Scott Woodruff wrote: |
I am curious, where do the pivot points fall on this sword? |
Best I can tell, it's 7" from the tip.
Scott Woodruff wrote: |
I am curious, where do the pivot points fall on this sword? |
J.D. Crawford wrote: |
Hopefully we're past the modern myths that medieval swords were either too heavy to pick up or light as a feather. They varied somewhere in between depending on their function, and the better companies (both historic and modern) were/are able to make this work through details of mass distribution etc.
Still, I think A&A and similar companies are in a tough position where they would like to be historically accurate (like the hard core enthusiasts here) but still most customers like things to handle 'like a fishing rod'. They need to make a living so customer's choices guide their choices in what to replicate. Hardcore fanatics about historical accuracy might be the minority of the world-wide market, but we are also very vocal. I think a lot of people read this stuff we post without speaking up. So we plan some role in educating people that its better to buy an historically accurate piece and learn how to use it properly, rather than force modern expectations on history. This way one actually learns something from our hobby. I think Nathan Robsinon has done a great job at setting the tone for this by the way he created and runs this site. Some of us are fortunate to push the envelop by commissioning specific historic pieces that fall outside of the mainstream of the modern market (but not necessarily the mainstream of actual historical use). This is what excites me about custom orders. |
Jeremy V. Krause wrote: |
And we are talking a class of swords here- neither A&A nor Albion was shooting at a replace in their products.
I guess I "might" wonder whether Albion has gone a bit too far off the measurements if seeking to reproduce one of this Germanic early 13th. c. type. I, by no means, know of all the examples so there may be a shorter example with similar characteristics as the Ritter and if so then my concern above would be misplaced. Like you say, Doug, if someone wants something even closer to a specific original- not a group- then executing such a piece with iron hilt, maybe iron core blade- if they did that on the original- and a nice inlay. It's apples and oranges really. |
Robin Smith wrote: |
I suspect that both A&A and Albion both tend towards swords that are on the "handier" end of the spectrum. The market as a whole seems to push for handier quicker swords moreso than completely representative samples. |
J.D. Crawford wrote: |
All true Jeremy. I would say my comments pertain more specifically to the larger, longer cavalry swords of the high medieval age. There are a few accurate replicas on the market (like Albion St. Maurice) but I don't think they sell as well.
But getting back to the topic of this thread, I think A&A did a terrific job here of producing a sword that is very close to those longer, large single hand types (which are my personal preference) while still retaining a great deal of agility. |