[Peter Busch]

Hello people,

Yes I know a review has recently been conducted but I just thought I would give my 5c worth. I received my Ritter from Albion via Christian (Fletcher) today. It's a lovely piece! I can't get why people don't like it as much as some other models? (e.g Knight). Perhaps it's my German bias, but I think it's a lovely Type XI. I love these longer single-handers. The Knight is also awesome, but it's a little too pointy for my tastes ......

Christian's work was also beautifully executed. Both the scabbard and the belt are just fantastic! Wonderfully thin, and beautifully tied together.

Well done to both firms!

[Austin Demshar]

Very, very nice looking sword and scabbard. Congrats

[George Hill]

Any chance I can talk you into a picture of the other side of the scabbard? I'm facinated by the way the belt attaches.

[Peter Busch]

[Gary Grzybek]

The Ritter is one of the finest handling swords out there. We played with one at my round table and it was hard to put down. If it weren't for the pommel I would have probably ordered one. I just don't care for the way it looks.

Congrats on your new toys!

[Michael F.]

It seems to me a Christian Fletcher scabbard plus an Albion sword equals extremely fine craftsmanship on both parts. Even the scabbard matches the color of the grip, thats not an easy thing to do. BTW, what is the grip color, Light Brown? Anyway, congratulations on a very fine sword and scabbard.

[James Holczer]

I too do not understand why the Ritter doesn’t sell as well as other models. Personally I think it’s on of the more elegant single handed designs. Perhaps it’s the fear of excessive blade presence.

BTW, congratulations on your sword and scabbard combo, looks like a first rate job. Lots of luck with it.

[Thomas Hoogendam]

[Chad Arnow]

Peter, that's a great-looking sword. The scabbard looks fantastic, too. Congrats! I like that you went with the slits and split tongue for fastening it rather than a buckle (though either would have been historic). That's a really nice ensemble. I'd love to own some of Christian's work.

I love the Ritter. I think it's a fantastic example of its type and it's rare to see these kind of swords in today's market, much less done well. That having been said, I'm not sure I'll ever buy one. It doesn't fit my tastes/needs/collecting goals/budget right now.

Perceptions of beauty and the finer points of handling are very individual. For some people, the Ritter is their ultimate sword. Others look at it and go "yuck." Who's wrong? No one. The fact that the Ritter may not have sold as well as the Knight (for example) doesn't make the Ritter a worse sword or the Knight a better one nor does it make buyers or non-buyers of one sword or the other weirdos. We all have different needs and goals that factor into our purchases.

I think the Ritter suffers a bit from the "Tritonia Syndrome." I've handled and cut with both swords. They're both great, but very different in aesthetics and handling than what many folks expect or desire. People that own either of these swords generally rave about them, because they are unique and outstanding examples of their types. For others, though, the Ritter and Tritonia don't meet their needs.

[J. Padgett]

I can't speak for everyone, but I'm not particularly fond of type XI blades, and would rather have a Xa, being partial to wider fullers. I'm also not a big fan of the "cocked hat" pommel. A type Xa blade of similar length with a brazil nut pommel would my idea of a good time.

It is still a nice sword of course, and the scabbard looks fantastic.

[Patrick Kelly]

Very nice!

I'm liking that scabbard and belt a lot, quite a lot in fact. Hmmmmmmmmm...........................

As for the Ritter I think it's seeming lack of popularity is because modern sword enthusiasts have been conditioned by the swords they've seen in movies and in illustrated literature. Most often these are based upon pretty standard designs, probably because the people involved in the design aren't well versed in the variety of european sword designs. They design a fairly generic sword and leave it at that.

Consequently, the Ritter seems to be a bit of an odd duck to most people. Aaron Schnatterly didn't care for the Ritter until we spent time with it in Atlanta. He quickly came to realize it's merits. I like the Ritter quite a bit, but I never did until I had it in hand for a while. I've always hated cocked-hat pommels too. Most others have been copied from a two-dimensional photo and lack the proper subtleties of shape and proportion. I actually like the Ritter's pommel very much.

It's amazing how a properly designed sword can change your view of a given type.

[Edward Hitchens]

I'll echo everyone's assessment on the Ritter. I didn't really care for it when I saw the picture of it on Albion's website, or even when I saw it in person at a Round Table event. While at the RT event last March, I think the Ritter was the last sword I picked up (and there were at least 20 swords) simply because I hadn't handled it yet. But people were playing with it all day. I thought Hmmmm...

So I pick up the Ritter and ...Wow! IMHO, it was one of the best-handling single handers I've ever held. It immediately earned a place on my Must-Have list. One problem I have with a lot of single-hand swords is that their pommels tend to dig in to my hand just below my thumb. This goes from bothersome to painful. But I didn't have this problem with the Ritter.

This is the beauty of the Round Table events! Suddenly, a sword that I hardly gave a second glance to (the Ritter) is now among my favorites. Likewise, there are some that I've always liked to look at but upon seeing them in person and handling them, I was somewhat disappointed. Strange, eh? -Ted

[Brian M]

Peter,

The Ritter is high on my list as well. May I ask you how much the scabbard/belt was? I've bought nothing but swords so far, so this year I think I'm going to have to spring for a scabbard for one.

