OdinBlade LongShip Line Verrimus
Feb 2, 2012 0:32:53 GMT
Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Feb 2, 2012 0:32:53 GMT
OdinBlade Longship Line Verrimus
Sean O Stevens, Grovetown GA
Introduction
It was not so long ago that John Lundemo (Owner/Creater of Odinblades AKA 'the Odin Dude') announced that he was going to do a line of semi-production swords, with cast bronze fittings as opposed to his typical hand carved steel. Many of us began frothing at the mouth at the prospect. I, for one, had advocated before to him that he should just keep some swords in stock as opposed to making them on a commission by commission basis... because I know many collectors who would love to own an Odin Blade... but don't like the wait associated with custom swords. They want it and they want it now. I was sure anything he kept stocked would not last long because those sort of buyers would jump on them.
Still... a semi-production line of swords was even an even cooler concept then that.
John Partnered with James Fang for the Longship Line... and the infamous 'GreyBeard' (John Downham) made the bronze fittings. cast off originals carved by Mr. Lundemo himself. The goal being to create a line with a large but limited run that customers could buy from, knowing exactly what they were getting beforehand. Also, with the fittings being cast John could produce them more quickly... which is good news for impatient collectors.
Already having a couple Odinblades... I knew i would be wanting some of the new Longship line. Also... I knew this would be VERY big for the sword collecting community, as it made owning an Odinblade easier and accessible to more people then before. I wanted to be a part of it... so I grabbed a handful of the first batch to review.
This sword... the Verrimus... was VERY interesting to me. I love the Hand and a half sabers that John has made in the past... and then there is the Warder, the one that was made for Valiant Armory. I wanted one of those for a long time. Of course, I wanted mine in Green. When I saw Marc Ridgeways review of the prototype Verrimus... I knew i was going to have to get one.
So when I decided to grab some of the first run of Longship Line swords to review... I made sure the Verrimus was among them. I wanted mine to have the fishtail pommel, because I think it has a very elegant look... and it will match up well with my other Longship Line swords. However, John suggests that a wood grip might serve to be an interesting option over the stingray grip on the prototype. Having already seen the beauty of John's wood grips with my Odinblade GreenLeaf sword... I said 'Yes please!'
Historical overview
The Verrimus is, as far as I know, mainly a fantasy saber design. Its not a fully two handed saber in my view... more of a bastard saber. There is a precedent for larger, two handed sabers is history... most notably the Swiss Sabers. However this one is pretty much a unique Odinblade design I believe.
Full Disclosure
I bought this sword with my own money... and received no consideration or influence in regards to this review. I have bought swords from John before... and have had correspondence with him via e-mail many times.
Initial Impressions
The first thing you notice about this, or any Odinblade, is the packaging. Just take a look...
He builds a wooden create for his swords! Having bought from him before, this was not a surprise... but it still impresses me. The swords are packed in there so solidly that even the ham-handed USPS would be hard pressed to damage them. I've noticed this level of care with shipping is something custom makers tend to do... and its one of the many reasons going custom is so appealing. When someone puts so much care into crafting something... they want to make sure it makes it to its new owner intact.
After getting the Verrimus free from pounds of bubblewrap and plastic wrap... the first thing I was struck with is the Green Burlwood grip. its smooth, beautiful... just really sexy. Then I noted the blade... which was different then the blade on the prototype Verrimus. It looked thicker, with less curve... less saber like and more katana like. Having not had a chance to handle the other blade... I can't say which one I prefer... but plans are in the works for me to look over Marc's Verrimus, and him mine. I'll update then.
The whole sword flowed... i was glad I chose the Fishtail pommel, I think it really suits this sword.
I'll say it again... she is SEXY.
Also interesting is that the Longship Line is going to come with certificates of authenticity. These state which sword your Longship blade is, what number in the limited run they are, and are signed and dated by John Lundemo.
Statistics
Weight: 3 lbs
Overall Length: 42 inches
Blade Length: 32.75 inches
Grip Length: 6.5 inches
Blade Width at base: 1.5 inches
Blade Width 1 inch from tip: .75 inches
Center of Balance: 5.25 inches
Components
The Blade
The Blade on the Verrimus is VERY robust. As I mentioned above, its very Katana like. Its thick at the spine and stiff... and has a smooth slight curve along its length. The tip has a clean termination... and the fuller runs a little over 3/4ths the length of the blade. The look is very sleek and the feel is very durable and solid... in hand it gives the suggestion of being able to handle VERY heavy cuts.
The edge is a well blended bevel as all of John's work is... you can't see the transition with the naked eye... and its very sharp.
