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Post by william m on Jun 2, 2011 22:10:37 GMT
Hi all, I fancy a viking sword so I have made a shortlist of swords that are available in the UK. Im not too keen on buying abroad due to extortionate fees from VAT + Custom charges + Delivery charge. Owch! Anyways these are the swords I am interested in but if there are others you think are better, please let me know! I don't do cutting as such, but I dry handle my swords plenty. I would prefer a sword that is as historically accurate as possible but that is a longshot at my budget of £150-300 H/T viking sword £142 This sword is currently the favourite but there are a few issues that put me off the sword however I am able to do some work on the sword that should improve it. Things i like: Great blade that handles nicely, I like the overall design and guard. Things i dont: Sloppy peining work that damages the pommel, uncomfortable grip, fibreglass scabbard, grip is too long? V/A Hedemark £310 I have had my eye on this for a while but is quite pricey. Things i like: Beautiful sword, good value for the leather work and grip. Things i dont: Overly heavy and unwieldy blade, Hexnut construction, big turnoff! Windlass Sticklestead sword £200 This sword seems to have been around for a while and is well liked. I have been reading reviews on sbg and other sites and the sword gets favourable reviews but I have noticed that a lot of reviews are quite often 4/5, which makes it difficult to make a decent comparison. Things i like: Nice handling sword, maybe too light? I like the shape of the guard. Things i dont: Worried about the excessive wippyness of the blade. Not too sure on the wierd suede or brass plated descoration. I wonder if I sand/scrub the guard the brass plating will go.
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Post by Bradleee42 on Jun 3, 2011 0:15:16 GMT
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Lunaman
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Post by Lunaman on Jun 3, 2011 0:29:17 GMT
This is the one I'd be interested in were I in your situation--there's no way you'll find a more historically-accurate viking than this one around your pricepoint. But it's a bit more expensive than the others you've posted. They've got one sharpened and ready to ship for about £363, VAT included. Albion Squire Line Viking (Sharp) www.albion-europe.com/swords/swo ... x?model=33 Otherwise I'd go with the Hedemark or the Tinker.
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Jun 3, 2011 2:18:03 GMT
Agree with Luna... if you can cough up just a tad more cash for the Albion... which is not much more then the Hedemark... you will be very pleased I promise you. That said... the H/T Viking is a great deal at its price.
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Jun 3, 2011 2:47:54 GMT
my H/T viking didnt have a bad peen on it at all. looks very good, and if the grip was any shorter it would be impossible to grip, so to answer your question, no its not too long. the only turn off for me was the scabbard. so i made a new one. i love the sword
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Talon
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Post by Talon on Jun 3, 2011 4:26:33 GMT
i agree with the general thought's on the albion,its not much more and well ,its an albion
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ghost
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Post by ghost on Jun 3, 2011 5:21:54 GMT
How about Jell Dragon? I always wanted one of their blades...but I'm a cheapo even for shipping. And a wait time of 2-4 months. Figured you might consider them since they're made in the UK www.jelldragon.com/www.jelldragon.com/sharp_viking_swords.htmTheir scabbards are a bit pricey It looks like some of their fittings my come from Viking Press.
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Post by william m on Jun 3, 2011 11:46:02 GMT
Hi guys,
Thanks for the helpful responses so far! With regards to a squire line viking, I had initially looked at this as an option. Albion Europe would had been the choice as they offer a few more variants of the squire line viking. The gotland SL for example looks great!
However an Albion sword from Europe is going to be much too expensive for my budget. For example here are the costings. Sharp SL viking €410 + postage €45 + VAT €91 for a total bill of €546 or £484.68
With Jell Dragon, I am certain that their viking swords come from armourclass, which is based in the UK. Good handling swords I have been told but I really don't like the look, especially the almost chrome like polish on the fittings.
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Lunaman
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Post by Lunaman on Jun 3, 2011 14:53:49 GMT
William, you don't need to pay the VAT again if you order from Albion Europe, that's why they have separate European seller and site. I was just over there for a month, but I might have been misinformed--the UK is a member of the EU, is it not?
Your total bill should be less than £400.
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Post by william m on Jun 3, 2011 16:33:32 GMT
Hey! I find that on many modern viking swords, manufacturers tend to take liberties on how long the handle was. There is a fasinating thread on this on myarmoury.com www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=2478Pic from Luca on this forum... hope he doesnt mind! But his photo is great for showing the somewhat overly long grip.
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SeanF
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Post by SeanF on Jun 3, 2011 16:40:06 GMT
Hm, maybe I should actually take a look at them. I tried the CSA H/T Norman Sword and the grip was too small for me, the pommel dug into my wrist every time I tried to articulate it. I actually have that problem with most single handed swords.
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Post by william m on Jun 3, 2011 16:42:05 GMT
Hi Lunaman, Last I checked the UK was a member of the EU . Anyways I must have become confused with the VAT when I went through the checkout to find the shipping cost, where it says "Hereof vat EUR 91,00", which I thought at the time was going to be added onto the total basket value. I hope this post doesn't come across as sarcastic!
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Jun 3, 2011 16:42:44 GMT
then id avoid viking swords all together, unless you modify you grip its gonna do that
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Post by william m on Jun 3, 2011 16:56:54 GMT
I think you misunderstand me Saito. The H/T has a long grip, as there is too much space when you hold the sword in the handshake grip. The image below shows how long a grip should be on a viking sword. Thanks to Peter Johnsson for the sketch. www.myarmoury.com/talk/files/viking-grip.jpg
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Jun 3, 2011 17:06:37 GMT
image doesnt work
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Post by Elheru Aran on Jun 3, 2011 17:24:33 GMT
Yeah, MyArmoury doesn't like people to hotlink images. You'll have to provide a link to the thread, but I'm pretty sure I know the one you're talking about there... www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=2478As for the grip thing, that's something that's always being debated-- "did they use a handshake grip or a hammer grip or both?" Personally I think they used... whatever worked! Some people can't wrap their head (or hand, as the case may be) around the ergonomics of a particular grip, and Viking-style grips are pretty short compared to the average Euro. Here's the picture...
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SeanF
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Post by SeanF on Jun 3, 2011 17:39:44 GMT
Wow, thanks guys. I was trying to hammer grip, as that is the only way I seemed to be able to grab on to it. Human kinetics aside it was just plain old too short to hold that way for my hands. Next time I have an opportunity I'll give the handshake grip a try and hopefully be able to actually appreciate the sword.
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Jun 3, 2011 19:08:03 GMT
good....god. i just tryd that grip illustrated and it feels 100X better than the grip i was using...gotta save up some bottles and try cutting
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Post by Kilted Cossack on Jun 3, 2011 22:12:14 GMT
Saito:
Ridiculous, isn't it? I mean, how simple is it to HOLD A FRICKIN' SWORD? As i've learned, it's not quite as simple as I thought . . . .
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Luka
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Post by Luka on Jun 3, 2011 22:27:36 GMT
The grip is 4 inches. This picture shows how small hand I have rather than that the grip is too long.
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