The Royal Armouries Collection Preorder Starts

Im eyeing that falchion. Too bad i just used all my funds on a huawei

Are they only making these first six? Or will they be making different models in the future also? Would love to see some swords that don't often or have never gotten any replicas, such as IX.642 in their collection.

Nice glad to see these released sooner than later, was expecting a December-Spring 2023 release for these but nice they came so early from their reveal. I think these will do good for the market. Not only do they show that Windlass as a manufacturer is capable of making swords in the mid upper tier worth buying but also adds stronger competition to the more usual mid tier brands like DSA and DelTin. The scabbards look good, similar to the quality of the Windlass made Balaur Arms scabbards (which are really nice if you haven't had the chance to see or hold one personally) and the stronger attention to detail and fit and finish, especially in the grip is welcome.

As for the price I had initially hoped these would be a little less and in the sub $400-$500 ball park but being sub $600-$700 isn't bad and again put them in range with DSA. In a collaboration like this every party has to get paid though so I can see why they're higher priced than expected and from photos and stats are still a major improvement over Windlass's current top line swords.

Of the line I'd say the Type XVII, Black Prince and the English Two-Hander are my top three. Really like how the Type XVII has the proper blade and cross section transitions that show how complex Type XVII blades are, that gets missed by many manufacturers replicating the Type, which sadly aren't many anyway. The Type XVa they reproduced is one of the more popular historical swords around and a new well made replica is always welcome on the market. The English Two-Hander is where I think this line really shines and shows how Windlass can make a sword at the high end level for even less as in my opinion it not only outshines their original discontinued version (miss the blue color scheme though) but also the more expensive A&A model.

Personally I'm stuck between getting the Type XVII and English Two Hander.... hopefully these models have a longer shelf life than most collaborations and we all have an opportunity to get a few models before they're sold out and discontinued. Also as others mentioned I hope too that other models are introduced to the line as well. To get a whole "Royal Armouries" Line of swords with 10-15 models total in the next 2 years would be awesome and again a huge push for the production medieval sword market.

I feel the need to chime in to the debate/discussion.

Watch the Matt Easton videos and stare at the swords on an adequately large screen, the blade geometry is clearly better and far crisper than anything I've seen from Windlass. This is a clear flex from the company. Assuming the models that are shipped out are of the same quality, a considerable price jump is merited; especially from Windlass's base offerings and solidly from Balaur's offerings. The scabbard is also upgraded, which merits a price increase. Then there's the RA branding, which as nndave pointed out, means that the RA needs a cut.

The RA's cut is fully justified as well. Part of what made Albion "Albion" was the research that went into designing the swords. Judging an object solely on the difficulty of final manufacturing is naive. Yes, these sword's aren't proportionally more difficult to create than say the Battlecry line, but far more research went into making them, and that costs. It's like the classic story of a repairman charging $100 to turn one screw to fix an appliance. The client angrily feels overcharged, which prompts the repairman to discount the job by $4 and itemize the bill: $1 to turn the screw, $95 for knowing which screw to turn. Again, watch the Matt Easton videos and stare at the swords as he moves them around in the light; they are head and shoulders above anything Windlass has made. To my eye, in fact they look at least on par with mid 2000's A&A.

Last comment on price. We're savy shoppers here. Let's not pretend the MSRP is the price. There's already a 10% off available, and if these are regular items, they'll probably be able to be had 15%-20% off if bought at the right time with the right luck. If they sell out before the greater discounts can be had, well, then the market will have spoken.

As for comparisons with Albion, Valiant, A&A, let's be reasonable and watch out for the temptation for gatekeeping. I am, like most of you, willing to drop a pretty penny just to get one or two attributes in a sword that other manufacturers offer. I bought the Albion Ljubljana because I wanted a super thick anti-armor longsword that I read so much about in museum catalogues. I knew when I bought four years ago that a much cheaper sword with similar attributes would out, and the day has finally come! Please keep peoples' financial situations in mind when discussing on this forum. Paying an extra $300 on top of the price of these swords to get something better (and giving up a scabbard in the process) is not small money. I'm clearly not saying it's not worth it, but it's out of the question for many who will read through these threads.

I recently ordered the Wallace from Albion despite it not being in the budget currently because I know that it the 15 months I was quoted, I knew I'd be able to afford it. I've been waiting on a rapier from A&A for 3 years now. I do think these swords will pull some people away from the "name brand" makers, but it seems that they are so overbooked they won't feel it.

Wrapping up my rant, these are a great addition to the market in a pretty dead price bracket. If you're excited about these and what they offer, be excited! I'm excited, too! Will probably order the arming sword.

My only gripe with this whole line is the lack of being able to have them sharpened, they state they will NOT be sold sharp or have someone sharpen them as it will void the sword purchase, so to sharpen them you have to do it yourself and some people don't want to spend that much money to potentially butcher a sharpening job or will have to pay someone else MORE money to get it sharp for them. I am excited that we are in this time that a new collaboration is among us and will bring new and hopefully more models to the marketplace.

Well I wasn't particularly interested in this model before, but damn, now I'm intrigued! A heavy, ultra stiff longsword focused for thrusting is definitely something I'd be interested in owning.

I love how many of these models have deceptively complex pommels. Really looking forward to Matt's next videos on the other models!