Excellent review. One thing I do need to mention is that both Angus Trim and Valiant Armoury uses CNC milling for their initial shaping of the blades, and I believe the Vision line is no exception. The minor rippling is resulted by the process of cleaning off the scale after the heat treatment, and additional grinding. Usually VA swords have clean lines and minor rippling on the blade. Some are better than others, but in general Albion's grinding is a tad smoother, although functionally they are very much equivalent. It's a matter of preference I think. And I do believe the Atrim type XVIa.1 (which this sword is based on) is among the choppier models by Gus. Most of his models even just under XVIa category are lighter, especially one XVIa.7 I tried out at a local HEMA club--it almost feels ethereal and tends to move on its own with minimal effort from the user. Angus Trim's crafting and design are on another level in terms of HEMA-related practices. Maybe not typical for a period sword, but definitely suit the purposes of the modern audience.
Still in the middle of watching, but quick correction - Valiant Armoury does not forge their swords. They use stock removal, much like Albion. And every Albion sword, while it is CNC cut to rough shape, is then hand ground to final shape, which is the majority of the work.
I'm really enjoying your videos. Casual, direct, good attention to detail, and reviewing stuff that I'm interested in. Live the enthusiasm. If you haven't ordered one already, I'd highly recommend the Gottfried langesmesser from Landsknecht Landsknecht Emporium with optional pommel.
Thank you for watching and the kind words. I appreciate the recommendation, I'll check it out. I saw that the Gunther and Gustav both popped up on KOA recently. I had just bought an Albion Landgraf that showed up so I unfortunately wasn't able to jump on one of them. I'll probably order a messer from Landsknecht Emporium next month.
@@UnsheathedSwordReviews I def recommend the gottfried as well. We reviewed one on our channel and it cuts so well! And thanks for this review, I plan on buying a vision now. I am debating between this Ansbach and the Strausborg. Did you find any sluggishness at all with the bigger blade on the Ansbach? It's the only thing holding me back from going to it. We reviewed a DSA two handed longsword that while not super sluggish, it is a bit more forward heavy than I would like. Im hoping the Ansbach isnt too much like that even if it isnt as lively as the Strausborg.
@@ludusferocia8696 The Ansbach is surprisingly agile for a blade it's size. It's not sluggish at all, but does have a lot of authority in its cuts. It can easily be wielded one handed. I have the DSA Black Death Gothic Sword(previous version) which I believe is similar in size and specs to the Two handed DSA you have.That sword also has a lot of blade presence, though I thought it moved well for a sword it's size. But the Ansbach makes that sword feel absolutely sluggish and forward heavy by comparison. The Ansbach really is a joy to move around and I think you'd be very impressed by it. I have the Strausborg on order and should be getting it soon. I can give you a better comparison between the two when I do. But I suspect the Strausborg will be even more agile but have less authority. I imagine you'd be very happy with either. I've checked your channel out before, you make some great content! I've been thinking about getting something from Landsknecht Emporium and I stumbled upon your review of the Gottfried. It definitely helped me decided on getting a piece from them eventually. The Tod Cutler Messer released and I jumped on that. So I'll have to wait a bit before getting a Gottfried. Also I love the kreigsmesser your GF got you. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@UnsheathedSwordReviews I had no idea you watched our stuff! Thank you and I am glad I was able to shed info on the LKE stuff. They are amazing and the Pavel Kreigsmesser is still my prized sword as the Ansbach is for you! Your description instills a lot of confidence for me to purchase one as it is good to hear they are not lead tanks haha. Thanks again!
Good review! This sword really shines when cutting things that are a little more substantial so i hope yall take it to some tatami or the like at some point and really let it sing :)
Thank you! Jon is building a stand so we can start cutting tatami. We've never cut tatami before. So we'll post a video of all our horrible failed attempts lol.
Damn I love the look, finish and what you say about the sword - especially because my father comes from the town Ansbach, where it has it's name from. What i am afraid of is the rust. That's an actual bummer for the price which is even much higher in Europe I guess
The only thing I think Valiant Armory could still use some work on is putting a bit of a radius on the edges of their hilt components, as exemplified by your comment about the edges of the cross cutting into your hand. This is one area where Albion stays ahead of their competitors. Nevertheless, Valiant's Craftsman and Vision lines are a LOT of sword for the money!
