Valiant Armoury Valor Review UPDATED 2/7/14
Jan 30, 2014 18:58:57 GMT
Post by LemuelTheLemur on Jan 30, 2014 18:58:57 GMT
Stats:
Weight: 2 lb 9 oz / 1.16 kg
OAL: 43.5 inches / 110.5cm
Blade Length: 34 inches / 86cm
Grip Length: 6.25 inches / 16cm
C.O.B: 5.5 inches / 14cm
Distal Taper: 4.5mm - 2mm (one inch from the tip)
History:
The piece has more than a passing resemblence to Windlass' discontinued Towton Sword, so this sword probably wouldn't have looked out of place some time during the War of the Roses. Who knows though, Windlass isn't exactly known for historical accuracy.
Fit and Finish:
The guard is visually appealing but it might be a bit too thin for real use (the quillons only have a thickness of 0.5cm). It does have a certain elegance to it, especially in conjunction with the slender blade. The grooves I specially asked Sonny to do for me are crisp and clean, much more so than those on the VA Bristol I used to own.
The grip is just immaculate, the seams of the leather wrap are near invisible and the shape of the grip is very comfortable to hold. The grips on the Albion swords I've played with weren't any better than this.
The pommel like the rest of the sword is well executed and elegant. The base of the pommel however is only 1.7cm wide, and some might find that a bit too thin to properly grip.
The peen while rough, has a utilitarian charm which I'm quite happy with. I don't really feel the need to clean it up at all.
The pommel and the guard have both been polished to a high satin finish and is very attractive, (again comparable to the furniture polish of an Albion).
Sonny has simply done impeccable job on the hilt, and I suppose it's not really suprising that the finish of the sword blade (which I believe is forged in China) is the weak link here. The polish is a little scuffy in areas, but this can be easily fixed. The fuller is also slightly off center and quite shallow. That said, there are barely any forge waves whatsoever and the fuller is adequately straight. The transition from the fullered to the diamond cross-section is well executed and comparable to that of the hanwei tinker longsword.
The assembly is very tight with no movement in any of the fittings.
Handling:
The Valor is a light and lively sword that handles just as well in one hand as with two. This is my first hand and a half sword so I was actually quite suprised by how true this statement is, the Valor is literally as easy to use in one hand as the Bristol sword! In two hands the blade is lightning fast, and it's simply a joy to put in motion.
I did try cutting with this sword, but I'm a terrible cutter so it means next to nothing when I say that I had some difficulties
I will say I had to put quite a bit of effort behind each swing to see results, it's not a very authorative cutter. Thrusting with this sword was very easy, but the sword's flexibility might be a disadvantage when thrusting medium to heavy targets.
Scabbard:
The design, overall quality, and embossed leather pattern are very good, although the chape is slightly too large for the scabbard. Also there's a little bit of a rattle when the sword is inside. Regardless, this would have been an absolutely fantastic set if it wasn't for one thing: the darn suspension system. I have three major problems with it:
1. The two suspension straps are the same length, so getting an angle more than 30 degrees off horizontal isn't possible. (I intend to fix this by punching more holes, and maybe shortening the upper suspension belt strap)
2. The suspension belt straps on the scabbard are loose. They keep sliding out of their boundaries and going all over the place.
3. The set boundaries for where the suspension belt straps are supposed to be, feel at least an inch too low. The sword juts forward a little too far forward when worn, and combined with the near horizontal suspension, your sword will bob about like a see-saw when you rest your hand on the hilt.
I'm currently trying to figure something out with #2 and #3, but I'm a bit bummed because it's such a great great scabbard and this one thing is just holding it back!
Hopefully this is only a problem with the Valor, the Crecy and the Warsword have integrated sword belts (the Crecy has integrated suspension belts but they appear to be positioned well). I don't know about the Norman or the Arundel.
Conclusion
The Valiant Armoury Valor despite the issue with the scabbard is still a fantastic buy. The overall visual design is outstanding, the scabbard is completely unique on the production market, the blade is more than adequate, and the attention to detail on the hilt is just amazing.
Thanks for reading
Additional Comments
A more knowledgeable friend over at myArmoury was kind enough to contribute some of his thoughts (n.b. His impression is solely based upon my review; he has not seen or handled the sword in person. Nonetheless I found his comments to be rather insightful and to my knowledge, accurate).
"My main concern with the sword is that it seems to be a bit confused about it's identity. It doesn't look like it has a properly shaped lenticular cross section, meaning it's probably not as well suited to cutting. Yet, the fuller all the way along it prevents it from having a full diamond cross section or hexagonal cross section. You've mentioned the sword's flexibility, which means it's not particularly suited to thrusting, since the best thrusting swords need to have some stiffness and rigidity.
So, in a sense, it's neither really a cutting sword, nor yet a thrusting sword. Because of this, it seems like it would be better for it to have been more clearly specialized in one direction or another.
The lightness of the weapon overall means it feels good, but it's awfully light for a long sword. There are single handed swords that weigh more than it. I don't think I've ever seen a long sword that weighs less than 3 lbs. That probably robs authority from its ability to penetrate deeply while striking, and means that there's not enough substance to the blade for thrusting as effectively as possible.
