[Jimi Edmonds]

Right I have been thinking about aquiring an NG line sword, and have narrowed it down to either:
The Talhoffer, The Ringeck, The Fiore, The Earl, or The Munich.. as I am a practioner of the Liechtenaur styled sword arts all of these swords would fit.
The Talhoffer looks cool, if it has a brown or light brown grip, but then the Fiore looks cooler, more so than the Ringeck, maybe if it [Ringeck] had the Talhoffers pommel? Although the Fiore, I'm not sure on the disk pommel as I quite like scented style...but still its nice.
Then we go to the more 'war sword' style with the XVIIIb type blades, and I like both the Munich and the Earl, its a hard toss up between the two both look cool! Though then again I like the scent stopper of the Earl over the disk of the Munich...

From what I have read on all these swords they all seem to handle well and all seem to be good cutters, the XVa blades are better so they say [on these sword lines] espicailly the Talhoffer, but its more for what I like the feel and look of best, as of the moment I am leaning toward the Earl, maybe a campiagn brown grip or oxblood? half wire would be nice...

So you out there if you had to chose any of thee above what would it be and what coloured/type grip? and if you already own any of them how well would you rate them?

cheers!!

[Lloyd Winter]

Of the XVa's I'd probably pick the Fiore of the ones you listed, but personally the Agincourt is my favorite Albion XVa.
Of the type XVIIIbs my favorite is definitely the Munich although the blade on the Earl is sweet.

so in descending order
Munich
Earl
Fiore

For grips I usually go with brown leather. I'm not a big fan of wire wraps for myself, at least not for medieval swords.

However it seems that you prefer scent stopper pommels so I'd say go with what appeals to you the most. I know I will almost always gravitate to a sword with a curved cross and a wheel pommel.

[Joe Fults]

I've owned three of them and handled another...impossible to go wrong with any of them.

I've owned an Earl and ultimately sold it because I could get much more money out of it than I put into it.

I then picked up a Munich and I sold it because I could get much more money out of it than I put into it.

I then bought a Ringeck and still have it. Cuts like...well...a sword. If you use a scent stopper for anything you will love the pommel. Have handled a Talhoffer and you only think you want that pommel instead. Both work real good. Both feel real good. The swords are so close to each other that this choice can really come down to looks in my opinion (although there are some balance differences between all of the XVa). I have not spent time with the Fiore but disk pommels are real darn nice once you begin to understand how you can use them. Again, there is no wrong answer here, just whatever answer you like best. So, about now you're probably thinking that I'm saying you should do one of the XVa's. Not necessarily but I really like them because they are very accessible swords for me.

The Earl is just slightly longer for the same weight but I remember it feeling like a more robust sword than the XVa. I really had to use it with two hands to be completely in control of it, but when I did, it cut and performed very well and I really liked it. The Earl is just flat fun and pretty. I "think" it also cut a little better than the XVa's but I suspect user makes more difference than sword. For me it probably comes down to the fact that the COG is a bit father out on the Earl than any of the XVa models. If you're a bigger strong guy it may still effectively be a bastard sword for you. If you are less big and burly, you're buying a sword you will use two handed if you really want to get what it can give.

Then we come to the Munich. It may seem a bit more subtle on the surface but its special. I never name my swords and I've quite a few over the years, but I named my Munich "Shatter Spike". Probably completely cliche and I assume I lifted the name from a game or book someplace along the way, but if ever there was a Shatter Spike, this sword is it. I really don't know how else to describe it other than to say it is a spike of steel. Other swords are clearly blades. This thing is a spike that cuts and cuts well. When you play with it you just know the Munich could pry a knight out of his can and be happy doing it. Especially at the half sword IMO. To me it screamed that it was a knight's tool for killing other knights. Not fighting knights. Not capturing knights. The Munich just flat out lets you know its for killing them. No other sword has done that for me. The only thing I did not love about the Munich is the grip. Its narrow. My hands are big so it only really felt "right" when I had thick-ish gloves on. That said its a darn neat sword and one that I would somehow love to get hold of again.

So my recommendation...get a XVa and a Munich if you're an average guy! If you're a stronger chap and like the feel or idea of a war sword with a bit more blade presence, go for an Earl. All of these are great swords. The Ringeck has proven to be the idea sword for me, but damn that Munich still tugs at me!

[Joe Fults]

Color I tend to go conservative and do basic black because I have a color vision defect. I *think* the only color I really don't like that much was a green they once did that no longer seems to be an option.

[Scott Hanson]

I have the Earl, it's a great sword. My brother has the Talhoffer, also a great sword. I'd have to say that either of those is an excellent choice. I've handled a Munich, and that was pretty nice too, but I really prefer scent stopper pommels. I agree that the Earl has an excellent blade presence, feels pretty formidable.

