[Nathan Bell]

Hello all,

Thanks to all the attendees, and a thanks to Mike and the folks of Albion, my party was a rrousing success.

Although the numbers were a bit smaller than anticipated, seven attendees got together to cut, handle swords, spar, and generally immerse themselves in swords and weapons all day.

We cut until the sun went down!

Attendees, please chime in and give any and all comments ont he swords, the party, and the day in general?


Here is the first pic: the Albion swords in anticipation of the big day. (Chad and Joe brought 4 more next gens to add to the mix)

[Nathan Bell]

Here are a couple of Joe Fults.

Did I mention we killed a lot of pool noodles? Approximately 100 noodles sacrificed themselves for our entertainment!

[Nathan Bell]

Others get into the act

Shane Allee with his Kris cutlery Celtic

and David Kite with the Landgraf(?)---he moves so darn fast it's hard to tell sometimes!

[Nathan Bell]

The ARMA folks--Joe Fults, David Kite, Jeff Gentry and Jeff Hsieh---showed us a thing or two about WMA.

Their perspective was quite an addition when handling the blades!

[Nathan Bell]

At times there was a lot going on at once, which I really liked, big fun!

Bottle cutting, noodle cutting, sparringa nd dry handling---even some franciscae throwing...

[Nathan Bell]

But of course, cutting was focus, with all the cool high-end Albion toys to play with!


Here are Chad, Jeff Gentry in the "on deck circle" and David Kite skulking in the bushes (actually cutting bottles)

In the second picture, Jeff Gentry charges a pool noodle in a last twilight assault on the holdout Forces of Foam....


Thanks again to all the attendees: Jeff Gentry, David Kite, Jeff Hsieh, Chad A., Joe Fults, Shane and Julie Allee---you guys made this little get together really fun.

Thanks also to Albion for supplying the centerpieces for our enjoyment!

Hope to see youa ll again some time in the future!

Nate

[David Kite]

WARNING!!! Pictures do not do these swords justice!

Many thanks to Albion for allowing us to play with swords we don't own, and thanks to Nate for hosting this 2nd Round Table. This thing really is a good idea.

It was also great to have such a variety of sword types present (thanks in part to Chad and Joe) which for me made it much more educational as I was able to directly compare the handling of several different sword types.

Squire line Viking-- It was great to get to finally see first-hand and play with this anticipated line of blunts. Except for the lack of detail in the hilt, this sword could almost pass for a Next Gen. My only concern however, is the edge. Granted I have never done any type of drills or sparring with steel blunts so I can't speak with any experience or authority, but I would much prefer a thicker edge on these swords. IMO, even going slow, being struck with so fine an "edge" would cause no small amount of pain, and any intent may result in more or less serious damage to your person. What I recommend here to Albion is to send a couple of these swords as "testers" to groups who do engage in steel on steel (perhaps to ARMA Houston or ARMA Provo as examples) so they could give more qualified feedback. Otherwise very nice.


Museum line Brescia-- I was actually disappointed in this blade when I finally saw it in person. The photos at Albion's site never did do too much for me. And even after seeing it "for real", the cross isn't really my taste, the blade is shorter than I'm used to on longswords, and it tapers very acutely very quickly, giving it an almost "puny" appearance. THEN we went outside and I got to play with it. The more I picked it up the more difficult it was to put it down. Very fast and very agile. The only other sword there that even compared was the Regent. This sword has definitely moved near the top of my "to buy" list. Hot damn! My only standing complaint is the pommel. It was very irritating to the palm of my hand, even through my gloves. Whether this is something that I will grow accustomed to, or whether the metal will "wear" over time with use I don't know. I'm not questioning the faithfulness to the original, but when I (eventually) buy this sword, I may ask Albion to soften the lines on the pommel a little to make it more comfortable.


The Baron-- Still a monster of a weapon. Wonderful for full arm strikes and very powerful, but naturally not as agile as some of the other longswords. This is NOT a complaint, just an oberservation on the sword. If you want a sword that will build strength and endurance, ladies and gentlemen, this is it.


