[Hector A.]

Hello Forum,

I am new to this forum and am posting here my first ever review. This will not be a complete review with different sections like fit and finish, handling etc... But more of a quick "my impressions and things to note" on each one of these swords. I hope it will help somebody who like me has read countless reviews on X or Y sword and just needs a quick honest impression on a sword in particular.

Keep in mind that what i say is based on my personal experience and feeling on these swords and opinions might vary from my own .

Back story: I have been wanting to buy swords for a very long time and finally found the time and money to research about them to make my first entry into this beautiful world of sword collecting. After many months of reading endless reviews about manufacturers, swords or simple history I finally made my decision to go with Albion. Living in Europe I of course turned myself to Albion Europe to make my purchases. I got myself a total of 5 swords.


The swords in question are: - The Decurio.

- The 13th C Knightly.

- The I:33. ( Got two for sparring with my wife )

- The Alexandria.

The Decurio: First things i noticed with this sword is its a lot more menacing visually and in hand than the Albion photo's might suggest (this is a good thing), primarily because of its length and width that are very poorly represented on the website. Its also much more beautiful, on the website it looks rather plain and simple, a real workmanlike blade. In reality the double fuller, bronze fittings at the base of the blade and the way it has been peened gives it a lot of charm, the word that comes to mind is : Sexy.
Regarding its handling its blade heavy, and instinctively wants you to chop at things with it, rather then stab or slash. The wood pommel is extremely grip-able, so much so that even when u swing recklessly you never loss grip or feel like your going to let go. Overall a beautiful Sword.
Note: Was ordered sharp, but was barely sharp at all.

The 13th C Knightly: This sword is a classic, Plain Jane (in the best of ways) and great value for money. I would recommend this one as a first buy to anybody on the market for his first medieval sword or Albion. To me the type XII blade with its 3/4 fuller and spear like flat tip is very attractive. Interesting things to note are the grip made of leather is a lot more cleanly done than on the stock photos from the Albion website, and a real joy to hold in hand when you are not wearing gloves, also contrary to what i thought before i got it, when wet does not slip.
When handling the sword seems lighter than the Decurio and ofc due to its COG is a lot more controllable.
Warning: Despite buying the sword blunt, the tip is pointy and CUTS if struck with low to moderate force.

The I:33: Got two of them, one for me and my wife so we can train together. They are both very different from one another. After carefully analyzing them both, one has a thinner blade and thicker pommel, making it a lot more easy to handle than the other, however the other strikes with more authority. To compare to my other swords the better handling I:33 handles almost like the Knightly, the other more towards the Decurio blade heavy theme.
In terms of performance blade on blade, we have been training for 3 days, full force in all manners of ways and apart for scratches and extremely small bites on the edge ( because of those more vicious edge on edge contacts ) the blade have suffered almost no damage. I can imagine they will last easily a few years of this abuse before giving in.
Recommended if you need a 1 handed sparring sword. But be warned it would seem they vary a lot from one another.

The Alexandria: Best for last, many of you might be here because of this one, seeing as it is pretty new, and little reviews have been done on it so far ( most are about its brother the Principe ).
First thing that comes to mind when i sow and picked up this sword is: Respect. It is a scary weapon to say the least. At first you might feel like you want to cut with it, but quickly realize its just as comfortable and at home stabbing, maybe a better word is PIERCING. It certainly can do both perfectly(cut and thrust).
Its heavy but feels a LOT lighter in hand. The control is the best out of all of the above. The grip is good quality, visually pleasing and comfortable when used 2 handed, if used 1 hand can because uncomfortable after a time (I used no gloves).
I ordered it sharp and it came razor sharp! I cut the tip of my finger on the edge when i passed my finger lightly on it, i was expecting it to be sharp like the Decurio ( that turns out was not sharp at all ). Keep in mind this is my first buy's from Albion so i did not know what to expect .
Final Thoughts: If i could only have 1 sword it would be this one! Its a scary, do it all, resistant, beautiful WAR SWORD. To me the ultimate knights weapon.

Review of Albion Europe: The website is very simple to navigate but often has flash errors... I like it more than Albion US. Søren who runs Albion Europe is a very friendly and patient persons, my customer service experience was outstanding with him and i would like to thank him for it. I can attest Albion swords are of great quality and i will be buying from them again.

I hope you enjoyed my little reviews.

Have a good day.

I will be answering further questions if anybody has them.

ps: It was late at night and i was tired, my english might be off.

[Bryan Heff]

Thanks for the post. Very nice descriptions. If you have could, some pictures of the swords would be fantastic. Thanks again.

[Peter Johnsson]

Thank you for taking the time to posting your impressions Hector.
It is very valuable feedback for me as the designer of these swords and good information for any and all who might be interested in Albion swords but have yet no personal experience of them.

[Ben G.]

Thanks so much for the info....the 13 c. Knightly Sword buy Albion looks really good, and the reviews on it look great also. Seems to fit my price range rather well. If I get one I would be willing to pay extra for it to be sharpened. Do they come with a sheath? Or is the sheath extra?

[Roger Hooper]

No sheaths or scabbards from Albion. Once upon a time they did make very expensive scabbards, but no more.

Your best bet would be to send it (or have Albion send it for you?) to Jonathan Sarge at Crusader Monk - he can make you a good, reasonably priced scabbard. Another place for scabbards - Yeshua's Also - Christian Fletcher where you can buy the Albion and have the scabbard made at that location.