Valient Armory Signature Hedemark
May 29, 2015 20:44:47 GMT
Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on May 29, 2015 20:44:47 GMT
Introduction/Full Disclosure
As most of you know, I've always been a fan of viking styled weapons, swords axes knives ext. I was working on a custom commission for a friend and he offered to trade me this sword to cover the remaining balance he had with me. So in the name of full disclosure, technically i did not pay full price for this sword, though i did pay full asking price. I received the sword second hand from the original owner, not direct from Valient armory.
Historical overview
The VA Hedemark is advertised as a type X styled blade with a wide profile and close to full length fuller. The blade of this particular sword is almost identical aesthetically and profile wise to my Angus Trim type X arming sword. I dare say that the angus trim type X may be what this blade was designed around. It features a typical 3 lobed viking styled pommel, forgive my lack of remembering the proper designation for this type, it's not really my forte.
Initial Impressions
Initial impressions were quite litterally "HOLY poo" The sword has a very powerful feel to it, and instantly distinguished itself from the Previous viking type swords i have handled. The sword definitely carries more heft than the hanwei tinker viking, and the windlass ulfbehrt. It really feels like a sword i could carry with me into battle and not worry about damaging it.
Statistics
The Following Specs are pulled direct from Valient Armory
Overall Length: 38 1/2"
Blade Length: 31 1/2"
Handle Length: 4 3/4"
Blade Material: Hand Forged 1060 High Carbon Spring Steel
Blade Width at Guard: 2 "
Sword Weight: 3 lbs 2 oz
Center of Gravity: 7 1/4" from Guard
Here are the Specs of the Individual sword as measured by myself
Overall Length: 38.5"
Blade Length: 31.25
Grip Length: 4.5"
Blade Width at Guard: 2 "
Sword Weight: 3 lbs 4oz
Center of Gravity: 6.75" from Guard
Components
The Blade: The blade is nicely shaped with a clean fuller execution though it may be ever so slightly not perfect if you really look close. Not a big deal at all. The edge has no secondary bevel, though it could be a bit sharper, I've never been able to say a euro sword was capable of cutting out of box, but this one definitely is. It's not paper cutting sharp, but the geometry is good and i have no doubt the sword is as sharp as any period correct one would be expected to be, possibly even more so. This is a big plus IMO
The Handle: OK, i mentioned i received the sword second hand, and it had obviously been put through quite a bit of use, the blade was super scratched up and upon trying to cut with it the handle actually came loose on the tang. This was a problem because the pommel is peened and i was unable to fix it without destroying it. I Contacted Sonny and asked him his thoughts about how i could fix the issue and to my surprise he simply said to send it back to him and he would take care of it. I sent the sword to sonny and in less than a week he had it fixed and sent back to me. I was very surprised that when i received the sword, Sonny not only fixed the grip, but also polished the blade right back to its factory brand new luster. (hence my sentiments above about the blade being in excellent condition and not mentioning the scratches until now)
The Guard: The guard is very solid with no rattle or play, and is simple but aesthetically pleasing. Not much else to say about it.
The Pommel: The pommel is of the two piece 3 lobed type, and is a very good representation of the style in my7 opinion. It is very solid with no play and the peen is cleanly executed without being ground smooth (i hate when the peen is ground smooth) Both the guard and pommel are aligned properly to the blade.
The Grip: The grip of the sword is beautifully executed and feels wonderful in hand. I am able to grip the sword with the proper hammer fist styled grip with no pommel dig in the wrist whatsoever, finally a viking sword done right! The leather is a nice rust stained finish with cord impressions and 5 risers. 10/10 on the grip after sonny fixed it.
The Scabbard: The scabbard of the sword is very clean and gorgeous. It features the same rust colored theme with a dark wooden strap bridge secured by two leather straps with tooling work on them. The scabbard fit is smooth and tight, but if you shake it hard there is some blade rattle in the tip area, pretty unavoidable in most cases. The smooth clean draw is what i primarily care about and sonny nailed it. One negative is that if held upside down, the sword will slide out, slowly, but it will come out. Some might see this as a negative, though if you are carrying the sword on a baldric vertically as it was meant to be carried its never going to come out.
Handling Characteristics
The sword is quite massive and very authoritative in the cut, because of that it really has a ton of cutting power to make up for a bit of speed loss due to its heft, edge alignment is easy to maintain with the comfortable grip shape, and this sword will reward the wielder with powerful clean cuts.
Test Cutting
I did a very small amount of test cutting with the sword prior to the grip coming loose, and it cut adequately for a battle weapon. I have no doubt it would be able to take harder targets as i was able to cut a 1 inch dowel rod quite easily with no damage to the edge. I intend to do some more cutting after i sharpen it to my standard so it will be more enjoyable to use against the light targets I often use.
Conclusions
In conclusion, the Valiant Armory Signature edition Hedemark is a beastly solid built sword that packs a real punch while being comfortable to use in hand, the grip and scabbard work is top notch, and for the price range VA has no equal IMO. Top that off with Sonnys above and beyond customer service, and you have a real winner.
Pros
- Top quality grip and scabbard leatherwork
- Very solid well built construction
- Ready to use full package right out of the box
- Excellent customer service
Cons
-Fuller is slightly imperfect
-Grip came loose after extensive cutting
-Edge isn't "Wes Sharp" out of box
The Bottom Line
I would recommend the Valiant Armory Signature line to anyone looking for a full package ready to go sword without breaking the bank too badly.
