Valiant Armoury Zombie Slayer - A Farewell Review!
Jan 6, 2012 7:43:03 GMT
Post by Daniel Dacombe on Jan 6, 2012 7:43:03 GMT
Introduction
This is no ordinary review…
Normal reviews involve a guy (or gal) who purchased a sword as they walk through their initial impressions, an in depth view of the product, and a final verdict.
THIS review is different. I had designs on a Zombie Slayer as my tastes are beginning to run more in the euro/fantasy direction, and a tactical longsword fit the bill just fine. I had been wanting to change up my collection and get some very simple, very elegant swords – ones that will still be functional after hard use, with few “moving parts” to break (ideally, swords should only have one “moving part,” and that part should be the blade when you swing it.).
However, at the time I was unable to purchase a Zombie Slayer. This was due to a number of factors, including financial (at this point in my life if I want to purchase a sword, I have to sell one I already have!). In addition, I was forced due to life circumstances to resign as Site Coordinator, a decision that left me feeling quite sad. So I wrote a farewell message to the other moderators, and mentioned in passing that I yet hoped to do a farewell review of a Zombie Slayer at some point in the future. My farewells said, I settled in to the daily grind and tried not to miss SBG too much.
Enter Marc Ridgeway and his merry band of sneaky individuals.
I seem to have underestimated his sneakiness.
A couple months later Marc sends me a message on Facebook:
Uh oh.
But, Marc, I’m busy…..
But… but….
Oh, hell. I’ve got way too big an ego not to check it out. Plus they’ve been without my wisdom, my guidance, for weeks! What must SBG look like by now??
Above: the state of SBG when I’m gone.
And as most of you know, the original thread (here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7983 ) is what he sent to me. Marc and his aptly named Cabal had procured me a customized Zombie Slayer – what fun! And so this review is a product of that – a fond farewell to the forum (for now), and a big thank you to all the members of the Cabal who made it possible!
The Cabal:
Marc Kaden Ridgeway
Paul Southren
Sonny Suttles
Dave Kelly
ChuckinOhio
DeepBlueDave
RicWilly (YlliwCir )
Odingaard
Sean(Shadowhowler)
Avery
Travis Nicko
Mike Harris
William Swiger
Sébastien
Serge
James Gall
Thanks for everything, you sneaky bastards.
Historical overview
Zombies. Zombie movies. Zombie video games. Zombie literature. Are we obsessed with monstrous creatures that don’t exist, or are we preparing for the eventual Zombie apocalypse that we all know, deep in our hearts, is most definitely coming, and which will test the resolve, determination and skill of all of us? I think I can say with a reasonable degree of accuracy that it probably 100% is the latter reason, and we must all take the time to prepare for the inevitable onslaught of the undead that will happen any day now. I for one plan to be at the forefront of Zombie preparation in my area, and have been preparing accordingly for years.
Everybody’s good at something.
While most of us likely became familiar with Zombies due to the influence of George A. Romero's 1968 film Night of the Living Dead, the concept of a Zombie as an animated corpse has existed for centuries in many different cultures. Historically Zombies have been associated with magic, spirituality, or some other form of supernatural influence. A practitioner of the “Dark Arts” is able to raise a recently dead human being to do their bidding. This view arose out of many scattered cultures including Vodou and some African religions and is popularized by the fantasy genre of modern media (think Necromancers in video games, D&D, etc.). In this style of media a zombie is one of several creatures in a category known as the “Undead,” which included Vampires, Ghouls, and sometimes Ghosts.
I ain’t afraid of no ghosts, because ghosts won’t try to eat me when I’m on the crapper.
