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JE Sarge
Industry Professional
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 Posted: Sat 15 Jun, 2013 11:35 am Post subject: Crusader Monk: Angus Trim Maker's Mark Type XVIa |
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I don't post very often about my personal swords, so today, since things are slow, I will get something in here for you guys.
Now, I recently did some wheeling and dealing with a friend and forumite to acquire this Angus Trim Maker's Mark Type XVIa. I have to say, I really, really, REALLY love this sword. As most of you know, I work a lot with swords. As such, I'm no longer easily impressed with them. In the last year, I have only came across perhaps 5 out of 400 that really impressed the hell out of me. I now own 3 of those. This blade is one of those.
Dynamically, this sword handles nearly identically to my Odinblade Morrigan, which is a favorite in my collection. The exception with this ATrim is that it's naturally more historical in design than the Odinblade naturally. Aesthetically, the blade geometry wants you to believe it is a leaf-blade, having a graceful curve and flow to an acute thrusting tip, which always hits right on the mark.
This sword is FAST, FAST, FAST. Did I say it was fast? As a bastard sword with a 32" blade, the blade lends itself to phenominal cutting. It's extremely nimble, blade recovery is effortless, and I can quickly flow though Fiore's poste like I was Conan the Barbarian in my shoppe; something which my family has seen me do more than once.
The scabbard is pretty basic for the sword, as I see this as a working blade. The cover is black with natural hemp risers, along with a simple stylized chape. My suspension of preference is an integrated oxblood baldric, which looks good and is simply awesome at events/conventions. I can easily re-position the blade while walking as not to trip people, and when I sit, the sword can easily be slipped off and laid in my lap. From a tactical standpoint, I prefer this type of suspension because I can simply drop the scabbard and not have a 3ft trip hazard hanging from my hip. 
The pommel decor was originally silver, but I found when refinishing the blade it was actually copper with a silver plating. Since I prefer the copper finish, I stripped off all the silver for a little better contrast on it.
Anyway, just wanting to state what an incredible blade this is. I really do love it!
Oh, BTW - YOU NO CAN HAZ! NOT FOR SALEZ! 
J.E. Sarge
Crusader Monk Sword Scabbards and Customizations
www.crusadermonk.com
"But lack of documentation, especially for such early times, is not to be considered as evidence of non-existance." - Ewart Oakeshott
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Roger Hooper
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| Posted: Sat 15 Jun, 2013 11:55 am Post subject: |
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Mighty nice -
Do you have a closup photo of the pommel decoration? It looks like a Sun In Splendour. Who made it?
All the Makers Mark swords are great designs. I have the Makers Mark Triple-Fullered XIII (predecessor to AT1326) and it's one of my favorites.
If Evolution Arms comes out with a XVIa, I will probably jump on it. Hopefully it will be as good as your XVIa.
Could you ID the other 4 out of 400 that impressed you?
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Bryan Heff
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| Posted: Sat 15 Jun, 2013 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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It is a beauty. I like the way the blade stays fairly wide for a pretty good portion of its length before it gets to the point. Looks like the grip is 7-8", on a 32" blade I BET it's nimble.
What is the grip length on this one?
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JE Sarge
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Sat 15 Jun, 2013 2:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Roger Hooper wrote: | ...Do you have a closup photo of the pommel decoration? It looks like a Sun In Splendour. Who made it?
...Could you ID the other 4 out of 400 that impressed you? |
The pommel decor is not a sun in spendour heraldic device. It's a intricate geometric design which looks nearly Islamic in origin. I am not sure who made it, but it was affixed by the previous owner onto this particular Maker's Mark model. Maybe he will chime in and let us know what it is exactly.
Out of the last few hundred swords, the ones that impressed me most were:
1. ATrim Maker's Mark Type XVIa (this one)
2. ATrim 1326 (which I bought from the customer)
3. Odinblade Morrigan (which I traded for with the customer)
4. A&A Grunwald (on my list to order this year)
5. a Michael Pikula Viking model (which I would have given the customer my first born child for)
J.E. Sarge
Crusader Monk Sword Scabbards and Customizations
www.crusadermonk.com
"But lack of documentation, especially for such early times, is not to be considered as evidence of non-existance." - Ewart Oakeshott
Last edited by JE Sarge on Mon 17 Jun, 2013 6:31 am; edited 1 time in total
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Roger Hooper
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| Posted: Sat 15 Jun, 2013 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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Ah, the Grunwald! That sword is on my list too. I saved the photo when you published one here wearing a Crusader Monk scabbard
 Attachment: 94.51 KB
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JE Sarge
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Sun 16 Jun, 2013 6:57 am Post subject: |
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| Roger Hooper wrote: | | Ah, the Grunwald! That sword is on my list too. I saved the photo when you published one here wearing a Crusader Monk scabbard |
Oh, that sword is so very sweet. Handles like a dream! 
J.E. Sarge
Crusader Monk Sword Scabbards and Customizations
www.crusadermonk.com
"But lack of documentation, especially for such early times, is not to be considered as evidence of non-existance." - Ewart Oakeshott
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Dan K. F.
