Has anyone owned or handled the Ljubljana yet? Even better: has anyone put one through its paces? I'm really curious about this reproduction.

Leelund

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Do you mean this one, Leelund?

Have you brought it nice sword

Oh goodness, I like the looks of that.

Yes. That sword. Would love to hear thoughts on it.

It's really a beautiful sword. I would love to have it. There's some information about the original in Marko Aleksic's book on Medieval Swords From Southeastern Europe, but not a whole lot. An original photo and specs.

Looks big despite its very narrow shape, and probably very agile for one who knows how to use it.

Here are more pictures and comments from someone who handled the original sword: http://myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=3074

The Albion Museum Line version is pretty amazing, as usual, except I don't like the rain guard. Presumably that could be removed without much trouble. It seems like the newer museum line pieces are substantially more expensive than the older ones. Cost of research and development time I suppose, but its hard to imagine that there will be a lot movement on these units at this price point.

Can anyone speak more on that leather ricassio overlap?

J.D.,

Thanks for the link. What do you not like about the rain guard? Do you not like that it's there or do you not like the execution. I personally am a fan.

Leelund

Hello Leelund,

I haven´t done any cutting or thrusting tests and I am not training HEMA myself, but as far as I can tell, the handling of that sword is great.
It is no lightweight, it is a massive sword. In my oppinion the pictures don´t show that. Especially the pommel is a heavy lump of steel, the pomel, grip and guard in my eyes make the blade seem quite slender.
What I noticed first when I held it in hand was how thick that blade is, and how stiff. It has got a long and noticeably reinforced tip section, the blade actually gets thicker immediately beyond the fullers. To me, tip control feels perfect, the tip is easy to guide. The balance point is very close to the guard, and that heavy steel stick becomes a very quick weapon once set in motion. You get that "lighter than it is" feeling.
This is obviously a sword made for thrusting, cutting is probably still an option, but thrusting feels much more natural. I am sure you could cut reasonably well with it, the edge even feels very sharp for that typo of sword, and swinging the blade around feels just fine. I love it´s handling. And it is an attractive sword, very attractive!
And the price? If you are one for historical accuracy, well, then it may well be worth it. But if you want a sword to play around with, just for the fun of it, then get yourself something cheaper, there are some fantastic swordsmiths out there who will make a similar Type XVa for a much lower price, with comparibly fantastic handling characteristics and even with the blade inlay.
I hope my oppinion helps. Best wishes,

Mark

Thanks Markus!

I've been dying to hear first hand accounts of the sword. Glad you like it! Let us know if you end up doing any tests with it!

Can you compare it to any other Albion models by any chance?

Leelund