The Guard
The Guard is a 'S' guard, with edge facing side turned down and the spine side turned up. I've always liked this style of guard... I think its very elegant looking. The guard on the Verrimus is rock-solid... with the blade fitted to it perfectly and the burl wood grip flows flush to it at the base.
Beautiful.
The Grip
Wow. The natural wood dyed green... the grip on this Verrimus is just gorgeous. Its shaped very well and just gives this sword such an elegant look... its the first part of the sword my eyes are drawn to. They may be some worries about it being slippery when the hands get sweaty of if you get blood on the grip... but so far in dry handling it felt very secure in hand.
The grip space itself is a bit small for a two handed grip from me... I like at least 7.5 inches... but there is a lot of grip-able space on the fishtail pommel that makes a two handed grip very functional.
The Pommel
I've always liked fishtail pommels. There is just something about them to me... they flow very well and add a look of class to a sword that a simple disc pommel just does not. Combined with the 'S' guard and the smooth curve of the blade on the Verrimus, the fishtail pommel completes a look of elegance on this sword that I truly love.
You can clearly see the peen as a color change in the metal... the steel over bronze.
Handling Characteristics
The Verrimus is JUST light enough to be swung effectively with one hand... but still a bit too heavy to be a very nimble or fast sword when used single handed. However... with both hands on the blade.. movement on the sword is effortless and fast. The blade is VERY controllable... and the over all feel is one of great strength, of being VERY solid. There is decent blade presence... it feels blade heavy in one hand... especially at the end of a swing... but feels controllable at ALL times in both hands. Two handed changes of direction are fast and easy.
Test Cutting
I need to change my cutting stands. :lol:
They are unstable and wobbly... so while i'm cutting bottles often fall of the stands and it is starting to really tick me off. Also... as you can see... I got a phone call mid-cutting. Somewhat distracting. :roll: Turned out to be my wife tho.. so we had a good laugh about it.
Ok... cutting.
So far the cutting you see on the video is the only cutting I've done with the Verrimus. I've done some dry handling, but those were the first cuts. Despite some foibles, I feel the Verrimus performed VERY well. Its very user-friendly... meaning its forgiving of poor form, and its easy to maintain edge alignment. Also... its POWERFUL in the cut. I'd love to take on some bamboo with this sword... it feels like it could handle many targets.
Two handed cutting is effortless and fun... single handed cutting is decent... except on the far end of the swing were it takes a bit of an effort to control the sword. Also... its hard to work up any speed single handled. Still... for its size and weigh... it handles better single handed then it has a right too... a credit to the Odin-dudes understanding of sword performance.
Conclusions
The Longship line is a VERY exciting venture... and i think a lot of people who might not have had the chance to own an Odinblade before will get to now. All of those who are a bit leery of going custom will hopefully be able to buy a Longship Line sword when they have some in stock... and they will get to see just what an amazing sword smith like John Lundemo can do.
The Verrimus is likely to be one of the most popular swords in the Longship line. First off... the two handed saber is a design not often seen in the sword collecting community. Second, threw his custom pieces and the Valiant Armory Warder, John Lundemo has already become associated with this style of sword to a degree. Third... its just a awesome sword to cut with. Its easy to use and forgiving of bad form... those who are used to using a katana could easily pick up this sword and find it very comfortable. Fans of euro style swords who might want something Katana like would love this sword... it has a lot of cross-appeal.
I think the Longship swords are a great entry blade for those looking to make the jump from production to custom swords.
Pros
Amazing Odinblade quality with a slightly smaller price.
Options... you can mix guards, pommels, grip color, make small changes in blade length in some cases.
Top notch service... from packing and shipping to James keeping in touch.
For those Leary of custom work unknowns, the Longship Line gives you a strong sense of what you will get.
Verrimus Bastard Saber has a lot of cross-appeal to fans of both Euro styled swords and Katana.
Cons
Tho a good value in custom blades, the price is higher then some can afford for a sword.
Bronze fittings might not appeal to everyone.
The Bottom Line
I think the Longship Line is one of the best ideas to hit the sword collection community in some time. Right up there with What Sonny Suttles did with Valiant Armory and the Custom Sword Shoppe, and Tried and True Armory for atrims, the Longship Line is going to make amazing Odinblade quality swords available to a much larger group of collectors then was possible before... and that is a VERY good thing.
The Verrimus is a very cool sword in my opinion. its a style of sword that has become associated with John Lundemo and Odinblades, and a lot of people dig its looks. With the options of furniture, colors, wood vs ray grip... its easy to make one very much 'your' sword. I think its a home run!
