Ronin Katana Euro Model 8 - Viking Sword w/ Peened Pommel
Nov 2, 2015 5:21:32 GMT
Post by tea on Nov 2, 2015 5:21:32 GMT
Introduction
I found this forum through the SBG Sword Store while looking for a quality custom Katana. Though what formal sword training I have is via Kendo and Aikido, I have long been interested in European style swords, too. (link) After almost getting one of the KOA closeout specials on a Ronin Katana Euro Model 2 - two handed sword with hex nut pommel (I was torn between the two handed sword and the Viking sword, but the Viking sold out before I could decide), I backed out over concerns about the welded tang extension. However, after reading some of the reviews of the RK Euro swords with the peened pommels, I started looking at the $199 deal on the RK Euro models on the SBG Store. This time, the two handed model sold out before I could pull the trigger. Taking this as a sign from Thor, I bought the Viking model.
Historical overview
While not based on any particular historical model, the RK Viking sword is "historically plausible" and replicate early Viking style swords.
Full Disclosure
I paid the full $199 plus shipping for this sword from the SBG store and have received no inducements or incentives to write this review.
Initial Impressions
I was very excited to find the sword was waiting for me when my wife and I came back from taking the kids to dinner.
There was some damage to the box by UPS. Not only the end was crushed, but it was damp, too, as if something had spilled on it or it had been dropped in a puddle.
I was a bit nervous to open it given the damage to the outer box, but all was well inside. The inner box was undamaged and dry.
All these first pics were with my cell phone camera. I waited til the next day to take some pics with a better camera.
Overall, I was very impressed with the workmanship and the balance of this sword.
Statistics
Blade Length: 29.75"
(edited to add:) Blade Taper: 2.875" at the guard to 1" (measured 2" from the tip). The distal taper is fairly slight, going from 6mm at the guard to 4mm at about 2" from the tip.
Handle Length: 4.25" (longer than is historically correct, as is the case with most low cost reproductions)
Overall Length: 35.75"
Guard Width: 3.5"
POB (Point of Balance): 5.5"
Weight: 2.6 lbs
Components
The Blade: The blade is mono-tempered 1075 steel with a fuller running the the length of the blade to just shy of the tip.
The tip seems to be just a bit asymmetrical on one side.
The Handle: cord wrapped (some sort of fibrous cord) over wood core. Since the pommel is peened, I cannot take it apart to fully examine it. The cord wrapping seems nice and tight and did not loosen up any after cutting (update 11/27, the cord wrap has started to loosen up after a bit of use). For me, the handle seems a bit on the skinny side at 3.75" behind the cross guard and narrowing to 3.25" by the pommel. I took the measurements of a few other items to compare.
Windlass Scottish Cutlass: 4" to 3.75
boken: 4" to 3.75"
machete: 4" to 4.125" back down to 4"
pick axe handle: 4.25"
sledge hammer handle: 4"
Of these, the machete, sledge hammer and pick axe seem to give me the most secure grip. I suppose this is one area that is really up to personal preference, though.
The Guard: The guard is a simple rectangular design and the edges are a bit sharp. That said, it is well fit to the sword and, despite some speculation in another thread, is made of steel (a magnet sticks to it and the pommel).
The Pommel: Five lobed design made of steel with crisp edges and an excellent peen.
The Scabbard: The scabbard is leather wrapped with steel fittings and faux leather straps for the faux leather suspension system that came with the sword. The scabbard seems well constructed and there is no "shwing" when drawing the sword. Also, the sheath firmly holds the sword in place, even when holding the sheath upside down and gently shaking it. However, the location of the straps for the suspension system are not ideally located, as the one closest to the handle is located right on the center of balance for the sheathed sword, so that the sword hangs horizontally from that strap and the other strap thus serves no function.
The belt and suspension system itself is poorly designed and not very well constructed. The sword belt is riveted to the suspension system and the buckle and belt are of roughly equal lengths from where the sword hangs, so that the belt buckles behind my right hip.
The only way I could make this work would be if I wore it as some sort of baldric.
Honestly, I think RK would be better off just leaving this belt contraption out of the package deal altogether. The sword and scabbard of are of good enough construction for the price that a cheap sword belt is a bit of a let down.
Another bothersome thing I found is that the inside of the scabbard leaves some sort of waxy deposit on the blade after sheathing and drawing the sword.
I'm not sure what's causing this. I gave the sword a good wipe down with an oily cloth, re-sheathed it, drew it and saw the above. Repeating this a couple of times yielded the same results. Hopefully, this will go away over time?
Handling Characteristics: The only swords I have this to compare to are Katana (other peoples' nice ones and my cheap wall hanger), boken, and a Windlass Scottish Cutlass I own. I'm not really used to one handed swords, so they feel a little awkward. However, I quite like the weight and balance of this sword. It is much lighter and livelier than the cutlass I own, while still having quite a bit of presence to the blade.
Test Cutting
First, I tried it out on the boxes it came in.
The sword cut through these boxes like a hot knife through butter with just a mild cut with the sword.
We had a Halloween party for my daughter and her friends that included pumpkin carving. Somehow, we ended up with a few extras.
Obviously, I need to work on my swordsmanship a bit and my daughter needs to work on her camera skills.
Conclusions
Overall, I think this sword is great quality for the price. It certainly can cut.
Pros
- nice balance and handling
- well put together with nice fittings
- beautiful blade with nice wide fuller
- it can cut
- great price
- nice leather wrap on the scabbard with nice fittings (except as noted below)
Cons
- cheap sword belt and suspension system
- location for suspension system buckles on sheath just a hair to far towards the tip of the sword
- strange waxy deposits from sheath on sword
- handle is a bit skinny for my taste
The Bottom Line
I would recommend this sword to anyone looking for a good quality entry level Viking sword. It might not be fancy, but it gets the job done and it is extremely affordable.
