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Post by Hrimnir on Mar 14, 2018 4:42:45 GMT
Hey guys. So a little backstory: A while back, a buddy of mine got me into watching some Scholagladiatoria stuff, then my roommate saw me watching and mentioned i should check out Skallagrim's stuff, etc. So, you can all imagine the rabbit hole i went down. That being said, i've been watching and reading just about anything i could get my hands on regarding European swords for about 2-3 months. I've been a knife collector since my teenage years, and while i've always had a passing interest in swords (mainly from playing D&D games like Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, etc in my youth), i had never really put a huge amount of time into learning about them. Now, i'm in my 30's and all of a sudden i've got this excitement and fervor i haven't experienced in years about a new hobby. I decided about a month ago i was going to buy something, i just kept going back and forth as to whether i should get some more "entry level" stuff and see if that scratches the itch, so to speak, or just go straight for the mid/high end and "do it right the first time". So, after much research and hand wringing, today i went ahead and pulled the trigger on 2 swords: The first i chose primarily for aesthetic reasons (it's just gorgeous) and secondarily due to my Irish lineage: valiant-armoury.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=68&product_id=185I know they recently changed to US Made 6150 blades and as such this was a roll of the dice, but considering their excellent reputation prior to this and the fact they worked with Lockwood, etc, i am fairly confident i will get a quality product. The second i chose primarily because i wanted as close to the perfect balance of a cut and thrust sword you could get in a single handed sword, and secondarily because aesthetically it just hit all the points of what my brain visually came up with when i thought "sword": www.albion-swords.com/swords/albion/nextgen/sword-medieval-kingmaker-xviii.htmSo, now the hard part begins, the wait ;-). I've ordered a copy of "Records of the Medieval Sword" by Ewart Oakeshott for some reading. I've read through and watched several videos on sword safety and such. That being said i am also an avid firearms enthusiast and i do take safety extremely seriously and i have no intention of changing that with this hobby as well. For right now the swords are mainly going to be for collection purpose, coveting, etc, but i will "eventually" transition into using them for cutting tatami and water bottles and that sword of things after i've had sufficient training that i feel i won't lop my leg off accidentally. I do have a local HEMA school, that i would eventually like to join time permitting, but for right now, i would love if you guys might be able to link me to some books, etc, that could at least get me started on the road to learning how to use these things properly and give them the respect they deserve. So, all that said, i know i kind of went a little apeshit, but, generally i don't like half measures, so if i do something i usually try my best to do it right the first time. Anyways, happy to be part of the community and i am sure you guys will see me around asking questions and such here and there. I will obviously do some "reviews" of the swords once they come in, but thats 6 ish months for one, and 11ish months for the other, so, a ways out ;-). Edit: I also forgot to mention, if Albion still made the Valkyrja, i would have spent even more money. That being said, i'm going to delete Christian Fletcher's page from my bookmarks so i can make an attempt to forget about his shieldmaiden sword, because, just, wow, amazing (also amazingly expensive but im sure worth every penny).
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Post by Jordan Williams on Mar 14, 2018 4:52:48 GMT
Welcome! And I can't wait for you to venture into the world of antiques if those are your choices for repros lol.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Mar 14, 2018 5:04:46 GMT
Welcome to the forum.
Dang, jumped in with both feet. Their Irish Ring Sword is probably my favorite Euro style sword design ever.
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Mar 14, 2018 5:09:10 GMT
Welcome to the forum, Hrimnir!
