Okay so I was looking to add to my collection and want one from this era for my next sword. I have read most of the reviews on this site and the albion agincourt and crecy along with the A&A's black prince are of particular favorites of mine. Is there any other I should be looking at? How accurate are the albions for that period with those two swords? I noticed that the black prince weights more then the agincourt by about 5 ounces but has a balance point about 1 inch closer. Which of the two is the faster sword? I figure the crecy with it's balance out at 4 inches would be slower then the other two, but does the added cutting power make up for it in your honest opinion? All in all, if you were a knight during the 100 year war era and could have any sword you can buy today, which one would it be is what I'm asking to help me pick one :)...yeah I wish I could afford all three, but my project car also demands money of me.

A balance point being an inch closer or farther will have less to do with a "fast" feeling than other factors, such as overall mass distribution. Also, an inch farther out in PoB isn't going to automatically equal a more powerful cutter. The PoB is but one factor in handling.

As a further point, the Sempach and Regent in my collection have basically the same POB. Yet they don't really handle the same at all. That's by design. The PoB is just one factor that goes into handling.

To answer your question: having handled both the Crecy and the Black Prince, I found the Crecy to be faster (and it wasn't even close) but some of this is subjective and will vary user to user. Part of it is the circa 10 ounce difference in weight: the Crecy weighs less, despite the being a tad longer. More of it has to do with where the mass is and how it moves (pivot points).

I also think the Crecy is far more wieldable one-handed than the BP.


I haven't handled any of Albion's long Type XVa's so I can't comment there.

I can't speak about the Agincourt, but I have handled the Fiore, which has the exact same blade (although different hilt furniture). It was one of the most agile and lively feeling swords I have ever handled. But, generally speaking, XVIa swords have some of the best handling available of any swords in the Oakeshott typology. At least, that's been my experience.