Valiant Ulfhednar Single Edged Viking Sword
Aug 29, 2019 2:52:30 GMT
Post by scramble on Aug 29, 2019 2:52:30 GMT
Open/in Progress Sword Review (HELP ME REVIEW THE SWORD!!) – Valiant Armory Craftsman Series - Ulfhednar Single Edged Viking
Two years ago my SO and I went to a ren fest. She said she had always wanted to dress up and she did. I was adamantly opposed. A year later I dressed up too. Shortly after I wanted to get a sword. I looked at the ren fest options and didn’t like the items and thought the prices were crazy (they were mild compared to this item) I started to research swords and really started to like the viking age apparel/weaponry. I went all in for about 6 months. We hand made all of our clothing and had full outfits.
Historical overview
This sword does not appear to be based on any replica. I’m no sword expert or historian, but I like to learn, so if I am wrong on any of this let me know!
The hilt has a bent cross grip, the pommel has 3 lobes and the blade is single edged. All things that seem to be historically plausible, but I couldn’t find any examples of the sword anywhere.
Full Disclosure
I don’t have any clue what the heck I am talking about.
Initial Impressions
Kulta of Athena was a great company to work with. Packaging was good, shipping was swift and customer service top notch. Overall the sword looked great.
Statistics
Blade Length: 27.5
Handle Length: 3.75
Overall Length: 33.5
Guard Width: 4
POB (Point of Balance): Just over 6 inches from the guard.
COP (Center of Percussion): I’m not exactly sure how to find this but will add later.
Weight:
Components
The Blade
The blade seems pretty rugged and has a much stronger presence that the Ronin katana. At the base it is 2 inches, at the middle it is 1.6 inches.
The Handle
pommel and handle in general seemed much smaller than I had anticipated or seen on another sword I had gotten (not the ronin). Upon further research this smaller scheme seems more typical than the other sword I have, but I’d love input here and thoughts. It is 1.5 inches at the top and 1 inch at the base.
The Guard
the guard is bent upwards and very comfortable in the hand.
The Pommel
The lobed part was stable but the part between the lobes and the handle has a little jiggle in it. I’m not sure if this is an issue but I don’t really like that.
The pommel dug into my had a bit but after some adjustment (attempting handshake grip) it did not seem to be a problem at all. My hands may be a bit too big for the handle, though… I’m right at 3.70 across my knuckles. I’ll update this later.
The Scabbard
The scabbard looked great. I don’t know quality leather from non-quality so I won’t comment on that. My only complaint here is the sword is not snug at all in the scabbard. It would easily fall out and is a loose fit, specifically compared to the other two Viking swords I have. The scabbard looks and feels much better (when worn) than the other two scabbards I have. By far.
Handling Characteristics
I’m new to this so my opinion in the following areas is limited. I’d love advice.
Some basics on me, only swung swords a few times. I’m 5’8.5 and 185 pounds. I am a moderately active athlete as I own a Brazilian jiu jitsu gym and compete relatively consistently. I certainly am significantly more active and fit than the average person. Is this relevant? I dunno.
Test Cutting (if applicable)
Here is where I can definitely use some help. I went back and forth on the cutting and I didn’t spend 1.2k on a sword not to cut some things. What should I cut? Keep in mind the blade is not incredibly sharp. I want to keep it to a sane level but I also want to do a pretty good test and get a legitimate review. Having said that, what should a 1.2k sword cut? Whatever that is I want to try and cut it? So what’ll it be?
Conclusions
The rest is TBD. Let me know what you guys want to see more of (pics or otherwise), what I should cut, and what questions I should seek to answer. I’d like this review to be pretty in depth and answer any questions someone might have about valiant swords. When I asked the forum what thoughts they had I got a lot of "it's not tested" type of answers. Best case scenario for me I can offer a great review to a pretty darn nice sword manufacturer, but I want to be upfront and honest. So, what else should I consider? Thanks for any help given.
Pros
Looks great
Sunny patiently went above and beyond to rectify an issue.
Blade is durable and balance feels amazing
Great package for the price
Cons
Initial sword did have to be fixed
Second sword did come with some minor discoloration though easy to fix
Any interest in any pictures I’ll upload them.
Introduction
I decided to get my first sword about 3 months ago and I purchased a Ronin Katana Euro 8 viking sword. I got it and liked it a lot. I saw an Albion Squire line Viking on the sword trade/sell forum but lost it to a quicker purchaser. Well, the bug hit me, and I wanted a higher end sword. Again, I got on my research and decided on a single edged blade Viking weapon. I really liked the look of the Valiant Ulfhednar and saw a pretty good wait time which left me to ponder the purchase. I then saw it was on kult of Athena and my desire to buy it increased.
