Albion Ritter

[Sir Ulrich]

Well Joe Metz was selling an Albion Ritter for a good price, once I had the money I decided to buy this as I wanted this one Del Tin but it was 420 dollars, for 525 I got the Ritter instead, might as well of done that because Albion is top Quality. Honestly I like this sword a lot, it's much less wide than the Reeve but it's about the same weight. Maybe it's a bit heavier due to being longer. This thing is MASSIVE, obviously a horseman's sword.



It has a flat crossguard but I aint complaining cause I have seen examples like this with that and I prefer the flat crossguard to the round one. Makes it a bit more unique anyway. Only complaint I have is the grips a bit rough and abrasive maybe I need gloves to use this one unlike my Reeve. Still need a scabbard thinking a bit on what I want there. Maybe I will go to Ron Johnson again as his prices were fine and I really liked the fact it was lined with wool to keep it from rusting in storage. Plan to use this with my Teutonic outfit and my Reeve with my heraldic outfit.

[Ian]

Nice acquisition!  Congrats!

[Sir Rodney]

What a great price for a high quality weapon!

I’ve never seen this particular piece in person and thus never realized its massive presence.  You’re “sword in hand” photograph really helps put it all into perspective.   

[Mike W.]

That's the same price he sold his Senlac to me for. It's quite opportunistic as Albions rarely hit the market, and even more rarely for that low a price.

[Stanislaw]

That blade is enormous. A true Type XI example indeed!

Its stats say it's surprisingly light despite its rather massive-looking blade. (2.57 pounds)

[Sir Ulrich]

The more I handle it the more I get used to the grip so that problems pretty much gone. My guess is the handles were dry and the oils in my hand sorta makes the leather smoother or something, or it's just getting used to the feel. The blade is quite massive and I swung it around a bit outside with dry handling and it's quite imposing, feels a bit more of a heavy hitter than the Reeve does, I could easily use a weapon like this on horseback. My guess would be the Reeve is a foot soldier's sword cause it's about the same length as a viking sword. There was a difference between foot solder's swords and horseman's swords. I do like the flat guard more than I do the round one for some reason cause it has a bit of a beefier look. If it looked like the Templar's guard with the Ritter's pommel that would pretty much be the perfect sword for me at this moment, though I aint complaining I just think a beefy crossguard would make it a bit more imposing like the St Maurice Albion sword, which it's almost the same size as that one, off by about an inch, though the St Maurice one has a thicker wider blade like the Reeve.

[Sir Edward]

Only complaint I have is the grips a bit rough and abrasive maybe I need gloves to use this one unlike my Reeve.

You might find that using gloves works really well anyway. For those of us that do a lot of swordsmanship, just from the safety perspective, we're usually wearing gloves, and so for a consistent feel, it's useful to still wear them even when doing test-cutting and the like. So I've found that the smoothness or roughness of the grip really isn't that big of a deal, as long as it isn't so slippery that a leather glove has problems with gripping it (which I would think to be pretty rare).

though I aint complaining I just think a beefy crossguard would make it a bit more imposing like the St Maurice Albion sword, which it's almost the same size as that one, off by about an inch, though the St Maurice one has a thicker wider blade like the Reeve.

The St. Maurice is also extremely blade heavy. Since it's based on a specific museum piece, they replicated the weight and feel pretty precisely, and that one feels more axe-like. Albion usually tries to capture the "best" handling characteristics of each class of swords, but the originals fell into a full spectrum. The St. Maurice just happens to have a heavier feel. (It's still just under 3 pounds, but the center of gravity is at the 9" mark)

[Don Jorge]

Man I want a nice sword...must buy armor...must build soft kit...weapons come later....

[Sir Nate]

Wonderful looking sword.

[Sir James A]

I was talking to Dr Metz about it and said I would take it if you passed on it. Congrats!

[Sir Douglas]

Dang, that thing is huge! Congrats on the acquisition.

[Ian]

Shawn, here's an in-stock ready to go scabbard for a Ritter on todstuff.  Leo Todeschini, in my opinion, makes some of the finest medieval scabbards on the planet.  He really nails the medieval aesthetic, and is known for historical accuracy.

It's #21 in the list.

http://www.todsstuff.co.uk/in-stock/tods-in-stock.htm

[Sir Ulrich]

It's actually lighter than my Reeve I just checked the weight. This thing is well balanced though it actually feels lighter than the Reeve. I probably wouldnt be able to handle that St Maurice one honestly cause 9 inches in POB sounds like it would be tricky to use glad I tend to like the ones that are well balanced like the Reeve and Ritter. I pretty much am satisfied with the amount of Albions I have now as the pommel types I prefer tend to be more rarely made. Still think this sword would look even cooler with the Albion Templar's crossguard though.
That scabbard looks nice I wish I had the money in my account to pay for it right away I would assume it adds up to 680 from what I gather I dont have much left in my paypal balance. May have to ask my parents to loan me some though I dont know if the belt would fit me cause I got a 29 inch waist 32 with all my padding and maille on. Though new holes can always be punched. May just email him about it as it isnt a bright color and looks rather aged from the small pic I saw with the brown and darker red. Hopefully those colors are acceptable for a Teutonic impression.

[Sir Wolf]

h8 u lol niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Sir William]

The stats on that sword are near identical with those of Irae (my Arn sword) - it is a large sword, but well balanced and a joy to wield.  Definitely would shine from on-horseback; real nice aquisition, Shawn.  I'm not a fan of the cocked hat pommel but at that price, its a steal.