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Post by wolfskull23 on Jan 23, 2022 1:37:40 GMT
Good evening SBG Forum Dwellers, I am looking at possibly selling off my Albion Crecy. It is a great sword and very nice, but I was never overly thrilled of it because of the grip length. Even though I do not practice HEMA actively anymore (COVID and group dispersing, still do solo drills and whatnot), I would like to find a nice replacement that is a Type XVIa. In particular, I found two very nice options. The first is by Mr. Pearce on KOA www.kultofathena.com/product/tinker-pearce-lightweight-medieval-longsword/. It is a lightweight sword, which in my mind is XVIa (or at least close to). It is better proportioned for me with a smaller blade of 32 3/16". My only concern is at 2.5 lbs. it may be a bit whippy. I never handled a sword that light before, so it is new to me. The second is the Ansbach, part of the collaborative line between Valiant Armoury and Mr. Trim. Currently the only location at this time is on Age of Chivalry located at ageofchivalry.com/shop/ols/products/701-the-ansbach-sword-third-model-collaboration. While the 35" is not nearly as optimal, that really is not a detriment. The weight is the same IIRC as the Crecy but with a much more generous grip length. And it is gorgeous in my opinion. What are your thoughts on the two? From previous experience, what would I anticipate in quality? I understand Mr. Pearce's and Mr. Trim's works are very nice but never had any hands on sampling. For that matter, my experience in quality (from best to worse) is Albion, Valiant Armoury (Special Edition and Signature 2017-18), Cold Steel, and Darksword Armory (2015). Thanks again and I look forward to your thoughts.
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stormmaster
Member
I like viking/migration era swords
Posts: 7,650
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Post by stormmaster on Jan 23, 2022 3:06:26 GMT
i prefer the look of the ansbach more aesthetically thats my personal taste, va seems to have really worked hard to recreate atrim's design and make it much more pretty
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Post by kclee008 on Jan 23, 2022 13:02:55 GMT
I can’t speak to the Crecy. I also can’t speak about Tinker swords other than to say the H/T longsword is a good intro/budget sword that handles well and is built well for the price point. No experience with higher end Tinker swords. I can say regarding Atrim’s and xvi swords is that they handle extremely well and are really nice but not as strong in fit and finish as Albion’s. And in writing back and forth with Gus he points out different xvi’s of his are hilt for different purposes. I asked specifically about the Ansbacher (based on xvia.1) vs. his xvia.4. The a4 is built to be a competition cutter while the a.1 is more of a cut and thrust xvi; closer to combat but still a good cutter. So it can depend on what you plan to do. The Ansbacher has higher level of fit and finish as part of the collaboration with Valiant armory, but Gus’ handling and blade characteristics. Maybe someone else can compare higher end Tinker to Atrims. Last thing I’ll say is I have the Atrim xvia.4 and it is a lighter but really smooth longsword. I was impressed with it and bight the vision collaboration xviiib and it’s probably my favorite owned sword at this time and I’m waiting on an Atrim xii to be delivered. So I think I’m now biased toward Atrims. Aikidoka (aka Philip Martin of Phoenix Society) has a number of good cutting videos and I think he reviews Atrims xvia.1, xvia.4, and the newest (?) one xvi.5 which several people really like.
Hope this helps.
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Alan Schiff
Registered
Manufacturers and Vendors
Posts: 464
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Post by Alan Schiff on Jan 26, 2022 4:30:51 GMT
Quality-wise I'd expect them to be similar. I think Tinker generally provides a better finish than Gus, but the VA collaboration line is supposed to be a bit more refined in that regard. Tinker is a top-notch maker; I wouldn't worry about the Tinker not being rigid enough. Aside from being a bit shorter, the Tinker is also pretty narrow, so that's going to affect the total weight compared to the VA. Personally I prefer the blade on the Tinker better but the hilt on the VA. Also note that the Tinker has a recessed nut while the VA is probably peened, if that matters to you.
Hope that helps.
