What a magnificant sword, the Albion Steward -- myArmoury.com

Christopher B Lellis

I snagged an Albion Steward from Kult of Athena which rarely has Albions in stock and wow, this sword is much more than I thought it was.

It's light, under 3 lbs yet it has serious blade presence but is not in anyway blade heavy if that makes sense, you have to hold it to understand. It's as agile as the Crecy and it's perfectly compatible with HEMA and Talhoffer techniques. You just know that this sword is capable of complete and total amputations to the unfortunate individual who meets the edge (that was stated just for the purpose of it's potential nothing more)

It's definitely a cutter, the edge is the business end on this blade and although it can thrust easily, I wouldn't count on it against anything wearing any type of armor and would probably not attempt it even without, for the end is quite flexible with a spade tip(but not whippy).

I actually wrote a post about concerns with the grip length before but it's not a problem at all, I have large hands and the wheel shape pommel is quite comfortable to half hand while giving you excellent edge alignment.

I think this might be my favorite sword now. I always preferred the cut over the thrust and this sword is just that while being very easy to manipulate in your hands.

Wow, what a sword. Another masterpiece from Albion.

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Nathan Robinson · myArmoury Admin

I also really, really like this sword and have noticed it's rarely discussed. It's attractive and the dynamic qualities are pretty amazing.

Christopher B Lellis · Posted: Tue 19 Mar, 2013 12:24 am Post subject:

Craig Peters · Posted: Tue 19 Mar, 2013 3:37 am Post subject:

I really love the handling of my Crecy, so Christopher's post about the Steward has got me thinking about this sword in ways I have not before... I find myself drawn to its slightly more-dressed up brother, the Count. Can anyone comment on the Count's handling, compared to the Steward? Does it exhibit the same excellence in handling?

Chad Arnow · myArmoury Team

Kai Lawson · Posted: Tue 19 Mar, 2013 6:04 am Post subject:

They both feel pretty darn similar; I'd say they handle closer than any other Albion same-blade sword I can think of right now. The hilt furniture is very similar in size and weight, and the subtle differences found in other pairings such as the Ringeck/Fiore, Landgraf/Sempach, Regent/Earl, Reeve/Bayeux, etc... are really not present, or are there but are almost negligible. I'd say the comparison is more like the Constable/Castellan--one's just 'prettier' than the other. I'll mention that while I'm normally interested in how like swords differ in handling, I was confused for a moment by the question here, because mentally they feel almost identical (and I can tell a POB difference of 1/4'' from just holding different swords--but that sounds rather pompous...). If you like the way one feels, but think the other one looks nicer, go for it.
The Crecy comparison is apt, but a little misleading, I think: the Crecy is responsive in a different way. I never really caught on to the idea of using the Crecy for one-handed use; it just felt a touch off, somehow, but it would certainly do-able. With the Count/Steward, I've taken quite a few one-handed swipes through the air, and they felt fine. The agility of the two swords is somewhat comparable, but they do handle differently--and like Christopher B Lellis said, the Count/Steward has this weird property, where it feels quite light, fast and responsive, but it is intimately paired with the feeling that you could totally blast through people without much trouble.

Last thought: shameless plug for the Ritter, which is way more amazing a sword the more you handle it, and might share the same blade as the Count/Steward... Same feeling of relative lightness and responsiveness with all the 'choppa-choppa' you could want.

Christopher B Lellis · Posted: Mon 25 Mar, 2013 4:35 pm Post subject:

I did some cutting with this sword and I need to change one of my perceptions of it.

First off, its a mighty cutter, just like it feels. I cut 20 lb entire turkeys in half (bought frozen and de thawed) and triple rolls of tatami with little effort.

What I'm wrong about is that this sword can thrust and do it quite well. It's point control is surprisingly good and it went totally through one of those turkeys, bones and all, and these are quite a bit bigger and more robust than a chicken.

I have doubts against mail armor but against someone with no armor or non metallic light armor such as leather, it's going in deep.