Brian M

[C.L. Miller]

Just wanted to chime in and congratulate you on a wonderful sword! The light brown grip you've chosen is by far the most attractive color I've seen on the Ritter, coupled with the matching scabbard this is one of the best looking packages to come around in a very long time indeed!
Like you, I was one of the (apparently very) few who loved the looks of the Ritter from first glance, with no handling required! To hear the excellent reports from those who've had the privelege of holding this magnificent weapon only makes it that much more appealing.
It's a shame (for me at any rate) that production has been limited to only 100 swords... at my current budget, it seems unlikely that I'll be able to pick one up before they're sold through, but I suppose the limited run only makes the experience that much more special for the lucky few! Enjoy it!

-Christopher Liebtag Miller

[Tim Lison]

Thanks for posting these pics Peter! I ordered my Ritter from Albion last week and can't wait to get it! Seeing this post has got me practically frothing at the mouth for it...... The scabbard is terrific too! I'm happy to hear so many positive remarks about the Ritter's handling. I got a chance to hold it very briefly during a visit to Albion but couldn't really give it a good workout and am very much looking forward to doing so! I have always been a big fan of the cocked hat pommel and simply can't understand why most people aren't interested in it. Oh well, I guess there's just no accounting for taste.....

[Peter Busch]

Okay so a number of answers here. ...

The brown I wanted was a campaign worn 'medium brown' finish. Albion did a good job here. I simply told Christian to try and match that with the belt and scabbard. That said and done I'm going to 'coachaline' the grip and belt. Coachaline is an old fashined leather treatment (it's basically animal fat I think). This will darken the grip and belt. The scabbard I'll treat just with a mid brown shoe polish. I'd really like a two-tone brown finish on the piece.

The cost was the $680 Albion charged for the sword. It's obviously even better now with their sale one.

The scabbard was $295 and the belt another $125 I believe.

I think rather like Albion state on their scabbard page vis a vis Merlin:

e are more unwise, said Merlin, for the scabbard is worth ten of the swords, for whiles ye have the scabbard upon you, ye shall never lose no blood, be ye never so sore wounded; therefore keep well the scabbard always with you.

-- Le Morte D'Arthur, by Thomas Malory

And A&A state on their page:

Today scabbards are often almost an afterthought by the average sword consumer. In the historical period of the sword, the scabbard would often cost as much as the sword itself and in some cases more. We strive to make our historically-styled scabbards in the same way as our swords with no corners cut and true to the surviving examples. This can include belts and fittings as well as colored leather coverings or, as was true in the day of the originals, fabric covered. The fittings, chapes and lockets, are made of light sheet metal as majority of the originals were and used when appropriate. While most scabbards had chapes (tips) the use of lockets (throats) fell in and out of favor over time and many styles of sword and rapier would not have had a locket on their scabbard.

We tend to take scabbards for granted. Actually in many ways they represent more work than the sword itself. I remember Fulvio (Del Tin) telling me he felt the scabbard was just a bit of an afterthought too ..... although I notice he has started offering scabbards in his line up again.

The problem was I really wanted the Ritter. I fell in love with Peter (Johnson's) drawings of it before it was even in production. I knew this was 'my sword'. It just seemed to be my style. The problem was I wanted it with a scabbard like my previous First Generation Crusader and scabbard I had gotten from Albion (see picture). Trouble was Albion didn't do this belt arrangement any longer .... (sure going the custom route they would ....)

Anyway sometime later I noticed Christian was retailing Albion and he was prepared to do the proper belt etc. with a historical scabbard .... and the rest they say is history ...

:-)

[Daniel Parry]

That is a beautiful scabbard really. Congratulations. I also haven't understood the medievalists' on the site dislike of the looks of the Ritter. Not a medieval sword man myself but I think it's very stylish and I like the pommel. Very nice set.

I also agree on the scabbard importance. Buying antiques you are often forced to accept no scabbard because it rotted a century or more ago, but with reproductions I think it's a must. It's an integral functional and aesthetic part of the sword. But I can also understand if you have an eager acquisition list you could think hmmm.... scabbard extra $200, that could go towards my next sword. I suppose it's a choice but I think the full set looks much better.

That's one of the nicest sets I think i've seen people show on this site.

[Chad Arnow]

[Daniel Parry]

Whoah, Hold on a moment, Chad! Maybe I didn't express myself properly. I meant exactly what you just stated as your own opinion in your response .

I didn't decry anyone or anything and never intended to by my words. What I said was I didn't understand that some people didn't like the Ritter on looks, not that i disagreed with them or didn't respect their opinion (that thought never entered my mind). What I meant was some people of the medieval sword collectors have said they didn't like the looks initially; I thought that was interesting because I did like the looks and simply wondered why they didn't : hence 'I don't understand' (i.e. people like different things and isn't it interesting ; i.e. exactly your own opinion). I didn't intend any more weight to those words than their natural meaning and i don't think I suggested any on normal reading. Of course it's subjective and I not only respect that but love and applaud it.

Summary : my opinion is exactly as yours and I think you may have misread what I said, or maybe I didn't express it as well I should have. That's why your response just now surprised me so much.

At any rate.... peace ?

Daniel

[Jean Thibodeau]

Things grow on you sometimes and although the pommel on the Ritter doesn't appeal to me on first viewing I could get used to it and maybe get to like it.

I know that for years I never liked the look of brazil nut pommels when I would see pictures in books: When the Gaddhjalt came out I sort of came back to the pictures of it on the Albion site over and over again until the initial weirdness, in my mind only, was replaced with appreciation.

Now, it's one of my favorite pommel types.

Obviously this type would look weird on a rapier.