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Razor
Senior Forumite
Posts: 1,883
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Post by Razor on Jan 31, 2022 17:09:45 GMT
Good evening SBG Forum Dwellers, I am looking at possibly selling off my Albion Crecy. It is a great sword and very nice, but I was never overly thrilled of it because of the grip length. Even though I do not practice HEMA actively anymore (COVID and group dispersing, still do solo drills and whatnot), I would like to find a nice replacement that is a Type XVIa. In particular, I found two very nice options. The first is by Mr. Pearce on KOA www.kultofathena.com/product/tinker-pearce-lightweight-medieval-longsword/. It is a lightweight sword, which in my mind is XVIa (or at least close to). It is better proportioned for me with a smaller blade of 32 3/16". My only concern is at 2.5 lbs. it may be a bit whippy. I never handled a sword that light before, so it is new to me. The second is the Ansbach, part of the collaborative line between Valiant Armoury and Mr. Trim. Currently the only location at this time is on Age of Chivalry located at ageofchivalry.com/shop/ols/products/701-the-ansbach-sword-third-model-collaboration. While the 35" is not nearly as optimal, that really is not a detriment. The weight is the same IIRC as the Crecy but with a much more generous grip length. And it is gorgeous in my opinion. What are your thoughts on the two? From previous experience, what would I anticipate in quality? I understand Mr. Pearce's and Mr. Trim's works are very nice but never had any hands on sampling. For that matter, my experience in quality (from best to worse) is Albion, Valiant Armoury (Special Edition and Signature 2017-18), Cold Steel, and Darksword Armory (2015). Thanks again and I look forward to your thoughts. I have the Ansbach prototype to do a review on. I should have the review up today(hopefully).
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sdjohn
Member
Enthusiast wife in pic (with pike)...not me!
Posts: 154
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Post by sdjohn on Jan 23, 2023 19:13:03 GMT
Hi all,
I’m coming to this thread really late, but I’m a new member and saw this just now.
Looks like I bought the Tinker lightweight longsword from KOA that’s mentioned above, here are some observations:
1) The blade is not whippy at all, in fact it’s a bit stiffer than a couple swords that I find comparable, i.e. Angus Trim 18B.8 Bastard Sword and Kingdom of Arms/BCI Late Crusader Sword.
2) The hilt and overall finish are really nice but not as refined as say Valiant Armoury, but I do like/appreciate the “one-off” hand-made look of the Tinker hilt/fittings...you can look at them and truly envision him grinding, polishing, and crafting them.
3) This Tinker sword is a bit lighter but not drastically compared to the two I previously mentioned, and it still feels authoritative enough during dry handling (haven’t cut with it yet).
4) Compared to an actual longsword like an Angus Trim 18B.4, this Tinker is indeed a lightweight, so it can serve well as either a longsword for a shorter person or a lighter end bastard sword for someone of more typical stature.
I might follow up sometime with side-by-side pics of the swords I mentioned, and some close ups of the Tinker hilt and blade.
Cheers.
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Post by wolfskull23 on Jan 24, 2023 0:09:07 GMT
Hi all, I’m coming to this thread really late, but I’m a new member and saw this just now. Looks like I bought the Tinker lightweight longsword from KOA that’s mentioned above, here are some observations: 1) The blade is not whippy at all, in fact it’s a bit stiffer than a couple swords that I find comparable, i.e. Angus Trim 18B.8 Bastard Sword and Kingdom of Arms/BCI Late Crusader Sword. 2) The hilt and overall finish are really nice but not as refined as say Valiant Armoury, but I do like/appreciate the “one-off” hand-made look of the Tinker hilt/fittings...you can look at them and truly envision him grinding, polishing, and crafting them. 3) This Tinker sword is a bit lighter but not drastically compared to the two I previously mentioned, and it still feels authoritative enough during dry handling (haven’t cut with it yet). 4) Compared to an actual longsword like an Angus Trim 18B.4, this Tinker is indeed a lightweight, so it can serve well as either a longsword for a shorter person or a lighter end bastard sword for someone of more typical stature. I might follow up sometime with side-by-side pics of the swords I mentioned, and some close ups of the Tinker hilt and blade. Cheers. Nice! I'm glad you got it and are impressed with it. I did some serious consideration and ended up getting the Ansbach after looking at Razor review (which was very good!). I haven't handled it too much even though I have no intentions selling it, but still. The only regret I have is not buying it with the scabbard but that was a bit of cash. And I did not sell my Crecy, that one is staying after careful consideration.
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sdjohn
Member
Enthusiast wife in pic (with pike)...not me!
Posts: 154
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Post by sdjohn on Jan 24, 2023 2:01:36 GMT
Yes, I'm sure the Ansbach is exceptional, congrats!
And nice move on keeping the Crecy too!
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