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Post by klarson on Aug 6, 2022 2:51:24 GMT
I don't know how crazy I am about the guard, but that blade is making me feel things. You never see anyone make 12a's with that shoulder curving into the guard anymore.
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Post by squirrel502 on Aug 9, 2022 22:52:33 GMT
So I am both new to the forum....and very new to the hobby. But having been looking over Albion's collection, Lockwood, and Valiant, I sure regret missing the Ansbach. But for a first purchase, the new Exeter does look nice...but I dont know what to expect. Is a type 12a good/bad compared to a 16 or even an 18b? And apart from the fact that it is actually available, are the vision swords worth the price?
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Post by Arlequin on Aug 9, 2022 23:02:00 GMT
So I am both new to the forum....and very new to the hobby. But having been looking over Albion's collection, Lockwood, and Valiant, I sure regret missing the Ansbach. But for a first purchase, the new Exeter does look nice...but I dont know what to expect. Is a type 12a good/bad compared to a 16 or even an 18b? And apart from the fact that it is actually available, are the vision swords worth the price? Short answer is yes. Valiant is a quality maker and the vision line was specifically designed by Angus Trim, a very skilled and respected maker.
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Post by alientude on Aug 9, 2022 23:04:00 GMT
My Tauber was certainly worth the price.
A type XIIa is going to be much more cut focused than a XVIa and XVIIIb, although I personally find XIIa trickier to cut with.
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Post by skelley on Aug 9, 2022 23:32:34 GMT
You really can't go wrong with the Vision line. The only reason I haven't picked one up yet is because I keep spending money on other things right before they become available. Of the types you listed XVI and XVIIIb are cut and thrust oriented with fairly stiff blades while XII is cut oriented with a more flexible blade. This is a great intro into the Oakeshott typology. Also, welcome to the club.
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Post by toddstratton1 on Aug 10, 2022 7:17:15 GMT
So I am both new to the forum....and very new to the hobby. But having been looking over Albion's collection, Lockwood, and Valiant, I sure regret missing the Ansbach. But for a first purchase, the new Exeter does look nice...but I dont know what to expect. Is a type 12a good/bad compared to a 16 or even an 18b? And apart from the fact that it is actually available, are the vision swords worth the price? Tbere is an ansbach for sale in the for sale section right now for 1250
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Post by squirrel502 on Aug 10, 2022 13:09:12 GMT
I did see the Ansbach on the market place, however I am not getting any replies through direct messaging. Likewise, I did see a previous post from the owner indicating his displeasure with the sword...having arrived with rust/pitting on the blade. Of course I am still interested in that, as I absolutely love the look of the Type XVIa blade with the sent stopper pommel and up swept guard. Truth be told, if Albion made that same sword...or even just a Crecy with a longer handle (not the warwick)...my order would be in today.
But with the chances of the Ansbach being unavailable, the next best thing is look towards alternatives. I did see a post on another forum where someone linked a customized Lockwood, but from what I can tell...Steven isn't offering custom options direct from his shop anymore.
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Post by toddstratton1 on Aug 11, 2022 4:06:55 GMT
I did see the Ansbach on the market place, however I am not getting any replies through direct messaging. Likewise, I did see a previous post from the owner indicating his displeasure with the sword...having arrived with rust/pitting on the blade. Of course I am still interested in that, as I absolutely love the look of the Type XVIa blade with the sent stopper pommel and up swept guard. Truth be told, if Albion made that same sword...or even just a Crecy with a longer handle (not the warwick)...my order would be in today. But with the chances of the Ansbach being unavailable, the next best thing is look towards alternatives. I did see a post on another forum where someone linked a customized Lockwood, but from what I can tell...Steven isn't offering custom options direct from his shop anymore. Sent you a PM, I have an Ansbach with Scabbard I might be good to sell. I recently moved and don't have space for my swords right now lol. But I ordered an Albion Brescia Spadona which is very similar to the Ansbach. Just gotta wait a while to get it lol
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Post by ggower on Aug 12, 2022 5:21:02 GMT
I also have an oxblood Ansbach with scabbard I could probably part with. FYI. Or I could happily keep it.