However, just as in many areas of our Western culture, with Zombies the supernatural view has recently been de-emphasized. Consider what happened with comic-book heroes: as the Silver Age of comic books began (roughly the 60’s and beyond) the origin stories of many popular heroes were rebooted and had supernatural elements removed. Green Lantern no longer had a magic lantern; he was a space cop. The Flash didn’t get his speed from a strike of lightning but from a lab accident, etc. So too with Zombies! Zombies were no longer associated with a curse, spell or other supernatural influence. The “Pandemic” Zombie had been born; a Zombie that existed due to some sort of virus/parasite that was spread by contact with the bodily fluids of the infected (i.e. through a bite). Many of these also come with a taste for human flesh, sometimes a very specific sort of human flesh. I’ll give you one guess as to what kind of tasty nougat these Zombies want to scrape out of your skulls.
There are many different types of Pandemic Zombies, from the dangerous (Dawn of the Dead) to the freakishly terrifying (28 Days Later, a.k.a. the dreaded “Fast Zombies”) to the downright fun (Shaun of the Dead), however they all share similar characteristics – being bitten by one gets you infected, they tend to look pretty awful, violent, smelly, etc. How to deal with said Zombies is detailed in Max Brooks’ absolutely essential I mean it stop reading this and order two copies on Amazon right this minute Zombie Survival Guide. Why two copies you ask? One for your home and one to take to the tattoo parlour so they can tattoo the most important parts all over your body. Don’t ask me why, it’ll make sense in the morning.
Unless you have severe memory problems or severe tequila problems.
How serious should we take Zombie Apocalypse preparations? I don’t know, laugh it off if you want, but when the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has a Zombie Plan, don’t you think you owe it to your family to prepare at least a little bit too? blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatter ... pocalypse/
Because I’m such a nice, supportive, attractive, intelligent guy – they don’t let you wear the mod pants around here for collecting bottle caps – let me boil the whole Zombie business down to one important Coles Note: in order to kill one you need to remove the head or destroy the brain. Everyone got that? Remove the head or destroy the brain. However shall we do that?
HOW INDEED.
Full Disclosure
While I have never personally slain a zombie, I have seen Zombieland twice, Dawn of the Dead once, Shaun of the Dead five times and played two Resident Evil games (not sure which ones). I’ve also seen this video about 500 times.
WORTH IT.
Initial Impressions
When the box arrived, I was dismayed to see a yellow “inspected by Customs” sticker on the side. Gadzooks! The last time this happened I found damage on the sword within. I exercised my maturity and self-control as I ran the box straight to the basement and opened it with the nearest sharp object to hand (which was a Musashi, incidentally). I was relieved and pleased to see that the sword was tightly packed and appeared to have suffered no damage.
When I pulled it out I was struck again by the quality of Valiant Armoury’s leatherwork – the seams, the crisp lines and colours – and by the unusual and attractive handle. But when I pulled this sword from its scabbard and held it in my hands, the only thing I could say was “whoa.” This was one fine blade.
Due to life circumstances (and Christmas!) I was prevented from picking it up on a frequent basis. But little by little I would spend time with the Zombie Slayer, picking it up, swinging it around, and just in general getting a “feel” for it. Out of those interactions comes the bulk of information for this review.
Statistics
Blade Length: 32.5”
Handle Length: 11”
Overall Length: 45.5”
Guard Width: 3”
POB (Point of Balance): Sitting at approx. 4.5”
COP (Center of Percussion): 23” from the guard
Weight: 2lbs 10oz/1.19kg (as near as I can tell)
Components
The Blade
The Zombie Slayer’s blade is just over 32 inches or well-tempered steel. Though stiff, it is still flexible enough to show a percussion node when the pommel area is struck. When flexed it springs back to true with no hesitation. The cross section appears lenticular with a fuller that tapers off with functional attractiveness at both ends.
The overall stiffness of the blade combined with the tip, shown below, results in a blade that is as well suited to stabbing as it is to slashing. Should any zombies be wearing chain mail, it may be possible to stab through the rings like many later European swords were able to do. This would be exceptionally useful during a Zombie Pandemic at a Renn Faire or SCA event.
