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Post by Dave Kelly on Jul 28, 2015 8:05:34 GMT
Albion Principe: Oakshott Type XVIIIc
There are already three excellent reviews and demonstrations of this Albion here. Also fulsome coverage of the XVIII class of swords and the Principe can be had from MyArmoury. The sword caught my eye when it was first issued a year and a half ago, but pursuit of moderns kept me busy. Fleshing out available display resources in my medis caused me to revisit Albion this year, with intentions of getting the Principe and then the Earl. Thus these comments on the first to arrive.
I won't compete with the fine jobs done by others in their reviews. All I can provide not already done is...
TAH-DAH!!!!
Da Kelly Chart...
( Addendum: proofing my data this evening I see a screw-up: The correct weight on the Principe is 4.0 lbs, not the 3.3 listed. No doubt a carry over from the template I used to make the chart. :( )
For comparative purposes the Principe stats are compared to the Hanwei version of the King Edward III XVIIIa. The "a" type is distinguished from the "c" type by mass and more particularly the "c" is a two handed hilt.
Statistically, the two swords are close in gross factors. Dynamic balance of the "c" is significantly more "to the hand", favoring point control and the thrust. The Albion shows finer taper and a reinforced point compared to the Hanwei.
The "c" is 4 lbs. Can't help but feel the extra weight. But the sword moves really well. Love the exceptionally long bottle neck pommel. Extends the grip three inches in a manner the round pommels don't do as well.
Shipment went well time wise. The spartan, one size fits all, mounting foam in the "white box", didn't keep the swords from shifting. One quillon punched right thru the box. No damage to the sword.
In Conclusion
A 1400.00 warsword may not be within your reach, or of a style you favor because of it's weight and relative shortness of blade. But it is an outstanding treatment of the type, and the craftmanship is exceptional. A knight of old would give a testicle to get his hand on a blade as perfect as these moderns are.
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Post by Croccifixio on Jul 28, 2015 8:09:53 GMT
Very nice rack. :)
Thanks for the stats as well! All indications are this is a beastly hard-target cutter. Pretty to boot. I wish you were the one to nab the Pikula XVIIIc though... that one was even more of a monster than this one.
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Post by Bryan Heff on Jul 28, 2015 10:38:25 GMT
Its a beast, love it. Wow...thought it was 3 inches at the base which is WIDE...but its even a bit wider than that. Truly awesome.
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Post by patrick kelly on Jul 28, 2015 17:29:59 GMT
Thanks for the impressions Dave. I love the Principe, it's one of my favorites from Albion.
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Post by Croccifixio on Jul 29, 2015 3:02:27 GMT
Thanks for the impressions Dave. I love the Principe, it's one of my favorites from Albion. Patrick, I've always admired the swords that have passed through your hands. Since you mentioned favorites, would you care to name them? |
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Post by William Swiger on Jul 29, 2015 7:17:44 GMT
Nice sword Dave - congrats!
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Post by MatthewGMK on Jul 29, 2015 11:42:04 GMT
So, out of curiosity, and I understand not that its any of my business ... who gets all
those swords when you pass on ?
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Jul 29, 2015 16:46:45 GMT
ME! He's willing them to me! Seriously, you didn't know Dave is Vampier? He'll outlive us all...  |
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Post by Dave Kelly on Jul 29, 2015 21:18:37 GMT
I've got a doublewide casket: they're all going with me. Boooohahahahaha...
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Post by MatthewGMK on Jul 30, 2015 20:40:47 GMT
I've got a doublewide casket: they're all going with me. Boooohahahahaha... ... seriously, though, have you given it any thought ? One might leave his or her collection to sons, daughters, or other relatives -- but there's no guarantee they'll be interested. I've thought about " willing " my two Hussar Sabers to Polish institutions of some sort ... I don't know where the few Japanese-style blades I have would land ... ... things like this could end up in an estate sale-type situation, I suppose ... |
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Post by Dave Kelly on Jul 30, 2015 21:21:09 GMT
Yeah I've toyed around with a few ideas, but hit a wall for the most part. People drool over whatcha got but when it comes time to turn it over they'd really appreciate getting it for nothing (so they can resell it for their own profit.)