I started to investigate reviews of valiant products and was a little turned off by the seeming inconsistency. Conversely, it appeared almost all of the reviews of arms and armor and albion were stellar. I called Sonny (the owner/blacksmith at Valiant) and he was pretty nice on the phone. Others had nothing but great things to say about him. Finally, a comment was made on a facebook post regarding valiant products and he responded. I got a pretty good vibe from his general kindness and decided to make the purchase.
Overall, I’d say my reason for purchase was I liked how it looked, immediate availability, scabbard included, and that Sonny seemed like a genuinely nice guy. I’m a business owner myself and always try to be nice and offer high quality services at a good value, something I thought he was doing as well.
Then the sword came… Historical overview
This sword does not appear to be based on any replica. I’m no sword expert or historian, but I like to learn, so if I am wrong on any of this let me know!
The hilt has a bent cross grip, the pommel has 3 lobes and the blade is single edged. All things that seem to be historically plausible, but I couldn’t find any examples of the sword anywhere.
Full Disclosure
I don’t have any clue what the heck I am talking about.
Initial Impressions
Kulta of Athena was a great company to work with. Packaging was good, shipping was swift and customer service top notch. Overall the sword looked great.
Statistics
Blade Length: 27.5
Handle Length: 3.75
Overall Length: 33.5
Guard Width: 4
POB (Point of Balance): Just over 6 inches from the guard.
COP (Center of Percussion): I’m not exactly sure how to find this but will add later.
Weight:
Components
The Blade
The blade seems pretty rugged and has a much stronger presence that the Ronin katana. At the base it is 2 inches, at the middle it is 1.6 inches.
On the non-edged side the base is just over .5cm thick and the middle just under .5cm thick, and it tapers quite a bit from there.
Again, as far as what the blade feels/looks compared to the ronin, it's not close.
The Handle
pommel and handle in general seemed much smaller than I had anticipated or seen on another sword I had gotten (not the ronin). Upon further research this smaller scheme seems more typical than the other sword I have, but I’d love input here and thoughts. It is 1.5 inches at the top and 1 inch at the base.
The Guard
the guard is bent upwards and very comfortable in the hand.
The Pommel
The lobed part was stable but the part between the lobes and the handle has a little jiggle in it. I’m not sure if this is an issue but I don’t really like that.
The pommel dug into my had a bit but after some adjustment (attempting handshake grip) it did not seem to be a problem at all. My hands may be a bit too big for the handle, though… I’m right at 3.70 across my knuckles. I’ll update this later.
The Scabbard
The scabbard looked great. I don’t know quality leather from non-quality so I won’t comment on that. My only complaint here is the sword is not snug at all in the scabbard. It would easily fall out and is a loose fit, specifically compared to the other two Viking swords I have. The scabbard looks and feels much better (when worn) than the other two scabbards I have. By far.
Handling Characteristics
I’m new to this so my opinion in the following areas is limited. I’d love advice.
Some basics on me, only swung swords a few times. I’m 5’8.5 and 185 pounds. I am a moderately active athlete as I own a Brazilian jiu jitsu gym and compete relatively consistently. I certainly am significantly more active and fit than the average person. Is this relevant? I dunno.
Test Cutting (if applicable)
Here is where I can definitely use some help. I went back and forth on the cutting and I didn’t spend 1.2k on a sword not to cut some things. What should I cut? Keep in mind the blade is not incredibly sharp. I want to keep it to a sane level but I also want to do a pretty good test and get a legitimate review. Having said that, what should a 1.2k sword cut? Whatever that is I want to try and cut it? So what’ll it be?
Conclusions
The rest is TBD. Let me know what you guys want to see more of (pics or otherwise), what I should cut, and what questions I should seek to answer. I’d like this review to be pretty in depth and answer any questions someone might have about valiant swords. When I asked the forum what thoughts they had I got a lot of "it's not tested" type of answers. Best case scenario for me I can offer a great review to a pretty darn nice sword manufacturer, but I want to be upfront and honest. So, what else should I consider? Thanks for any help given.
Pros
Looks great
Sunny patiently went above and beyond to rectify an issue.
Blade is durable and balance feels amazing
Great package for the price
Cons
Initial sword did have to be fixed
Second sword did come with some minor discoloration though easy to fix
Any interest in any pictures I’ll upload them.