Valiant Armoury Monarch - Special Edition
May 16, 2015 18:50:06 GMT
Post by Aikidoka on May 16, 2015 18:50:06 GMT
Valiant Armoury Monarch - Special Edition
Introduction
For a while now, I have wanted a single hand medieval sword that was smaller, lighter and quicker than my H/T Medieval Single Hand Sword. Over the years, I have seen forum members such as ShooterMike, RicWilly, TomK and others cutting with Valiant Armoury swords. And I have certainly spent some time drooling over their swords and their beautiful leather scabbards and belts. From everything I have seen and read, I thought that this style of Oakeshott type XVIII blade could be just what I was looking for.
Historical overview
From 1410 to about 1510 the Type XVIII and it's variants were the most popular sword in use all over Europe. At that time wealthy knights and royalty who were armored in extremely advanced plate armor from head to toe which needed an extremely good thrusting point to poke through the gaps and spread the mail links beneath ruled the battlefield as nearly indestructible human tanks, while at the same time the common soldier was often armored in very little. Brigantine or jack-coat of plates and a simple helmet were very common and fighters in these armors could be cut down and killed or disabled more expediently with a cut than a thrust. So a weapon was needed that was good at both cutting and thrusting. From this need the type XVIII was born.
"Henry V Sword" from The Museum, Westminster Abbey
This famous sword, dated to before 1422, is closely associated with Henry V, and almost certainly hung over his tomb in Westminster Abbey. The blade is 27" (68.6cm). Oakeshott noted that this particular Type XVIII sword "is of all the swords of this type the finest to handle".
Full Disclosure
I have no affiliation with Valiant Armoury. I bought this sword at the advertised price with my own money.
Initial Impressions
Unpacking photos:
The grip and scabbard are dark blue, as in the VA website photo, and the belt and harness are black. The combination of fluorescent and natural lighting in my kitchen made the colors look washed out, so, after the obligatory unpacking photos, I took the sword out to the backyard to take some better pictures:
Statistics
Blade Length: 27 inches
Grip Length: 4 1/4 inches
Overall Length: 33 3/4 inches
Guard Width: 7 1/4 inches
POB (Point of Balance): 4 3/4 inches
COP (Center of Percussion): 16 inches
Blade Thickness: at the guard = 6.45 mm, POB = 5.9 mm, COP = 5.05 mm, 1" from tip = 1.4 mm
Weight: 2 lb 4 oz
Components
The Blade
The blade is an Oakeshott type XVIII, with a flattened diamond profile and a very pointed tip. The central ridge is well centered on one side, but drifts a little to the left near the tip on the other side.
The edge has a very small but steep secondary bevel. It is paper cutting sharp, but will bat Dasani water bottles across the yard.
There is little bit of what looks like rust at the base of the blade. I should be able to clean that up with some metal polish.
The Handle
The grip on this sword is, in my opinion, the best executed part of this sword. It is well designed, comfortable and has a near invisible seam. The risers are well placed and the slight palm swell results in a very comfortable and confidence inspiring grip.
The Guard
The guard is wide and thin. It is well aligned with the blade, but there is a slight twist on one side. I may try to gently twist it back or I may not, since it doesn't really bother me.
The Pommel
The pommel is also well aligned with the blade. It has a nice shape and is peened. The peen is roughly done. I may use my belt sander to polish it a bit.
The Scabbard
The Monarch comes with a wood core, leather wrapped scabbard. There are beautiful embossed vines on the scabbard and crowns on the belt and harness. Scabbard fits the blade very well. It doesn't fall out when inverted, but can be drawn smoothly out with moderate effort.
Test Cutting
When I received the sword a couple of days ago, I tried cutting paper and then took it out back and tried cutting a few bottles. It cuts paper well, but has trouble cutting bottles (I believe this is due to the secondary bevel). I'll make some test cutting videos this weekend and then sharpen the blade with my belt sander.
UPDATED 5/16/2015: Here is my initial cutting video with the Monarch:
UPDATED 5/17/2015: I spent a few hours sharpening the blade today and did some more cutting. It cuts VERY well now
EDIT (after 2.5 years!!!):
Recently I was thinking about the testing that I did with this sword and realized that I never cut tatami with it. Today, I did some test cutting and the sword performed very well! I find that I really like the fact that the POB is a little farther forward on this sword as compared to many of the other arming swords that I have cut with. This allows the short and relatively light blade to deliver powerful cuts.
Conclusions
Pros
- well executed leather grip
- beautiful scabbard and belt
Cons
- small secondary bevel
- very rough peen
The leather work is very beautiful and the sword itself has a very appealing look, with the exception of that rough peen. I feel the blade design is very good, although the edge was not well executed. I'm happy with mine, especially now that I have sharpened it. For the price that I paid for this sword with scabbard and belt (less than $600 shipped), I think the Monarch has a lot going for it and is a good value for the money.
