Question: Is an Albion Liechtenauer worth buying?
My verdict: Yes, definitely, if you live in North America; otherwise, unfortunately, probably not.
Albion Swords is an American company with a very good reputation. Many of their swords have beeb designed by Peter Johnsson, a well-renowned Swedish smith and sword-researcher.
The Albion Liechtenauer is a fantastic training tool, and if you have the opportunity to buy one in person or in North America, do so.
It will handle differently to any feder you may have used previously, but it is a phenomenally good training sword, and you will not go wrong by having one.
If you are not based in North America, and are considering importing one into Europe, then it may not be such a good investment anymore. It will still be an excellent sword, but by the time you pay for transatlantic shipping, postal insurance, import duty and VAT, the sword will cost you a small fortune, potentially enough to buy any three swords from some European smiths.
Motivation and transparency
I do not have one of these swords myself, although I have had several opportunities to handle them over the years. I would be delighted to see one of my students coming to my club with one of these.
(Edit: this “motivation” section was added on the 9th of March 2019, as part of an effort to improve the transparency of the various reviews on this website.)
Keith Farrell teaches HEMA professionally, often at international events (why not hire me to teach at your event?), and has an interest in coaching instructors to become better teachers. I teach regularly at Liverpool HEMA, and help behind the scenes with running HEMA in Glasgow at the Vanguard Centre.
I have authored Scottish Broadsword and British Singlestick and the award-winning AHA German Longsword Study Guide, and maintain a blog at www.keithfarrell.net where I post regularly.