I strongly agree, Variant Armory is amazing quality for the money. And it seems they have listened to feedback. On my newer pieces the cross guards had nicely chamfered edges. No hot spots at all.
Although a longsword primarily meant to be wielded in both hands, I was also interested in how it tracked for the occasional off hand, single hand use, basically if it had any 'bastard sword' capabilities, and after seeing Vic do some one handed cutting I could see that it certainly handled well in that regard. Thanks for the review.
Thanks for watching! It can definitely be wielded in one hand. And it actually feels very good doing so. I was very impressed with that aspect of its handling.
@@UnsheathedSwordReviews Seems like the quintessential 'adventurer style sword', something that would equally be at home in a fantasy style dungeon setting or on a medieval battlefield. I noticed DSA have a new type XVIIIb longsword, the Medici, might be interesting to review in the future.
I recently looked at the Medici, I would definitely love to review that sword. We have a couple of other Longswords from DSA we'll review in the not too distant future.
Guy's when ya think to knight or Baron in the medieval period would have cost the eqivalant of a new BMW 540 in them days.. 1,300 bucks is a steal by todays comparison. A lovely work of Art..❤ Worth every dollar..
This is a fully battle ready sword. The blade is designed by Angus Trim, one of the best bladesmiths...well ...ever. The steel is 5160, which is solid high carbon at an HRC of between 51-53. This is definitely a fully functional sword. Thanks for watching.
Excellent review. One thing I do need to mention is that both Angus Trim and Valiant Armoury uses CNC milling for their initial shaping of the blades, and I believe the Vision line is no exception. The minor rippling is resulted by the process of cleaning off the scale after the heat treatment, and additional grinding. Usually VA swords have clean lines and minor rippling on the blade. Some are better than others, but in general Albion's grinding is a tad smoother, although functionally they are very much equivalent. It's a matter of preference I think.
And I do believe the Atrim type XVIa.1 (which this sword is based on) is among the choppier models by Gus. Most of his models even just under XVIa category are lighter, especially one XVIa.7 I tried out at a local HEMA club--it almost feels ethereal and tends to move on its own with minimal effort from the user. Angus Trim's crafting and design are on another level in terms of HEMA-related practices. Maybe not typical for a period sword, but definitely suit the purposes of the modern audience.
Thanks for the info!
Still in the middle of watching, but quick correction - Valiant Armoury does not forge their swords. They use stock removal, much like Albion. And every Albion sword, while it is CNC cut to rough shape, is then hand ground to final shape, which is the majority of the work.
Thanks for the correction!
I'm really enjoying your videos. Casual, direct, good attention to detail, and reviewing stuff that I'm interested in. Live the enthusiasm.
If you haven't ordered one already, I'd highly recommend the Gottfried langesmesser from Landsknecht Landsknecht Emporium with optional pommel.
Thank you for watching and the kind words. I appreciate the recommendation, I'll check it out. I saw that the Gunther and Gustav both popped up on KOA recently. I had just bought an Albion Landgraf that showed up so I unfortunately wasn't able to jump on one of them. I'll probably order a messer from Landsknecht Emporium next month.
@@UnsheathedSwordReviews I def recommend the gottfried as well. We reviewed one on our channel and it cuts so well! And thanks for this review, I plan on buying a vision now. I am debating between this Ansbach and the Strausborg. Did you find any sluggishness at all with the bigger blade on the Ansbach? It's the only thing holding me back from going to it. We reviewed a DSA two handed longsword that while not super sluggish, it is a bit more forward heavy than I would like. Im hoping the Ansbach isnt too much like that even if it isnt as lively as the Strausborg.
