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Post by feanorian01 on Jul 23, 2023 22:02:30 GMT
For a while now I have been very interested in both of these swords. I was wondering if anyone who had experience with either (or preferably both) could tell me which they liked more and why; I don't particularly prefer one to the other, but I doubt I can get both. Thanks!
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Post by William Swiger on Jul 23, 2023 22:29:35 GMT
Own one and have owned the Regent but replaced with the Earl. The Brescia Spadona is a museum sword remade to look feel, and handle like the original. The Regent/Earl are examples of swords used in their period but not exact reproductions. Handling is excellent on both. You will not be disappointed in purchasing either sword. I like the Brescia more in looks and handling and even bought a replacement after selling my first one. The Earl/Regent handle great and are great examples of their type.
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Post by toddstratton1 on Jul 23, 2023 22:54:59 GMT
They are both fantastic swords but are different typology. The Regent is more thrust centric and will not perform as well on cutting mats and etc. The Brescia Spadona is more nimble and I think slightly better handling in comfort and ergonomics. Due to to longer handle , closer POB and feels a bit less blade heavy. For all those benefits it trades a bit of durability as it is more of a dueling than war sword. And you can tell because of the overall thinness in the blades geometry as well. Not something that is going to hold up as well to hard target cutting. If I had to choose one I'd go with the Brescia Spadona. It is the best handling sword that Albion offers. And if you're going to pick just one sword the Brescia Spadona is a great choice. Despite the Regent being a personal top 3 for me too.
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Post by feanorian01 on Jul 23, 2023 23:02:10 GMT
Thanks for the responses. I know the Brescia Spadona is a very forgiving cutter; is the Regent anywhere near it? I've heard that the pommel on the Regent can be uncomfortable, but I actually really like the look of it. Also, there is quite a notable price difference; which would you say is "higher value"?
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Post by toddstratton1 on Jul 24, 2023 4:12:09 GMT
Thanks for the responses. I know the Brescia Spadona is a very forgiving cutter; is the Regent anywhere near it? I've heard that the pommel on the Regent can be uncomfortable, but I actually really like the look of it. Also, there is quite a notable price difference; which would you say is "higher value"? The Regent isn't built to cut in the same way, it won't perform quite up to par as the Brescia Spadona. But it isn't designed too. It's an okay cutter for single mat tatami or most other soft targets. But the Brescia was the best cutter from Albion until the Alexandria and Principe came along. Both still excellent value and very worth the respective prices. The Spadona costs more because of the time and research of making a almost identical reproduction copy of the actual historic find sword. All museum line swords are more expensive than the next generation line for that reason. The Regent is more expensive than average due to the more involved process to make the hollow ground blade, and the more intricate pommel and such. Whereas the Crecy is more simplistic and less labor to make than the Regent, hence lower price. The Crecy is also a better cutter than the Regent and probably the best next Gen line comparison to the Brescia Spadona. Again though not to take away from the Regent it is amazing at what it does and specialize in and cuts well enough that it wouldn't have a problem taking care of business in actual combat for cutting so to speak. It just doesn't cut at the same potential as some others when it comes to practicing on various mediums like Tatami. The Crecy also doesn't cut as well as the Spadona and is not a very forgiving cutter. I'll have my new Regent soon and I have a Spadona on my wall. I can do a direct comparison with pics and such soon for you. Having them side by side. In a unarmoured duel I'd bet my life on the Brescia Spadona, for war I'd prefer the Regent. But the Regent is the most popular later medieval swords typology that most HEMA manuals are also based around being the type XVIIIb sword types. Funny that your other highly desired albion is the XVIIIa type.
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kclee008
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Post by kclee008 on Jul 24, 2023 8:23:58 GMT
In addition to Todd’s great feedback you can look on YouTube for LIER. He’s a HEMA instructor in Europe and reviews both. Well, the Brescia and either the Regent or Earl but those r identical blades and very similar handling. I’d expect the Regent’s fishtail pommel to be a little less comfortable than the Earl. But Todd might know if this is true or not.