The blade is sharpened with a noticeable secondary bevel. The merits/detriments of secondary bevels is an argument not worth having here; but if Michael “Tinker” Pearce is O.K. with secondary bevels then there must not be anything wrong with them. That being said the sword is paper cutting sharp, as long as you are using stiff paper.
The Handle
I’m not going to lie, there’s something about being able to see the entire tang that makes a childlike smile break out on my face. And what a tang! Very robust in width and thickness, it more than makes up in weight for the lack of a pommel.
The panels appear to be glued or epoxied on, which shouldn’t be a big deal – though it’s hard to tell what they are actually made of. The leather wrapping is tight and doesn’t move around much at all, even with much dry handling.
My only concern about the handle – and one of my only concerns about the sword – is that when used with bare hands, you rub your skin against the metal of the tang between the leather cord. These areas can be difficult to keep clean – one area of a sword that you do not want having much oil (if any) is the handle. After only minor use I noticed a few rust spots forming despite my efforts to prevent it from happening. Getting the rust off in between the cords in tricky. This is a minor issue but one that you should be aware of – keep gloves on your hands when wielding a Zombie Slayer.
Which is just as well, because otherwise Zombies could bite you on the hands, couldn’t they?
The Guard
Very simple, there are two sections that jut out from the tang before a short, thick ricasso. This is not a guard to stop and opponent’s blade from hitting your hands, but a guard to prevent your hands from sliding onto your own sword and relieving you of some fingers. You can quite comfortably wrap a finger around the guard and settle it against the ricasso to improve handling.
The custom work on this sword is very well done. The inscription – “GRATIA” is well formed and deeper than I would have expected. The other side, which shows the SBG logo, is well etched even though it uses non-standard lettering. A very touching gesture!
The Pommel
There isn’t one. The tang ends in a spike of metal that could probably be used against a Zombified opponent. A nice touch.
The Scabbard
I love Valiant Armoury’s scabbards. The fact that you get so much for relatively low prices has always really impressed me about VA’s swords. But just gushing about it doesn’t give you lot any useful information, so here goes.
The leatherwork is good. Very good, in fact. I’ve seen a wide range of wood core scabbards with leather, and they range from the half decent (Windlass), the improving (DSA’s new offerings), to the downright awful (a company that shall not be named, let’s just say that the scabbard covering had probably never been near a cow, unless it rode by a field in its previous life as a school bus seat). Valiant Armoury consistently places first in the production sword category for scabbard and suspension quality.
The leather is tight with no movement over the wood core. The seams are all very tightly sealed. The colours are consistent and have no running anywhere that I can see. The raised “biohazard” symbol is attractive and detailed. The sword fits in the scabbard with some rattling but will not fall out if turned upside down. It fits so tight that you need to be a bit careful when you take it out lest the edge of the ricasso/cut-out area catch the tight leather opening.
The shoulder strap is actually really comfortable. It holds the sword in an easy position once it settles and allows for good freedom of movement. It really doesn’t shift around a lot once you get moving, which is nice.
Unfortunately I am unable to draw the blade completely from the scabbard while wearing it – and I doubt anyone could unless they had very long arms. Removing the sword from my back is pretty quick though, so it isn’t too much of a detriment. Just be aware that while out on Zombie Patrol you may want to draw it before you get to any really sketchy areas.
One last thing – it would have been really nice if the strap had leather cord to tie it onto the scabbard as featured in early pictures. Instead we have two lengths of nylon material, which while functional tends to loosen. I will be replacing these shortly.
Handling Characteristics
I often find that sub-300$ sword fall into one of two categories in the handling department – either very tip heavy and difficult to wield, or very light but poor cutting ability. I’ve had the opportunity to handle a few swords from Valiant Armoury and have always been pleasantly surprised by them, and the Zombie Slayer is no exception. Even in dry handling the sword cuts with satisfying authority, but is balanced well enough that it is easy to control. I was able to go through the few routines I know with little effort, which is saying something. I did not feel tired no matter how long I handled it, and though I’m sure that following an afternoon of severing Zombie spines I would be a bit tuckered out.
