New Toy!
Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 3:25 am
Boy oh boy, have I had a lot on the burner lately! Finished my haversack for ranging, did an awesome trek with Greg, planning another trek with some locals on the 20th, and noooooow...
Remember over the holidays when someone posted about the sale at Valiant Armoury? And I said I really, REALLY wanted to get a Bristol, but my wife would kill me? WELL.
I GOT A BRISTOL. And I lived to tell about it!
Commence pictures!
First, I return home from work to find that the box has arrived!
And now! The unboxing!
The camera didn't quite focus right, but here's the mouth of the scabbard.
And lastly, a couple comparisons with my beautiful arming sword from Ernie at Yeshua's Sword. Alas, I have still not finished the scabbard and suspension for that one, but it's one of the next things on my list.
Sarah was definitely not thrilled when I broke the news to her that I had bought it, but I got some extra cash over Christmas, and it burned a serious hole in my pocket.
Anyway, I couldn't be more pleased, for the most part. I obviously just got it in my hands, so I can't be as thorough as perhaps I ought to be, but here are my initial impressions:
THE GOOD
- It feels wonderful. Heavy enough to deliver a good cut, but with a lovely balance point, such that it does not feel dead in the hand.
- It's sharp as hell. Like, seriously. Dang.
- The grip is secure and extremely comfortable (which I wondered about before purchasing, since it's a bit of an unusual shape), and the leatherwork is all but seamless. Seriously, the seam is practically invisible - even more-so than on my custom sword from Ernie, for which I paid a lot more money.
- The fishtail pommel is handsome, and its shape even allows for a two-handed grip, if one is so inclined. Also, it resembles the shape of pommel on the movie-version Narsil/Anduril, which certainly lends it a nice Dunedain-ish aesthetic.
- The antique green color is GORGEOUS, especially on the scabbard.
- The scabbard in general is beautifully constructed and finished, from the well formed mouth which grips the sword *just* enough, to the beautiful steel chape at the bottom. The risers are also neatly formed, and add a nice flourish to the design.
- The blade seems straight, secure, and well finished to a uniform satin sheen.
THE BAD
- I feel the grip could have been a little lighter in color, but this is an EXTREMELY minor gripe.
- There were a couple minor nicks in the leather of the scabbard, but I honestly don't mind. They were very, very small, and really only add a little character. I'm sure I'll be putting plenty more nicks in it myself.
- The scabbard throat doesn't *precisely* match the sweep of the crossguard. It's really, really close, but not 100% flush. Once again, this is very minor - hardly even worth mentioning.
So that's basically it, but there is ONE last detail that bummed me out a little, and frankly it's the only "bad" item that I actually care about in any way. That is, the pommel is very slightly offset from the grip - maybe a millimeter, maybe two. To a casual observer, it's probably hardly noticeable, but I admit, it was the first thing I saw when I inspected it. This does make me just a little nervous that the leather might begin to sneak out from underneath with prolonged use, as I believe has happened slightly with Greg's Bristol. And unfortunately, since I chose a peened construction instead of a hex nut, I don't know that there's any easy way to fix it without major surgery. Any thoughts on this would certainly be appreciated. Here's a shot showing what I mean:
Overall, however, I am extremely pleased with this sword! That one detail is definitely a bit of a concern, but basically everything else about it thrills me beyond belief! It arrived much faster than I anticipated, and it was packaged extremely well. The price, obviously, was fantastic, especially compared to my custom sword from Ernie (which, don't get me wrong, I still absolutely adore), and that didn't even come with a scabbard! Sonny was extremely communicative, and very helpful. He didn't even have a problem when I asked him if he could knock off the extra cost of the peened assembly if I were to leave out the harness altogether (I've never loved the harness they offer, and I plan to make my own anyway).
So yep, there you have it, folks! The Bristol is starting to become the sword of choice around these parts it seems!
Remember over the holidays when someone posted about the sale at Valiant Armoury? And I said I really, REALLY wanted to get a Bristol, but my wife would kill me? WELL.
I GOT A BRISTOL. And I lived to tell about it!
Commence pictures!
First, I return home from work to find that the box has arrived!
And now! The unboxing!
The camera didn't quite focus right, but here's the mouth of the scabbard.
And lastly, a couple comparisons with my beautiful arming sword from Ernie at Yeshua's Sword. Alas, I have still not finished the scabbard and suspension for that one, but it's one of the next things on my list.
Sarah was definitely not thrilled when I broke the news to her that I had bought it, but I got some extra cash over Christmas, and it burned a serious hole in my pocket.
Anyway, I couldn't be more pleased, for the most part. I obviously just got it in my hands, so I can't be as thorough as perhaps I ought to be, but here are my initial impressions:
THE GOOD
- It feels wonderful. Heavy enough to deliver a good cut, but with a lovely balance point, such that it does not feel dead in the hand.
- It's sharp as hell. Like, seriously. Dang.
- The grip is secure and extremely comfortable (which I wondered about before purchasing, since it's a bit of an unusual shape), and the leatherwork is all but seamless. Seriously, the seam is practically invisible - even more-so than on my custom sword from Ernie, for which I paid a lot more money.
- The fishtail pommel is handsome, and its shape even allows for a two-handed grip, if one is so inclined. Also, it resembles the shape of pommel on the movie-version Narsil/Anduril, which certainly lends it a nice Dunedain-ish aesthetic.
- The antique green color is GORGEOUS, especially on the scabbard.
- The scabbard in general is beautifully constructed and finished, from the well formed mouth which grips the sword *just* enough, to the beautiful steel chape at the bottom. The risers are also neatly formed, and add a nice flourish to the design.
- The blade seems straight, secure, and well finished to a uniform satin sheen.
THE BAD
- I feel the grip could have been a little lighter in color, but this is an EXTREMELY minor gripe.
- There were a couple minor nicks in the leather of the scabbard, but I honestly don't mind. They were very, very small, and really only add a little character. I'm sure I'll be putting plenty more nicks in it myself.
- The scabbard throat doesn't *precisely* match the sweep of the crossguard. It's really, really close, but not 100% flush. Once again, this is very minor - hardly even worth mentioning.
So that's basically it, but there is ONE last detail that bummed me out a little, and frankly it's the only "bad" item that I actually care about in any way. That is, the pommel is very slightly offset from the grip - maybe a millimeter, maybe two. To a casual observer, it's probably hardly noticeable, but I admit, it was the first thing I saw when I inspected it. This does make me just a little nervous that the leather might begin to sneak out from underneath with prolonged use, as I believe has happened slightly with Greg's Bristol. And unfortunately, since I chose a peened construction instead of a hex nut, I don't know that there's any easy way to fix it without major surgery. Any thoughts on this would certainly be appreciated. Here's a shot showing what I mean:
Overall, however, I am extremely pleased with this sword! That one detail is definitely a bit of a concern, but basically everything else about it thrills me beyond belief! It arrived much faster than I anticipated, and it was packaged extremely well. The price, obviously, was fantastic, especially compared to my custom sword from Ernie (which, don't get me wrong, I still absolutely adore), and that didn't even come with a scabbard! Sonny was extremely communicative, and very helpful. He didn't even have a problem when I asked him if he could knock off the extra cost of the peened assembly if I were to leave out the harness altogether (I've never loved the harness they offer, and I plan to make my own anyway).
So yep, there you have it, folks! The Bristol is starting to become the sword of choice around these parts it seems!