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Post by klarson on Aug 12, 2022 8:52:42 GMT
So I am both new to the forum....and very new to the hobby. But having been looking over Albion's collection, Lockwood, and Valiant, I sure regret missing the Ansbach. But for a first purchase, the new Exeter does look nice...but I dont know what to expect. Is a type 12a good/bad compared to a 16 or even an 18b? And apart from the fact that it is actually available, are the vision swords worth the price? The big thing that's special about visions is that is a collaboration between two incredibly talented groups. Valiant Armoury has been around for a very long time making some of the best lower priced weapons you could buy. Their blades were always of decent quality, especially when compared to similar price points like windlass, hanwei, or darksword, but what's truly special about them are their finish and leatherwork. You cannot buy a better scabbard at such a reasonable price. Then Angus Trim is probably up there as one of the top 3 smiths in the business, period. The way Visions works is Gus sends a blade he designed to VA, who them reproduce it and provide the fit and finish. It really is one of the most exciting collaborations I've ever seen in the whole realm of sword reproductions. I'm absolutely going to do my best to snag one. But to teach you a bit more about the realm of high-end reproductions, Albion are considered by many the best for a reason. Their weapons are designed by an incredible team including Peter Johansson and are made by stock removal and are essentially perfect. You really can't go wrong with an Albion, especially when it's a second hand since then you don't have to worry about wait times and may also snag a beautiful scabbard by Christian Fletcher or DBK custom scabbards. Valiant Armoury has been around for a long time like I said and used to have really nice products for how cheap they were. This was because they had their blades and fittings outsourced internationally, but now make everything in house. The result was a massive price increase, but also a massive increase in quality. Lockwood is the newest in the game but so far has been impressing a lot of people. I believe Stephen Lockwood the owner used to work with Sonny Suttles of Valiant Armoury, and they primarily were leather workers, making scabbards and doing the grips for blades and fittings outsourced from china. So, the quality of VA and Lockwood are pretty comparable to one another. His blades are also stock removed in house, and his leather work is top notch. The big thing between these 3 is that Albion will always be the best, but you pay out the nose for it, especially if you want a nice scabbard. For a VA or Lockwood you are paying probably as much for the sword and scabbard as you would for an Albion alone, and a customs scabbard will probably run you 700-800 USD. Honestly my biggest suggestion to you when deciding between the 3 companies is whichever one has a sword that looks best to you, go with that. You get what you pay for with all of them.
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Post by toddstratton1 on Aug 12, 2022 19:48:37 GMT
There is quite a few albion swords that run quite a bit cheaper than the vision line though, even without including the scabbard option. With the hand and a half swords at Albion for example some start at 800 or so, but the Vision swords are around the 1.1k to 1.4k mark. Add 500 for scabbard. I think a part of the higher pricing for that is to do with not just the blade but the more upgraded handles and crossguard etc. Great points all around though!
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Post by alientude on Aug 12, 2022 19:54:19 GMT
Agreed with toddstratton1, and I'll add about the scabbards - while it's true you're not going to find better production scabbards for the cost, you absolutely can get better scabbards for less cost by going with a one-off maker, if you can stand their wait time. Steven Huerta makes better fitting scabbards with better quality leather, usually for a little less cost, in my opinion. That's not to say the VA scabbards are bad! They're good scabbards, especially because you can easily buy them with the sword.
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Post by toddstratton1 on Aug 13, 2022 0:34:28 GMT
Agreed with toddstratton1, and I'll add about the scabbards - while it's true you're not going to find better production scabbards for the cost, you absolutely can get better scabbards for less cost by going with a one-off maker, if you can stand their wait time. Steven Huerta makes better fitting scabbards with better quality leather, usually for a little less cost, in my opinion. That's not to say the VA scabbards are bad! They're good scabbards, especially because you can easily buy them with the sword. The scabbard on my Ansbach fits like a dream though. The whole thing looks so good together. Not sure if all of their scabbards fit as good everytime though. I only have the one vision sword. Never knew you could go custom for cheaper
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Post by alientude on Aug 13, 2022 0:51:13 GMT
The scabbard fit on my Tauber is decent but not great. Steven Huerta's scabbards have typically run about $400-$450 in my experience, although you do need to ship him the sword and wait for his queue.
I want to emphasize that I'm not saying the VA scabbards are bad by any means. They're quite good and, especially on the Tauber, gorgeous.
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Post by toddstratton1 on Aug 17, 2022 3:38:29 GMT
The scabbard fit on my Tauber is decent but not great. Steven Huerta's scabbards have typically run about $400-$450 in my experience, although you do need to ship him the sword and wait for his queue.
I want to emphasize that I'm not saying the VA scabbards are bad by any means. They're quite good and, especially on the Tauber, gorgeous.
For sure thats awesome that you can go custom for that price. Didnt know I could get a custom made one for less than 600 or more.
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Post by squirrel502 on Oct 9, 2022 19:35:50 GMT
So after all this time, I am suprised that no one has a reveiw out on the Exeter. I know on impulse I had it in my cart 2x already
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Post by toddstratton1 on Oct 9, 2022 22:19:49 GMT
So after all this time, I am suprised that no one has a reveiw out on the Exeter. I know on impulse I had it in my cart 2x already After owning both the Ansbach, and Strasbourg, I want to wait for something a bit more unique on the line. It does look very nice though.
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ghost
Member
Posts: 1,323
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Post by ghost on Oct 10, 2022 4:18:44 GMT
So after all this time, I am suprised that no one has a reveiw out on the Exeter. I know on impulse I had it in my cart 2x already sticker shock imo...especially as an albion baron is 300 less. VA priced it too high plus I think the baron is a bit sexier.
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Post by squirrel502 on Oct 11, 2022 1:08:18 GMT
OH the Ansbach....I still want one of those. But for now, the Albion Crecy will have to fill that niche
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Post by toddstratton1 on Oct 11, 2022 1:59:59 GMT
OH the Ansbach....I still want one of those. But for now, the Albion Crecy will have to fill that niche It's an interesting difference, The ansbach is a bit thinner but wider, But I feel like the only thing that holds the crecy back is the short handle combined with wheel pommel. I love both but want to get my crecy re hilted
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