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Post by avey on Mar 14, 2018 5:19:13 GMT
Heck yea, and I am literally in the same boat as you... almost 30 (in July waa waaaaa), passing interest in swords for years, a firearms enthusiast, history nerd, etc. Only difference is I am (at the moment) focusing on asian style weapons but the Euro stuff is dope too! And my heritage is European so I will likely invest some resources in that direction one day too. I was also stuck between deciding on cheap beater vs mid-high range repro (originals will likely be out of my price range for life, so yea). I definitely have decided on the latter because my life experience has taught me that generally this is the market segment that brings the most satisfaction to normal consumers (whether we are talking weapons, computer parts, cars, motorcycles, bikes, boats, etc)... the mid-high range always leaves you feeling satisfied without the giant hole in your bank account. Anytime I go with the cheaper option on anything it ends up in the garbage in less than a year, or I just stop caring about it... but my good quality stuff is like a part of my extended external personality (if that makes sense). And going apeshit is totes cool in my book! NICE swords you ordered by the way, I particularly like the Irish ring sword (hey I'm scotch-irish too!) which looks about like a hand and a half sword if I am not mistaken. It looks beautiful, I really like the green handle and ring pommel... it looks like something you would have actually gone up against on the battlefield (and stained your undies when you saw it). Wicked and gorgeous, be sure to leave us a review for our reading pleasure!
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Post by leviathansteak on Mar 14, 2018 5:54:59 GMT
You started out with some very good choices regarding sword purchases. Congrats
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Post by Hrimnir on Mar 14, 2018 6:32:35 GMT
Welcome! And I can't wait for you to venture into the world of antiques if those are your choices for repros lol. Thanks man. Yeah i'm gonna try to stay away from that area for a bit because there is some seriously cool stuff out there. I've watched probably a dozen videos on cavalry sabers and if Matt Easton comes up with another good condition 1845 pattern Wilkinson, it's gonna be REAAAL hard for me not to pull the trigger on that.
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Post by Hrimnir on Mar 14, 2018 6:49:13 GMT
Welcome to the forum. Dang, jumped in with both feet. Their Irish Ring Sword is probably my favorite Euro style sword design ever. Yeah man, i initially saw Medieval Review's youtube video on it, then found The Wanderer's video on youtube (which was hilarious and awesome if you haven't seen it) and after that i was hooked, the design just blew me away, especially the grip spacer (which i know will be a pain to keep from rusting, but, whatever lol). I did decide to go with a less conventional color combo, while i love the green, pretty much everyone and their cousin gets the green, and from the research i did, green became associated with Ireland quite a bit late in it's history, and i guess blue was more traditionally associated with Ireland prior to that. So, i went with a black handle, black belt, and antiqued blue scabbard. I'm glad i found it, because the only other sword i saw that pommel on before was the Albion Gallowglass, which, frankly just didn't do much for me, so i had kind of written the design element off because i figured it would be associated with the gallowglass style of blade. On a side note, i looked at some of your reviews in your signature, you are definitely a fellow knife collector and enthusiast. I've got several that you have in your collection as well. I'm thinking i might do some mini reviews of my knives to kind of tide the time while i wait, and maybe contribute to the community as well.
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Post by Hrimnir on Mar 14, 2018 6:53:59 GMT
Heck yea, and I am literally in the same boat as you... almost 30 (in July waa waaaaa), passing interest in swords for years, a firearms enthusiast, history nerd, etc. Only difference is I am (at the moment) focusing on asian style weapons but the Euro stuff is dope too! And my heritage is European so I will likely invest some resources in that direction one day too. I was also stuck between deciding on cheap beater vs mid-high range repro (originals will likely be out of my price range for life, so yea). I definitely have decided on the latter because my life experience has taught me that generally this is the market segment that brings the most satisfaction to normal consumers (whether we are talking weapons, computer parts, cars, motorcycles, bikes, boats, etc)... the mid-high range always leaves you feeling satisfied without the giant hole in your bank account. Anytime I go with the cheaper option on anything it ends up in the garbage in less than a year, or I just stop caring about it... but my good quality stuff is like a part of my extended external personality (if that makes sense). And going apeshit is totes cool in my book! NICE swords you ordered by the way, I particularly like the Irish ring sword (hey I'm scotch-irish too!) which looks about like a hand and a half sword if I am not mistaken. It looks beautiful, I really like the green handle and ring pommel... it