[Tim May]

Hi everyone, for Christmas this year I'm getting the WIndlass Sword of Auray for KoA ( I thought I'd throw that out there in case the topic didn't quite give it away). This is my first "real" sword, and the deciding factor was that though I'd love an Albion viking, or especially one of Castle Keep's vikings (Rob's Type H sold me on his, it is simply superb, glorious beyond words), I've seen the inspiration for the Sword of Auray in person, and it seems to be one of the best one handed swords for the money; money being for me as many a deciding factor.
I've opted for the sword sharpening, which I hope is a good idea (and assume is as I've heard nothing but great things about Kult of Athena), and can't wait for the sword itself. I realize this isn't quite the wait of a Patrick Barta custom piece, but now I'm seeing what you guys have been saying about this being half the fun . It was a toss up between this sword and the sword of St. Michael, which really stayed in the running so long because of the scabbard, though possibly redoing the scabbard for the Sword of Auray could be a great project for spring break.
Thanks for reading this and I can't wait to join you guys in the fruition of many hours of consideration of our great hobby!

[Jean Thibodeau]

[Tim May]

Thanks Jean, hope the Holidays bring you something sharp and pointy too (how many times can you say that with a good conscience? )

[Bob Burns]

Congratulations Tim! That is a nice sword and I know your going to like it, as I've handled it at Kult of Athena. I am the lucky schmuck who lives less than a half hour from the store and in fact I was in there just yesterday, that being Saturday to make a deposit towards an Albion Valkyrja, if for some reason I don't go with that, then it will either be a Reeve or the Stamford. If I get the Valkyrja, which is highly probable, I doubt I will ever cut any jugs or cardboard boxes with it.
I did pick up an excellent miniature Viking Warlord 1/18th scale and solid pewter. There are only a few left, they are at a cut rate price because as I was told the company in Paris, France is either ending the production or going out of business, here is a link to this exact piece.
http://www.kultofathena.com/product~item~MEMA...Figure.htm

Ryan and his wife were as busy as could be packing orders for shipment to their customers so I did not hang around long, as I did not want to get in the way of productivity. I always have a great time when I go there and I am happy to check something out for anyone from this forum.

Sincerely,

Bob

Just send me a private message if you want me to check something out.
Something I like to do as a benefit to this excellent website which has helped me so much!

[Tim May]

Thanks Bob! It was your ringing endorsement that convinced me to go with KoA (though I have to admit that their prices didn't hurt either ). When you're there next time give the Albion Vikings a swing or two for me, I could only imagine holding one of them in person! Congrats on the statues too, they are really very cool; they remind me of grown up versions of the cast metal inch and a half tall knights they sell in (good) toy stores, grown up meaning, well, much, much sweeter.

[Bob Burns]

I took great pleasure in swinging the Viking and Anglo Saxon Albions for you Tim. That new Stamford is a very impressive cutting sword, a whole lot of life, anyone who likes the Reeve, I would think will love the Stamford! By the way, I was able to wield both of these swords.
At this poing, I can't see what could get in my way of acquiring the Valkyrja, which I placed a down payment on at
Kult of Athena on Saturday. But just for the sake that something did get in the way, then I would definitely go with either the Reeve or the Stamford!

Bob

Glad I was able to help you out Tim!

[Jean-Carle Hudon]

Hello Bob, the link you put up shows a Knight Hospitaller, I know the viking warlord piece as Les Etains du Graal first started to show their pieces in North America at the Medievales de Quebec back in 95. I have five pieces myself and there are a few shops around town which may have some stock left over. Are you into miniatures for assembly and painting or did that one piece just catch your eye?

[Bob Burns]

Hi Jean, thanks for the correction, let me try to fix this link. lol OK, here we go.
http://www.kultofathena.com/product~item~MEMA...Figure.htm
As of yet (LOL) I have not been into assembling or painting miniatures, but I do have several pewter and a few of the cheaper miniatures that attracted me. This particular piece attracted me, it was in a square shaped multi level isle display case and the quality stared me in the face! Every detail, right down to a small scar on the left side of it's face and you can even see the tongue of the belt protruding through the hole in the belt!

Ryan said, there are several other figurines he does not as yet have that he might be able to get for someone interested.

Thanks for alerting me about the wrong link, that hospitaler is very nice too!

Bob

[J. D. Carter]

Congrats on the coming Christmas pressie. I recently made my 1st KoA purchase , more accurately my wife did as my Windlass Oakeshott XIIa was also a Christmas gift and early to boot . I had never used any sharpening service before and like yourself I had heard nothing but good things about KoA so I decided as much from curiosity as anything to see what kind of edge it would arrive with.

If yours arrives like mine and your a 'test the edge with your thumb" type do so very gently. The XIIa was sharp enough that it cut through 3 of 6 layers of a folded linen that I was using to whip it down after unpacking it, on the flat of the blade no less. the cuts were just on the parts of the cloth hanging over the edge. Makes me glad I grew up around kin that taught us all to respect the blade and treat it just as carefully as a firearm.

Enjoy yourself when it arrives. Post back after and let us know how it suits you.

[J.D. Crawford]

Dear Tim,

It's a very good choice. I bought one about a year ago, and it's hard to think of another sword in this price range that handles so easily. It has a relatively light, stiff blade for Windlass, very comfy handle, and. beautiful balance. It's perfect for arming sword technique, although you can probably tell from looking at it that it is no heavy cutter.

My only complaint with my Auray is that the fitting between the tang and guard is a bit loose, allowing the guard to rotate 1-2 degrees. I keep meaning to put in a shim or some glue but have not got around to it. However I doubt that this is specific to the Auray model - it's more of a hit and miss thing with Windlass (I've had about a dozen of them and you will hear the same from many people). My guess is that the next model down the pipe would have been fine.

