If only the worthless Australian dollar hadn't dropped by 30% against the (fairly worthless) American dollar, I think I would be tempted by this deal. Pity it didn't happen two months ago when we almost had exchange rate parity! D'oh!! :)
Stu
I feel your pain Stu.
Same here with the Dollar to Euro exchange.
sigh.
seems i miss out on a good opportunity a gain.
Same here with the Dollar to Euro exchange.
sigh.
seems i miss out on a good opportunity a gain.
| Stu C wrote: |
| If only the worthless Australian dollar hadn't dropped by 30% against the (fairly worthless) American dollar, I think I would be tempted by this deal. Pity it didn't happen two months ago when we almost had exchange rate parity! D'oh!! :)
Stu |
haha.... I feel your pain buddy, my next sword is several thousand Euro!
I know it isn't included in this specific sale, but I just ordered a Lady Vivamus. It occured to me that I'd be very sad if Albion went under during the current economic unpleasantness, but I already own my favorite of the Next Gen and Museum lines.
Aloah !
Hmm for the less english literate foreigner again, how does it work exactly. ?
To get the discount you have to place the order by the 23rd and pay the 300 USD downpayment or do you only get the discount f you pay the price fully by the 23rd ?
I would apreciate a short explanation as i would really like to find a way to make this work out.
Regards and thanks in advance
Klaus
Hmm for the less english literate foreigner again, how does it work exactly. ?
To get the discount you have to place the order by the 23rd and pay the 300 USD downpayment or do you only get the discount f you pay the price fully by the 23rd ?
I would apreciate a short explanation as i would really like to find a way to make this work out.
Regards and thanks in advance
Klaus
| Michael Edelson wrote: |
| That's why the Svante annoys me. :) It shouldn't cost a dime more than the Brescia. Or, and I may be murdered for this, the Brescia should cost as much as the Svante. |
The reason for the price difference is one of those "not so obvious in pictures as in real life" things. The Svante takes MUCH more time and effort to put together than almost anything else. Check out the detailed photos. Look closely at the rain-guards and blade profile.
It's a hot one... on my list too...
| Adam S. wrote: |
| The reason for the price difference is one of those "not so obvious in pictures as in real life" things. The Svante takes MUCH more time and effort to put together than almost anything else. Check out the detailed photos. Look closely at the rain-guards and blade profile. |
Not to mention there's a lot of steel in that blade -- much of it removed in milling. And what of milling time? I'd wager that the Svante has a longer milling time than the other blades. And who's to say what the R&D costs of each sword are? They have to be recouped as well and this must be factored into the overall equation of how many units are moved out the door and how much must be recouped on each purchase.
Price points on items aren't as cut and dry as some think.
Nathan,
Thank you for posting part of what makes a sword cost the as much as they do. It helps people like me understand the process a little more, which only heightens my appreciation for each sword that comes out of Albion's shop.
I'm in the process of telling my wife that a Yeoman would be the best Christmas present ever!
I think she might even be going for it! I am the luckiest guy alive!
Thank you for posting part of what makes a sword cost the as much as they do. It helps people like me understand the process a little more, which only heightens my appreciation for each sword that comes out of Albion's shop.
I'm in the process of telling my wife that a Yeoman would be the best Christmas present ever!
I think she might even be going for it! I am the luckiest guy alive!
From what I remember, the Svante requires 1/2" stock while all others usually require 1/4"... I could be wrong.
| Chris Artman wrote: |
| From what I remember, the Svante requires 1/2" stock while all others usually require 1/4"... I could be wrong. |
I think the Regent and similar blades require 3/8 inch.
Also, the Svante from stock to blade blank is about a 90% loss of material. A 30 pound billet produces a ~3 pound blade.
So I am thinking of possibly getting a Duke or maybe a Sherriff during the sale. My question is: Has anyone out there ever handled a Sherriff? What did you think about it? I can't seem to find any reviews on it.
Much appreciated.
Much appreciated.
| Nathan Robinson wrote: | ||
Not to mention there's a lot of steel in that blade -- much of it removed in milling. And what of milling time? I'd wager that the Svante has a longer milling time than the other blades. And who's to say what the R&D costs of each sword are? They have to be recouped as well and this must be factored into the overall equation of how many units are moved out the door and how much must be recouped on each purchase. Price points on items aren't as cut and dry as some think. |
Guys we're talking 1603 dollars difference...that's a lot of steel and milling time.
The Talhoffer is one of Albion's least expensive swords yet it is 1/3" thick.
A steel blank is really not all that much money.