I have seen your efforts to sell off your polish sabre with similar issues; so you understand the dilemma.
Afraid I don't have much to offer you on that point, as my experience is disappointing: it is really off topic in this thread.
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Post by StevenJ on Jul 30, 2015 22:38:39 GMT
Dave are you going to have a carved stone effigy of yourself holding your favorite sword for your casket? Ah just teasing that's a good review there.
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Post by nddave on Jul 31, 2015 22:05:17 GMT
Poor Dave... His review turns into an obituary sadly. ;)
Anyways on topic great mini review and nice stat chart. Personally not a fan of Cs but it sure is nice looking.
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Post by patrick kelly on Aug 9, 2015 21:48:19 GMT
Thanks for the impressions Dave. I love the Principe, it's one of my favorites from Albion. Patrick, I've always admired the swords that have passed through your hands. Since you mentioned favorites, would you care to name them? Apologies for the tardy reply. I've never handled an Albion that disappointed me, but I've sold off many for various reasons. I admire the size of Dave's collection and I'm envious on a certain level. However, if I'd kept everything that ever passed through my hands I'd need a bigger room than that! I like to keep my collection between 15-20 pieces since this is a controllable size. I've seen families burdened with huge collections of stuff left by family members and I don't want to subject my wife to that, should the unexpected occur. Also, the older and closer to retirement I get the more I question the wisdom of spending large sums of money on such things. Swords are still my chief passion, but I've learned to temper that a bit. Anyway........... The Vigil is probably my favorite Albion single handed medieval sword. The sword in the British Museum on which it's based is my favorite, so this is understandable. I love the Vigil's combination of aesthetics and feel. It's a powerful yet graceful sword, both in handling and appearance. I owned two custom attempts at this sword before the Vigil and neither one of them came close with the overall package. The Maximilian is my favorite two-hander out of all those I've owned, regardless of manufacturer. One of my first "real' swords was a two-hander my mother bought for me when I was a teenager and that cemented my love for them. The Maximilian is simply an outstanding sword all around: great aesthetics and handling, very stylish. The Principe just might be my favorite all around, do everything sword from Albion. It's big, but so am I ;) and it moves very well in my hands. A good powerful cutter with surprising thrusting ability as well and it just looks so damned cool. These three also interest me because they're just a bit outside the norm in the modern replica market so thee's an added bling factor, or second kind of cool as they say. The fact that I still have these three while others have been sold is probably good indication of how I feel about them. The Svante is a highly interesting sword that I've owned for about ten years. It's design is complex and fascinating from a mechanical point of view. I'm trying to sell mine, only because while I really like it I'm not in love with it and it's time to move it along. Many of the Albion's I've let go down the road were in my "don't really want to sell it but....." catagory and were only sold to finance other acquisitions, all in an effort to keep the collection at a manageable size and to control spending. The Jarl is a great sword and mine was number one off the line, really enjoyed that one and had to think hard about letting it go. The Baron was one of my first Next Gen. Albion's and a monster cutter, a classic design that really makes you look better than you are. Other Albion's I've owned such as the Sempach, Regent, Knight, etc. were very nice but were used more as study pieces and eventually moved on when I felt they'd taught me all they could. The Reeve is an excellent little sword, but just too small and light for my taste, wicked butcher knife of a sword though. Others a faves even though I've handled them but never owned one, like the Sovereign and the Tritonia. Those are in my, "Why haven't I ever bought one of those?" catagory. I have a few other custom pieces that are levels above Albion or other production work, like my Type X from Peter Johnsson and my Dane Axe by Eric Mchugh. Most things are ultimately for sale if the need should arise, but they would have to be truly grave for me to part with those. |
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Post by svante on Aug 9, 2015 22:33:26 GMT