Introduction
For a while now, I have wanted a single hand medieval sword that was smaller, lighter and quicker than my H/T Medieval Single Hand Sword. Over the years, I have seen forum members such as ShooterMike, RicWilly, TomK and others cutting with Valiant Armoury swords. And I have certainly spent some time drooling over their swords and their beautiful leather scabbards and belts. From everything I have seen and read, I thought that this style of Oakeshott type XVIII blade could be just what I was looking for.
Historical overview
From 1410 to about 1510 the Type XVIII and it's variants were the most popular sword in use all over Europe. At that time wealthy knights and royalty who were armored in extremely advanced plate armor from head to toe which needed an extremely good thrusting point to poke through the gaps and spread the mail links beneath ruled the battlefield as nearly indestructible human tanks, while at the same time the common soldier was often armored in very little. Brigantine or jack-coat of plates and a simple helmet were very common and fighters in these armors could be cut down and killed or disabled more expediently with a cut than a thrust. So a weapon was needed that was good at both cutting and thrusting. From this need the type XVIII was born.
"Henry V Sword" from The Museum, Westminster Abbey
This famous sword, dated to before 1422, is closely associated with Henry V, and almost certainly hung over his tomb in Westminster Abbey. The blade is 27" (68.6cm). Oakeshott noted that this particular Type XVIII sword "is of all the swords of this type the finest to handle".
Full Disclosure
I have no affiliation with Valiant Armoury. I bought this sword at the advertised price with my own money.
Initial Impressions
Unpacking photos:
The grip and scabbard are dark blue, as in the VA website photo, and the belt and harness are black. The combination of fluorescent and natural lighting in my kitchen made the colors look washed out, so, after the obligatory unpacking photos, I took the sword out to the backyard to take some better pictures:
Statistics
Blade Length: 27 inches
Grip Length: 4 1/4 inches
Overall Length: 33 3/4 inches
Guard Width: 7 1/4 inches
POB (Point of Balance): 4 3/4 inches
COP (Center of Percussion): 16 inches
Blade Thickness: at the guard = 6.45 mm, POB = 5.9 mm, COP = 5.05 mm, 1" from tip = 1.4 mm
Weight: 2 lb 4 oz
Components
The Blade
The blade is an Oakeshott type XVIII, with a flattened diamond profile and a very pointed tip. The central ridge is well centered on one side, but drifts a little to the left near the tip on the other side.
The edge has a very small but steep secondary bevel. It is paper cutting sharp, but will bat Dasani water bottles across the yard.
There is little bit of what looks like rust at the base of the blade. I should be able to clean that up with some metal polish.
The Handle
The grip on this sword is, in my opinion, the best executed part of this sword. It is well designed, comfortable and has a near invisible seam. The risers are well placed and the slight palm swell results in a very comfortable and confidence inspiring grip.
The Guard
The guard is wide and thin. It is well aligned with the blade, but there is a slight twist on one side. I may try to gently twist it back or I may not, since it doesn't really bother me.
The Pommel
The pommel is also well aligned with the blade. It has a nice shape and is peened. The peen is roughly done. I may use my belt sander to polish it a bit.
The Scabbard
The Monarch comes with a wood core, leather wrapped scabbard. There are beautiful embossed vines on the scabbard and crowns on the belt and harness. Scabbard fits the blade very well. It doesn't fall out when inverted, but can be drawn smoothly out with moderate effort.
Test Cutting
When I received the sword a couple of days ago, I tried cutting paper and then took it out back and tried cutting a few bottles. It cuts paper well, but has trouble cutting bottles (I believe this is due to the secondary bevel). I'll make some test cutting videos this weekend and then sharpen the blade with my belt sander.
UPDATED 5/16/2015: Here is my initial cutting video with the Monarch:
UPDATED 5/17/2015: I spent a few hours sharpening the blade today and did some more cutting. It cuts VERY well now
EDIT (after 2.5 years!!!):
Recently I was thinking about the testing that I did with this sword and realized that I never cut tatami with it. Today, I did some test cutting and the sword performed very well! I find that I really like the fact that the POB is a little farther forward on this sword as compared to many of the other arming swords that I have cut with. This allows the short and relatively light blade to deliver powerful cuts.
Conclusions
Pros
- well executed leather grip
- beautiful scabbard and belt
Cons
- small secondary bevel
- very rough peen
The leather work is very beautiful and the sword itself has a very appealing look, with the exception of that rough peen. I feel the blade design is very good, although the edge was not well executed. I'm happy with mine, especially now that I have sharpened it. For the price that I paid for this sword with scabbard and belt (less than $600 shipped), I think the Monarch has a lot going for it and is a good value for the money.