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Post by feanorian01 on Jul 24, 2023 14:56:22 GMT
Thanks very much for the input. At the moment, I think I'm angling slightly more towards the Regent, due to the lower price; however, I still have to save up for it, so no final decision has been reached. In case it's at all helpful, I have the Windlass/Royal Armouries 15th C longsword; it isn't a great cutter, but I like the way it handles, and wondered which would be closer to it.
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Post by toddstratton1 on Jul 25, 2023 0:46:53 GMT
Thanks very much for the input. At the moment, I think I'm angling slightly more towards the Regent, due to the lower price; however, I still have to save up for it, so no final decision has been reached. In case it's at all helpful, I have the Windlass/Royal Armouries 15th C longsword; it isn't a great cutter, but I like the way it handles, and wondered which would be closer to it. Good option, the Brescia is awesome, but it's super expensive compared to other options.
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Post by shinycanoe on Jul 26, 2023 0:25:07 GMT
In addition to Todd’s great feedback you can look on YouTube for LIER. He’s a HEMA instructor in Europe and reviews both. Well, the Brescia and either the Regent or Earl but those r identical blades and very similar handling. I’d expect the Regent’s fishtail pommel to be a little less comfortable than the Earl. But Todd might know if this is true or not. I'm a fan of Lier's channel, he reviewed the Earl and the Brescia and commented that he decided to focus on training with the Brescia going forward.
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Post by feanorian01 on Aug 3, 2023 23:30:56 GMT
Quick question, does anyone know how the Vision Strasbourg stacks up against the Regent? They're very similar, but the Strasbourg is a lot lighter, as well as being less expensive. If there's no real reason not to, I might be inclined to go with the Vision sword instead of Albion.
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Post by toddstratton1 on Aug 3, 2023 23:44:04 GMT
Quick question, does anyone know how the Vision Strasbourg stacks up against the Regent? They're very similar, but the Strasbourg is a lot lighter, as well as being less expensive. If there's no real reason not to, I might be inclined to go with the Vision sword instead of Albion. I've got a vision Strasbourg and Vision Tauber for sale with scabbard well below cost of buying retail with tax and shipping in display only condition, difference is that the Albion is a hollowground blade. It is also a bit heavier as well in handling as you mentioned. Performance wise they are very comparable, the tauber is many people's favorite cutting sword but shares the same blade as the Strasbourg. I love the Regent but it doesn't cut as well as the Vision swords imo. I just have an obsession for albions because or the historical aspect being part of it. Lol Albion and VA are of very similar quality in fit, finish, and performance and the vision swords are Angus Trim blade designs who make the best performing swords out there. Albions and VA vision swords are pretty similar in prices between comparable models normally though.
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Post by fayebarca on Aug 4, 2023 21:59:30 GMT
Todd’s pretty much hit the nail on the head. I own an Earl and a Strasbourg, and the Earl definitely feels noticeably heavier to handle. The Strasbourg is livelier and also is going to perform/cut better. If you decide to go with that, Todd’s listings are a good deal. One advantage the Visions have over Albions is that they have scabbards to go with the swords.
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Post by feanorian01 on Aug 6, 2023 21:45:06 GMT
Thank you all for the input. I think I've decided to go with the Regent - the hollow ground blade looks very nice.
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Post by toddstratton1 on Aug 7, 2023 1:45:04 GMT
Thank you all for the input. I think I've decided to go with the Regent - the hollow ground blade looks very nice. Great choice
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Post by feanorian01 on Aug 7, 2023 22:57:44 GMT
Couple of questions about the Regent:
1: For anyone who has one, what was the edge like out of the box? Did it come sharp enough for good cutting?
2: The listed weight and balance (3.5lbs, 5.25in) seem like they would make for a sword that isn't very nimble; is this accurate? I've seen some reviews that list the weight as 3lbs, 4-5oz, which makes more sense to me.
