I do not want to further confuse the Thegn or Burgundian topic that now includes the Knight, but the fact that the Thegn is shorter than the Knight will also have a huge effect on how the sword feels and the authority or presence of the blade., that is the longer Knight blade would have more presence. I only say this because I used to have a Sovereign and although it is different to the Thegn the effects of a shorter blade were clear. Furthermore as the Chevalier has been mentioned I must say that having handled an Oakeshott with an identical blade as the Chevalier made my very nimble Knight feel like a brick in comparism. Also I doubt the Thegn handle would be limited to hammer grip as the pommel shape would allow it to rest at an angle against the flesh at the base of the thumb to enable a handshake grip

Being something of a "sword glutton" I have to admit to owning and using most of the swords mentioned in this thread. Here are my impressions, for whatever they're worth.

Thegn - (pronounced "thane" or "theyn"...I had to look it up when I bought the sword) A very light sword with a short-feeling 3.5" grip. The light weight hilt fittings lead to a balance point (on mine) of about 5.5". While the blade has a substantial amount of presence, it is still very quick in recovery. I rate the handling qualities and cutting performance very high. But the short grip puts a lot of people off. It definitely indicates a hand shake grip with the pommel secured in the palm at the end of the stroke. Many people don't like that about the Thegn, but I love it and find it very comfortable.

Burgundian - A very stiff sword with both blade presence and extremely good point control. Handles great but it's not a good cutter, though it will cut. The blade is hollow ground and suffers on targets like tatami as the reinforcing central ridge makes contact with the cutting medium and imparts drag. The Burgundian definitely seems to me like the optimized swordly sidearm for fighting an armoured foe.

Knight - The standard for a knightly sword, IMO. It's a good cutter and has good point control. Better for cutting than thrusting, but the tip is still useable. I personally think you can't go wrong with a Knight as your first (or second) Albion sword.

Caithness - A wonderful cutter with many of the handling attributes of the Knight, but with a bit more blade presence and slightly better cutting performance, at least for me. Some of this may be due to the lobed pommel that forms a very comfortable pivot point against the heel of my palm. I own all four of the Albion Type XII swords, but if I had to get rid of all but one, the Caithness would be the one I would keep.

Laird - just about the same handling qualities as the Caithness, except with an Irish flair to the hilt. Very similar feel to the blade as with the Caithness, and the hilt feels almost identical to the Knight. All the Albion Type XIIs are good cutters.

Hey Mike, I know you have the Knightly as well and read multiple times that you actually prefer it over the Knight because it has a lighter pommel. I have Bill's old Knightly and I am seriously wondering if it is harmonically balanced. It cuts light targets great but on hard ones the pommel vibrates so badly, it actually hurts my hand. What is your experience regarding cutting heavier targets with the Knightly?

Btw, normally I'd ask you that over at SBG but I just saw your name in the thread... and since we're talking about Albion's XII it kinda fits in here.

Not sure how to answer that Lukas. It sounds like you may have a problem with the harmonics, but I couldn't say without the sword in hand. My Squire Line Knightly's different handling isn't so much from lighter hilt furniture as it is that the blade is a very beefy version, distally speaking. I have a DBK custom scabbard made to fit all the Albion Type XII swords. It perfectly fits my Caithness, my Laird, and both of my Next Gen Knights. But my SL Knightly will barely be pushed into the scabbard. I would hazard a guess that the blade is probably around 3-4 ounces heavier than a standard Albion Type XII blade. I personally like this, as it makes for a unique sword that has a personality all its own.

I tried out Sean Stevens' Squire Line Knightly, and it was a totally different story. That one felt almost exactly like a Next Gen Knight. This all just goes to show that while Albion swords are standard production pieces, each individual piece can have its own personality, at least to some degree.

How do you think a knight would look with a green grip and blued pommel and hilt?

not really concerned with it being historically accurate most wanting something different and wether or not the color combo would work

John go to Albion Europes page, they have a section on flikr with different hilt finishes. No green grip but plenty of blued hilts. They all look good and Albion do a fantastic green for their grips as seen on the Albion USA page in the Regent photo's section. I think the combo would look good. Either that or their blue grip colour

It has been a long process but I think I have decided on the thegn and will just learn the handshake grip if I have too. Might not have too since I am a smaller dude only 5'8" 190 lbs with relatively small hands. Thank you all for your answers you were all more than helpful.

I have a Thegn and i do a lot of cutting with it .............that is one of my favorite sword for cutting.....( i have 6 other Albion swords including the Tritonia which is a "Cuttingmonster")
Don´t think too much about the length of the grip. You have to check this by yourself. I am not a small boy but i feel very safe and pleasant with the grip of the Thegn.......and i love it.
Keep in mind that this is a sword for the bare hand. I never use this sword with a glove !

Finaly ...the weight.

You can´t really compare the Thegn with the Burgundian.....these are too different.

Any chance you could recommend someone to make me a scabbard for the Thegn preferably without me having too send the sword too them.