[Jason M. Rogers]

I have been doing some cutting with my Albion Sovereign type XIV. I have only cut with this specific type XIV blade.

I have cut about 20 bottles ranging from soft watter bottles to harder 20oz soda bottles. When I do my part, the Blade cleaves through cleanly. Sometimes even leaving the base of the soda bottle sitting on the stand. I have had no one to instruct me in person but I have read many posts on how to cut. In the hammer grip I have gotten no clean cuts, only in the handshake grip.

All these cuts have been at the COP. When attempting tip cuts I always bat the target away and feel a bit of vibration in the blade. Not uncomfprtably so, just enough to know a vibration is going on. The edge feels and looks uniformly sharp from the COB at the "a" Albion acid mark all the way to the tip. The edge is sharp enough to cut printer paper.

Is this inability to cut with the tip something inherent in the width of the cutting section of the tip ,type X would do better, or is it poor handling? I suspect it is some combination of both.

Would anyone care to comment on the tip cutting proformance of various blade types?

[Jeremy V. Krause]

Types X, Xa, XIIIa and b, and to a lesser degree, type XI, XIa, XII, and XIIa are more optimally designed for tip cuts. Type IV's like the Sovereign, have some ability for this but are more designed for the thrust, though such a thrust would target more lightly armored opponents or areas. I would be careful using a XIV for tip cuts as you wouldn't want to bend the tip.

Hope that's helpful,

[Peter Johnsson]

I do not think you will bend the tip of the Sovereign. It will not be as efficient in tip cuts as those types with wider points, just like Jeremy pointed out.
If you want to see how you can optimize it for tip cutting you may want to try putting a honing stone to the edge of the point. Making it more sharply biting may help.
This type of point is designed for thrusting, more than cutting. Even if you can deliver useful cuts on a more solid target, it will be more demanding on technique when cutting light targets.