It's advertised as a hand and a half sword but the space for the extra hand is really small. Some hand and a half swords prefer 2 handed use but can be used as a 1 hander.

Is the Castellan a 1 handed preference type that can be used with 2 hands, but sparingly ideally? Do you understand what I'm saying?

http://www.albion-swords.com/swords/albion/ne...an-xva.htm

Our hands-on review covers this: http://myArmoury.com/review_alb_cast.html

My own opinion? There's more than enough room for the second hand. It works exceedingly well that way.

I own one of these swords. The grip is kind of short, but the shape of the pommel allows the second hand to fit into its curve quite nicely. The Castellan can be used with one hand more comfortably and effectively than most bastards, but still handles better with two.

I bought this model when it was first released, and it is one of my favorites.

And I forgot to say, with two hands especially, it handles like a dream.

The Castellan is my primary practice sword. I've probably logged more hours practicing with it than with any other sharp sword I own, and I will probably have soon spent more time using it than my Liechtenauer. It's a fine sword- like all the XVas, the Castellan is quite agile in hand, although with a diamond cross section it has more blade presence than a sword like the Brescia Spadona (which almost floats in hand).

The Castellan can be used with one hand. It will not have the same agility as a sword like the Poitiers, or even a well-balanced single-handed sword like the Knight. However, the Castellan will handle like a more robust single-handed sword, and with practice, it could be used quite skillfully for sword and buckler.

Remember, any "bastard sword" is always a trade-off in handling characteristics. Most will feel great in two hands, and will be reasonably effective in one, though they cannot compete with an agile single-hander.

Edit: I picked up my Castellan with one hand last evening. Actually, it felt much more agile than what I wrote above. It was somewhat longish with the additional length of the grip and pommel, but it felt fairly light and handy.

I agree with Craig on all points. The Castellan is a fine sword.