![](images/icon_clip.gif)
![Burgundian2.jpg](files/burgundian2_880.jpg)
Photo From Albion Europe
![](images/icon_clip.gif)
![Burgundian3s.jpg](files/burgundian3s_557.jpg)
Photo from Albion Europe
Roger Hooper wrote: |
If anyone owns or has handled the Albion Burgundian, could you please tell what you think of it? It seems to be one of the lesser known Albions - there hasn't been much talk about it on the forums. It uses the same hollow ground blade as the Kingmaker, but is significantly less expensive. That hollow ground cross-section probably diminishes its ablilities as a cutter, while improving its thrusting properties. |
Christopher B Lellis wrote: |
the edges are probably a bit more fragile than other types. |
Chad Arnow wrote: | ||
They don't have to be more fragile if the grind is done well and according to some historical examples. The Regent (which gave its blade to the Earl) is an example of the right way. On some hollow ground swords (not the Regent), the hollow grind goes all the way to the edge, leaving a scary sharp but thin edge which could be fragile. The Regent's hollow grind stops before the edge and the edge is supported with some good meat. The hollow grinding is almost like two wide shallow fullers that don't go all the way to the edge. I don't think I've seen the Burgundian, but I'm guessing it draws on some of the same stuff the Regent does. |
Roger Hooper wrote: |
The reason I said that the Burgundian may not be the best cutter is because I read a post on this forum by Mike Harris (certainly a veteran cutter), saying that the central ridge created by a hollow ground cross-section can get in the way of a clean cut, so that it won't perform that function as well as, say a XII or XIII.
To quote him: Burgundian - A very stiff sword with both blade presence and extremely good point control. Handles great but it's not a good cutter, though it will cut. The blade is hollow ground and suffers on targets like tatami as the reinforcing central ridge makes contact with the cutting medium and imparts drag. The Burgundian definitely seems to me like the optimized swordly sidearm for fighting an armoured foe. |
Chad Arnow wrote: | ||
They don't have to be more fragile if the grind is done well and according to some historical examples. The Regent (which gave its blade to the Earl) is an example of the right way. On some hollow ground swords (not the Regent), the hollow grind goes all the way to the edge, leaving a scary sharp but thin edge which could be fragile. The Regent's hollow grind stops before the edge and the edge is supported with some good meat. The hollow grinding is almost like two wide shallow fullers that don't go all the way to the edge. I don't think I've seen the Burgundian, but I'm guessing it draws on some of the same stuff the Regent does. |
Roger Hooper wrote: |
The reason I said that the Burgundian may not be the best cutter is because I read a post on this forum by Mike Harris (certainly a veteran cutter), saying that the central ridge created by a hollow ground cross-section can get in the way of a clean cut, so that it won't perform that function as well as, say a XII or XIII.
To quote him: Burgundian - A very stiff sword with both blade presence and extremely good point control. Handles great but it's not a good cutter, though it will cut. The blade is hollow ground and suffers on targets like tatami as the reinforcing central ridge makes contact with the cutting medium and imparts drag. The Burgundian definitely seems to me like the optimized swordly sidearm for fighting an armoured foe. |
Christopher B Lellis wrote: | ||
He is more knowledgeable than me but all I know is we were triple rolling tatami mats and cutting them through no problem and other styles of edges were not as successful except for the Albion Steward, that sword is a HEAVY cutter and it's not even a big blade. |
Joe Fults wrote: | ||||
Cutting with the Earl or Burgundian? Earl is a different beast altogether from the Burgundian and I'd be careful trying to draw conclusions about one from the other. If you were cutting with the Burgundian or with both, I'll defer to your experience but your post reads that you were cutting with the Earl only, and that you are extrapolating Burgundian performance from Earl data. While the blades bear a superficial resemblance to each other its very much a superficial thing. Even the Earl and Regent which share blades are not clones of one another. |