As you have mentioned in your review, I also have concerns about the cross. It seems like it would be far too weak to be of much use in real combat."
Weight: 2 lb 9 oz / 1.16 kg
OAL: 43.5 inches / 110.5cm
Blade Length: 34 inches / 86cm
Grip Length: 6.25 inches / 16cm
C.O.B: 5.5 inches / 14cm
Distal Taper: 4.5mm - 2mm (one inch from the tip)
History:
The piece has more than a passing resemblence to Windlass' discontinued Towton Sword, so this sword probably wouldn't have looked out of place some time during the War of the Roses. Who knows though, Windlass isn't exactly known for historical accuracy.
Fit and Finish:
The guard is visually appealing but it might be a bit too thin for real use (the quillons only have a thickness of 0.5cm). It does have a certain elegance to it, especially in conjunction with the slender blade. The grooves I specially asked Sonny to do for me are crisp and clean, much more so than those on the VA Bristol I used to own.
The grip is just immaculate, the seams of the leather wrap are near invisible and the shape of the grip is very comfortable to hold. The grips on the Albion swords I've played with weren't any better than this.
The pommel like the rest of the sword is well executed and elegant. The base of the pommel however is only 1.7cm wide, and some might find that a bit too thin to properly grip.
The peen while rough, has a utilitarian charm which I'm quite happy with. I don't really feel the need to clean it up at all.
The pommel and the guard have both been polished to a high satin finish and is very attractive, (again comparable to the furniture polish of an Albion).
Sonny has simply done impeccable job on the hilt, and I suppose it's not really suprising that the finish of the sword blade (which I believe is forged in China) is the weak link here. The polish is a little scuffy in areas, but this can be easily fixed. The fuller is also slightly off center and quite shallow. That said, there are barely any forge waves whatsoever and the fuller is adequately straight. The transition from the fullered to the diamond cross-section is well executed and comparable to that of the hanwei tinker longsword.
The assembly is very tight with no movement in any of the fittings.
Handling:
The Valor is a light and lively sword that handles just as well in one hand as with two. This is my first hand and a half sword so I was actually quite suprised by how true this statement is, the Valor is literally as easy to use in one hand as the Bristol sword! In two hands the blade is lightning fast, and it's simply a joy to put in motion.
I did try cutting with this sword, but I'm a terrible cutter so it means next to nothing when I say that I had some difficulties
I will say I had to put quite a bit of effort behind each swing to see results, it's not a very authorative cutter. Thrusting with this sword was very easy, but the sword's flexibility might be a disadvantage when thrusting medium to heavy targets. Scabbard:
The design, overall quality, and embossed leather pattern are very good, although the chape is slightly too large for the scabbard. Also there's a little bit of a rattle when the sword is inside. Regardless, this would have been an absolutely fantastic set if it wasn't for one thing: the darn suspension system. I have three major problems with it:
1. The two suspension straps are the same length, so getting an angle more than 30 degrees off horizontal isn't possible. (I intend to fix this by punching more holes, and maybe shortening the upper suspension belt strap)
2. The suspension belt straps on the scabbard are loose. They keep sliding out of their boundaries and going all over the place.
3. The set boundaries for where the suspension belt straps are supposed to be, feel at least an inch too low. The sword juts forward a little too far forward when worn, and combined with the near horizontal suspension, your sword will bob about like a see-saw when you rest your hand on the hilt.
I'm currently trying to figure something out with #2 and #3, but I'm a bit bummed because it's such a great great scabbard and this one thing is just holding it back!
Hopefully this is only a problem with the Valor, the Crecy and the Warsword have integrated sword belts (the Crecy has integrated suspension belts but they appear to be positioned well). I don't know about the Norman or the Arundel.
Conclusion
The Valiant Armoury Valor despite the issue with the scabbard is still a fantastic buy. The overall visual design is outstanding, the scabbard is completely unique on the production market, the blade is more than adequate, and the attention to detail on the hilt is just amazing.
Thanks for reading
Additional Comments
A more knowledgeable friend over at myArmoury was kind enough to contribute some of his thoughts (n.b. His impression is solely based upon my review; he has not seen or handled the sword in person. Nonetheless I found his comments to be rather insightful and to my knowledge, accurate).
"My main concern with the sword is that it seems to be a bit confused about it's identity. It doesn't look like it has a properly shaped lenticular cross section, meaning it's probably not as well suited to cutting. Yet, the fuller all the way along it prevents it from having a full diamond cross section or hexagonal cross section. You've mentioned the sword's flexibility, which means it's not particularly suited to thrusting, since the best thrusting swords need to have some stiffness and rigidity.
So, in a sense, it's neither really a cutting sword, nor yet a thrusting sword. Because of this, it seems like it would be better for it to have been more clearly specialized in one direction or another.
The lightness of the weapon overall means it feels good, but it's awfully light for a long sword. There are single handed swords that weigh more than it. I don't think I've ever seen a long sword that weighs less than 3 lbs. That probably robs authority from its ability to penetrate deeply while striking, and means that there's not enough substance to the blade for thrusting as effectively as possible.
As you have mentioned in your review, I also have concerns about the cross. It seems like it would be far too weak to be of much use in real combat."