Patrick, I've always admired the swords that have passed through your hands. Since you mentioned favorites, would you care to name them? Apologies for the tardy reply. I've never handled an Albion that disappointed me, but I've sold off many for various reasons. I admire the size of Dave's collection and I'm envious on a certain level. However, if I'd kept everything that ever passed through my hands I'd need a bigger room than that! I like to keep my collection between 15-20 pieces since this is a controllable size. I've seen families burdened with huge collections of stuff left by family members and I don't want to subject my wife to that, should the unexpected occur. Also, the older and closer to retirement I get the more I question the wisdom of spending large sums of money on such things. Swords are still my chief passion, but I've learned to temper that a bit. Anyway........... The Vigil is probably my favorite Albion single handed medieval sword. The sword in the British Museum on which it's based is my favorite, so this is understandable. I love the Vigil's combination of aesthetics and feel. It's a powerful yet graceful sword, both in handling and appearance. I owned two custom attempts at this sword before the Vigil and neither one of them came close with the overall package. The Maximilian is my favorite two-hander out of all those I've owned, regardless of manufacturer. One of my first "real' swords was a two-hander my mother bought for me when I was a teenager and that cemented my love for them. The Maximilian is simply an outstanding sword all around: great aesthetics and handling, very stylish. The Principe just might be my favorite all around, do everything sword from Albion. It's big, but so am I  and it moves very well in my hands. A good powerful cutter with surprising thrusting ability as well and it just looks so damned cool. These three also interest me because they're just a bit outside the norm in the modern replica market so thee's an added bling factor, or second kind of cool as they say. The fact that I still have these three while others have been sold is probably good indication of how I feel about them. The Svante is a highly interesting sword that I've owned for about ten years. It's design is complex and fascinating from a mechanical point of view. I'm trying to sell mine, only because while I really like it I'm not in love with it and it's time to move it along. Many of the Albion's I've let go down the road were in my "don't really want to sell it but....." catagory and were only sold to finance other acquisitions, all in an effort to keep the collection at a manageable size and to control spending. The Jarl is a great sword and mine was number one off the line, really enjoyed that one and had to think hard about letting it go. The Baron was one of my first Next Gen. Albion's and a monster cutter, a classic design that really makes you look better than you are. Other Albion's I've owned such as the Sempach, Regent, Knight, etc. were very nice but were used more as study pieces and eventually moved on when I felt they'd taught me all they could. The Reeve is an excellent little sword, but just too small and light for my taste, wicked butcher knife of a sword though. Others a faves even though I've handled them but never owned one, like the Sovereign and the Tritonia. Those are in my, "Why haven't I ever bought one of those?" catagory. I have a few other custom pieces that are levels above Albion or other production work, like my Type X from Peter Johnsson and my Dane Axe by Eric Mchugh. Most things are ultimately for sale if the need should arise, but they would have to be truly grave for me to part with those. Out of curiosity, have you ever cut flesh media strongly layered with cloth with your Svante and other swords? |
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Post by Croccifixio on Aug 10, 2015 2:07:52 GMT
Patrick, I've always admired the swords that have passed through your hands. Since you mentioned favorites, would you care to name them? Apologies for the tardy reply. I've never handled an Albion that disappointed me, but I've sold off many for various reasons. I admire the size of Dave's collection and I'm envious on a certain level. However, if I'd kept everything that ever passed through my hands I'd need a bigger room than that! I like to keep my collection between 15-20 pieces since this is a controllable size. I've seen families burdened with huge collections of stuff left by family members and I don't want to subject my wife to that, should the unexpected occur. Also, the older and closer to retirement I get the more I question the wisdom of spending large sums of money on such things. Swords are still my chief passion, but I've learned to temper that a bit. Anyway........... The Vigil is probably my favorite Albion single handed medieval sword. The sword in the British Museum on which it's based is my favorite, so this is understandable. I love the Vigil's combination of aesthetics and feel. It's a powerful yet graceful sword, both in handling and appearance. I owned two custom attempts at this sword before the Vigil and neither one of them came close with the overall package. The Maximilian is my favorite two-hander out of all those I've owned, regardless of manufacturer. One of my first "real' swords was a two-hander my mother bought for me when I was a teenager and that cemented my love for them. The Maximilian is simply an outstanding sword all around: great aesthetics and handling, very