And I have seen a Svante up close for a very long time...one of my guys owns one. Beautiful, not more so than the Brescia though.
Pricing the Svante that high had more to do with pricing strategy than how hard it is to make one. I don't object to this, they've obviously done well with them and at the end of the day, the Svante is worth the money, just as the Brescia would be at twice the price.
Michael Edelson-
Some questions off the top of my head:
What was the R&D time for each model? How much effort was put into the documenting of each sword? How many iterations happened in making the original drawings, the ones to translate into CNC, and the CNC program? How many times did Peter have to go back and forth with the CAD guy and others at Albion? How many trips did he have to make? How many times did the waxes need to get carved for each model?
What is the cost of each of these elements? Peter's time? The CAD guy's time? The CNC operator's time? How do the operating costs relate to billable costs?
How many units of each model are moved? What is the profit margin on each unit? How much difference in shipping cost is present on each model? How does this relate to the bottom line?
How much time is spent for each model on finish grinding? Is there a difference from sword to sword? (There is...) How much waste is there from mold to casting to cleanup? Does it differ from model to model? How is this recouped?
What is Albion's internal shop time? How does this result in an external (billable) shop time?
Some questions off the top of my head:
What was the R&D time for each model? How much effort was put into the documenting of each sword? How many iterations happened in making the original drawings, the ones to translate into CNC, and the CNC program? How many times did Peter have to go back and forth with the CAD guy and others at Albion? How many trips did he have to make? How many times did the waxes need to get carved for each model?
What is the cost of each of these elements? Peter's time? The CAD guy's time? The CNC operator's time? How do the operating costs relate to billable costs?
How many units of each model are moved? What is the profit margin on each unit? How much difference in shipping cost is present on each model? How does this relate to the bottom line?
How much time is spent for each model on finish grinding? Is there a difference from sword to sword? (There is...) How much waste is there from mold to casting to cleanup? Does it differ from model to model? How is this recouped?
What is Albion's internal shop time? How does this result in an external (billable) shop time?
All excellent questions, and I'm sure each one factors into the sword's price. But even a lot of those questions have to do with pricing strategies, which is as I've said my guess as to why the Svante costs nearly twice as much. We're not talking a difference of three hundred, or five hundred, or even a thousand dollars here.
Again, there is nothing wrong with pricing a sword at whatever people will pay for it. My opinion is NOT that the Svante is overpriced, but that it is overpriced RELATIVE to other Museum Line Albions, or perhaps that the other Museum Line Albions are underpriced relative to the Svante. The Svante is Albion's "flagship", and its price reflects that status.
The other museum lines, I believe, are underpriced relative to the next gens. Why should a Tritonia or a Solingen cost as much as some of the Next Gens (and even less than some)? What about all the painstaking research that went into them? The answer is, as always, pricing strategy. Few people would pay 2500 bucks for a Tritonia or Solingen...you charge what you can get.
btw...the Svante is the hottest deal out there right now....at 2697 and change (25% off), that's savings of almost 900 dollars!
Again, there is nothing wrong with pricing a sword at whatever people will pay for it. My opinion is NOT that the Svante is overpriced, but that it is overpriced RELATIVE to other Museum Line Albions, or perhaps that the other Museum Line Albions are underpriced relative to the Svante. The Svante is Albion's "flagship", and its price reflects that status.
The other museum lines, I believe, are underpriced relative to the next gens. Why should a Tritonia or a Solingen cost as much as some of the Next Gens (and even less than some)? What about all the painstaking research that went into them? The answer is, as always, pricing strategy. Few people would pay 2500 bucks for a Tritonia or Solingen...you charge what you can get.
btw...the Svante is the hottest deal out there right now....at 2697 and change (25% off), that's savings of almost 900 dollars!
Michael,
In the case of the Svante, I guess I just figured we were paying extra for Peter's obsession with the original. IIRC, the R&D on that piece amounted to a graduate thesis. Not that I don't think Peter is thorough with every sword he documents, but this one obviously meant something special to him.
In the case of the Svante, I guess I just figured we were paying extra for Peter's obsession with the original. IIRC, the R&D on that piece amounted to a graduate thesis. Not that I don't think Peter is thorough with every sword he documents, but this one obviously meant something special to him.
| Travis C. wrote: |
| So I am thinking of possibly getting a Duke or maybe a Sherriff during the sale. My question is: Has anyone out there ever handled a Sherriff? What did you think about it? I can't seem to find any reviews on it.