I found this forum through the SBG Sword Store while looking for a quality custom Katana. Though what formal sword training I have is via Kendo and Aikido, I have long been interested in European style swords, too. (link) After almost getting one of the KOA closeout specials on a Ronin Katana Euro Model 2 - two handed sword with hex nut pommel (I was torn between the two handed sword and the Viking sword, but the Viking sold out before I could decide), I backed out over concerns about the welded tang extension. However, after reading some of the reviews of the RK Euro swords with the peened pommels, I started looking at the $199 deal on the RK Euro models on the SBG Store. This time, the two handed model sold out before I could pull the trigger. Taking this as a sign from Thor, I bought the Viking model.
Historical overview
While not based on any particular historical model, the RK Viking sword is "historically plausible" and replicate early Viking style swords.
Full Disclosure
I paid the full $199 plus shipping for this sword from the SBG store and have received no inducements or incentives to write this review.
Initial Impressions
I was very excited to find the sword was waiting for me when my wife and I came back from taking the kids to dinner.
There was some damage to the box by UPS. Not only the end was crushed, but it was damp, too, as if something had spilled on it or it had been dropped in a puddle.
I was a bit nervous to open it given the damage to the outer box, but all was well inside. The inner box was undamaged and dry.
All these first pics were with my cell phone camera. I waited til the next day to take some pics with a better camera.
Overall, I was very impressed with the workmanship and the balance of this sword.
Statistics
Blade Length: 29.75"
(edited to add:) Blade Taper: 2.875" at the guard to 1" (measured 2" from the tip). The distal taper is fairly slight, going from 6mm at the guard to 4mm at about 2" from the tip.
Handle Length: 4.25" (longer than is historically correct, as is the case with most low cost reproductions)
Overall Length: 35.75"
Guard Width: 3.5"
POB (Point of Balance): 5.5"
Weight: 2.6 lbs
Components
The Blade: The blade is mono-tempered 1075 steel with a fuller running the the length of the blade to just shy of the tip.
The tip seems to be just a bit asymmetrical on one side.
The Handle: cord wrapped (some sort of fibrous cord) over wood core. Since the pommel is peened, I cannot take it apart to fully examine it. The cord wrapping seems nice and tight and did not loosen up any after cutting (update 11/27, the cord wrap has started to loosen up after a bit of use). For me, the handle seems a bit on the skinny side at 3.75" behind the cross guard and narrowing to 3.25" by the pommel. I took the measurements of a few other items to compare.
Windlass Scottish Cutlass: 4" to 3.75
boken: 4" to 3.75"
machete: 4" to 4.125" back down to 4"
pick axe handle: 4.25"
sledge hammer handle: 4"
Of these, the machete, sledge hammer and pick axe seem to give me the most secure grip. I suppose this is one area that is really up to personal preference, though.
The Guard: The guard is a simple rectangular design and the edges are a bit sharp. That said, it is well fit to the sword and, despite some speculation in another thread, is made of steel (a magnet sticks to it and the pommel).
The Pommel: Five lobed design made of steel with crisp edges and an excellent peen.
The Scabbard: The scabbard is leather wrapped with steel fittings and faux leather straps for the faux leather suspension system that came with the sword. The scabbard seems well constructed and there is no "shwing" when drawing the sword. Also, the sheath firmly holds the sword in place, even when holding the sheath upside down and gently shaking it. However, the location of the straps for the suspension system are not ideally located, as the one closest to the handle is located right on the center of balance for the sheathed sword, so that the sword hangs horizontally from that strap and the other strap thus serves no function.
The belt and suspension system itself is poorly designed and not very well constructed. The sword belt is riveted to the suspension system and the buckle and belt are of roughly equal lengths from where the sword hangs, so that the belt buckles behind my right hip.
The only way I could make this work would be if I wore it as some sort of baldric.
Honestly, I think RK would be better off just leaving this belt contraption out of the package deal altogether. The sword and scabbard of are of good enough construction for the price that a cheap sword belt is a bit of a let down.
Another bothersome thing I found is that the inside of the scabbard leaves some sort of waxy deposit on the blade after sheathing and drawing the sword.
I'm not sure what's causing this. I gave the sword a good wipe down with an oily cloth, re-sheathed it, drew it and saw the above. Repeating this a couple of times yielded the same results. Hopefully, this will go away over time?
Handling Characteristics: The only swords I have this to compare to are Katana (other peoples' nice ones and my cheap wall hanger), boken, and a Windlass Scottish Cutlass I own. I'm not really used to one handed swords, so they feel a little awkward. However, I quite like the weight and balance of this sword. It is much lighter and livelier than the cutlass I own, while still having quite a bit of presence to the blade.
Test Cutting
First, I tried it out on the boxes it came in.
The sword cut through these boxes like a hot knife through butter with just a mild cut with the sword.
We had a Halloween party for my daughter and her friends that included pumpkin carving. Somehow, we ended up with a few extras.
Obviously, I need to work on my swordsmanship a bit and my daughter needs to work on her camera skills.
Conclusions
Overall, I think this sword is great quality for the price. It certainly can cut.
Pros
- nice balance and handling
- well put together with nice fittings
- beautiful blade with nice wide fuller
- it can cut
- great price
- nice leather wrap on the scabbard with nice fittings (except as noted below)
Cons
- cheap sword belt and suspension system
- location for suspension system buckles on sheath just a hair to far towards the tip of the sword
- strange waxy deposits from sheath on sword
- handle is a bit skinny for my taste
The Bottom Line
I would recommend this sword to anyone looking for a good quality entry level Viking sword. It might not be fancy, but it gets the job done and it is extremely affordable.