stylish. The Principe just might be my favorite all around, do everything sword from Albion. It's big, but so am I ;) and it moves very well in my hands. A good powerful cutter with surprising thrusting ability as well and it just looks so damned cool. These three also interest me because they're just a bit outside the norm in the modern replica market so thee's an added bling factor, or second kind of cool as they say. The fact that I still have these three while others have been sold is probably good indication of how I feel about them. The Svante is a highly interesting sword that I've owned for about ten years. It's design is complex and fascinating from a mechanical point of view. I'm trying to sell mine, only because while I really like it I'm not in love with it and it's time to move it along. Many of the Albion's I've let go down the road were in my "don't really want to sell it but....." catagory and were only sold to finance other acquisitions, all in an effort to keep the collection at a manageable size and to control spending. The Jarl is a great sword and mine was number one off the line, really enjoyed that one and had to think hard about letting it go. The Baron was one of my first Next Gen. Albion's and a monster cutter, a classic design that really makes you look better than you are. Other Albion's I've owned such as the Sempach, Regent, Knight, etc. were very nice but were used more as study pieces and eventually moved on when I felt they'd taught me all they could. The Reeve is an excellent little sword, but just too small and light for my taste, wicked butcher knife of a sword though. Others a faves even though I've handled them but never owned one, like the Sovereign and the Tritonia. Those are in my, "Why haven't I ever bought one of those?" catagory. I have a few other custom pieces that are levels above Albion or other production work, like my Type X from Peter Johnsson and my Dane Axe by Eric Mchugh. Most things are ultimately for sale if the need should arise, but they would have to be truly grave for me to part with those. You and I have the exact same taste. The Vigil is also my target one hand sword. I was actually about to ask you about the Principe/Alexandria as to how it compares to the max. In any case, I'm still saving for the eventual buy so I'll wait and decide which of the three to buy first when I get the money. |
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Post by patrick kelly on Aug 10, 2015 3:31:43 GMT
At the end of the year, I think I'll have Leo Todeschini, of Tod's Stuff, make a scabbard for my Vigil. It's a really outstanding sword. The Principe and the Maximilian are two very different swords of course. They're both excellent examples of type though. The Principe handles farily well with one hand, but really comes alive when used with two. To me it feels like a regular cut and thrust longsword on steroids. Looking at it you'd think it was primarily meant for cutting but is in fact far more rigid than it first appears. In spite of it's appearance it really is a general purpose design. The Maximilian is a far more specialized weapon. One made for protecting the standard, guarding a noble, or defending the city gate. While it handles surprisingly well it's still a beast of a sword. If I had to choose one, the Maximilian would probably win out just on cool factor alone.
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Post by patrick kelly on Aug 10, 2015 3:34:48 GMT
Not with the Svante, but others yes. Only tatami with the Svante.
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Post by Croccifixio on Aug 10, 2015 4:06:40 GMT
At the end of the year, I think I'll have Leo Todeschini, of Tod's Stuff, make a scabbard for my Vigil. It's a really outstanding sword. The Principe and the Maximilian are two very different swords of course. They're both excellent examples of type though. The Principe handles farily well with one hand, but really comes alive when used with two. To me it feels like a regular cut and thrust longsword on steroids. Looking at it you'd think it was primarily meant for cutting but is in fact far more rigid than it first appears. In spite of it's appearance it really is a general purpose design. The Maximilian is a far more specialized weapon. One made for protecting the standard, guarding a noble, or defending the city gate. While it handles surprisingly well it's still a beast of a sword. If I had to choose one, the Maximilian would probably win out just on cool factor alone. Haha, I agree with that, but I'm leaning towards the Vigil simply due to economics - shipping the Max might mean an extra $300, whereas the Vigil would just require $60. |
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Post by patrick kelly on Aug 10, 2015 20:56:44 GMT
Whew! Shipping for the Maximilian was around $75.00 here in the US. (if my memory serves) and I thought that was bad enough. $300 is prohibitive.
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and it moves very well in my hands. A good powerful cutter with surprising thrusting ability as well and it just looks so damned cool.
