Review - Del Tin 10th Century Viking DT2100
Jan 12, 2013 20:11:17 GMT
Post by Bryan Heff on Jan 12, 2013 20:11:17 GMT
Overview
The DT2100 is a monster. Its a big heavy slab of a viking sword. Its big in the hand, it feels big, the hilt components are thick and chunky and it has a high dose of blade presence. A true shield breaker, not for the faint of heart or those who wish to fence.
Purchasing / Shipping - I bought this used. That being said, please take everything I write with that in mind...I can't say the current DT2100 model will be exactly the same in all respects, but as far as dimension, weight and look....its basically the same sword as what you would buy new from KoA, VikingShield or direct from Italy. The ONLY thing I can see that is different, is the grip leather. My used version has smooth black leather while the newer versions seem to have some decorative elements (riser impressions or 'X' pattern impressed into the leather). Aside from that...seems to be the exact same sword. Also, due to mine being used, any wear and tear (some scratches on the blade tip) I will certainly not call out as a problem as I am pretty confident they got there when this sword was sharpened.
Specifications
Overall Length: 39 1/2"
Blade Length: 32 3/4"
Blade Width at guard: 2"
Blade Material: Unknown (old Del Tins I believe were Krupp Steel , New ones are Chromium-Vandium Steel 50 RC Hardness)
Overall Grip Length: 3 3/4"
Cross guard Length: 4 1/4"
Pommel: 3 1/4" Wide x 2 1/4" Long x 1 " thick
Weight: 3lbs, 5oz
PoB: 5 1/4"
Blade
The blade is a pretty typical type X almost 33 inches long. The fuller is fairly wide and would be on the shallow side I would say, nicely done, very straight and clean...its not precision sharp in terms of the fuller cut, somewhat rounded and "washed out" extending the entire length save the final 1 1/4". The blade gradually tapers from 2" wide to just under 1 1/2" about 2 1/2 " from the tip, basically right before the tip makes its final taper to the spatulate tip. The blade came to me already sharpened through unknown means, so there is a secondary bevel as the stock Del Tins come with a 1-2 mm non edge generally. I cleaned up the edge as best I could, smoothing the rather severe bevel out and I think did an OK job blending it in with the blade proper. One gripe with the blade on mine is the fuller extends fully through the guard on the one side but on the other side of the blade, it starts to "peter out" right before disappearing under the guard. It does not match the other fuller in that regard (see pics below). Also,I don't detect a whole lot of distal taper on this blade. I have no tools to measure it but the eyeball test tells me it is minimal, there is some, but it certainly is not any kind of dramatic distal taper going on here. Conclusion on the blade - As mentioned previously, it is a big imposing blade with a lot of blade presence and overall pretty nicely done.
The Grip
The grip is basically an oval cross section that tapers slightly in a very linear way from the cross down to the pommel. Its covered in black leather, actually pretty nicely done, the seam is detectable but very clean and the leather is quite soft and very comfortable in the hand. When held in hammer grip, the hilt style really locks you in place. When held in a handshake grip, the large uncomfortable looking pommel slides nicely past your palm and it ends up being quite comfortable gripped either way.
The Pommel
I was quite struck right away by the massiveness of the pommel. Its a large piece of steel. Using Peterson's typology I would classify it as a classic type H configuration...I can google stuff as good as the next guy. Anyway, its big and imposing in a "I just torched your town and stole your women" kind of way. I love the pommel for its sheer utilitarian purpose and its no nonsense look and feel. It scream's I am a viking sword, and that's IT. Its more or less triangular in shape with some nice and clean angles cut into the section closest to the grip. I understand that with historical versions, this pommel would often (maybe always?) be 2 sections, riveted together, this is one solid cast piece. Peen has hammer marks but is overall pretty clean.
The Guard
The guard like the pommel is utilitarian and chunky and displays matching angles to what you see on the pommel. Overall its looks match up perfectly with the pommel.
Notice the slight difference in the end of the fuller from one side of the blade to the other as it enters the guard
Performance
Performance on this sword you can probably already guess if you have been reading up to this point. I would say its not the greatest performing sword in the world. It has some heft, no question. The lack of any real significant distal taper I think shows itself quite a bit in the handling department. When dry handling...its does not stop on a dime and recover quickly. Now, with all that being said, Del Tin swords are often times heavier than historical counterparts due to their popularity with reenactment groups and stage combat (as I understand it), so it stands to reason that the sword's handling may take a bit of a back seat here. I still don't think its all that bad though, truly. I think if you were shoulder to shoulder in a viking shield wall, wailing away on the other guy's shield wall...this sword would be up for the task. Its brutish and I think you can make the argument its supposed to be, to a certain extent.
Overall
From a looks perspective, specifically from the historical angle, I think the sword hits its mark. Do some research on various viking swords and you will undoubtedly see several examples that look almost identical to the DT2100. From what I read the Type H hilt configuration was a very popular and long lived style. There is NO mistaking this for anything other than a viking sword. Very classic in that regard. If you are looking for a sword for cutting, this is probably not the one you would want to go after unless its heavy targets. I am not a cutter, but I imagine this would be the case.