Much appreciated. |
A good friend of mine had a Duke, and I've got a Sheriff (and Sovereign, and Yeoman). The Duke is a great two-hander, and a solid cutting sword, but just not my thing. Put as simply as I can describe (without spending pages of post trying to elaborate the point), among the Albion XIVs, ranked by lightness in hand/finesse, most to least, I'd say Yeoman, Sheriff, Sovereign. That same group ranked by blade presence/authority in the cut, most to least, I think it would go Sovereign, Sheriff, Yeoman. The difference in the swords is very subtle in hand, but something fun to appreciate given the opportunity. In my opinion, the Sheriff is the most jack-of-all-trades model of the type among the three, and if I had to pick just one to represent the type in a collection (and didn't need the later period aesthetic in the hilt), I would have to take the Sheriff. Last, I know folks like to talk about the lighter XIIs when talking I.33 work, but I still believe the close-quarters mobility of the XIVs in old-school sword and buckler work is tough to beat.
. . . might have to call Mike this week to settle some accounts. . . I am currently (yet) sans a good longsword. . . :)
Thanks Jonathon. That was precisely the advice I needed.
I had been thinking the Sherriff would be the quickest (even though not the lightest) due its short COG, but that just goes to show that the COG is just one little measurement of many that combine together to give the sword its final properties.
I do like the bare look of the Sherriff, and I do not yet have an Albion with the guard or pommel of the Sherriff, though I may look a little more closely at the Yeoman now... And price is still a factor even with the big sale. Only a few days to decide!! Arrgh. I just love the added control and quickness when wielding a sword with two hands, but I may pass on the Duke since I already have a few long swords (Talhoffer, Viceroy, Brescia).
I had been thinking the Sherriff would be the quickest (even though not the lightest) due its short COG, but that just goes to show that the COG is just one little measurement of many that combine together to give the sword its final properties.
I do like the bare look of the Sherriff, and I do not yet have an Albion with the guard or pommel of the Sherriff, though I may look a little more closely at the Yeoman now... And price is still a factor even with the big sale. Only a few days to decide!! Arrgh. I just love the added control and quickness when wielding a sword with two hands, but I may pass on the Duke since I already have a few long swords (Talhoffer, Viceroy, Brescia).
Travis, check out the comments below from a little known swordsmith by the name of Peter Johnsson. Apparantly he knows a little bit about swords. He is talking about a custom type XIV that he did and makes statements about the Albion type XIV's.
The "Homage" sword is around 1150 grams, so it is right between the Sovereign and the Yeoman/Sherriff in mass. The blade is longer and a tad less wide at the base. I also use different diameters on the wheels for my belt grinder, than what is used at Albion (metric vs. imperial). All this makes for sublte differences in character.
The "Homage" sword would be closest to the Yeoman/Sherriff in feel and the greater weight of the "Homage" would partly be from a proportionally heavier pommel.
Both the Sherrif and the Yeoman were developed to have a lighter blade than the Sovereign, just to meet the interest for slightly handier siblings of the Sovereign. I canīt see another version of this blade that is even lighter: that would demand a fundamentally different design. An even crisper edge geometry is difficult on a sword model of this type that is going to be used by so many different swordsmen, with different styles, expectations and skill levels.
I cannot recall where but I remember a comment to the effect of Sherrif & Yeoman = civillian swords (duelling etc) while the Sovereign is a battle field sword.
The "Homage" sword is around 1150 grams, so it is right between the Sovereign and the Yeoman/Sherriff in mass. The blade is longer and a tad less wide at the base. I also use different diameters on the wheels for my belt grinder, than what is used at Albion (metric vs. imperial). All this makes for sublte differences in character.
The "Homage" sword would be closest to the Yeoman/Sherriff in feel and the greater weight of the "Homage" would partly be from a proportionally heavier pommel.
Both the Sherrif and the Yeoman were developed to have a lighter blade than the Sovereign, just to meet the interest for slightly handier siblings of the Sovereign. I canīt see another version of this blade that is even lighter: that would demand a fundamentally different design. An even crisper edge geometry is difficult on a sword model of this type that is going to be used by so many different swordsmen, with different styles, expectations and skill levels.
I cannot recall where but I remember a comment to the effect of Sherrif & Yeoman = civillian swords (duelling etc) while the Sovereign is a battle field sword.
I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who tried to help me talk my wife into getting an Albion during the generous sale.
Scott
Scott
| Taylor Ellis wrote: | ||
haha.... I feel your pain buddy, my next sword is several thousand Euro! |
Ya this is frusturating, the Canadian dollar has been on par for a while and within the last couple weeks takes a dive down to almost 80 cents compared to the US dollar. If the exchange wasn't so bad I'd probably jump on it. Oh well.
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