As most of you know, I've always been a fan of viking styled weapons, swords axes knives ext. I was working on a custom commission for a friend and he offered to trade me this sword to cover the remaining balance he had with me. So in the name of full disclosure, technically i did not pay full price for this sword, though i did pay full asking price. I received the sword second hand from the original owner, not direct from Valient armory.
Historical overview
The VA Hedemark is advertised as a type X styled blade with a wide profile and close to full length fuller. The blade of this particular sword is almost identical aesthetically and profile wise to my Angus Trim type X arming sword. I dare say that the angus trim type X may be what this blade was designed around. It features a typical 3 lobed viking styled pommel, forgive my lack of remembering the proper designation for this type, it's not really my forte.
Initial Impressions
Initial impressions were quite litterally "HOLY poo" The sword has a very powerful feel to it, and instantly distinguished itself from the Previous viking type swords i have handled. The sword definitely carries more heft than the hanwei tinker viking, and the windlass ulfbehrt. It really feels like a sword i could carry with me into battle and not worry about damaging it.
Statistics
The Following Specs are pulled direct from Valient Armory
Overall Length: 38 1/2"
Blade Length: 31 1/2"
Handle Length: 4 3/4"
Blade Material: Hand Forged 1060 High Carbon Spring Steel
Blade Width at Guard: 2 "
Sword Weight: 3 lbs 2 oz
Center of Gravity: 7 1/4" from Guard
Here are the Specs of the Individual sword as measured by myself
Overall Length: 38.5"
Blade Length: 31.25
Grip Length: 4.5"
Blade Width at Guard: 2 "
Sword Weight: 3 lbs 4oz
Center of Gravity: 6.75" from Guard
Components
The Blade: The blade is nicely shaped with a clean fuller execution though it may be ever so slightly not perfect if you really look close. Not a big deal at all. The edge has no secondary bevel, though it could be a bit sharper, I've never been able to say a euro sword was capable of cutting out of box, but this one definitely is. It's not paper cutting sharp, but the geometry is good and i have no doubt the sword is as sharp as any period correct one would be expected to be, possibly even more so. This is a big plus IMO
The Handle: OK, i mentioned i received the sword second hand, and it had obviously been put through quite a bit of use, the blade was super scratched up and upon trying to cut with it the handle actually came loose on the tang. This was a problem because the pommel is peened and i was unable to fix it without destroying it. I Contacted Sonny and asked him his thoughts about how i could fix the issue and to my surprise he simply said to send it back to him and he would take care of it. I sent the sword to sonny and in less than a week he had it fixed and sent back to me. I was very surprised that when i received the sword, Sonny not only fixed the grip, but also polished the blade right back to its factory brand new luster. (hence my sentiments above about the blade being in excellent condition and not mentioning the scratches until now)
The Guard: The guard is very solid with no rattle or play, and is simple but aesthetically pleasing. Not much else to say about it.
The Pommel: The pommel is of the two piece 3 lobed type, and is a very good representation of the style in my7 opinion. It is very solid with no play and the peen is cleanly executed without being ground smooth (i hate when the peen is ground smooth) Both the guard and pommel are aligned properly to the blade.
The Grip: The grip of the sword is beautifully executed and feels wonderful in hand. I am able to grip the sword with the proper hammer fist styled grip with no pommel dig in the wrist whatsoever, finally a viking sword done right! The leather is a nice rust stained finish with cord impressions and 5 risers. 10/10 on the grip after sonny fixed it.
The Scabbard: The scabbard of the sword is very clean and gorgeous. It features the same rust colored theme with a dark wooden strap bridge secured by two leather straps with tooling work on them. The scabbard fit is smooth and tight, but if you shake it hard there is some blade rattle in the tip area, pretty unavoidable in most cases. The smooth clean draw is what i primarily care about and sonny nailed it. One negative is that if held upside down, the sword will slide out, slowly, but it will come out. Some might see this as a negative, though if you are carrying the sword on a baldric vertically as it was meant to be carried its never going to come out.
Handling Characteristics
The sword is quite massive and very authoritative in the cut, because of that it really has a ton of cutting power to make up for a bit of speed loss due to its heft, edge alignment is easy to maintain with the comfortable grip shape, and this sword will reward the wielder with powerful clean cuts.
Test Cutting
I did a very small amount of test cutting with the sword prior to the grip coming loose, and it cut adequately for a battle weapon. I have no doubt it would be able to take harder targets as i was able to cut a 1 inch dowel rod quite easily with no damage to the edge. I intend to do some more cutting after i sharpen it to my standard so it will be more enjoyable to use against the light targets I often use.
Conclusions
In conclusion, the Valiant Armory Signature edition Hedemark is a beastly solid built sword that packs a real punch while being comfortable to use in hand, the grip and scabbard work is top notch, and for the price range VA has no equal IMO. Top that off with Sonnys above and beyond customer service, and you have a real winner.
Pros
- Top quality grip and scabbard leatherwork
- Very solid well built construction
- Ready to use full package right out of the box
- Excellent customer service
Cons
-Fuller is slightly imperfect
-Grip came loose after extensive cutting
-Edge isn't "Wes Sharp" out of box
The Bottom Line
I would recommend the Valiant Armory Signature line to anyone looking for a full package ready to go sword without breaking the bank too badly.