looks like something you would have actually gone up against on the battlefield (and stained your undies when you saw it). Wicked and gorgeous, be sure to leave us a review for our reading pleasure! Thanks for the thoughts. So oddly enough i actually got a taste of the headache (in a good way) that asian swords can be, particularly katana. A few friends and i went in on a Katana as a gift for my roommate who has done a lot for all of us over the years with no expectations in return, and we wanted to get him something reasonably nice looking but still fully functional. So i spent a good portion of the last month also researching katana. Ultimately we ended up going with a Hanwei Practical Pro Elite. We figured because he is a large lad (5'11" 250lbs, size 14 shoes, stupid large hands, as in, no problems gripping a .50AE Desert Eagle) that the slightly longer/wider/heavier blade and 14" handle would be a better fit for him. None the less, i discovered that there are, plus or minus a few hundred thousand, 15 billion Katana manufacturers out there, and especially without knowing all the terminology for every different part, makes its realllllly difficult to discern differences between brands, individual pieces between brands, etc etc etc. So i feel your pain. However, lot's of cool cool stuff in the asian world (and i don't just mean katanas either of course). Edit: Forgot to mention, your last paragraph basically encapsulates what i ultimately came to conclude. I've just had too many issues in the past where i tried to scratch the itch by getting something lower end and ultimately it just sat collecting dust because it just didn't speak to me. Mostly i did that with knives, especially because i was young at the time, so "cool factor" tended to win out over quality and functionality. Thankfully by the time i really got into firearms i didn't make the same mistakes, but, as you know, that world can get real expensive, real quick, especially when you get into optics.
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Ouroboros
Member
Imperial, Mysterious In Amorous Array
Posts: 570
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Post by Ouroboros on Mar 14, 2018 15:38:53 GMT
Welcome to a great place.
Jump in with both feet--the water is perfect ☺
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Post by strigoil on Mar 14, 2018 15:51:49 GMT
Welcome to the club, great to have you!
Some great blades you ordered yourself there, I wholeheartedly support your attitude of "doing it right the first time" I did the same and have not regretted it one bit, you obviously did your research before buying anything, figured what is quality and what styles you want and that is so important when throwing that amount of money on something.
Good luck with the wait, especially for the Albion..It hurts but will certainly be worth it, hope to hear your opinions and see pictures in a years time!
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Post by Faldarin on Mar 14, 2018 16:24:37 GMT
Welcome - doing it right the first time is all good, but sometimes it helps to decide what you really like in the first place!
I doubt you'll be disappointed in the Craftsman Irish Ring though - my wait is just nearly up for one of the Craftsman line myself.
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christain
Member
It's the steel on the inside that counts.
Posts: 2,835
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Post by christain on Mar 14, 2018 18:02:44 GMT
Glad to meet you! Welcome to our little community. So I must ask---When will you be starting on that ad-on room to your house---the room to store all the swords you WILL buy in the future?
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Post by Faldarin on Mar 14, 2018 18:17:58 GMT
Glad to meet you! Welcome to our little community. So I must ask---When will you be starting on that ad-on room to your house---the room to store all the swords you WILL buy in the future? Or be like certain forum members - who shall go unnamed - where the swords are taking over the whole house entirely.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Mar 14, 2018 23:12:54 GMT
This was a rather enjoyable read. I got bit by swords around 12, so the transition from junk to a "worthy" collection has pretty much been a lifetime in the making. That said, had i waited till my thirties to start with rat tail tangs,slo's and pakistani stamped crap like my younger self, i would have quickly tired of the hobby. So long as youre not spending rent money on toys, i applaud your commitment to your whims. You've started with a couple nice pieces, especially for comparison. This place is a wealth of information, and you should have no trouble learning till your heart's content. Just be warned,the scholagladiatoria, skallagrim rabbit hole pales in depth to the Oakshotte,Petersen hole.Im so deep in cultural/warfare history vids.on youtube now its uninteresting to watch anything on cable. Good luck, have fun and be welcome.
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Post by zabazagobo on Mar 14, 2018 23:35:27 GMT
Welcome to the forum, and you have a great mentality to start with. Honestly, either of those swords would be great (I really keep eyeing the VA Irish longsword myself). Albion's got a great reputation for a quality build and steel performance, VA's got pretty high marks as well (and I like their leatherwork a lot).