Test Cutting
Not going to happen I’m afraid – it’s damn cold out there! Plus I don’t intend to risk this blade with its special significance to me on much cutting. For me, this will be a wallhanger. But not in a bad way.
Conclusions
Pros
- good blade geometry
- excellent balance and handling
- solid fit in scabbard
- robust construction/tang
- expert (and customizable) leatherworking
Cons
- some minor scuffs and nicks in guard area
- exposed tang area prone to rusting, may be difficult to clean
- nylon cord for tying on back strap – leather would have been a nice touch
The Bottom Line
It’s hard to be objective when you are examining a gift – there are phrases involving horses and mouths that I will not repeat – but I tried to give it an honest review. This is not a perfect sword (if such a thing exists), and there are some flaws that stand out too much to be ignored. But when you stack up the value of the sword – the ATrim-designed blade, the full tang construction, and the customizable aesthetics – and the minor flaws become lost in the larger picture. For the price of $280 USD – lower than some Windlasses – you get a fully customized tactical longsword. That puts the value of what you receive at much higher than what you pay for.
So what am I trying to say? In my opinion, The Valiant Armoury Zombie Slayer is the best value sword of 2011. And Sonny – you can quote me on that.
Final note – the value of this sword is so high, I have decided that the next sword I purchase will be a second Zombie Slayer of a different design to use as a dedicated cutter and training sword. The SBG “GRATIA” sword (as I’ve been calling it) I will also cut with, but intend to display above the mantle in our home for as long as my wife can stand it. Of all the (20ish?) swords I own, the SBG “GRATIA” Zombie Slayer has the most emotion tied up in it for me, the most meaning, and represents not only the years I have spent with SBG but the many, many relationships that we’ve built together. The people that I’ve met here at SBG have taught me a great deal about swords, about myself, and also about some very elusive and uncommon virtues in today’s world – honour, courage, and (of course) internet etiquette.
This is no ordinary review…
Normal reviews involve a guy (or gal) who purchased a sword as they walk through their initial impressions, an in depth view of the product, and a final verdict.
THIS review is different. I had designs on a Zombie Slayer as my tastes are beginning to run more in the euro/fantasy direction, and a tactical longsword fit the bill just fine. I had been wanting to change up my collection and get some very simple, very elegant swords – ones that will still be functional after hard use, with few “moving parts” to break (ideally, swords should only have one “moving part,” and that part should be the blade when you swing it.).
However, at the time I was unable to purchase a Zombie Slayer. This was due to a number of factors, including financial (at this point in my life if I want to purchase a sword, I have to sell one I already have!). In addition, I was forced due to life circumstances to resign as Site Coordinator, a decision that left me feeling quite sad. So I wrote a farewell message to the other moderators, and mentioned in passing that I yet hoped to do a farewell review of a Zombie Slayer at some point in the future. My farewells said, I settled in to the daily grind and tried not to miss SBG too much.
Enter Marc Ridgeway and his merry band of sneaky individuals.
I seem to have underestimated his sneakiness.
A couple months later Marc sends me a message on Facebook:
Uh oh.
But, Marc, I’m busy…..
But… but….
Oh, hell. I’ve got way too big an ego not to check it out. Plus they’ve been without my wisdom, my guidance, for weeks! What must SBG look like by now??
Above: the state of SBG when I’m gone.
And as most of you know, the original thread (here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7983 ) is what he sent to me. Marc and his aptly named Cabal had procured me a customized Zombie Slayer – what fun! And so this review is a product of that – a fond farewell to the forum (for now), and a big thank you to all the members of the Cabal who made it possible!
