What Bill said.
I started out buying mostly Windlass and Hanwei swords, with some from various RenFaire sword makers as well. Over time, I came to the conclusion that I'd rather have a smaller number of high quality reproductions than lots and lots of average or poor quality ones, and have since sold many of them to help make room for the nicer pieces. I still own most though.
I still own pieces from Windlass, Hanwei, Marto, Art Gladius, and Cold Steel. I still have most of the "renfaire" swords I've bought over the years, such as Highland Steele, Starfire, LaForge, Baltimore Knife & Sword, and Dagger Dan Heinecke. They contribute to my collection in different ways, since many of these are very non-historical, and some are pretty klunky by today's standards.
It's almost impossible to go wrong buying an A&A or Albion piece, but since they are much more expensive, you'll need to decide how they will fit into your collection and what really want/need in a sword. Personally I've been spoiled on them and would find it hard to go back and buy something less, especially since I still own a lot of non-authentic swords from my prior collecting that I don't wish to part with.
I will say, I have never met an Albion I didn't like. I like some considerably less than others, mostly because they're not my era/type of interest, but they're all made with exacting standards and enough historical accuracy that I can appreciate every single one of them. There are some examples, that once placed in my hand, elicit a single word from my brain--- "YES".
