Paul Hansen wrote: |
Firstly, Albion swords are known for their historical design. Manufacturing method and materials however are modern. So an Albion sword does not necessarily have the same performance standard as a medieval sword. It's probably better, but that's beside the point. Secondly, what does "performance" actually mean? For, say, a type X sword, that would be cutting performance against unarmored and mailed opponents. But that is kind of difficult today, so people turn to tatami mats instead... The OP is not terribly specific what kind of "performance" he means, to say the least... Regardless, I'm sure that a medieval warrior would be well served with either an Albion or an Atrim. As would a modern-day backyard cutter. |
Personally I don't think the manufacturing method makes much difference in the goal of representing "historical performance". Stock removal and forging are both ways to get metal to be the shape you want. I have seen hand forged swords that have the same quality and finish as the Albion's I've owned. If no one told me how they were made, I wouldn't have known. As for material; I don't know too much about metallurgy but my impression is that modern steels and heat treatment are an improvement over their ancient equivalents, so I would think that an Albion sword would outperform most originals in durability. As you said, this is a little beside the point.
What I intended to address in my earlier post is the issue of design. Albion swords are intended to represent a sword in its time period. So, it is my opinion that Albion swords are still intended to represent historical performance, as in representing design decisions made with their historical context in mind (such as what sorts of armor and weapons it would be intended to defeat, what sort of swordsmanship was in favor, what sort of soldier would be using it, etc). This is what I mean by "historical performance".
Vincent C wrote: |
One looks at the works of old smiths and recreates them precisely, one looks at the works old smiths and tinkers with them intently. Either way, you get the same end result, with different subtlety in how they feel as they go about their function. |
The Albion Next Generation swords are not recreations of specific swords. They are designed to be a representative of a particular sword type. The Museum Line swords are exact recreations. Both Albion and Angus Trim designs are technically modern, but the intent is different.
As Paul said, Angus Trim designs tend to cater more towards the "backyard cutter". Therefore his designs don't necessarily have to take into account the aforementioned factors, and the sword can focus on being an "edge delivery system". Ultimately all swords have this at the heart of their design, but it's all the things in between and in addition to the sword and it's target that make the intention of a design very important. This is why I am making a distinction between "performance" and "historical performance".
I'm not trying to say that an Albion sword is more "real" than an Angus Trim sword, or even better than an Angus Trim sword. As has been said here before, it's all about what you're looking for.