The Cabal:
Marc Kaden Ridgeway
Paul Southren
Sonny Suttles
Dave Kelly
ChuckinOhio
DeepBlueDave
RicWilly (YlliwCir )
Odingaard
Sean(Shadowhowler)
Avery
Travis Nicko
Mike Harris
William Swiger
Sébastien
Serge
James Gall
Thanks for everything, you sneaky bastards.
Historical overview
Zombies. Zombie movies. Zombie video games. Zombie literature. Are we obsessed with monstrous creatures that don’t exist, or are we preparing for the eventual Zombie apocalypse that we all know, deep in our hearts, is most definitely coming, and which will test the resolve, determination and skill of all of us? I think I can say with a reasonable degree of accuracy that it probably 100% is the latter reason, and we must all take the time to prepare for the inevitable onslaught of the undead that will happen any day now. I for one plan to be at the forefront of Zombie preparation in my area, and have been preparing accordingly for years.
Everybody’s good at something.
While most of us likely became familiar with Zombies due to the influence of George A. Romero's 1968 film Night of the Living Dead, the concept of a Zombie as an animated corpse has existed for centuries in many different cultures. Historically Zombies have been associated with magic, spirituality, or some other form of supernatural influence. A practitioner of the “Dark Arts” is able to raise a recently dead human being to do their bidding. This view arose out of many scattered cultures including Vodou and some African religions and is popularized by the fantasy genre of modern media (think Necromancers in video games, D&D, etc.). In this style of media a zombie is one of several creatures in a category known as the “Undead,” which included Vampires, Ghouls, and sometimes Ghosts.
I ain’t afraid of no ghosts, because ghosts won’t try to eat me when I’m on the crapper.
However, just as in many areas of our Western culture, with Zombies the supernatural view has recently been de-emphasized. Consider what happened with comic-book heroes: as the Silver Age of comic books began (roughly the 60’s and beyond) the origin stories of many popular heroes were rebooted and had supernatural elements removed. Green Lantern no longer had a magic lantern; he was a space cop. The Flash didn’t get his speed from a strike of lightning but from a lab accident, etc. So too with Zombies! Zombies were no longer associated with a curse, spell or other supernatural influence. The “Pandemic” Zombie had been born; a Zombie that existed due to some sort of virus/parasite that was spread by contact with the bodily fluids of the infected (i.e. through a bite). Many of these also come with a taste for human flesh, sometimes a very specific sort of human flesh. I’ll give you one guess as to what kind of tasty nougat these Zombies want to scrape out of your skulls.
There are many different types of Pandemic Zombies, from the dangerous (Dawn of the Dead) to the freakishly terrifying (28 Days Later, a.k.a. the dreaded “Fast Zombies”) to the downright fun (Shaun of the Dead), however they all share similar characteristics – being bitten by one gets you infected, they tend to look pretty awful, violent, smelly, etc. How to deal with said Zombies is detailed in Max Brooks’ absolutely essential I mean it stop reading this and order two copies on Amazon right this minute Zombie Survival Guide. Why two copies you ask? One for your home and one to take to the tattoo parlour so they can tattoo the most important parts all over your body. Don’t ask me why, it’ll make sense in the morning.
Unless you have severe memory problems or severe tequila problems.
How serious should we take Zombie Apocalypse preparations? I don’t know, laugh it off if you want, but when the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has a Zombie Plan, don’t you think you owe it to your family to prepare at least a little bit too? blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatter ... pocalypse/
Because I’m such a nice, supportive, attractive, intelligent guy – they don’t let you wear the mod pants around here for collecting bottle caps – let me boil the whole Zombie business down to one important Coles Note: in order to kill one you need to remove the head or destroy the brain. Everyone got that? Remove the head or destroy the brain. However shall we do that?
HOW INDEED.
Full Disclosure
While I have never personally slain a zombie, I have seen Zombieland twice, Dawn of the Dead once, Shaun of the Dead five times and played two Resident Evil games (not sure which ones). I’ve also seen this video about 500 times.
WORTH IT.
