High Elven King sword from Gen2
Aug 2, 2007 21:39:26 GMT
Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2007 21:39:26 GMT
Since this is my first real sword, you are getting the response of an eager, bright-eyed neophyte. Please excuse any excesses! These are just my impressions of the aesthetics of the beast. Performance will come later.
I purchased this lovely beast from Arms of Valour and paid a little extra for 3-day UPS. It was worth it.
Got up a little late yesterday, about a half an hour after the dogs had made a big fuss. Got dressed and went to the door to find a long, tall package leaning against the side of the house next the door (there are some advantages to living in NW Montana -- no worries of theft). My heart skipped a beat and I quickly grabbed it and whisked it inside. It was a lot heavier than I expected.
It was securely packed into the box and well protected. By now, I was doing the pee-pee dance with a vengeance, and had to take a few deep breaths to calm down a bit. With a modicum of calm restored, I began to remove the newspaper-wrapped treat from the box, and I had a flash-back to the opening scene of Space Balls, because that blade just kept on coming and coming out of that box. It was a LOT longer than I had truly envisioned, despite knowing the length of it. I hadn't translated the numbers to a real experience, but was doing it now. Finally, the tip of the thing emerged from the box. Wow! This thing is massive. Well, to me it is.
My fingers were shaking a little with the excitement, so I had to be extra careful with my pocket knife in cutting the Scotch tape securing the newspaper wrapping. One unexpected bonus was some nice color photos of some lovely bikini-clad Filipinas, apparently entrants in some beauty contest. I liked their choice of wrapping!
With the newspaper finally removed, the sword and its sheath were revealed fully for the first time. Wrapped in clear plastic, the sword was covered in the shipping goo, with the scabbard separate, yet within the overall wrapping. I now moved outside to the gazebo, taking a towel along to lay it on. I sat at the table, and began to remove the plastic. A few minutes saw the plastic off. I was already drooling over this blade. It is just as gorgeous as the photos at AoV show it to be. The goo was quickly removed with the aid of a little Simple Green which tends to solidify it a bit and make it easier to wipe off.
The sword now fully cleaned, I put my hands on the hilt and got the feel of it. Oh, yeah! It felt GOOD! Wanting to swing the thing around, I put the dogs in the house. Back at the gazebo, I slid the blade into the scabbard. It has a fairly snug fit, but the sword will slide out if held upside down, a fact I discovered by accident. The scabbard doesn't slide off on its own, though.
I made a series of moves with it, cutting figure 8s through the air, some angled downstrokes, and some angled upstrokes. It handles well, to my mind, but I definitely need to build up my wrists, arms and upper body.
I decided to make a cutting test on a small aspen nearby. It had a small sucker growing from the base of the old trunk, about 1/2" in diameter. I went for it. It was only when I was about to connect that I realized that sucker was DEAD and I was about to hit seasoned wood! SMACK! Well, the dead limb snapped off at the rotted base and went flying, but not before the sword put a 1/4" cut into it, with naught but the tiniest of scratches to show for the misdeed.
I'm rigging up a cutting station and will try some milk jugs in a few days.
The blade is beautiful, nicely polished. It is sharp, but I cannot say whether the edge is as sharp as it should be, for I have no basis for comparison, so will have to wait for the milk jug test. A couple of tiny rough spots along the fuller remain, but that is only an aesthetic flaw, and a minor one, and I do not mind it at all. In fact, I didn't see it at first, and it was only while wiping the blade down that I noticed it.
The hilt is big, but fits me well and the leather-wrapped wire keeps your hands where you put them. It just feels great in the hand.
I really can't find anything to carp about. It is absolutely beautiful and I am glad I have it. It took me over a year to decide what my first blade would be, and I can now say with utter certainty that this sword was well worth the wait. Now come the cutting tests.....
Cheers!
PS: I have now been thoroughly corrupted...... ;D
I purchased this lovely beast from Arms of Valour and paid a little extra for 3-day UPS. It was worth it.
Got up a little late yesterday, about a half an hour after the dogs had made a big fuss. Got dressed and went to the door to find a long, tall package leaning against the side of the house next the door (there are some advantages to living in NW Montana -- no worries of theft). My heart skipped a beat and I quickly grabbed it and whisked it inside. It was a lot heavier than I expected.
It was securely packed into the box and well protected. By now, I was doing the pee-pee dance with a vengeance, and had to take a few deep breaths to calm down a bit. With a modicum of calm restored, I began to remove the newspaper-wrapped treat from the box, and I had a flash-back to the opening scene of Space Balls, because that blade just kept on coming and coming out of that box. It was a LOT longer than I had truly envisioned, despite knowing the length of it. I hadn't translated the numbers to a real experience, but was doing it now. Finally, the tip of the thing emerged from the box. Wow! This thing is massive. Well, to me it is.
My fingers were shaking a little with the excitement, so I had to be extra careful with my pocket knife in cutting the Scotch tape securing the newspaper wrapping. One unexpected bonus was some nice color photos of some lovely bikini-clad Filipinas, apparently entrants in some beauty contest. I liked their choice of wrapping!
With the newspaper finally removed, the sword and its sheath were revealed fully for the first time. Wrapped in clear plastic, the sword was covered in the shipping goo, with the scabbard separate, yet within the overall wrapping. I now moved outside to the gazebo, taking a towel along to lay it on. I sat at the table, and began to remove the plastic. A few minutes saw the plastic off. I was already drooling over this blade. It is just as gorgeous as the photos at AoV show it to be. The goo was quickly removed with the aid of a little Simple Green which tends to solidify it a bit and make it easier to wipe off.
The sword now fully cleaned, I put my hands on the hilt and got the feel of it. Oh, yeah! It felt GOOD! Wanting to swing the thing around, I put the dogs in the house. Back at the gazebo, I slid the blade into the scabbard. It has a fairly snug fit, but the sword will slide out if held upside down, a fact I discovered by accident. The scabbard doesn't slide off on its own, though.
I made a series of moves with it, cutting figure 8s through the air, some angled downstrokes, and some angled upstrokes. It handles well, to my mind, but I definitely need to build up my wrists, arms and upper body.
I decided to make a cutting test on a small aspen nearby. It had a small sucker growing from the base of the old trunk, about 1/2" in diameter. I went for it. It was only when I was about to connect that I realized that sucker was DEAD and I was about to hit seasoned wood! SMACK! Well, the dead limb snapped off at the rotted base and went flying, but not before the sword put a 1/4" cut into it, with naught but the tiniest of scratches to show for the misdeed.
I'm rigging up a cutting station and will try some milk jugs in a few days.
The blade is beautiful, nicely polished. It is sharp, but I cannot say whether the edge is as sharp as it should be, for I have no basis for comparison, so will have to wait for the milk jug test. A couple of tiny rough spots along the fuller remain, but that is only an aesthetic flaw, and a minor one, and I do not mind it at all. In fact, I didn't see it at first, and it was only while wiping the blade down that I noticed it.
The hilt is big, but fits me well and the leather-wrapped wire keeps your hands where you put them. It just feels great in the hand.
I really can't find anything to carp about. It is absolutely beautiful and I am glad I have it. It took me over a year to decide what my first blade would be, and I can now say with utter certainty that this sword was well worth the wait. Now come the cutting tests.....
Cheers!
PS: I have now been thoroughly corrupted...... ;D