[Jimi Edmonds]

Cool, as for the Munich, even with its disk pommel, it looks mean, same with the Earl though being smaller just looks robust.. as I use the Maestro line Liechtenauer, the Earl is close to the weight and size, but then with Joes comment on the Ringeck, [I have thought about this sword] it would look cool with a tapered grip, and is an ok looking sword and Joe still has it over the other two that he parted with!...cost wise its cheaper than the Earl but as I wrote the Earl looks to be very tough nut!
If I have the coin I'd take the two XVIIIb's and either the Fiore or Ringeck...doesn't take much to get back into the swing of useing a disk pommeled sword..

Though the more I look at the Ringeck the more I like it, same as the Earl... dramas! Dramas! and the former is the cheaper!

[Craig Peters]

[Joe Fults]

[D. S. Smith]

Of the swords you mentioned, the only one I've handled was the Earl. It was sort of a funny story actually. I was mainly checking out single handed swords and one hand and a half. I'd never really cared for the looks of the two handers and the Earl had never caught my eye either. Having never handled a sword before, my brother and I were both blown away by the feel of the Earl. It had impossibly good balance and handling (in our novice opinions) for such a large sword. In the end, I ended up picking the sword I'd been the most interested in from the beginning (the Crecy), however if going by handling alone, the Earl would have won. I don't know how else to describe it but shockingly good.

[Jimi Edmonds]

To bring up an old thread, I'm still on the wanting for a sharp, Albions' at this stage. Now as I had first posted on what I am looking at it has changed a little, I'm now looking at ...the Fiore, the Sempach, the Regent and the Earl, as I am a Liechtenauer practioner I figure any of these swords would fit the build, though as I have read the Fiore and Sempach seem to be better thrusters than cutters and the other two visaversa.

Really the Regent and Earl are proberly out of my price range and the fact that I'd like to go with fast nimble swords points most likely points more to the Fiore and Sempach, both in fact all look nice.

But then I don't see why the Fiore and Sempach, being supposed good thrusters would do any less damage in cutting..as lets say the zombies were out, would the two swords mentioned above still be good cleavers of arms and heads?
Anyway I use the thrust and cut/strikes almost equally, bordering more slightly with the thrust ie: winds etc.

I have read that the Fiore feels nimble in the hand and quick, and have read the Tal Hoffer review, but want more on the Fiore itself same with the Sempach..plus which your'd prefer..

So those of you out there, as I have found very few reviews of the two mentioned swords can you please enlighten me on....

The Fiore, and the Sempach.

cheers.. Ps all this sword obsession is driving my wife nuts!

[Craig Peters]

The Sempach is a gorgeous sword, and is one of my favourite long swords. It is both curvaceous and slender at the same time, giving it a real elegance. The pommel is one of my favourite parts of the sword, and it fits well in hand when you grip it. I had initially been thinking of buying it with Albion's light brown grip, but I switched to a red grip and have never regretted the change.

In terms of handling, the Sempach blade has a little bit more blade presence than some Type XVas. Sometimes I pick up my XVas and prefer their handling more; other times, the Sempach seems to feel better in hand. I think that an XVa will have a subtly more agile feel in hand- of all the blade types I have handled, XVas seem to be the most agile, although the Munich was a good contender too, and there's times when I prefer the Sempach, too. The hexagonal cross section gives it a certain robustness that is not apparent from the narrowness of the blade, and yet the blade is amazingly agile in hand. The cross section also gives it exceptional strength and integrity for thrusting against plate armour, more so than an XVa blade in my mind. It's also very well suited for Liechtenauer's long sword, which places so much emphasis upon winding and point work from the bind.

Both the Sempach and the Fiore can cut well, but there's a real difference between how well they can cut when compared against a broader, more spatulate blade. A Type XIIa or Type XIIIa can cleave and split with a lot more power and ease than either the Sempach or the Fiore. If I wanted a sword where cutting was going to be a key function, I would definitely prefer one of these other two types. In a zombie apocalypse, I would think thrusting could get you killed; I would much prefer swords like the Baron, the Duke, or the Tritonia.

[Matthew P. Adams]

I own a Fiore and I couldn't be happier. I chose to have the waisted wire wrapped grip,for two reasons. Albion doesn't place a cord wrap under the leather of their grips so the wire over wrap just makes me feel a little better about the weapons integrity. It also adds a tiny bit of weight and in so doing pulls the center of gravity that little bit further towards the cross, making it feel a little nimbler, while at the same time it will hit harder.

I have a strong preference for disk pommels too. They not only aid in edge alignment but when you move through posta, a disk will swivel in your palm almost like a bearing. It rotates easier and at the same time is more secure. I really like a disk for winding maneuvers. Many prefer the scent stopper for cutting because of how nicely it sits in the hand, and they do feel nice, but personally I will take a disk any day.