My point is that you should probably carefully check all the hilt fittings and how they hold up after some dry handling when you get it, before doing any damage that would prohibit returning the unit...I don't know KoA (I buy from Reliks) but I hear that their return / exchange policy is very good. You'll want to be happy with your first one.

Good luck with your Auray, JDC

[Tim May]

[J. D. Carter]

I can only speak of the one that was shipped with my purchase but I actually wish the scabbard was just a bit looser. It takes a very firm and slow & steady pull when the sword is fully seated. Enough so that more than once I have wondered that prior to sharpening if it would have fully seated at all.

As for the scabbard itself it's made well enough. Nice clean stitching and seams with the brass chape and fittings matching the XIIa nicely. The fit isn't really an issue as I've read here many times that one shouldn't keep a blade in an all leather scabbard for extended times and I fully intend around my birthday to treat myself to something from Tritonworks for when its on display.

I'm looking forward to reading your impressions when it arrives. The waiting is part of the fun, although some of these gents and ladies probably feel a bit differently about some of the custom pieces they have commissioned. I was worse than a little kid and I only was waiting about 2 1/2 weeks. I don't know how some of these folks do it waiting over a year.

[J.D. Crawford]

[Tim May]

[Travis C.]

This was my first sword. Bought it about 3 years ago. I have always been very satisfied with it for the money. And $200 really
isnt what I would call chump change. But this seems to be the bottom price for a decent sword.


Why I like it a lot: It is light weight. Fun to cut things with, because I dont have to worry about it too much due to the relatively
low price. Takes a pretty good beating. Scabbard is very functional. ie. it is stiff and protects the sword.
Blade is not too whippy, probably because it is fairly short and has a moderate tapered shape. EASY to wield one-handed.
Very quick - POB between 3-4 inches. The optional knife edge is very sharp. I often wear it to faires because I dont mind if
it gets knocked around.

The few things I dont like about it are really not fair to mention, because they are things one cannot expect to have
in this price range. Expect a thin blade.

What I did to mine: Wrapped the wood handle in leather. Scraped off 95% of the shiny black paint from the scabbard and
dyed it oxblood or mahogany - cant remember which. Put a belt suspension on it - Three 1/2 inch bridle straps from Tandy for
about $15, plus buckles and end strap. My scabbard was very loose, so I added a felt liner to the mouth - about 2 inches deep. The mouth now looks good and it fits snug.

hope this helps!

[Tim May]

[Travis C.]

Tim, did you get it yet? Believe me when I say that we understand your excitement. To say that I am EAGER when
waiting for a sword is an understatement!

Thanks for the comliments. Very kind. I started using a paint scraper on the black paint but had to resort to using
steel wool and paint thinner / acetone . I spent about 2 hours while watching a movie and ended up with a very
sore wrist.

For the grip, I just wrapped it with thin leather lace and used elmers wood glue. For the leather straps, I bought them
at my local Tandy leather store. I think they call it -latigo-. I used a bit of the wood glue again to hold the suspension
in place. I believe this link will get you close: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/products.a...amp;Page=1

But they sell two versions: a thick version and a thin version (about 2 mm thick vs. about 4 mm thick. ) I used the thinner
version for belt and suspension, but usually I use the thicker one for the belt and thinner one for the suspension. The
natural raw hide versions would probably work best because the brown colored ones are probably chrome tanned and
are a bit stretchy.

[Tim May]

Hey guys, sorry if it seems like I bailed on this topic, but the sword has arrived! It came on Friday, but seeing as I was out of town until Sunday afternoon I haven't had much time with it. Pleasantly enough UPS just dropped it off when no one was home, with rain clouds looming, but fortunately my neighbor watching the dog stuck it inside, though was most confused by the axe displayed on the KoA box.
As to the sword itself, all I can say is wow! It feels like a feather in my hand, and, though by no means a heavy cutter, it still has enough blade presence that is feels quite capable. I've been mostly going through maneuvers from Talhoffer in the air, though I did slice the heavy paper sheath (not the cardboard box) that KoA wrapped it in, as the Sword of Auray's edge that Kult of Athena applied is exceedingly sharp; it can pretty much slice through a sheet of paper. Just this basic cutting though made me realize how important proper form and edge alignment are.
The scabbard itself is surprisingly nice, I didn't know what to expect from Windlass after descriptions I've heard here, but, honestly I'm impressed. The sword is a bit loose in it, but a well placed piece of Chamois should correct that easily enough.
Thanks to everyone for their kind words and support (and reading this diatribe), and Merry Christmas!

[J.D. Crawford]

Congratulations Tim. I envy you...there's nothing like the first one. I wish I had made such a good choice the first time around. It's easy to go wrong at this end of the market, but you got one of the bright lights. Happy Holidays!

[J. D. Carter]

Glad to read your so pleased with it. We are some lucky souls aren't we. Some places are making ownership illegal and here we are getting nice blades for Xmas presents. When I'm ready to add my 1st single hand blade to the new collection I will definitely look at the Sword of Auray .

That KOA edge it arrived with is borderline spooky isn't it? Yet strangely fascinating at the same time. I was double blessed this season. I thought the presents were over with but just a couple hours back I received 'The Swordsman's Companion' by Guy Windsor to have something a bit more structured to go along with my homegrown exercise program.

Here's to hoping you have many hours of enjoyment from your new arrival and that it's wets your appetite for more. I have begun to suspect that swords have something in common with Lays potato chips. You can't have just 1.

Merry Christmas.