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| Posted: Sat 17 Aug, 2013 11:38 am Post subject: |
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| JE Sarge wrote: |
Out of the last few hundred swords, the ones that impressed me most were:
1. ATrim Maker's Mark Type XVIa (this one)
2. ATrim 1326 (which I bought from the customer)
3. Odinblade Morrigan (which I traded for with the customer)
4. A&A Grunwald (on my list to order this year)
5. a Michael Pikula Viking model (which I would have given the customer my first born child for) |
I had my eye on the Grunwald for a while and still might pick it up at some point so it's good to hear it made such an impression on you. I'm just wondering though, why no Albions on your list? I'm not an Albion loyalist (I'm a complete novice to sword collecting so I've neither owned one nor even handled one before), but they seem to be very highly regarded as far as historical accuracy and handling goes. Also the Grunwald is not a cheap sword by any means but it does seem to be priced at the lower end of the high end production swords. Did you notice anything about this sword that would suggest why it was priced lower than some of the offerings from other premium manufacturers?
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JE Sarge
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Sat 17 Aug, 2013 3:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Dan K. F. wrote: |
I'm just wondering though, why no Albions on your list? I'm not an Albion loyalist (I'm a complete novice to sword collecting so I've neither owned one nor even handled one before), but they seem to be very highly regarded as far as historical accuracy and handling goes. Also the Grunwald is not a cheap sword by any means but it does seem to be priced at the lower end of the high end production swords. Did you notice anything about this sword that would suggest why it was priced lower than some of the offerings from other premium manufacturers? |
There are no Albions on my list because I am a bit of a special case. Albion makes a wonderful product, it's just that in my huge (XXL) hands, their narrow grip diameters don't work - moreso if my hand is in a glove or gauntlet. So, in my case, the shoe does not fit. Not that their is anything wrong with the product, it's just not compatible with me.
A&A products have been less expensive than Albions for many, many moons - but in my opinion, their product is comparable to Albion as far as functionality and quality of construction go. Albion does have a higher finish level and more intricate grip detail if these is of importance for you (but for me, I can improve these things easily myself). A&A is a premium manufacturer in my opinion, one of the original Big Three, which was considered at one point years ago to be Albion, A&A, and Angus Trim. Give me a choice of any Albion singlhander and the Grunwald, I'd pick the Grunwald - but this is due to my personal preference only. The sword just works better for me. I have some older handforged A&As which are the cat's pajamas in my collection - I love them!
You'd not go wrong with either brand sword though. Both are solid quality, it just depends on what you are looking for...
J.E. Sarge
Crusader Monk Sword Scabbards and Customizations
www.crusadermonk.com
"But lack of documentation, especially for such early times, is not to be considered as evidence of non-existance." - Ewart Oakeshott
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Dan K. F.
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| Posted: Sun 18 Aug, 2013 10:20 am Post subject: |
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| JE Sarge wrote: | | A&A products have been less expensive than Albions for many, many moons - but in my opinion, their product is comparable to Albion as far as functionality and quality of construction go. Albion does have a higher finish level and more intricate grip detail if these is of importance for you (but for me, I can improve these things easily myself). |
Please excuse my ignorance JE, but can you expand on this? What would I expect to see (or not see) in the finish of an Albion vs. an A&A? I have heard A&A doesn't always get the blade design exactly as it should be (eg. I've read that the Grunwald's blade profile close to the tip is apparently more diamond-shaped than usual for a XIII) whereas Albions are exact reproductions of the blades they are based on.
Also, to my admittedly inexperienced eye, Albion hilts often appear to have a much simpler appearance compared to less expensive alternatives. A lot of A&A swords have inscriptions or patterns in the crossguard and sometimes even wire wrap on the hilt (I know Albion offers this too but only as an optional upgrade).
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Christopher B Lellis
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| Posted: Sun 18 Aug, 2013 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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| JE Sarge wrote: | | Roger Hooper wrote: | ...Do you have a closup photo of the pommel decoration? It looks like a Sun In Splendour. Who made it?
...Could you ID the other 4 out of 400 that impressed you? |
The pommel decor is not a sun in spendour heraldic device. It's a intricate geometric design which looks nearly Islamic in origin. I am not sure who made it, but it was affixed by the previous owner onto this particular Maker's Mark model. Maybe he will chime in and let us know what it is exactly.
Out of the last few hundred swords, the ones that impressed me most were:
1. ATrim Maker's Mark Type XVIa (this one)
2. ATrim 1326 (which I bought from the customer)
3. Odinblade Morrigan (which I traded for with the customer)
4. A&A Grunwald (on my list to order this year)
5. a Michael Pikula Viking model (which I would have given the customer my first born child for) |
When you receive the Grunwald, check the specs such as COB and weight, mine was not as advertised, but it's not a complaint, it turned out I prefer the way I got it over what the advertised specs are because I had that version first. It's more robust while still being very lively in the hand and feeling like a battlefield sword. The grip is very nice as well although I tend to prefer the stitched side facing my fingers, not my palm. I also need to hold it as tightly to the quillons as I can or the pommel starts to rub on the heel of my palm.
Did you notice any of this when you handled it? I assume you did since you have it as your top 5 favorite.
Good choice though, the Grunwald is my second favorite 1 hander, a close second to the Albion vigil. If you are one of those collectors that actually cut with their swords, you won't be let down, it's devastating against pork flesh. It cuts deep and goes through thick bones like nothing.
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