[Fábio Constantino]

Greetings!

I am new to this sort of market and am interested in acquiring an European Medieval One and a half sword. I have been doing quite a bit of research since I consider this to be quite a hefty investment and from all I've read, it seems pretty unanimous among sword collector communities that Albion is the place to go for a premium quality sword, which seemed to make my choice quite easy. I was then sad to learn that Albion europe had closed down, which makes it a lot more complicated for me (impossible at the moment) to purchase from them due to customs services and several other requirements (and associated costs, not mentioning shipping costs) that are needed in my country for this type of item.
The model I was aiming for was the Albion Talhoffer (Oakeshott Type XVa).

Can anyone suggest, if it exists, an european shop/forge equivalent in quality to Albion? Some people also mention Lutel in this forum, which does have some very good looking swords, but I'm quite uninformed about their overall quality and how they would compare to an Albion item.

Kind regards.

[Christian Short]

I'm going to piggyback this question with a similar. Can anyone give their thoughts / opinion on Raven Armoury?

[Milan Ziegler]

Hello!

I own swords both by Lutel and Albion. I really like my Lutel sword and I will not part with it however Albion is entirely different league. Lutel is quality made, solid, comes with a scabbard and does not cost a fortune. But there are details which give it up as a modern made sword: shape of the pommel, blade ends at the crossguard, fuller does not go under grip, the sword has completely ahistorical ricasso, etc… Everything feels a bit overbuild. This is not a sword made after several hours of research in museums. There is nothing wrong with this as long as the buyer knows what is he getting. Also Lutel made improvements to their products since I bought my sword 7 years ago yet I believe Albion is still miles ahead. I can confirm Albion swords are amazing even in details. When Albion Europe closed I was sad too.

For an Albion quality Talhoffer sword I would immediately recommend Mateusz Sulowski from Poland: https://www.facebook.com/sulowskiswords He is doing amazing high quality work.
Another artist from Poland is Maciej Kopciuch: http://artofswordmaking.com https://www.facebook.com/swordmaking I have been admiring his work for quite some time!
Gaël Fabre from France: https://www.facebook.com/gael.fabre.5
Leo Todeschini from UK: http://www.todsstuff.co.uk/index.htm It is always worthwhile to keep a close eye on his work.

There are more custom makers in EU like Patrick Bárta, Robert Moc, Rob Miller and Peter Johnsson obviously but their waiting times and prices may go way beyond Albion.

Hope this helps!

[Fábio Constantino]

Greetings Milan!

Thank you very much for your reply, I've checked out the people you mentioned and saw some really nice items indeed
I might add though, something I wrongfully neglected as it seems to be a factor in all this, is that historical accuracy is not really something that makes or breaks a deal for me. I'm mostly looking for something that, and I fear I may be over-simplifying this, feels really nice and well-built in my hands. The weight, the balance of the blade and the feel of the handle, and all those things we love when picking up a high quality sword. This is also something that is highly praised in the Albion swords.

I am unsure if this gives some meaningful insight which might make you (or anyone who wants to help with suggestions ofc) evaluate a certain seller over others for someone like me, but I felt like it was interesting to add.

Thank you again, I will certainly be checking in more detail some of the items I saw in your suggestions

Kind regards.

[Christian Short]

It seems from exchanging emails with Rob Miller at Castle Keep he can create what your looking for then.

[Kevin T]

What you mentioned as being important, the feel, weight, and balance of the blade are all factors which I believe would be highly impacted by the research done to make the sword. I am new to all of this myself, but from reading some of the other posts on this site I think the point of having it be historically accurate is more about function than form. Having a historically accurate piece isn't about having it look old nor about having it styled in a particular way. I get the impression that the reason they study is to regain information that has been lost. And this is true of the art of using the sword as well. People used to use swords in battle to protect their lives and end others. They were tested in ways that swords made today never have been, and may never be.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is, the small details inherent in the research process that Albion is famous for likely do have an enormous impact on how the blade feels to anyone when they hold it.

[Fábio Constantino]

@Christian Short Hi! It is nice to see this name mentioned again (Milan Ziegler also referred him), it is always a good indication when several people like the seller. I had checked some of his items earlier and they do seem a bit too pricey for me, but nevertheless I have sent him a contact through the Castle Keep website regarding the idea for the sword I would like made.

@Kevin T Hello! To be quite honest this is a matter which I consider myself to be quite ignorant about. Not for lack of interest mind you, but I've only been able to soak up so much information about this and has been mostly about places to buy, seller reviews and the overall building materials and construction of the blade. What you mention is indeed something that people praise in Albion, and if their European shop were still open I would most likely be making a post here about my beautiful new sword rather than asking for alternatives.

Thank you both for your replies and suggestions

[Kevin T]

I feel where you are coming from, and don't misunderstand I don't mean to sound like some kind of expert. I am the most basic novice. These are just some of the thoughts I had when making similar decisions. Another thought that lead me away from initial choices was what would I use the sword for? How would I use it? Am I going to join a HEMA club (I would sure love to)? What will they teach? What materials, videos, books, and other reference material will I be able to find? I think ultimately whichever way you go, you will probably end up just kind of making an educated guess the first time. Perhaps we will both end up trying several swords and selling them before we find one that is a great fit.

Acquiring multiple swords sure seems to be another commonality of people on this forum.

[Terry Thompson]

[Julien M]

"Similar to Albion" can mean quite a lot.
If that that you mean semi production high end sword (involving CnC milling of the blank and hand grinding and finish), I know of a Italian company that uses this process But I know little of their quality and reputation so let's not go that road.

If by similar you meant high end, historically accurate, high performing swords, then the list grows.
I would narrow it by adding: with similar aesthetics - since Albion/PJ has pretty much established the standards of what a high end sword should look like.

Euro smiths fitting the above description include:
Gael Fabre, who is the ultimate reference in France yet gets little attention abroard - his finished sword definitely have an "Albion flair" and the quality is exquisite: https://www.facebook.com/pg/gael.fabre.5/photos/?ref=page_internal

Maciej Kopciuch & Mateusz Sulowski are also landing very close in terms of finish, leather work etc. overall quality. (especially Maciej IMO, whose swords could be added to an Albion line up right away).

There are of course others, such as Elgur etc. Tod (Tod stuff) also makes swords on an occasional basis and delivers fantastic quality.

[Lafayette C Curtis]

Does Fabrice (Cognot) still make swords? He had some pretty good pieces if I remember correctly.

[Hadrian Coffin]

My experience with Pavel Moc has been that they are loosely similar: http://www.swords.cz/enbestof.html

But I agree with Julien, it depends what you mean by similar? One can also acquire albions in the EU --so why not go that route, if you have your heart set on a particular model.

--Hadrian

[Luka Borscak]

Where can one get Albions in Europe?

[Hadrian Coffin]

Kult of Athena and Albion both ship internationally --I also mean I'm the secondary market: here, Armour Archive, etc.

[Peter Johnsson]