[Mercer L. Blaire]

I had seen this sword come up for Sale during fellow forumite Sean (Shadowhowler)s sale thread and sadly I was unable to afford it at the time, and it was sold shortly after. I purchased the sword from James Liu a few weeks later when a MUST HAVE sword popped up and he was short of funds needing to make a quick sale.

Historical overview

I'm not all that fammilliar with the history behind these type of swords so I will leave that to someone whose more qualified to speak of it.

Full Disclosure

I purchased this sword second hand an paid full asking price for the sword. I am in no way affiliated with Angus trim and he did not pay me or compensate me in any way for this review.


Initial Impressions

The sword arrived at my door well packaged by James and undamaged in transit. I set upon the package like a pack of hungry wolves on a wounded baby deer ant tore it to pieces in my excitement to get at the sword. Upon handling the sword all i could say was WOW!! This is THE stereotypical Quintessential European sword that I have always dreamed of and imagined as a child.



Statistics


Blade Length: 35.25"

Grip Length: 8"

Overall Length: 45.5"

Guard Width: 8.25"

Point of Balance: 6" from guard

Weight: 3lb 5.8 oz

Components

The Blade: The blade on this sword is very well shaped and visually flawless. I can see no unevenness in the grinds or bevels, and the finish is a smooth even satin polish, very easy to touch up with scotch brite pads after a cutting session. I much prefer this style blade finish over the mirror finish that many swords come with. This sword was clearly made to be used. The blade came fairly dull, although one could argue that it is definitely "battle sharp" and capable of cutting down a foe without too much effort. I do however prefer my swords to be much, much sharper.

[img]i42.photobucket.com/albums/e340/fbiguy2006/IMG_1809-1.jpg[/img]

The Handle: The grip on the sword is beautiful. It is a nice hourglass shape that transitions into a clean well executed taper terminating cleanly at the pommel and guard both. The grip is tightly wrapped and the seam is totally undetectable when just gripping the sword. The grip was given a cord imprinted over wrap that gives a very nice grippy feel without being too abrasive on the hands. The grip also has 3 nice distinct risers under the leather wrap.



The Guard: The guard of this sword is very cleanly shaped and is of an attractive overall figure. There are no rough/sharp spots, and everything is very well blended. The polish is a nice clean satin finish and is free of grind marks. The guard is well fitted to the tang of the sword and the blade shoulder fits nicely into the recess that was milled. There is no rattle or play in the guard whatsoever.

The Pommel: The pommel on this sword is of the round wheel type with a raised center, and is mechanically peened. The peen is completely invisible and has been ground smooth with the pommel. The pommel has the same high satin finish as the guard but you can see very faintly where the guard was shaped on some sort of machine, possibly a lathe. This is very difficult to see and should be considered picking nitts as far as this sword is concerned. Like the guard there is no wobble or play, and it sits perfectly aligned to the hilt as it should be.


The Scabbard: The scabbard for this sword was one of Jonathan Sarge (Crusader Monks) Earlier commissions, and is very well made. The fit is kind of loose but not super sloppy like alot of factory scabbards. I've owned scabbards made much more recently by Sarge and the quality has definitely improved over the years, although this scabbard is still very well done. It has a Nice green stain that perfectly matches the grip of the sword, and the risers are very cleanly executed. I would HIGHLY recommend Sarge's work whenever he starts taking commissions again.




Handling Characteristics

Well...this is where the sword really shines. Most people know the outstanding record Angus Trim has with making swords that handle incredibly well, and this sword is no exception to the rule. The handling is magnificent. The sword feels very light in hand, while maintaining a powerful blade presence that makes you feel like a real monster when you grip the sword. The thing just oozes power, yet the sword is light enough and balanced in such a way that it can be used just as effectively in 1 hand as it is in 2, despite being a big huge wide blade. I am incredibly pleased with the way this sword handles, and while i have been very loosely dabbling in German Longsword techniques, the few strikes that I have attempted felt very natural with this sword. i give this sword a 10/10 in handling.

Test Cutting: I will upload a video at some point in the future. I did some cutting with the sword on water bottles, the only target I am able to afford and the sword really shined. Silent cuts were predictable and easy, and the first cut i made with the sword I almost fell on my Arse because I swung way too hard and the sword sailed through the bottle with no resistance or sound whatsoever. The sword is a backyard cutters dream, though I must mention that I did personally sharpen the blade to my typical standards before attempting to cut. I am confident that the sword would have performed against Biological targets such as zombies, dragons, cave trolls, orcs, and rival warriors, however for making those super clean cuts on light targets like bottles, a considerably sharper edge is required.

Conclusions: The Angus trim type XIIa is a mean nasty monster of a sword that would strike fear into the hearts of any warriors wielding a lesser sword against it.

Pros:

- Immaculate fit and finish with None of the common minor flaws often seen in production swords
- Superior handling characteristics to many other swords of similar type
- Solid hilt construction with no play or looseness

Cons:

- The blade wasn't all that sharp
- Price point is more than double that of the typical SBG 300$ price range
- Other swords seem much less impressive after holding this one


The Bottom Line: If an Angus Trim sword in a style you favor pops up for sale and you have enough money to afford it...Buy it. You won't be disappointed.

[William Swiger]

Thanks for posting the review.

I really like the blade on that model.

[J.D. Crawford]

I also like the blade.

The non-linear profile taper has a more organic, original medieval look to it compared to most of the Angus Trims I've seen.