I have been practicing WMA for a little more than two years now, mainly german longsword. Having only had experience with blunt steel sparring swords so far, I decided for a little while ago that it was time to acquire a sharp sword for cutting tests, in order to gain a deeper understanding of a swords dynamics, to test and improve my cutting technique and, of course, for the fun of it :)

I recently got the chance to buy an Oakeshott type XVIIIa.6 bastard sword, with italian fishtail pommel, with blade made by Angus Trim and hilt made by Erik Stevenson of Pheonix metal creations, whom, I understand, unfortunally is no longer making swords commercially. A leather-covered wooden scabbard, also made by Erik Stevenson, was included in the deal.

Having always been a great fan of the italian fishtail pommel, knowing the quality of Angus Trim's blades from countless rewievs and being out looking for a sharp sword for cutting, I decided that this sword was just the thing I was looking for - no, actually I decided that I needed this sword more than I needed food (I'm a student), so I went ahead and bought it.

I recieved the sword, by mail, this afternoon - and I must say; It is truly a beautiful sword (I will let the pictures attatched below speak for themselves). The sword handles perfect when used two-handed and it can be used comfortably one-handed. I have only had the time to cut with it once, but it made a nice clean cut through a water-filled plastic bottle. Cutting water-filled bottles is great fun - and I bet i'ts addictive too :)

As for the more technical details on the sword, look here; http://www.phoenixmetalcreations.com/bastard_swords.html.

The pictures below are the ones sent to me by the seller, before I bought the sword.


/Jakob
-bitten by the sword-bug.....

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Looks just like Albion's Regent, perhaps with a flattened diamond instead of hollow-ground blade.

http://www.albion-swords.com/swords/albion/ne...xviiia.htm

Nice looking sword, I'm thinking about this one for next year.

Brian M

I'm also a big fan of the fish tail pommel, and have an Atrim very similar to that. Nice sword! I can see why it won out over food. :D

I think this sword is fairly well muted compared to the Regent - not as radical on the contours. . . perhaps "toned down" is a better choice of words? I also noticed the pommel is peened rather than the traditional atrim nut - I wonder if down the road you might see a bit of the Del Tin hilt loosening problem with such a setup (or are the guard and pommel separately fixed to the tang - I would just hate to see you have to smack it with a hammer to get it tight again. . .)?

A lovely sword :)

Thanks...

The pommel is a bit turned (well under 1/4 inch), but I do not think that it is due to the hilt being loose, I think the sword was made like that. It is not something you notice at first hand, but if you examine the sword you'll notice it.


/Jakob