I´ve got a question to Peter J here but I thought the answer could benefit all of us seriously considering to by one (or all) of the four type XVa swords of Albions NG line.

How much will the cross and pommel variations on the models affect the "nature" of the different swords? Will the balance differ and with how much?

As a practitioner of medieval swordfighting I very much like to have a Scent stopper, due to the more ease I move and grapple a pommel like that, but that´s just me. On some swords a Disk could be more artistically pleasing, and other would do fine with a fishtail.

This leads me on to my next question that I direct more to all you scholars out there. In what numbers are diskpommels versus the others found on historical swords? Is there a trend towards Scent stoppers as the Renaissance knocked on the door or is it common with all kind of pommels?

I´m very grateful fore all answers on this!!

Thx...

Well, To be honest I have already decided the Ringeck is my sword of choice. But it´s always great to satisfy ones extreme hunger for knowledge. Hope I doesn´t have to wait to long for it. Joachim N and I will hopefully have an opportunity to compare the Talhoffer and the Ringeck after the summer.

Thx for the swift answer.

Interestingly enough a good majority -though not all- of the depicted swords in the fechtbücher seem to have the scent stopper, or variants of type T pommels. There are, naturally, exceptions from the rule. But they seem to be few and far apart. At the moment I can think of only one: Codex Vindobonenis (roughly dated to the 1450's if my information is correct). The swords of that one seem to have pommels similar to that of the Next Generation Baron, albeit tapering blades bearing a pronounced central ridge. Now if this lack of variation in the pommels is due to artist's interpretation, lack of imagination etc or what have you -or the type T pommels being the preferred pommel on the swords of the Masters and fechtbücher authors, remains open for discussion and debate.