Damion Sulowski type XIIIa
Aug 24, 2019 23:02:37 GMT
Post by Bryan Heff on Aug 24, 2019 23:02:37 GMT
I am not going to follow my usual review format on this one...with the sections and the numbers. Instead I am just going to write. I already lost a long review's worth of writing due to technical problems...boo hoo, that was my fault.
Damian Sulowski posted on Facebook and here a XIIIa he made late in 2018...a beautiful sword and scabbard that I seriously considered buying, but it was snatched up by another buyer. I really loved that sword. The combination of blade type, crossguard and pommel was extremely appealing to me. I wanted one.
I reached out to Damian...I think on SBG private message as well as Facebook and he got right back to me and we started to discuss a possible commission. Long story short, I quickly got the impression that Damian was very professional in his dealings, his communication and his craft and we agreed on the terms.
Several months later I received the first progress pictues. I didn't have to ask for them..but they arrived none the less. If you ever commissioned a sword, custom..these are the signs of a person who is very professional.
Rather quickly the sword was complete, shipped from Poland to the USA and arrived. No issues with packaging and shipping.
The Sword -
A big type XIIIa. A cutting sword with a double fuller. Oakeshott documents a similar sword in Records..I will update this review with the sword in question later. Suffice it to say its a good one. Albion had a similar sword years ago but it was a type XIIa in their squire line swords, it had the bow tie cross guard...style 5, and I loved it. But Albion changed that design and I missed out. Again boo hoo. I really like that bow tie type of guard on Medieval great swords, I think there is something special about that style. I own an Albion Templar and it has that type of guard and I love it. Ok...moving on.
Damian's piece is big...its more or less the same dimensions of the Albion Baron which I own. The only difference is the Baron has slightly longer blade and Damians XIIIa has a slightly longer grip. Standing side by side they are basically the same length overall. These are both Great Swords.
I was extremely impressed with the fit and finish on this sword. Its right there at the top with the big makers. The blade polish is clean and uniform. The blade is crisp in its profile, very clean edges and uniform profile. The fullers are sharp and straight. The pommel is large and heavy and provides a good counter weight to the big blade. It also is very symmetric. If you have ever read my previous review...I am super particular about clean line and symmetry. Damian's piece nails that.
The grip is thin. My larger hands find the grip a bit lean to be honest. Wearing gloves helps for sure. I find a lot of swords to have grips that don't quite fill my hands and this sword falls into that category. That being said the leather work is excellent. The grip is stitched along the seam and is very cleanly done. Its dyed in a dark brown per my request and is very nice overall.
I am extremely satisfied with this custom sword. Damian Sulawski is an extremely talented sword smith and I have no regrets in my decision for a commission with him.
Picture time....as mentioned I will update with more specifics soon
2019-08-24_05-06-31 by warspite15, on Flickr
2019-08-24_05-04-13 by warspite15, on Flickr
2019-08-24_05-04-26 by warspite15, on Flickr
2019-08-24_05-04-42 by warspite15, on Flickr
2019-08-24_05-05-03 by warspite15, on Flickr
2019-08-24_05-05-21 by warspite15, on Flickr
2019-08-24_05-05-51 by warspite15, on Flickr
2019-08-24_05-10-05 by warspite15, on Flickr
Damian Sulowski posted on Facebook and here a XIIIa he made late in 2018...a beautiful sword and scabbard that I seriously considered buying, but it was snatched up by another buyer. I really loved that sword. The combination of blade type, crossguard and pommel was extremely appealing to me. I wanted one.
I reached out to Damian...I think on SBG private message as well as Facebook and he got right back to me and we started to discuss a possible commission. Long story short, I quickly got the impression that Damian was very professional in his dealings, his communication and his craft and we agreed on the terms.
Several months later I received the first progress pictues. I didn't have to ask for them..but they arrived none the less. If you ever commissioned a sword, custom..these are the signs of a person who is very professional.
Rather quickly the sword was complete, shipped from Poland to the USA and arrived. No issues with packaging and shipping.
The Sword -
A big type XIIIa. A cutting sword with a double fuller. Oakeshott documents a similar sword in Records..I will update this review with the sword in question later. Suffice it to say its a good one. Albion had a similar sword years ago but it was a type XIIa in their squire line swords, it had the bow tie cross guard...style 5, and I loved it. But Albion changed that design and I missed out. Again boo hoo. I really like that bow tie type of guard on Medieval great swords, I think there is something special about that style. I own an Albion Templar and it has that type of guard and I love it. Ok...moving on.
Damian's piece is big...its more or less the same dimensions of the Albion Baron which I own. The only difference is the Baron has slightly longer blade and Damians XIIIa has a slightly longer grip. Standing side by side they are basically the same length overall. These are both Great Swords.
I was extremely impressed with the fit and finish on this sword. Its right there at the top with the big makers. The blade polish is clean and uniform. The blade is crisp in its profile, very clean edges and uniform profile. The fullers are sharp and straight. The pommel is large and heavy and provides a good counter weight to the big blade. It also is very symmetric. If you have ever read my previous review...I am super particular about clean line and symmetry. Damian's piece nails that.
The grip is thin. My larger hands find the grip a bit lean to be honest. Wearing gloves helps for sure. I find a lot of swords to have grips that don't quite fill my hands and this sword falls into that category. That being said the leather work is excellent. The grip is stitched along the seam and is very cleanly done. Its dyed in a dark brown per my request and is very nice overall.
I am extremely satisfied with this custom sword. Damian Sulawski is an extremely talented sword smith and I have no regrets in my decision for a commission with him.
Picture time....as mentioned I will update with more specifics soon
2019-08-24_05-06-31 by warspite15, on Flickr
2019-08-24_05-04-13 by warspite15, on Flickr
2019-08-24_05-04-26 by warspite15, on Flickr
2019-08-24_05-04-42 by warspite15, on Flickr
2019-08-24_05-05-03 by warspite15, on Flickr
2019-08-24_05-05-21 by warspite15, on Flickr
2019-08-24_05-05-51 by warspite15, on Flickr
2019-08-24_05-10-05 by warspite15, on Flickr