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Post by leviathansteak on Aug 8, 2023 5:10:05 GMT
I have an albion earl, which has the same blade as the regent and probably similar handling
The edge was good enough for cutting common cutting targets out of the box. I did some light honing and stropping and it glides through tatami with no problem.
The handling is a bit more blade heavy than i expected. It allows a good balance of decisive, authoritative cuts while still being nimble enough to execute the typical techniques you'd see in the Liechtenauer tradition
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Post by toddstratton1 on Aug 8, 2023 7:45:17 GMT
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Post by takitam on Aug 8, 2023 12:22:10 GMT
Couple of questions about the Regent: 1: For anyone who has one, what was the edge like out of the box? Did it come sharp enough for good cutting? 2: The listed weight and balance (3.5lbs, 5.25in) seem like they would make for a sword that isn't very nimble; is this accurate? I've seen some reviews that list the weight as 3lbs, 4-5oz, which makes more sense to me. Regent is not a nimble sword, it is a very 'solid' feeling weapon. If you are strong and fit, you will not have problems moving it around at high speed, but it is not not a what I would call a 'nimble' sword. It is long and has a chunky blade after all. When it comes to sharpness, it is a bit random. First of all, depending on the grinder, you may end up with a sword that is thin behind the edge, or one that is still quite thick. This makes a substantial difference. Less important is the final sharpness from the factory. If you want to cut with your sword, learning how to sharpen is actually more important than the sword itself. To illustrate what I'm talking about, here is an image of a hollow ground sword from a recent review here on the forum. This is a sword that is very (or rather extremely) thick behind the edge. It will not cut well. sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/attachment/download/104526
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Post by toddstratton1 on Aug 8, 2023 14:53:11 GMT
Couple of questions about the Regent: 1: For anyone who has one, what was the edge like out of the box? Did it come sharp enough for good cutting? 2: The listed weight and balance (3.5lbs, 5.25in) seem like they would make for a sword that isn't very nimble; is this accurate? I've seen some reviews that list the weight as 3lbs, 4-5oz, which makes more sense to me. Regent is not a nimble sword, it is a very 'solid' feeling weapon. If you are strong and fit, you will not have problems moving it around at high speed, but it is not not a what I would call a 'nimble' sword. It is long and has a chunky blade after all. When it comes to sharpness, it is a bit random. First of all, depending on the grinder, you may end up with a sword that is thin behind the edge, or one that is still quite thick. This makes a substantial difference. Less important is the final sharpness from the factory. If you want to cut with your sword, learning how to sharpen is actually more important than the sword itself. To illustrate what I'm talking about, here is an image of a hollow ground sword from a recent review here on the forum. This is a sword that is very (or rather extremely) thick behind the edge. It will not cut well. sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/attachment/download/104526The Albion Earl and Regent come out of the box sharp enough to cut tatami and most other targets. It's not as nimble and fast to maneuver in feel as OPs original comparison the Brescia Spadona , for reasons as you mentioned. The Brescia feels the most responsive and well handling albion in feel of any I have used. But that's because the blade is quite thin in thickness so it's a great cutter also because of blade geometry. but doesn't feel the most durable. But if you're not hitting hard targets and doing any abuse that's not really an issue. The Regent and Earl are still very weildable and are a good balance of many traits. Can't really go wrong with any of those swords. The only thing some people might have preference in handling is probably difference in pommel
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Post by feanorian01 on Aug 8, 2023 23:06:52 GMT
Thanks for the responses. It looks like the Regent would probably be sharp enough for my purposes. Does anyone know if Albion lets you request special sharpening (perhaps for an additonal fee)? Several years ago, Thomas Riley from Medieval Review made a video about a Regent that was, according to him, extremely sharp; I think he said that the person who ordered it had requested it. If so, I might prefer to go with that.
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