I like this sword. Its a classic, big and brawny viking sword.
The DT2100 is a monster. Its a big heavy slab of a viking sword. Its big in the hand, it feels big, the hilt components are thick and chunky and it has a high dose of blade presence. A true shield breaker, not for the faint of heart or those who wish to fence.
Purchasing / Shipping - I bought this used. That being said, please take everything I write with that in mind...I can't say the current DT2100 model will be exactly the same in all respects, but as far as dimension, weight and look....its basically the same sword as what you would buy new from KoA, VikingShield or direct from Italy. The ONLY thing I can see that is different, is the grip leather. My used version has smooth black leather while the newer versions seem to have some decorative elements (riser impressions or 'X' pattern impressed into the leather). Aside from that...seems to be the exact same sword. Also, due to mine being used, any wear and tear (some scratches on the blade tip) I will certainly not call out as a problem as I am pretty confident they got there when this sword was sharpened.
Specifications
Overall Length: 39 1/2"
Blade Length: 32 3/4"
Blade Width at guard: 2"
Blade Material: Unknown (old Del Tins I believe were Krupp Steel , New ones are Chromium-Vandium Steel 50 RC Hardness)
Overall Grip Length: 3 3/4"
Cross guard Length: 4 1/4"
Pommel: 3 1/4" Wide x 2 1/4" Long x 1 " thick
Weight: 3lbs, 5oz
PoB: 5 1/4"
Blade
The blade is a pretty typical type X almost 33 inches long. The fuller is fairly wide and would be on the shallow side I would say, nicely done, very straight and clean...its not precision sharp in terms of the fuller cut, somewhat rounded and "washed out" extending the entire length save the final 1 1/4". The blade gradually tapers from 2" wide to just under 1 1/2" about 2 1/2 " from the tip, basically right before the tip makes its final taper to the spatulate tip. The blade came to me already sharpened through unknown means, so there is a secondary bevel as the stock Del Tins come with a 1-2 mm non edge generally. I cleaned up the edge as best I could, smoothing the rather severe bevel out and I think did an OK job blending it in with the blade proper. One gripe with the blade on mine is the fuller extends fully through the guard on the one side but on the other side of the blade, it starts to "peter out" right before disappearing under the guard. It does not match the other fuller in that regard (see pics below). Also,I don't detect a whole lot of distal taper on this blade. I have no tools to measure it but the eyeball test tells me it is minimal, there is some, but it certainly is not any kind of dramatic distal taper going on here. Conclusion on the blade - As mentioned previously, it is a big imposing blade with a lot of blade presence and overall pretty nicely done.
The Grip
The grip is basically an oval cross section that tapers slightly in a very linear way from the cross down to the pommel. Its covered in black leather, actually pretty nicely done, the seam is detectable but very clean and the leather is quite soft and very comfortable in the hand. When held in hammer grip, the hilt style really locks you in place. When held in a handshake grip, the large uncomfortable looking pommel slides nicely past your palm and it ends up being quite comfortable gripped either way.
The Pommel
I was quite struck right away by the massiveness of the pommel. Its a large piece of steel. Using Peterson's typology I would classify it as a classic type H configuration...I can google stuff as good as the next guy. Anyway, its big and imposing in a "I just torched your town and stole your women" kind of way. I love the pommel for its sheer utilitarian purpose and its no nonsense look and feel. It scream's I am a viking sword, and that's IT. Its more or less triangular in shape with some nice and clean angles cut into the section closest to the grip. I understand that with historical versions, this pommel would often (maybe always?) be 2 sections, riveted together, this is one solid cast piece. Peen has hammer marks but is overall pretty clean.
The Guard
The guard like the pommel is utilitarian and chunky and displays matching angles to what you see on the pommel. Overall its looks match up perfectly with the pommel.
Notice the slight difference in the end of the fuller from one side of the blade to the other as it enters the guard
Performance
Performance on this sword you can probably already guess if you have been reading up to this point. I would say its not the greatest performing sword in the world. It has some heft, no question. The lack of any real significant distal taper I think shows itself quite a bit in the handling department. When dry handling...its does not stop on a dime and recover quickly. Now, with all that being said, Del Tin swords are often times heavier than historical counterparts due to their popularity with reenactment groups and stage combat (as I understand it), so it stands to reason that the sword's handling may take a bit of a back seat here. I still don't think its all that bad though, truly. I think if you were shoulder to shoulder in a viking shield wall, wailing away on the other guy's shield wall...this sword would be up for the task. Its brutish and I think you can make the argument its supposed to be, to a certain extent.
Overall
From a looks perspective, specifically from the historical angle, I think the sword hits its mark. Do some research on various viking swords and you will undoubtedly see several examples that look almost identical to the DT2100. From what I read the Type H hilt configuration was a very popular and long lived style. There is NO mistaking this for anything other than a viking sword. Very classic in that regard. If you are looking for a sword for cutting, this is probably not the one you would want to go after unless its heavy targets. I am not a cutter, but I imagine this would be the case.
I like this sword. Its a classic, big and brawny viking sword.