Hi everyone,
I hope you are all having a pleasant week. I read the review on the Albion Laird, and I am considering purchasing it since Albion is having a sale with 25% off listed price. I just wanted to know, how good is the Laird at cutting in general? Not just soft targets, but harder targets as well? What is the hardest object you have cut with it? Any personal experiences would be appreciated...700$ is a lot to spend on a sword, especially for a college student.

I can't answer any of your questions at the moment, but I can once I get mine in (ordered one due to the sale, along with a poitier) :D

I have a Laird but I have not used it for cutting. Mine is a hair under the specified weight and is very fast, but does not have quite the blade presence of most dedicated cutting swords. On the other hand, the Knight, which is built on the same blade as the Laird, seems to have a very good reputation among those who have cut with it, so it may depend as much on how you are cutting as what you are cutting.
By direct comparison my Vigil and Gotland both have more blade presence and feel like they would hit harder when swung up around full speed. In practical use, however, the Laird might cut just as well or even bettter when using tighter, less dramatic movements such as you might use when facing an opponent who can defend and hit back.

I was extremely impressed with the Laird. It's love-it-or-hate-it looks probably cause many people to overlook it, but when I was at a "sword gathering" a few years ago, and someone brought one, I couldn't put it down! While cutting with it, I was able to maintain its path with ease, almost fluidly! Though it shares the same blade with the Knight, I somewhat preferred the Laird because it didn't feel as blade-heavy (to me). Since the Laird's cross bends toward the point, I didn't have any problems with the hilt rubbing against my hands while wielding it - an issue I did have with the Knight whose cross is straight. My hands are rather large and "fleshy." Both the Laird and Knight (I was able to hold them side by side) have very comfortable grips that aren't so short that your hand covers half the pommel.

It's one of those swords that if brought to a gathering, it may not be the first one picked up. I test-drove the Laird simply because it was the only one I hadn't played with yet. "Wow!" said I. I had the same impression with the Ritter.

I hope this helps! You're right, that's a lot of money to part with, so I don't blame you at all for wanting to get as much info as possible.

I find the Laird to be my favorite cutting sword. I've only cut milk jugs with it, but it also has great point control in the thrust against them. I have small hands and I'm short as well, and I find the Laird ideal for all types of drills. It feels almost weightless in the hand and while not having a great "blade presence" very effective cuts are possible with minimal effort from either the wrist or the arm as well as back cuts.
I bought mine from another forumite, but if I hadn't, the 25% off sale would be enough to make me purchase one.
It also looks too cool hanging next to my antique map of Scotland.W

I haven't handled the Laird specifically, but I own it's cousin, the Knight. The Knight is a robust sword that's a joy to cut with. It can easily carve deep cuts into the thick cardboard carpet tubing. If you haven't looked at it closely, the cardboard used for carpet tubes is very dense and thick, not at all like a cardboard box- it's a difficult medium to cut compared to milk jugs, pool noodles or pumpkins. Similarly, the Knight has little problem hewing through 1 inch diameter saplings.

In one of my first cutting experiments against a lamb roast, I was even able to cleave through a chunk of bone that was roughly one centimetre wide! Considering that dead bone is significantly tougher to cut than living bone, that's not an insignificant achievement.

Because the Laird has the same blade as the Knight, I would expect it has performs much the same when cutting. Based upon my results, all three of which were against harder cutting mediums, I'd say the Laird would be an excellent cutter for your money. I'd also highly recommend the Knight as well.