@@ludusferocia8696 The Ansbach is surprisingly agile for a blade it's size. It's not sluggish at all, but does have a lot of authority in its cuts. It can easily be wielded one handed. I have the DSA Black Death Gothic Sword(previous version) which I believe is similar in size and specs to the Two handed DSA you have.That sword also has a lot of blade presence, though I thought it moved well for a sword it's size. But the Ansbach makes that sword feel absolutely sluggish and forward heavy by comparison. The Ansbach really is a joy to move around and I think you'd be very impressed by it. I have the Strausborg on order and should be getting it soon. I can give you a better comparison between the two when I do. But I suspect the Strausborg will be even more agile but have less authority. I imagine you'd be very happy with either. I've checked your channel out before, you make some great content! I've been thinking about getting something from Landsknecht Emporium and I stumbled upon your review of the Gottfried. It definitely helped me decided on getting a piece from them eventually. The Tod Cutler Messer released and I jumped on that. So I'll have to wait a bit before getting a Gottfried. Also I love the kreigsmesser your GF got you. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@UnsheathedSwordReviews I had no idea you watched our stuff! Thank you and I am glad I was able to shed info on the LKE stuff. They are amazing and the Pavel Kreigsmesser is still my prized sword as the Ansbach is for you! Your description instills a lot of confidence for me to purchase one as it is good to hear they are not lead tanks haha. Thanks again!
Good review! This sword really shines when cutting things that are a little more substantial so i hope yall take it to some tatami or the like at some point and really let it sing :)
Thank you! Jon is building a stand so we can start cutting tatami. We've never cut tatami before. So we'll post a video of all our horrible failed attempts lol.
Damn I love the look, finish and what you say about the sword - especially because my father comes from the town Ansbach, where it has it's name from.
What i am afraid of is the rust. That's an actual bummer for the price which is even much higher in Europe I guess
The only thing I think Valiant Armory could still use some work on is putting a bit of a radius on the edges of their hilt components, as exemplified by your comment about the edges of the cross cutting into your hand. This is one area where Albion stays ahead of their competitors. Nevertheless, Valiant's Craftsman and Vision lines are a LOT of sword for the money!
I strongly agree, Variant Armory is amazing quality for the money. And it seems they have listened to feedback. On my newer pieces the cross guards had nicely chamfered edges. No hot spots at all.
Although a longsword primarily meant to be wielded in both hands, I was also interested in how it tracked for the occasional off hand, single hand use, basically if it had any 'bastard sword' capabilities, and after seeing Vic do some one handed cutting I could see that it certainly handled well in that regard. Thanks for the review.
Thanks for watching! It can definitely be wielded in one hand. And it actually feels very good doing so. I was very impressed with that aspect of its handling.
@@UnsheathedSwordReviews Seems like the quintessential 'adventurer style sword', something that would equally be at home in a fantasy style dungeon setting or on a medieval battlefield. I noticed DSA have a new type XVIIIb longsword, the Medici, might be interesting to review in the future.
I recently looked at the Medici, I would definitely love to review that sword. We have a couple of other Longswords from DSA we'll review in the not too distant future.
Love your style. Very enjoyable videos. Subbed!
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
Guy's when ya think to knight or Baron in the medieval period would have cost the eqivalant of a new BMW 540 in them days..
1,300 bucks is a steal by todays comparison.
A lovely work of Art..❤
Worth every dollar..
Ha great point! It is definitely worth the price. Thanks for watching!
Some great sword smiths around..
Alex Steele i used to watch his YT videos.
great job guys. I need one asap
Damn you! Now I HAVE to have one for my grandchildren to one day fight over.
They will thank you for it! As I thank you for watching!
Well established that "swordy" is a word.
$12.95 sword?
$17.95 w scabbard?!?
Oh we all wish 😂
😂
Is this just a wall hanger, or is the quality of steel considered "battle ready," or " fully functional?"
This is a fully battle ready sword. The blade is designed by Angus Trim, one of the best bladesmiths...well ...ever.
The steel is 5160, which is solid high carbon at an HRC of between 51-53. This is definitely a fully functional sword.
Thanks for watching.
@@UnsheathedSwordReviews Thank you for your reply. It's a beautiful sword.
Does it come razor shaep
It came with a good edge on it. Not shaving sharp. Bit definitely good enough for backyard cutting.Thanks for watching!
Masterwork longsword, 315gp
Angus is the best. Could finish his stuff a bit but still love his balance, temper and handling. Better than Albion.
Better is always a relative term. But I, Jon, certainly prefer ATrims to Albions all day and twice on Sunday.
Thanks for watching!