Thanks for reading.
Sean O Stevens, Grovetown GA
Introduction
It was not so long ago that John Lundemo (Owner/Creater of Odinblades AKA 'the Odin Dude') announced that he was going to do a line of semi-production swords, with cast bronze fittings as opposed to his typical hand carved steel. Many of us began frothing at the mouth at the prospect. I, for one, had advocated before to him that he should just keep some swords in stock as opposed to making them on a commission by commission basis... because I know many collectors who would love to own an Odin Blade... but don't like the wait associated with custom swords. They want it and they want it now. I was sure anything he kept stocked would not last long because those sort of buyers would jump on them.
Still... a semi-production line of swords was even an even cooler concept then that.
John Partnered with James Fang for the Longship Line... and the infamous 'GreyBeard' (John Downham) made the bronze fittings. cast off originals carved by Mr. Lundemo himself. The goal being to create a line with a large but limited run that customers could buy from, knowing exactly what they were getting beforehand. Also, with the fittings being cast John could produce them more quickly... which is good news for impatient collectors.
Already having a couple Odinblades... I knew i would be wanting some of the new Longship line. Also... I knew this would be VERY big for the sword collecting community, as it made owning an Odinblade easier and accessible to more people then before. I wanted to be a part of it... so I grabbed a handful of the first batch to review.
This sword... the Verrimus... was VERY interesting to me. I love the Hand and a half sabers that John has made in the past... and then there is the Warder, the one that was made for Valiant Armory. I wanted one of those for a long time. Of course, I wanted mine in Green. When I saw Marc Ridgeways review of the prototype Verrimus... I knew i was going to have to get one.
So when I decided to grab some of the first run of Longship Line swords to review... I made sure the Verrimus was among them. I wanted mine to have the fishtail pommel, because I think it has a very elegant look... and it will match up well with my other Longship Line swords. However, John suggests that a wood grip might serve to be an interesting option over the stingray grip on the prototype. Having already seen the beauty of John's wood grips with my Odinblade GreenLeaf sword... I said 'Yes please!'
Historical overview
The Verrimus is, as far as I know, mainly a fantasy saber design. Its not a fully two handed saber in my view... more of a bastard saber. There is a precedent for larger, two handed sabers is history... most notably the Swiss Sabers. However this one is pretty much a unique Odinblade design I believe.
Full Disclosure
I bought this sword with my own money... and received no consideration or influence in regards to this review. I have bought swords from John before... and have had correspondence with him via e-mail many times.
Initial Impressions
The first thing you notice about this, or any Odinblade, is the packaging. Just take a look...
He builds a wooden create for his swords! Having bought from him before, this was not a surprise... but it still impresses me. The swords are packed in there so solidly that even the ham-handed USPS would be hard pressed to damage them. I've noticed this level of care with shipping is something custom makers tend to do... and its one of the many reasons going custom is so appealing. When someone puts so much care into crafting something... they want to make sure it makes it to its new owner intact.
After getting the Verrimus free from pounds of bubblewrap and plastic wrap... the first thing I was struck with is the Green Burlwood grip. its smooth, beautiful... just really sexy. Then I noted the blade... which was different then the blade on the prototype Verrimus. It looked thicker, with less curve... less saber like and more katana like. Having not had a chance to handle the other blade... I can't say which one I prefer... but plans are in the works for me to look over Marc's Verrimus, and him mine. I'll update then.
The whole sword flowed... i was glad I chose the Fishtail pommel, I think it really suits this sword.
I'll say it again... she is SEXY.
Also interesting is that the Longship Line is going to come with certificates of authenticity. These state which sword your Longship blade is, what number in the limited run they are, and are signed and dated by John Lundemo.
Statistics
Weight: 3 lbs
Overall Length: 42 inches
Blade Length: 32.75 inches
Grip Length: 6.5 inches
Blade Width at base: 1.5 inches
Blade Width 1 inch from tip: .75 inches
Center of Balance: 5.25 inches
Components
The Blade
The Blade on the Verrimus is VERY robust. As I mentioned above, its very Katana like. Its thick at the spine and stiff... and has a smooth slight curve along its length. The tip has a clean termination... and the fuller runs a little over 3/4ths the length of the blade. The look is very sleek and the feel is very durable and solid... in hand it gives the suggestion of being able to handle VERY heavy cuts.
The edge is a well blended bevel as all of John's work is... you can't see the transition with the naked eye... and its very sharp.
