I'm having a really hard time choosing an Albion sword. It's come down to the Crecy, or the Agincourt (both in my price range). I really like cut and thrust swords, but the Agincourt (and XV) is a thrusting sword. I like the design (hilt-wise) of the Agincourt, but the Crecy's hilt is less appealing hilt-wise. Should I go with Handling characteristics(Crecy), or speed and looks (Agincourt)?? Maybe I should just buy both.. :D. I'd love to hear all your opinions & suggestions!

-Michael F.

It's hard to give a strong opinion one way or the other based only on conceptual drawings.

I would be willing to bet that the Agincourt will cut more effectively than you think.

That's a tough call, and I sympathize since i also feel like a kid in a candy store when looking at the Albion Nextgens. I like the lines of the Agincourt better, and hope to add it to my collection sometime. If they were making only 100 of them I'd tell you to keep away just to raise my chances to get my hands on one, but since there will be 500 I'm sure that won't be necessary. ;)

There are a couple of reviews of XVI blades around here which might shed light on the Crecy, and maybe some owners of an XVa blade can chime in with their sword's cutting ability. Nevermind it looks like Edward has already done that second part. :)

I own both of the first editions of these swords and love both, but the Crecy is by far my favorite of the two. The Agincourt is VERY light and extremely fast but is a dedicated thrusting sword. (although I was supprised how well it dismembered the box it came in) I wouldn't compare it with the Black Prince as that is a war sword whereas the Agincourt is more of a ....personal protection sword.

The Crecy does have a rather plain hilt so on mine I ordered it with oxblood leather and had the cross and pommel blued. I definitely does not look plain now. My Crecy is the first gen version and I hear the newer ones are better all the way around...of course the same can probably be said of the new agincourt......

Of course the "Get Both" answer is the correct one :lol:

Cheers
Dave Lannon

Hmmmmmmm..still very tough. It is hard to tell from just conceptual drawings, I am leaning slightly to the Agincourt but the Crecy is still appealing. I think i'll wait to make a final and definitive answer until I actually see the finished product. In the meantime, I would love to hear more from everyone, and maybe some of the guys at Albion can give me a little bit more info :) .

Thanks!
Michael F.

I wouldn't compare it with the Black Prince as that is a war sword whereas the Agincourt is more of a ....personal protection sword.

Hey David. I've never actually seen the FirstGen Agincourt; what makes it a personal sword as opposed to a war-sword like the Black Prince?

Edward, the 1st gen Agincourt is (at least to me) a little too light for punching through plate. The Black Prince (A&A) that I've handled was MUCH more robust. In my opinion, they are different animals. I really like my Agincourt and would not trade it for anything, but it would not be my fist choice of a war sword in the era of plate. It would be perfect for spitting men at arms or lightly armed pesants.....

Of course I would like to see the new Agincourt.....looks to be more substantial.
Just my .02....keep in mind, I don't normally like those pokey swords :lol:

Cheers
Dave Lannon

To echo Dave, the First Gen Agincourt and Black Prince swords are very different swords.

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Wow! :surprised: Seeing them side-by-side, they certainly are different; enough to make the Agincourt's blade look almost like a type XVIII instead of a XVa. Another notable difference is the pommels. The Prince's pommel makes the sword a proverbial mace if used in that manner (much like A&A's Henry V, which I also own), but grasping the pommel while using it with both hands is comfortable. The FirstGen Agincourt was a beauty; I'm gonna miss it. I'm sure the new one will be spectacular though.

For my part I hope the new Agincourt is more robust than the 1st gen version, maybe a compromise between the Black Prince and the 1st gen? I think I recall Peter mentioning the blade length being over 34" but I could be wrong. And not to get too far off topic but when I first read the title of this thread I thought it was refering to the actual battles... :D

Thanks for the info Jason. Sigh....looks like I'm going to have to sell a guitar, I'm probably going to lose my mind when I see the actual steel version.

So when are we going to see the real thing ! Not complaining, just really curious. ;)

The final Albion production swords have consistantly looked more appealling than the drawings. ( Nice drawings, just even better looking swords :lol: )

I have the 1st generation Albion Crecy Grete.

The stats are not posted yet for the next generation version, but the first generation that I have is an extremely solid and well made sword (3 lbs and 4 oz) that I use as a practice blunted sword. It is really a bit heavy for my strength (6 foot tall, 200 lbs), but definately a strong cutter and a strong thruster when used with 2 hands. I have easily cut through small tree limbs (1/2" to 3/4" diameter) even with the sword in blunted condition, and find that stabbing through 1/2" thick cardboard (patio garden furniture box) is easily done one handed. My friends in ARMA tell me that it is very authentic in weight and characteristics as to what a true long sword was supposed to have been.

If you want a really well made sword for primarily two handed use, I recommend the Crecy.

Jared Smith