Valiant Armoury Savoy/New Bastard sword review
Mar 6, 2012 16:33:04 GMT
Post by NightRaid on Mar 6, 2012 16:33:04 GMT
This morning, while I was slumbering away, I was awoken by the sound of someone knocking on my door. Lo and behold, my Savoy had finally arrived!
The first thing I did was carefully cut open the box which was secured with lots and lots of brown packing tape.
Introduction:
The whole reason I decided to go for the Savoy was because I was looking for a good cutting sword at a price-range of £350.I found what I wanted originally in the Kriegschwert, but thought to myself that no-one has made a detailed/lengthy review on VA's new Savoy yet. So after many days of thought, I finally decided to go for the Savoy.
Historical Overview:
On Valiant Armoury's website, the sword is considered an Oakeshott Type XIIIa, which is a cut-based sword with a lenticular cross-section with broad, flat and parralel edges.
My guess on the name is that they had named the sword after the House of Savoy in Italy which was formed in the 11th Century in the Savoy region, but that is only my guess.
Initial Impressions:
When I got past all the packaging that came with the sword, the one thing that came to my mind was "Wow...This is a light sword!" and when I went to take a better look at it, I fell in love instantly after inspecting the scabbard. The designs on the scabbard were so beautiful that I could only sit and stare for a good half hour.
The sword itself, for a bastard sword actually felt really light and good in the hand, exactly like how any bastard sword should. Light enough for one handed swings, which I actually did with ease, but when two hands are brought into play, the sword comes alive and moves with great agility and massive cutting power.
Statistics:
Straight off of the VA website, here is the list of statistics on this sword.
Overall Length: 44 ½ in
Type XIIIa Blade
Blade Length: 35 in
Fuller Length: 16 1/4 in
Blade Width at Guard 113/16th in
Blade Width 2 inches from the tip: 7/8th in
Handle Length: 7 1/4 in
Style 5 Guard is 8 3/8th in
Pommel Type J (oval) 1 13/16th tall 2 3/16th wide
Weight: 3 lb 2 oz
Overall weight with scabbard: 4 lb 2 oz
P.O.B. 5 1/4 inch from Guard
C.O.P. 20 1/4 in from Guard
Components:
The Blade
The blade of the sword is that of an Oakeshott Type XIIIa as previously mentioned. This style was used in the middle of the 13th century to the latter half of the 14th as a War Sword or a Great Sword, very similar to the Type XIIa. The blade is ground to a very nice Appleseed edge, though not RAZOR sharp/paperslicing sharp, it is very capable of nice, clean cuts on targets such as water-bottles and possibly Tatami. The blade has a fuller that travels half way down the blade.
Flexing this sword was not easy, this is me trying to give it a flex test with one hand with a camera in the other hand:
The Hilt
The hilt is nicely wrapped in what seems to be firm leather. Extremely grippy and clings to your hand like glue, you won't be dropping this baby anytime soon, even when wet.
The Crossguard
The Style-5 guard is quite long and tapers outwards towards the ends, with two very attractive punch-outs at the end of each.
The Pommel
The pommel of this sword, to me is probably the only part thats a downer. A plain Type-J Oval pommel, which works very well as a counterweight, but I may be replacing this with a custom piece sometime soon.
The Scabbard
This is probably by far, the most attractive looking part of this sword. I don't even know where to begin, so I'll just let you guys decide for yourselves.
Handling Characteristics:
As mentioned before, at 3lb and 2oz, this sword is an absolute dream to handle. Its lightweight and quick, but has alot of power and authority behind it as well. Exactly how a bastard sword should feel.
Test Cutting
I have only tested this on a 1litre cola bottle so far, but hopefully when I can buy some Tatami and get hold of more bottles, I'll be making a cutting video of this sword. As for the cut on the Cola bottle, the sword cut the bottle almost vertically and very cleanly.
Conclusion
At this price, I don't think I could ask for more... Very VERY pleased with what I had recieved and even the sword belt it came with had the markings from the scabbard.
This sword will be the flagship of my current, small collection. It makes my old Barnett Hand and a Half like a dwarf!
Pro's
-Very nice quality sword for a more than reasonable price
-Very nice scabbard, Will most definately turn a few heads!
-Nice, standard and sharp appleseed edge
-Extremely agile and maneuverable, yet retaining enough weight to do alot of damage
-Very nice and grippy hilt
-Amazing fit and finish on the blade and other components
Cons
-Crossguard is a bit too long for me, so it tends to bite into my wrist a little.
-Pommel is very plain-looking, but can be swapped out for something else, due to the hex-nut.
-Sword belt feels very stiff
The Bottom Line
I highly recommend this sword for those who are interested in Italian style swords, and for the price, that I got it at (£327.60) its definately worth it. And since it has a hex-nut design, all the hilt furnishings can be swapped out and replaced to your own liking, or disassembled for maintainence.
UPDATE:
On 7th March 2012, I went to take my Savoy for another test cut on a milk jug this time. I took the first swing and cut clean through the top half of the milk jug...Now this is the bit that may scare/shock you...As I went to take my second swing, I completely misjudged the angle and instead, hit the brick wall that I was using to stand the milk jug on...FULL SPEED...Now heres the scary bit...The sword took out a great 3-4 inches of brick off the wall...And as I went to check the blade...NO DAMAGE!..the only visible damage to the blade was VERY light scratching which I polished off with some fine sandpaper, and the edge trued back up with a quick strop of a stone!..
