Post by Marc Kaden Ridgeway on Feb 27, 2010 12:06:48 GMT -5
John Lundemo Custom Odinblade Irish Ring Pommel: " Laird" Review by Marc Kaden Ridgeway---------------------Barnesville GA, 27 Feb 2010 [/b][/size]
Just before Christmas my Incredible girl , Stacy, decided to give me a wonderful gift. She gave me a budget for a sword and I set out to decide what to buy.
After kicking Around some ideas,finally I decided upon John Lundemo.
Her Mothers "clan" was Laird (meaning "Lord") and they are of direct nothern Irish descent.
So I designed a sword with her heritage in mind... and sent my idea off to John, with the admonition ... " make it an Odin"...
A VERY few short months later the well- crated fruition of my design and Johns talent was delivered to my door.
Here is some rough sketches of my design...
John took my design, improved upon it... and realized it in breath-taking fashion. He truly took my vision and made it an Odin...
Specifications[/color][/size][/u]
OAL------------------------- 50 in
Blade length-------------------------37 in
Grip----------------------------------- 10 in
Hilt-------------------------------------13 in
Pommel-------------------------------2.25 in
Guard Width------------------------8.5 in
width at base-----------------------2.25 in
Width 1.5 in from tip --------------1 in
COP------------------------------------24 in
COG------------------------------------4.25 in
Weight---------------------------------3lbs,11ozs [/color]
Aesthetics
Pommel is a ring pommel , 2.25in. across, with a trapezoidal peen block. The guard is an S quillion (type 12) guard and is 8.5 inches across. Both are darkened. The handle is 10 inches of brown leather over thick cord. It is hexagonal shaped and nicely tapered to a central , hexagonal copper ring. The copper ring is inscribed with the name of the sword., and the name of Lady Stacy's family: "Laird ". The inscription is in runes of the elder Futhark alphabet, since I was not able to find Gaelic script that satisfied me . The entire hilt assembly flows together in a way that surprises even me . It is exceptional.
The blade is a type XVIIIa in a high satin finish. It is 37 inches long and 2.25 inches at the base, tapering to 1 inch before forming the point. The central Fuller is near-mirror polished and the base of the blade sports Johns artfully wrought makers mark.
Construction:Fit & Finish
The Laird is solid and well built with its peened assembly and nice smooth peen.
The pommel was cut from a solid block of mild steel and the guard was hammer forged to shape.
The blade is 5160H steel which has a higher carbon content than regular 5160. It was quenched in 400 degree oil and tempered at 400 for 1 hour and then 350 for 1 hour.
The grip is woodcore with cord and thin leather wrap. The seam is absolutely flawlesss
Did I mention this sword is damn well put together?
Handling Characteristics
The Laird is a big sword, but not an unweildy one, but then, I am a fairly big guy. At 3 lbs 11 ounces it handles like a lighter sword with its 4.25 in COG.
The pommel tapers in thickness, which aids in the weight distribution and handling.
The primary handling node is just south of the guard and the secondary just south of the riser.
The handle is slim, waisted and tapered. It is very tactile with its shaping and leather-over-cord wrap.
Cutting
The Wide blade is incredibly , hair-popping sharp. It cuts very well. I am still waiting for tatami, but did a bit of cutting with bottles and bamboo.
I am not very good with longswords at all, I'm a bare beginner... but nonetheless have no problems cutting with the Laird.
The Good,The Bad & The Ugly
Well, this will be a tough section for me to complete. This is where I get critical about the sword... and I really don't have anything to say. I also list pros and cons here... but as there are NO cons, I will summarize the pros in the conclusion ... and cancel this section
Conclusion
The Laird is an incredible sword in every sense of the word. The artistry, the performance , the attention to detail are all second to none, and surpass any old production sword out there.
The wait time was minimal , in fact less than the pre-order time on many production swords these days.
John was INCREDIBLE to work with... INCREDIBLE. He was personable, communicative, responsive, prompt , efficient , punctual and precise. He realized my vision , but improved upon it
as well... in every way it was the BEST experience I have ever had with a craftsman.
Now for the sticking point... the point which will leave evryonr shaking their head in disbelief .... the price.
Usually it is in poor taste to speak of price agreed upon between craftsman and commissioner, however in this case the artist has asked me to do so...
The Laird came to my door for the price of $900 .... yep $900
DAMN.... SCREW PRODUCTION SWORDS!!!!
It is my conclusion that John Lundemo should make THE NEXT sword YOU buy....
Thanks for reading.
