PoB: 5 1/2"
Blade:
The blade is long and has rather minimal profile taper. Being a direct descendent of the broad Viking swords of Oakeshott Type X it is primary designed for cutting. The blade type according to the Oakeshott typology would be considered an Xa. As with swords of this type it has a fuller that extends the majority of the length of the blade. The fuller in this case is extremely well done. It is very straight and well defined with moderate depth. Its about 5/8" wide at the base and makes up about 1/3 of the overall blade width. The fuller ends towards the tip in a very nice smooth transition to the final few inches of the blade. The blade is lenticular in cross section and has a fairly wide tip. You could thrust with this sword but as mentioned its much more built to cut. There is a smooth distal taper the length of the blade but overall this sword's cross section remains a bit thicker than other Albion swords of similar type that I have owned or handled. This makes for a pretty stiff blade, actually quite stiff and one that has a lot of blade presence.
Grip:
The grip is dark brown, nearly black and is done up in the standard Albion style with cord imprinting. A thin riser at the top and bottom are all the adornment the grip has. As I understand it, this sword was used by its previous owners for cutting, quite extensively perhaps but you would never know it based on this grip. It is in great shape and I suppose could be seen as a testament to the grip quality that Albion produces.
Pommel:
The Templar has a type I pommel. Its fairly simple in its shape when looked at from the profile, basically a disk but it has very large and steep chamfers when looked at from the side and ends up being extremely thick. The pommel is only 1/2" less thick than it is wide. I imagine it weight a decent amount which helps with the overall balance against the long and fairly heavy blade.
Cross Guard:
I really like this style of crossguard which is a style 4. It has the basic shape of an elongated "bow-tie" and while is wide when seen from the profile, the cross section is rather thin. I think its a very classic medieval era cross and works well with the blade type.
Performance:
In my mind a sword like the Templar would best be employed as a cavalry weapon. It has a long blade and a short grip and wants to keep moving once started. Recovery times are going to be slower for a sword like this so you would want to either have a shield or be galloping past the target, or better yet both. I don't cut with my swords so I can't comment on the cutting performance but I have been told it cuts well. Again due to the heft of the blade I think it would do quite well against medium to moderately heavy targets.
Overall:
The Templar is probably not a sword for everyone and I don't believe its near the top of the list of Albion's best selling swords. It to me is a bit of a specialized sword - A heavy battlefield cleaver designed to be used by the tanks of the medieval world, a knight clad in mail atop a large horse with a bad attitude. It is a simple design with not a whole lot of flair but those are usually the swords I gravitate to, so for me, its a winner. I personally really like the stiff blade and as X and Xa types are probably my favorite types, again it lines up just right in my mind. If you are looking to get a quick sword that recovers fast this is not the one you will want to pick. If you like an authoritative sword with buckets of blade presence, the Albion Templar might be just the ticket.
With A Del Tin and and N/T Norman to show perspective.
Overview -
The Albion Templar is a long bladed, short gripped earlier medieval style sword named of course after the famous military order - The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, better know as simply the Knights Templar. This would have been a sword typical of the earlier Crusades when broad bladed cutting swords were the primary type in use.
Purchasing/shipping/disclaimers -
I purchased this sword used from a fellow forumite. This sword has had at least 2 previous owners prior to me taking possession of it. The blade polish is not factory Albion but it is close. I have gone over the blade with light oil and gray scotch brite pads as well as applied a very light gun blue to the cross and pommel and then removed 90% of the color. I bring these details to light to make it clear that this is not a factory Albion, that it has had some slight after the fact changes to it, however minor.
Specifications
Overall Length: 39 1/2"
Blade Length: 33 1/2"
Blade Width at guard: 1 7/8"
Overall Grip Length: 3 3/4"
Cross guard Length: 7 1/4"
Pommel: 2' Wide x 1 1/2" thick
Weight: 2 lbs, 13 oz (From Albion's website)
PoB: 5 1/2"
Blade:
The blade is long and has rather minimal profile taper. Being a direct descendent of the broad Viking swords of Oakeshott Type X it is primary designed for cutting. The blade type according to the Oakeshott typology would be considered an Xa. As with swords of this type it has a fuller that extends the majority of the length of the blade. The fuller in this case is extremely well done. It is very straight and well defined with moderate depth. Its about 5/8" wide at the base and makes up about 1/3 of the overall blade width. The fuller ends towards the tip in a very nice smooth transition to the final few inches of the blade. The blade is lenticular in cross section and has a fairly wide tip. You could thrust with this sword but as mentioned its much more built to cut. There is a smooth distal taper the length of the blade but overall this sword's cross section remains a bit thicker than other Albion swords of similar type that I have owned or handled. This makes for a pretty stiff blade, actually quite stiff and one that has a lot of blade presence.
Grip:
The grip is dark brown, nearly black and is done up in the standard Albion style with cord imprinting. A thin riser at the top and bottom are all the adornment the grip has. As I understand it, this sword was used by its previous owners for cutting, quite extensively perhaps but you would never know it based on this grip. It is in great shape and I suppose could be seen as a testament to the grip quality that Albion produces.
Pommel:
The Templar has a type I pommel. Its fairly simple in its shape when looked at from the profile, basically a disk but it has very large and steep chamfers when looked at from the side and ends up being extremely thick. The pommel is only 1/2" less thick than it is wide. I imagine it weight a decent amount which helps with the overall balance against the long and fairly heavy blade.
Cross Guard:
I really like this style of crossguard which is a style 4. It has the basic shape of an elongated "bow-tie" and while is wide when seen from the profile, the cross section is rather thin. I think its a very classic medieval era cross and works well with the blade type.
Performance:
In my mind a sword like the Templar would best be employed as a cavalry weapon. It has a long blade and a short grip and wants to keep moving once started. Recovery times are going to be slower for a sword like this so you would want to either have a shield or be galloping past the target, or better yet both. I don't cut with my swords so I can't comment on the cutting performance but I have been told it cuts well. Again due to the heft of the blade I think it would do quite well against medium to moderately heavy targets.
Overall:
The Templar is probably not a sword for everyone and I don't believe its near the top of the list of Albion's best selling swords. It to me is a bit of a specialized sword - A heavy battlefield cleaver designed to be used by the tanks of the medieval world, a knight clad in mail atop a large horse with a bad attitude. It is a simple design with not a whole lot of flair but those are usually the swords I gravitate to, so for me, its a winner. I personally really like the stiff blade and as X and Xa types are probably my favorite types, again it lines up just right in my mind. If you are looking to get a quick sword that recovers fast this is not the one you will want to pick. If you like an authoritative sword with buckets of blade presence, the Albion Templar might be just the ticket.
With A Del Tin and and N/T Norman to show perspective.