Picture of the wall with a massive chunk missing:
The sword with a TINY scratch that can easily be removed (You can barely see it, its the tiny black blob):
The first thing I did was carefully cut open the box which was secured with lots and lots of brown packing tape.
Introduction:
The whole reason I decided to go for the Savoy was because I was looking for a good cutting sword at a price-range of £350.I found what I wanted originally in the Kriegschwert, but thought to myself that no-one has made a detailed/lengthy review on VA's new Savoy yet. So after many days of thought, I finally decided to go for the Savoy.
Historical Overview:
On Valiant Armoury's website, the sword is considered an Oakeshott Type XIIIa, which is a cut-based sword with a lenticular cross-section with broad, flat and parralel edges.
My guess on the name is that they had named the sword after the House of Savoy in Italy which was formed in the 11th Century in the Savoy region, but that is only my guess.
Initial Impressions:
When I got past all the packaging that came with the sword, the one thing that came to my mind was "Wow...This is a light sword!" and when I went to take a better look at it, I fell in love instantly after inspecting the scabbard. The designs on the scabbard were so beautiful that I could only sit and stare for a good half hour.
The sword itself, for a bastard sword actually felt really light and good in the hand, exactly like how any bastard sword should. Light enough for one handed swings, which I actually did with ease, but when two hands are brought into play, the sword comes alive and moves with great agility and massive cutting power.
Statistics:
Straight off of the VA website, here is the list of statistics on this sword.
Overall Length: 44 ½ in
Type XIIIa Blade
Blade Length: 35 in
Fuller Length: 16 1/4 in
Blade Width at Guard 113/16th in
Blade Width 2 inches from the tip: 7/8th in
Handle Length: 7 1/4 in
Style 5 Guard is 8 3/8th in
Pommel Type J (oval) 1 13/16th tall 2 3/16th wide
Weight: 3 lb 2 oz
Overall weight with scabbard: 4 lb 2 oz
P.O.B. 5 1/4 inch from Guard
C.O.P. 20 1/4 in from Guard
Components:
The Blade
The blade of the sword is that of an Oakeshott Type XIIIa as previously mentioned. This style was used in the middle of the 13th century to the latter half of the 14th as a War Sword or a Great Sword, very similar to the Type XIIa. The blade is ground to a very nice Appleseed edge, though not RAZOR sharp/paperslicing sharp, it is very capable of nice, clean cuts on targets such as water-bottles and possibly Tatami. The blade has a fuller that travels half way down the blade.
Flexing this sword was not easy, this is me trying to give it a flex test with one hand with a camera in the other hand:
The Hilt
The hilt is nicely wrapped in what seems to be firm leather. Extremely grippy and clings to your hand like glue, you won't be dropping this baby anytime soon, even when wet.
The Crossguard
The Style-5 guard is quite long and tapers outwards towards the ends, with two very attractive punch-outs at the end of each.
The Pommel
The pommel of this sword, to me is probably the only part thats a downer. A plain Type-J Oval pommel, which works very well as a counterweight, but I may be replacing this with a custom piece sometime soon.
The Scabbard
This is probably by far, the most attractive looking part of this sword. I don't even know where to begin, so I'll just let you guys decide for yourselves.
Handling Characteristics:
As mentioned before, at 3lb and 2oz, this sword is an absolute dream to handle. Its lightweight and quick, but has alot of power and authority behind it as well. Exactly how a bastard sword should feel.
Test Cutting
I have only tested this on a 1litre cola bottle so far, but hopefully when I can buy some Tatami and get hold of more bottles, I'll be making a cutting video of this sword. As for the cut on the Cola bottle, the sword cut the bottle almost vertically and very cleanly.
Conclusion
At this price, I don't think I could ask for more... Very VERY pleased with what I had recieved and even the sword belt it came with had the markings from the scabbard.
This sword will be the flagship of my current, small collection. It makes my old Barnett Hand and a Half like a dwarf!
Pro's
-Very nice quality sword for a more than reasonable price
-Very nice scabbard, Will most definately turn a few heads!
-Nice, standard and sharp appleseed edge
-Extremely agile and maneuverable, yet retaining enough weight to do alot of damage
-Very nice and grippy hilt
-Amazing fit and finish on the blade and other components
Cons
-Crossguard is a bit too long for me, so it tends to bite into my wrist a little.
-Pommel is very plain-looking, but can be swapped out for something else, due to the hex-nut.
-Sword belt feels very stiff
The Bottom Line
I highly recommend this sword for those who are interested in Italian style swords, and for the price, that I got it at (£327.60) its definately worth it. And since it has a hex-nut design, all the hilt furnishings can be swapped out and replaced to your own liking, or disassembled for maintainence.
UPDATE:
On 7th March 2012, I went to take my Savoy for another test cut on a milk jug this time. I took the first swing and cut clean through the top half of the milk jug...Now this is the bit that may scare/shock you...As I went to take my second swing, I completely misjudged the angle and instead, hit the brick wall that I was using to stand the milk jug on...FULL SPEED...Now heres the scary bit...The sword took out a great 3-4 inches of brick off the wall...And as I went to check the blade...NO DAMAGE!..the only visible damage to the blade was VERY light scratching which I polished off with some fine sandpaper, and the edge trued back up with a quick strop of a stone!..
Picture of the wall with a massive chunk missing:
The sword with a TINY scratch that can easily be removed (You can barely see it, its the tiny black blob):