Mr. Smith,

My guess is that you are going to come to appreciate the handling of your Crecy more and more. I have experienced the same thing with several of my Albions. Most noticably, when I first received my Tritonia, it felt very cumbersome and blade heavy in hand, and I felt disappointed, because it was the first Albion where I truly did not care for the handling of the sword.

But, as I spent more time striking and thrusting with it, I came to realize that my initial perceptions were very distorted. I had not held a sword in my hand for some time, so consequently, it felt really heavy in hand. Moreover, I was out of shape at the time, which affected my perception as well. Striking with the Tritonia revealed that the sword was indeed well balanced- it just had a heft and blade presence that I had never encountered before in a single handed sword. The Tritonia will never handle like a sword such as the Knight, but it is clearly a well made and well balanced fighting sword, and I have come to appreciate its unique feel when practicing with it.

I think you will discover over time, especially if you spend much time striking and thrusting with the Crecy, that it is a very well-balanced sword, and that it is a particularly good marriage of cutting and thrusting capacity. I suspect that, after a time, you may discover that it is one of your favourite long swords, both for appearance and handling.

Thanks for the words of encouragement Craig. I'm sure you're right that the handling will feel better once I get acustomed to it. Also, as somemone else pointed out, being a complete noob to swords myself, I'm sure the issue is as much my persecption and lack of experience as anything.

As for the appearance, it was love at first sight, both on the computer screen and in real life. Asthetically it is everything I want in a sword.

I think that the Crecy will grow on you. It was my first sword as well (black grip), and so far has been one of the only pieces in my collection I have not considered selling. I am also attracted to its "classic" look and clean lines. I was a bit surprised to read that you felt it was the worst-handling sword of the ones you saw in person; I have always felt that it was quite nice in the hand. I am sure the more time you spend with it the more you will like it. :)

I just stumbled upon this thread, and thought it coincidental that I had just ordered my first (and only) sword and scabbard (both an Albion and a custom scabbard from Brian @ DBK).

I actually opted for the Squire, as the sword will be the showpiece of a family coat of arms project that I'd been thinking of for a while, and needed to go hand in hand with a shield. I'm a one handed sword kind of guy, and I particularly like the simple, workman-like appearance of the Squire. Plus, it's a bit meaner looking than the Knight (which is another favorite) while being more versatile (cutting/thrusting point) which is always good to have when the zombie apocalypse comes ;)

The Crecy is a very beautiful sword, and had I been in the market for a hand and a half sword, I would have snapped it up in a pinch. It's going to take quite a while before I get to put the sword and scabbard together, as both are full custom jobs (even the Albion will have a custom ordinary marked on the opposing side of sword maker's mark), but it just adds to the excitement.

I don't collect things, I'm not into weapons, but I have always loved knights, swords and armor. I'm not even a big fantasy buff, but for some reason these things have a resonance that has far outlasted their practical usefulness.

Congrats to Mr. Smith on his first purchase! If you're half as excited as I am, the day that big cardboard box settles on your doorstep can't come fast enough.

Congrats to you as well Mr. Hobbes! The Crecy and the Squire share the same blade style, so you obviously have excellent tastes. ;)

Be sure to post pictures when you get it. Mine is not custom, and they estimate it will be comepleted roughly January 1st. I'm crossing my fingers that they will kick it out a little early in time for Christmas. :lol:

The Crecy is the only two-handed sword I've got in my collection, and I will happily assert that it's my second-favorite sword after my Doge. It's surprisingly responsive.

I'm sure you'll be happy with it.