[Shane Askew]

I have lusted after an Albion Cherusker for some time, and I was wondering: has anyone purchased one of these and if so what are your comments on it?

[Shane Askew]

This is just a bump. My original question was posted 3 years ago - perhaps by now someone has a Cherusker?

[Jeffrey Faulk]

[Shane Askew]

Ya, thanks Jeffery. That's been my impression too. Not a peep about it anywhere. Even someone's impressions from handling the sword would be helpful.

[Kai Lawson]

I've held/swung one before, and it is pretty neat. The grip is actually fairly square in cross section, so it feels a bit different to grasp, and the blade is both thinner than you might think, and continues down past the knuckles when grasped (the grip is a continuation of the spine). This makes the blade mass feel ever so slightly in front of the fingers: if you were to hold up the piece vertically, there would be a ghostly sensation of mass just in front/ahead of of your knuckles. The blade is also wide, and the grip continues the feeling of thin+wide in the handle that curls around your hand and locks you in a bit. I don't remember where the POB was, but it felt very manageable, and mildly aggressive.

The whole piece handles well. Very well--rather like what I would assume a well made falcata to feel like. Very fast and sturdy, it seems to want to thrust, slice, draw cut and chop all at once. It's a piece that you can't help but start waving and slashing in front of you, like a kid watching peter pan fight captain hook. It is NOT a big knife--it feels like a short sword 100%. It also feels a bit like a saex, and axe and a big spearhead. Rolling and snapping wrist cuts or chops would be horrible to encounter, as the blade begins to accelerate before the rest of the piece, based on it's construction. It is both light and handy and still pretty stiff and solid feeling.

Not sure if that helps. It's hard to describe fully. It looks like a chopping piece, but it feels more like a section of a strongly curved sword: the desire to slash and slice is tangible, and the thrust feels like a natural follow-up.

[Shane Askew]

Hi Kai,
Thanks! That's a great help - pretty much exactly what I wanted to know. Just one more detail, if I may ask: you mentioned that it is "pretty stiff and solid". I know this is not really a thrusting sword, but is it stiff enough for aggressive, "sturdy" thrusts?

[Kai Lawson]

Depends. Against unarmored opponents, or opponents in very light armor (clothing, cloaks, etc...) it would likely fare just fine. A few layers of well woven fabric may deter a poor thrust or a light jab a bit (I'm thinking a few layers of wool, not 2-3 of linen), but a good solid punch would likely get through. Against mail or even scale (metal or horn), it wouldn't get through. My guess would be that it would be best employed in underhanded low to high thrust/stabs, or in jabs to the face, thighs, ribs or shoulders; places where there won't be too much give, and the blade will have internal bracing to help pierce exterior added layers. I'd say it might thrust better than some type Xs or even some XIIs, as there would be less flex in the blade, but it won't be quite as good as, say, a type XIV.

Think of it like a wider, shorter sturdy cut and thrust weapon. It's actually fairly difficult to describe if you've never held it, or other large war knives. Let me see...if you have a 3/8'' dowel, and you break it down to be about 2 feet long, it might held visualize it. The dowel is pretty stiff, overall, and you could stick a person with even a rather short, wide tip without difficulty. You can still flex it, if you try, but it's not whippy if you wave it. You couldn't stab a tree with it, and someone in mail, heavy clothing (see: multiple layers of fabric) or any plate armor (mirror plates, ferrous and non-ferrous plates, etc...) wouldn't be bothered much by it, if at all. You can swing it pretty fast, and you could certainly slash things with it, but stabbing isn't something that comes secondarily, per sey. You can do both, but too much material between your weapon and the person whom you intend to harm will hinder your efforts somewhat.

If you made that dowel aggressive, with some blade presence (as though it wanted to drop level in a chop/pre-thrust motion), that's kind of what it 'seems' like to hold, though it feels nothing like a dowel. It is absolutely a wider, nimble war knife--a rather unique weapon class, interestingly enough.

I dunno. Peter Johnsson would be the man to contact about handling for this stuff, as he's gel original stuff, and I've only held the Cherusker once.

[Shane Askew]

Wow, that's a very thorough and detailed answer. Thank you again, Kai. You've given me exactly what I wanted to know. Hmm, now to keep going with the saving up....

[Shane Askew]

At last!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaBYCCuQZEE

[Jean Thibodeau]

Well here is a Youtube video review by Skallagrim:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaBYCCuQZEE

This should help get a better idea about handling, hope this is helpful.

The video talks about handling, shows tatami mat cutting, some very hard chopping on a tree trunk around 4" in diameter and chopping it in half.

Historical information and handling demonstrated, some slow motion showing the blade flexing on hard impacts and when cutting tatami mats.


EDITED: OOOOPS! I see that the previous poster linked to the same video ....
But I do add a little bit of a description of the contents to motivate people to go see the Youtube video.

[Paul Hansen]

I think it's a very interesting design...
I have been kind of in love with it since I was 15 or so...
But I also have to admit to not owning one yet...

I guess it is a bit too much outside the interest range of most sword collectors, as well as being quite expensive for what it is.

The Skallagrim review is pretty good, as usual, although the footage chopping a tree is, I believe, from his Berserker review and not from this sword.

[Leelund K]