The Landgraf-- Another very fast and light weapon. Agile and easily controlled, but it doesn't want to cut like the others. It feels like it can cut, but it would rather not. This weapon seemed to like to thrust, and felt very smooth and natural when maneuvered at the half-sword.


The Regent-- Still everybody's baby. What can I add that hasn't been said before? I can't think of anything so here it is again. Fast and agile. It liked to do everything. The air shrieked when it cut. I find the pommel on this sword uncomfortable as well because I'm used to actually gripping the pommel of my longswords, but with this sword it seems best if gripped just above the pommel.


Unfortunately I don't have very much experience or ability with single-handed weapons so I can't give any credible appraisal of those that were present. Suffice it to say they were all beautiful and I'm sure they were comparable in handling to the longswords in experienced hands. Though the Sovereign and the Prince/Squire I think were more my taste as far as handling.


It was great seeing again all the people I already knew and meeting the people I hadn't met before.

David Kite
ARMA in IN

[David Kite]

Quick correction, Nate. Though Jeff Hsieh is a really nice guy and seems skilled in sparring, he's not ARMA.

David Kite
ARMA in IN

[Joe Fults]

This was a very entertaining and worthwhile event as was its predecessor.

Some random thoughts.

Catalogs and release waivers were excellent additions as will be some potential future event tweaks that were discussed as being planned. Nate is a most excellent host with very understanding neighbors. Wrong turns near his neighborhod can become interesting very quickly.

Regent, Landgraf, and Baron...well known, dicussed, and familiar to all of us by now. All excellent weapons.

Gaddhjalt...wicked cutter and elegently simple. Easy to dial in. on the cut.

Bresica...somewhat lighter than expected. Competent cutter once sweet spot identified, I had to shorten my range somewhat to be effective. Thrusts are efficient. Wear a glove if you want to grip the pommel.

Gotland...solid cutter. Finish of pommel and guard not at the level of other Next Gen products I've handled. Is this intentional?

Templar...another very good cutter that is simple and efficient. Easy to dial in on the cut.

Sovereign...this is a dirty little in fighting, thrusty cuss. I'm normally using longswords to train. This little bruit required me to initiate my attacks in an unfamiliarly close proximity to my target and I struggled with it for a while. To me it really begs to close and get brutal. Dagger work with the study group, which I have missed a couple of times, would probably make me more comfortable and proficient with this tool. Probably the sword that left the most distinct handling impression on me during the exercise. People will either love it or hate it, depending on how they train to fight.

Squire and Prince...lumping them together because I do not recall very much performance or handling difference. I'm not sure if this is because I didn't notice or did not pay enough attention. I'm working from memory when I probably should have taken notes. I do know that the Squire spent less time on the table. From what I remember it was easy to find the range and sweep spot with it, and once dialed in it cut very effectively. Don't recall testing its thrusting ability but its profile suggests it should be ok in that catagory.

Of special interest to the ARMA attendees was the Squire Line sample. We were not disappointed, although I am confident in saying that those of us present were not completely comfortable with it as aparring tool. A DelTin on hand seemed more blunt. This may be because Albion is using a rounder edge and DelTin a flat edge. Some hesitation is due to the very diverse skill levels in the study groups represented. Some due to the fact that the Squire Line may not cut like a sharp, but its not a waster either, this one would cut with effort.

As has been previosly discussed in another thread, the Squire Line is very impressive for its price point and I am confident they will make a wonderful solo drill, first timer, reenactment, or theater tool. In fact I rather expect that several people in the study group I work with will secure Squire Line Bastard swords for drill. However, for WMA steel study with intent, I believe a somewhat different tool would be useful.

BTW...David gets my vote for best cut/cutting/sparring of the day.

Disclaimer: I am very new to WMA and HAVE not done steel on steel work. I am currently not all that confident of my control and the control of the people I practice with. This may change in time with practice and application. It would be very useful to get feedback from people with a reasonable level of experience in this area regarding the Squire Line blunts.

