That's the thing. Part of the reason the Albions cost so much, is because of the attention to detail they have for the blade geometry. They go to museums and measure the blades all up and down with calipers, to get the thicknesses all over the place, not just to reproduce length and profile taper, but also distal taper, cross section, and so on at various points along the length of the blade. So it doesn't just look authentic, it also cuts authentically.
I think part of it, too, is that for the past decade or so they've held the corner of the market for high end production swords. For a time, they were the
only resource for that level of finish and detail (and beauty of course), but with houses like Valiant Armoury collaborating with the likes of Angus Trim, and Hanwei partnering up with Tinker Pearce- the quality of lower end production swords has increased dramatically. Windlass has made no changes, no inroads- but they know their customer base so they kind of don't have to. Then you have smaller outfits like DSA and BKS- granted, their QA might not be entirely up to par, what they put out is quite good for the money, DSA in particular has taken steps so that what they make is more historically plausible, and attractive to the likes of us- while still keeping the beater and sword and board crowds happy, and no price increases!
With all of that arrayed against them, I am hoping that Albion either ups their game in their Squire lineup and provide more models, or...well I don't know exactly. A price drop would be welcomed...I do like their 25% off holiday sales, but will it be enough?
Scarcity...as in if they made less, were less available...sure, that'd drive interest up but their overall profit margins down I'd say. I do like the bit about 9 wives out of 10 prefer Albions...thats cute and they should use it.
