Albion does intend to introduce other viking designs in the future. These will feature historically accurate construction, with two piece upper guard and pommel assemblies. These will be more expensive of course. When and for how much I can't say, and at this point neither can Albion. (Read that as "I don't know" not "It's privileged info.") All I know is that they're in the pipeline.

According to Albion personnel the pommel construction on these initial swords is due to cost. They're trying to keep the price of the Next Generation line as close as possible to the original Albion Mark line. The more elaborate models will be more akin to the Museum Line. The level of detail in the casting on the Next Gen. Vikings is excellent. As usual, the photos really don't give the full effect.

I think it's called sword shopping by internet.

Or sword shopping by specs alone. Not the best way to go, but for some, maybe the only way available.


I like the specs of each. They seem like totally different swords now from the information. They each have a personality - though never handled one.

The other answer is buy one of each.

I will be cutting with mine when I get it...

It won't be a display piece :D

I see I see... You're a Clontarf man. The lightest of the three (I was wrong in my initial wild speculations before the specs were released). The Clontarf I see as, how shall I say it, "Princely" ?

Did you spend a lot of time deciding which one to get?

Yes I contempalted, quite a lot. Not only the Viking swords, but also the Rouen.
The Vinland was nice, but too much a generic Viking for me (the style is the most common found in replicas, unlike the fact that it was one of the less common sword styles), so it was a decision between the Gotland, the Gaddhjalt , and the Clontarf. I already have planned a custom sword not unlike the Gaddhjalt so it too was out of the pool.

The Gotland is a very interesting sword, especially the blade type is beautiful and the hilt quite seldom seen. The deciding factor was that it has a quite plain hilt - which I already have in a Viking sword (the ArmArt S5A) with the broad pommel (since it has to be gripped I suspect I prefer the narrower one of the Clontarf) and that I like broad cutting blades with Viking swords most. The quite stout look of the Clontarf with the contrasting fine "engravings" was very appealing to me.

I wanted a sword to define the "middle" of my Viking swords (with the S5A being the plain version of the "lower end", the Clontarf the middle with some decorations and a broad fullered very classic blade) and a future Patrick Bartà Viking with inlays, pattern-welding as the real "princly high end" :D

Nice... You have a good collection going there.

I don't think you'll need to grip the pommel at all on the Clontarf.

I picked the Vinland. I'm hoping the guard and pommel will be close enough to my hand to give me an authentic feel (whatever that is) :)
For the grip, I am thinking it will have to be rotated a little one way or the other (I have tried both) to let the pommel clear your wrist. I don't think an unusual grip will be required.

By the way, the Clontarf has the smallest pommel while the Gotland has actually a comparatively humungous pommel. I used Photoshop to size each photo to the correct proportion (as close as I could tell) and compared them side by side (minus the Gaddhjalt). It was eye-opening to see them compared so closely like that -- this was before they made the line-up "to scale."

I didn't think of it at the time, but I could have printed each of the hilt "life size" according to the specs.

By the way Markus, when are you getting yours? To arrive December, or January? Or did it arrive already?

...and / or is it one of the first 25?

It hasn't arrived yet, but I ordered it with a scabbard, so it'll take longer.