As others mentioned, you might still consider nabbing a cheaper option as your basic beat-around blade as you hone your technique. You never know when you might want to fight a tree or something and damaging something expensive is usually a sad feeling.
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Post by Jordan Williams on Mar 15, 2018 0:03:42 GMT
Welcome! And I can't wait for you to venture into the world of antiques if those are your choices for repros lol. Thanks man. Yeah i'm gonna try to stay away from that area for a bit because there is some seriously cool stuff out there. I've watched probably a dozen videos on cavalry sabers and if Matt Easton comes up with another good condition 1845 pattern Wilkinson, it's gonna be REAAAL hard for me not to pull the trigger on that. Come to the dark side...
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Post by Hrimnir on Mar 15, 2018 0:32:11 GMT
Welcome to the forum, and you have a great mentality to start with. Honestly, either of those swords would be great (I really keep eyeing the VA Irish longsword myself). Albion's got a great reputation for a quality build and steel performance, VA's got pretty high marks as well (and I like their leatherwork a lot). As others mentioned, you might still consider nabbing a cheaper option as your basic beat-around blade as you hone your technique. You never know when you might want to fight a tree or something and damaging something expensive is usually a sad feeling. Yeah. I was actually thinking about that last night. I really love viking era swords, but the one I really wanted was the Albion Valkyrja and well, that's not an option. Then I got to thinking after looking around other parts of the forum. There is a Ronin Katana Viking Sword #8 that's $250 USD that seems reasonably well made and would potentially be a good "beater" sword. My initial concern is I didnt want to end up with something thst I felt was a waste of money, but I hadn't considered that when I am learning to strike, and edge alignment, etc, it would make me very unhappy to bend or damage my better swords.
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Post by zabazagobo on Mar 15, 2018 0:53:43 GMT
Welcome to the forum, and you have a great mentality to start with. Honestly, either of those swords would be great (I really keep eyeing the VA Irish longsword myself). Albion's got a great reputation for a quality build and steel performance, VA's got pretty high marks as well (and I like their leatherwork a lot). As others mentioned, you might still consider nabbing a cheaper option as your basic beat-around blade as you hone your technique. You never know when you might want to fight a tree or something and damaging something expensive is usually a sad feeling. Yeah. I was actually thinking about that last night. I really love viking era swords, but the one I really wanted was the Albion Valkyrja and well, that's not an option. Then I got to thinking after looking around other parts of the forum. There is a Ronin Katana Viking Sword #8 that's $250 USD that seems reasonably well made and would potentially be a good "beater" sword. My initial concern is I didnt want to end up with something thst I felt was a waste of money, but I hadn't considered that when I am learning to strike, and edge alignment, etc, it would make me very unhappy to bend or damage my better swords. Fun part with spring tempered blades as opposed to differentially hardened ones is that they're by default relatively forgiving of tomfoolery, so less to worry about with bends and such. The Ronin viking looks pretty solid to me, I've considered picking one up before. You might also consider the Suontaka model from Windlass, it's modeled after the same historical piece as the Albion Valkyrja. I've been meaning to buy one of those for a while, but then my sword budget goes off in all sorts of other diversionary directions. Won't be in the same league as the Albion (few are) but it could be a viable substitute. A link to the Windlass sword on Kult of Athena, since the page has pretty good pics: kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=501472
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Post by Hrimnir on Mar 15, 2018 1:47:26 GMT
Fun part with spring tempered blades as opposed to differentially hardened ones is that they're by default relatively forgiving of tomfoolery, so less to worry about with bends and such. The Ronin viking looks pretty solid to me, I've considered picking one up before. You might also consider the Suontaka model from Windlass, it's modeled after the same historical piece as the Albion Valkyrja. I've been meaning to buy one of those for a while, but then my sword budget goes off in all sorts of other diversionary directions. Won't be in the same league as the Albion (few are) but it could be a viable substitute. A link to the Windlass sword on Kult of Athena, since the page has pretty good pics: kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=501472Yeah I think I may just do this. That is pretty gorgeous and if its a reasonably well made blade then it should serve the intended purpose.
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