Initial Impressions
When the box arrived, I was dismayed to see a yellow “inspected by Customs” sticker on the side. Gadzooks! The last time this happened I found damage on the sword within. I exercised my maturity and self-control as I ran the box straight to the basement and opened it with the nearest sharp object to hand (which was a Musashi, incidentally). I was relieved and pleased to see that the sword was tightly packed and appeared to have suffered no damage.
When I pulled it out I was struck again by the quality of Valiant Armoury’s leatherwork – the seams, the crisp lines and colours – and by the unusual and attractive handle. But when I pulled this sword from its scabbard and held it in my hands, the only thing I could say was “whoa.” This was one fine blade.
Due to life circumstances (and Christmas!) I was prevented from picking it up on a frequent basis. But little by little I would spend time with the Zombie Slayer, picking it up, swinging it around, and just in general getting a “feel” for it. Out of those interactions comes the bulk of information for this review.
Statistics
Blade Length: 32.5”
Handle Length: 11”
Overall Length: 45.5”
Guard Width: 3”
POB (Point of Balance): Sitting at approx. 4.5”
COP (Center of Percussion): 23” from the guard
Weight: 2lbs 10oz/1.19kg (as near as I can tell)
Components
The Blade
The Zombie Slayer’s blade is just over 32 inches or well-tempered steel. Though stiff, it is still flexible enough to show a percussion node when the pommel area is struck. When flexed it springs back to true with no hesitation. The cross section appears lenticular with a fuller that tapers off with functional attractiveness at both ends.
The overall stiffness of the blade combined with the tip, shown below, results in a blade that is as well suited to stabbing as it is to slashing. Should any zombies be wearing chain mail, it may be possible to stab through the rings like many later European swords were able to do. This would be exceptionally useful during a Zombie Pandemic at a Renn Faire or SCA event.
The blade is sharpened with a noticeable secondary bevel. The merits/detriments of secondary bevels is an argument not worth having here; but if Michael “Tinker” Pearce is O.K. with secondary bevels then there must not be anything wrong with them. That being said the sword is paper cutting sharp, as long as you are using stiff paper.
The Handle
I’m not going to lie, there’s something about being able to see the entire tang that makes a childlike smile break out on my face. And what a tang! Very robust in width and thickness, it more than makes up in weight for the lack of a pommel.
The panels appear to be glued or epoxied on, which shouldn’t be a big deal – though it’s hard to tell what they are actually made of. The leather wrapping is tight and doesn’t move around much at all, even with much dry handling.
My only concern about the handle – and one of my only concerns about the sword – is that when used with bare hands, you rub your skin against the metal of the tang between the leather cord. These areas can be difficult to keep clean – one area of a sword that you do not want having much oil (if any) is the handle. After only minor use I noticed a few rust spots forming despite my efforts to prevent it from happening. Getting the rust off in between the cords in tricky. This is a minor issue but one that you should be aware of – keep gloves on your hands when wielding a Zombie Slayer.
Which is just as well, because otherwise Zombies could bite you on the hands, couldn’t they?
The Guard
Very simple, there are two sections that jut out from the tang before a short, thick ricasso. This is not a guard to stop and opponent’s blade from hitting your hands, but a guard to prevent your hands from sliding onto your own sword and relieving you of some fingers. You can quite comfortably wrap a finger around the guard and settle it against the ricasso to improve handling.
The custom work on this sword is very well done. The inscription – “GRATIA” is well formed and deeper than I would have expected. The other side, which shows the SBG logo, is well etched even though it uses non-standard lettering. A very touching gesture!
The Pommel
There isn’t one. The tang ends in a spike of metal that could probably be used against a Zombified opponent. A nice touch.
The Scabbard
I love Valiant Armoury’s scabbards. The fact that you get so much for relatively low prices has always really impressed me about VA’s swords. But just gushing about it doesn’t give you lot any useful information, so here goes.