The Guard
The Guard is a 'S' guard, with edge facing side turned down and the spine side turned up. I've always liked this style of guard... I think its very elegant looking. The guard on the Verrimus is rock-solid... with the blade fitted to it perfectly and the burl wood grip flows flush to it at the base.
Beautiful.
The Grip
Wow. The natural wood dyed green... the grip on this Verrimus is just gorgeous. Its shaped very well and just gives this sword such an elegant look... its the first part of the sword my eyes are drawn to. They may be some worries about it being slippery when the hands get sweaty of if you get blood on the grip... but so far in dry handling it felt very secure in hand.
The grip space itself is a bit small for a two handed grip from me... I like at least 7.5 inches... but there is a lot of grip-able space on the fishtail pommel that makes a two handed grip very functional.
The Pommel
I've always liked fishtail pommels. There is just something about them to me... they flow very well and add a look of class to a sword that a simple disc pommel just does not. Combined with the 'S' guard and the smooth curve of the blade on the Verrimus, the fishtail pommel completes a look of elegance on this sword that I truly love.
You can clearly see the peen as a color change in the metal... the steel over bronze.
Handling Characteristics
The Verrimus is JUST light enough to be swung effectively with one hand... but still a bit too heavy to be a very nimble or fast sword when used single handed. However... with both hands on the blade.. movement on the sword is effortless and fast. The blade is VERY controllable... and the over all feel is one of great strength, of being VERY solid. There is decent blade presence... it feels blade heavy in one hand... especially at the end of a swing... but feels controllable at ALL times in both hands. Two handed changes of direction are fast and easy.
Test Cutting
I need to change my cutting stands. :lol:
They are unstable and wobbly... so while i'm cutting bottles often fall of the stands and it is starting to really tick me off. Also... as you can see... I got a phone call mid-cutting. Somewhat distracting. :roll: Turned out to be my wife tho.. so we had a good laugh about it.
Ok... cutting.
So far the cutting you see on the video is the only cutting I've done with the Verrimus. I've done some dry handling, but those were the first cuts. Despite some foibles, I feel the Verrimus performed VERY well. Its very user-friendly... meaning its forgiving of poor form, and its easy to maintain edge alignment. Also... its POWERFUL in the cut. I'd love to take on some bamboo with this sword... it feels like it could handle many targets.
Two handed cutting is effortless and fun... single handed cutting is decent... except on the far end of the swing were it takes a bit of an effort to control the sword. Also... its hard to work up any speed single handled. Still... for its size and weigh... it handles better single handed then it has a right too... a credit to the Odin-dudes understanding of sword performance.
Conclusions
The Longship line is a VERY exciting venture... and i think a lot of people who might not have had the chance to own an Odinblade before will get to now. All of those who are a bit leery of going custom will hopefully be able to buy a Longship Line sword when they have some in stock... and they will get to see just what an amazing sword smith like John Lundemo can do.
The Verrimus is likely to be one of the most popular swords in the Longship line. First off... the two handed saber is a design not often seen in the sword collecting community. Second, threw his custom pieces and the Valiant Armory Warder, John Lundemo has already become associated with this style of sword to a degree. Third... its just a awesome sword to cut with. Its easy to use and forgiving of bad form... those who are used to using a katana could easily pick up this sword and find it very comfortable. Fans of euro style swords who might want something Katana like would love this sword... it has a lot of cross-appeal.
I think the Longship swords are a great entry blade for those looking to make the jump from production to custom swords.
Pros
Amazing Odinblade quality with a slightly smaller price.
Options... you can mix guards, pommels, grip color, make small changes in blade length in some cases.
Top notch service... from packing and shipping to James keeping in touch.
For those Leary of custom work unknowns, the Longship Line gives you a strong sense of what you will get.
Verrimus Bastard Saber has a lot of cross-appeal to fans of both Euro styled swords and Katana.
Cons
Tho a good value in custom blades, the price is higher then some can afford for a sword.
Bronze fittings might not appeal to everyone.
The Bottom Line
I think the Longship Line is one of the best ideas to hit the sword collection community in some time. Right up there with What Sonny Suttles did with Valiant Armory and the Custom Sword Shoppe, and Tried and True Armory for atrims, the Longship Line is going to make amazing Odinblade quality swords available to a much larger group of collectors then was possible before... and that is a VERY good thing.
The Verrimus is a very cool sword in my opinion. its a style of sword that has become associated with John Lundemo and Odinblades, and a lot of people dig its looks. With the options of furniture, colors, wood vs ray grip... its easy to make one very much 'your' sword. I think its a home run!
Thanks for reading.