FLIP side of things is that I do intend to call Mike and secure a Squire Line 15th Centuary Bastard sword based on my inspection of the Viking. So obviously I like this product

[Chad Arnow]

Hey folks,
This was a lot of fun. Thanks to Nate for opening his home up to us, and to Albion for sending the toys.

Here are a couple of teaser pics. I'll upload all my pics into my photo album shortly.

[Chad Arnow]

Here they are:

http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/thumbnails.php?album=141

Enjoy!

[Patrick Kelly]

The real question is how many of you stuck around to help with the clean-up ?

It looks like everyone had a good time. Chad, I particularly like the look of your Sovreign with the bronze furniture. I don't usually go for bronze, but I really like that one.

[Chad Arnow]

[Jeff Hsieh]

Hello all,

Long time lurker and admirer, infrequent poster. Thanks to Nathan for a great time at his house on Saturday! I wish I could have stayed later, but my dad needed the car for a meeting that night (I felt like I was 17 again). It was great to meet everyone, and I enjoyed talking German longsword with Jeff and David, who are scholars and gentlemen. I look forward to facing that rapier again, David Hopefully I'll do better next time.

Here are some of my favorites:

1. Brescia - Everything David said and more. A lot of the other swords I liked were too much for daily carry, but this is a weapon I could wear all day around town. Pictures really do not do this one justice; I never gave it a second glance until I held it in my hands. After that, I was in love.

2. Sovreign - A vicious, compact, beautiful weapon. Like a loaded handgun, I was actually a bit afraid of it as I held it, thinking about the damage it could inflict with so little effort. It made me want to smash with the hilt and pommel. A real back-alley sword.

3. Squire - Elegant and graceful, a real fencer's weapon. This was the other one I could envision carrying around all day. The curve of the point blends perfectly with the lines in the hilt. A real work of art which felt like an extension of my arm.

4. Regent - If the Sovereign felt like a handgun, this sword is an assault rifle, loaded, safety off and clicked to full auto. The sense of danger I felt with the Sovreign was amplified about ten times with this sword. It doesn't feel blade or pommel heavy, just kind of there, and the way it flows from guard to guard is unbeliveable. Everybody else who was there can tell you that I could not put this one down!

I had a great time and I really enjoyed meeting everbody. See you at the next one!

[Nathan Bell]

[Jeff Gentry]

Hello all

Well what to say i have been to the Albion site many time's and have heard alot of good thing's about there sword's, i am not a collector and didn't see myself using a $700 sword to cut with well now i can see cutting with $1000 sword. lol

I was al little leary at first of the brescia the blade looked a little short for a hand and a half sword then i started to cut with it and it was so fast , and the size and shape of the gaurd and pommel were truly wicked weapon's in edition to the blade, i never quit figured out how to comfortably hold the pommel i think given time i would or it would were down through use .

If the squire line Viking sword is any indication of the new squire line i will most definitely be aquiring one of these, the viking sword was well balanced and very quick , it was IMO elegant in it's simplicity it look's as though it is totaly intended to be used and abused as a tool of war, i hope the other's are as simple/elegant, there was some talk among the "Practioner's" about it being to sharp IMO it was perfect to test cut and testing single technique's, i would buy two if they would thicken the edge profile some and use it to spar steel on steel to get a feel for steel combat .

The Regent well i like that fish tail pommel it take's a little getting used too, i want to wrap my hand around it, once you learn to snug up to it it is very sweet to use and very secure feeling.

Well i am not going to beat a dead horse here there isn't much i could say that hasn't been said , except hurry up with the squire line i want the bastard sword. lol

Jeff Gentry

[Nathan Bell]

Oh yes, I did forget folks---we should vote for the best cut, and give out that Gift Certificate...

I think my vote has to go to David, for not one, but 2 or 3 series of swift fore and back-hand hand cuts in succession with nary a pause.

Actually kind of scary to watch

[Joe Fults]

[Joe Fults]

[Shane Allee]

Here are a few of Julie's pics.