The leatherwork is good. Very good, in fact. I’ve seen a wide range of wood core scabbards with leather, and they range from the half decent (Windlass), the improving (DSA’s new offerings), to the downright awful (a company that shall not be named, let’s just say that the scabbard covering had probably never been near a cow, unless it rode by a field in its previous life as a school bus seat). Valiant Armoury consistently places first in the production sword category for scabbard and suspension quality.
The leather is tight with no movement over the wood core. The seams are all very tightly sealed. The colours are consistent and have no running anywhere that I can see. The raised “biohazard” symbol is attractive and detailed. The sword fits in the scabbard with some rattling but will not fall out if turned upside down. It fits so tight that you need to be a bit careful when you take it out lest the edge of the ricasso/cut-out area catch the tight leather opening.
The shoulder strap is actually really comfortable. It holds the sword in an easy position once it settles and allows for good freedom of movement. It really doesn’t shift around a lot once you get moving, which is nice.
Unfortunately I am unable to draw the blade completely from the scabbard while wearing it – and I doubt anyone could unless they had very long arms. Removing the sword from my back is pretty quick though, so it isn’t too much of a detriment. Just be aware that while out on Zombie Patrol you may want to draw it before you get to any really sketchy areas.
One last thing – it would have been really nice if the strap had leather cord to tie it onto the scabbard as featured in early pictures. Instead we have two lengths of nylon material, which while functional tends to loosen. I will be replacing these shortly.
Handling Characteristics
I often find that sub-300$ sword fall into one of two categories in the handling department – either very tip heavy and difficult to wield, or very light but poor cutting ability. I’ve had the opportunity to handle a few swords from Valiant Armoury and have always been pleasantly surprised by them, and the Zombie Slayer is no exception. Even in dry handling the sword cuts with satisfying authority, but is balanced well enough that it is easy to control. I was able to go through the few routines I know with little effort, which is saying something. I did not feel tired no matter how long I handled it, and though I’m sure that following an afternoon of severing Zombie spines I would be a bit tuckered out.
Test Cutting
Not going to happen I’m afraid – it’s damn cold out there! Plus I don’t intend to risk this blade with its special significance to me on much cutting. For me, this will be a wallhanger. But not in a bad way.
Conclusions
Pros
- good blade geometry
- excellent balance and handling
- solid fit in scabbard
- robust construction/tang
- expert (and customizable) leatherworking
Cons
- some minor scuffs and nicks in guard area
- exposed tang area prone to rusting, may be difficult to clean
- nylon cord for tying on back strap – leather would have been a nice touch
The Bottom Line
It’s hard to be objective when you are examining a gift – there are phrases involving horses and mouths that I will not repeat – but I tried to give it an honest review. This is not a perfect sword (if such a thing exists), and there are some flaws that stand out too much to be ignored. But when you stack up the value of the sword – the ATrim-designed blade, the full tang construction, and the customizable aesthetics – and the minor flaws become lost in the larger picture. For the price of $280 USD – lower than some Windlasses – you get a fully customized tactical longsword. That puts the value of what you receive at much higher than what you pay for.
So what am I trying to say? In my opinion, The Valiant Armoury Zombie Slayer is the best value sword of 2011. And Sonny – you can quote me on that.
Final note – the value of this sword is so high, I have decided that the next sword I purchase will be a second Zombie Slayer of a different design to use as a dedicated cutter and training sword. The SBG “GRATIA” sword (as I’ve been calling it) I will also cut with, but intend to display above the mantle in our home for as long as my wife can stand it. Of all the (20ish?) swords I own, the SBG “GRATIA” Zombie Slayer has the most emotion tied up in it for me, the most meaning, and represents not only the years I have spent with SBG but the many, many relationships that we’ve built together. The people that I’ve met here at SBG have taught me a great deal about swords, about myself, and also about some very elusive and uncommon virtues in today’s world – honour, courage, and (of course) internet etiquette.