Today Greg and I did a bit of cutting with his new Gallowglass.

This is a visually striking sword. The detail on the guard and the ricasso really make for an attractive piece. The incising on the blade is particularly well done and oxblood is the perfect color for the grip, in fact, this is becoming my favorite Albion grip color. I'm really anxious to see the single-handed versions of this blade.

We cut a few single and double tatami mat rolls and managed to get a pretty good feel for the sword. Sorry, no cutting pics this time. This one is not as forgiving of less than perfect technique, when compared to some broader-bladed cutting designs. Cuts were cleanly executed when cutting close to the blades center of percussion. Cuts placed out closer to the tip weren't always as cleanly done. Greg made some very nice single-handed cuts that were a pleasure to watch. I also found the sword to have a very pleasing feel when used with one hand.

My impression of the Gallowglass is that of a true "bastard" sword. Many longswords seem to be designed primarily for two-handed use with one hand being something of an afterthought. This one handles well with either and exhibits a nice amount of blade presence that lets you know you're still holding a sword meant for serious work. I was a bit surprised at the blades rather radical distal taper. I wasn't expecting this and no doubt this contributes to the swords pleasant handling characteristics. I won't be buying one as I prefer swords with a bit more 'meat' to them. Still, the Gallowglass is a very nice piece of work, very nice indeed.

Your cutting experience here falls in line with what I've heard about XIX's - that they cut well if you make contact right at the COP, less well than other types if you hit away from the COP.

Patrick was spot on with his "less forgiving when compared to broader bladed swords" comment. It didn't take long to figure out that if you dorf a cut, you REALLY dorf the cut. No we didn't honestly shank any badly, but it was quite obvious when the technique was off, or if you were too far out on the edge. But when you were on, ohhhh boy does this thing cut sweetly. With a bit more practice, I think it may actually make me look good (and believe me, THAT"S saying something :eek: :lol: ).

I was surprised at the ease with which it cut single-handed. As Patrick said this is a true bastard sword, balanced and weighted to be used either one or two-handed with equal ease. It is light and quick, but not dainty nor lacking in blade presence. It feels heftier than it looks without being out of balance in any way - either aesthetically or physically. Obviously I like the sword and plan on using it whenever the urge to chop mats up hits me. I also like the looks of it to the point of thinking it is nearly perfect, which is kind of funny because just like Patrick, I am usually drawn more toward the "meatier" blades. I guess it just shows the other end of the spectrum from the SoSM, and that thrills me to see such a dicotomy in the weapons we try to emulate. Looking forward to the chance to play with this baby even more.

-Greg

My Gallowglass arrived. It is a gorgeous sword - you can call it a functional work of art. My grip is a recognizable, medium dark green - I say recognizable because some of the alternative grip colors can be so dark that they might as well be black. The grip is seven inches long, a good length for my hands.

Curiously, some people (who don't know swords at all), when holding it, said "Hey, this thing is heavy." It's 2.6 lbs! I guess they think all swords should weigh the same as a fencing foil. The POB is pretty far down the blade - on mine more that 6 inches. It does give the Gallowglass a little blade presence, but it doesn't feel blade heavy at all, and is comfortable and easy to wield.

Roger,
Congratulations on the Gallowglass. You say your's weighs in at 2.6 lbs. Albion's site states the weight at 2.9 lbs. that's kind of a big difference . Do you think your scale may be off. I would hope that Albion can maintain a consistent weight. I can see 1 ounce or maybe 2, but 3 is pushing it.
Thanks,
Jeremy

I am sorry that I can only contribute with metric weights.

My Crecy is 1440g which is just slightly over 3% + it is heavier, but is it out of range?

What would be a resonable range of tolerance?

OK- maybe I'm out of line here-

it's just that I think albions swords should be highly consistent in terms of weight. Maybe these figures ARE consistent enough but all three of my albions weigh exactly as advertised. I even nicked my Reeve and I guess the whole edge had to be re-established and it came back weighing so much the same that my digital scale did not show any difference.

Jeremy

Just to repeat what Roger has said:

He said his Gallowglass weighs 2.6 pounds (then later says he did not weigh his own). Albion's Gallowglass stats show 2.575 pounds.

Ah I misread the weight on Albion's site. The weight issue is null then. Sorry about the confusion.
Thanks,
Jeremy