Cold Steel Damascus Viking Sword
Jul 4, 2020 21:23:28 GMT
Post by Tiers1 on Jul 4, 2020 21:23:28 GMT
I have not purchased a production sword for around 5 years, not out of snobbery, but out of the realization that there are so many reasonably priced custom makers out there these days (if you look) that it seems silly to buy something made to a profit-point in a factory where the individual workers don't give too many BMs what the finished product turns out to be.
but...
I have been very bored, and looking at swords, and decided to pick up a few factory made pieces that caught my eye. One of them was the new-for-last-year Cold Steel Damascus Viking Sword. It is a pretty sword (to me), and Cold Steel has an ok reputation, and their heat-treatment and sharpening have had a few good things said.
When I received the sword, I thought I had been sent a factory second. There were multiple problems. The chape was not glued to the scabbard symmetrically, which let to a misfit between the sword and scabbard. There were scuffs on the pommel. A bit of the wood stain was worn away where the crossguard meets the handle. The pommel was turned a bit to the side and needed to be turned back. The sandwiched metal in the middle of the handle does not align flush. There was a small, fingernail looking dent on the leather of the scabbard. I then closely examined both the Sax and Viking sword pics posted on KOA and saw that the exact same issues were present on their model products for their site pictures...and dug up a thread on this forum where another buyer of this sword had more serious issues with the fit and finish. I realized that my sword wasn't a second, but that the factory, for whatever reason, doesn't seem it was able to do the fit up correctly. On a $750 sword, that probably is not acceptable. I have had things from Windlass that were rock-solid and flawlessly finished at 1/3 the price.
On to the review:
The scabbard- The scabbard, excepting the chape misfit, is quite nice. It is wood, covered in leather of reasonable thickness and quality (nice, authentic leather smell). The scabbard appointments appear to be of brass and are of good quality, like all of the fittings I have seen from the forge that makes this (Huanao). The scabbard fits the sword well; no rattle, not difficult to draw, but the sword does not fall out when held upside down. The sword rings when drawn from the scabbard, which is something I always enjoy.
The handle- The handle is relatively complex, and quite possibly beyond the capability of the work-flow model of the factory to complete correctly. The guard, formed of three plates is appropriately done on mine and the rosewood of the handle is pretty and feels good. The three plates that form the middle of the handle are misaligned, as seems to be the case for every one of these. The pommel is done correctly though it seems to be a hair loose and can be turned slightly with pressure. The inside nut may have loosened in shipping from China to the U.S. so I can forgive that. The handle is a little large for this type of sword, but not overly so. It is oval in cross-section and feels good in the hand.
The blade- The blade has no problems... although the fuller, to my eye, may not be totally symmetrical, which I guess is a problem. The blade is well sharpened with just a tiny secondary bevel, and the pattern is understated but attractive and sufficiently visible. Unlike most Cold Steel swords, this sword is not overbuilt. I comes in under three pounds and swings like it. It actually feels lively. The blade rings nicely when struck, so despite the fit up not being flush, it is solid. Cold Steel does not tell us which steels they use for their patterned blades (which is not like them, as they are generally all about steel type). I am guessing (hoping) that it is 1060 and 1095, since those are the two steels that Huanao uses in pretty much everything they make.
Evaluation- Most places have this listed at $750. If the sword didn't have fit & finish problems, and had been established as holding up well to cutting (no one has tested that, including me thus far), it mighhhhtt be worth that number to certain people. As it sits, I would say probably not. Despite being attractive and using seemingly high quality materials, there are too many issues to justify that price.
I am again reminded why the community has somewhat turned against factory made swords of the true large-scale mass-production variety...so often they look so tempting, and the prices seem so fair, but it just can't be guaranteed that you will actually get a good one (with a tiny handful of manufacturers proving to be exceptions).
but...
I have been very bored, and looking at swords, and decided to pick up a few factory made pieces that caught my eye. One of them was the new-for-last-year Cold Steel Damascus Viking Sword. It is a pretty sword (to me), and Cold Steel has an ok reputation, and their heat-treatment and sharpening have had a few good things said.
When I received the sword, I thought I had been sent a factory second. There were multiple problems. The chape was not glued to the scabbard symmetrically, which let to a misfit between the sword and scabbard. There were scuffs on the pommel. A bit of the wood stain was worn away where the crossguard meets the handle. The pommel was turned a bit to the side and needed to be turned back. The sandwiched metal in the middle of the handle does not align flush. There was a small, fingernail looking dent on the leather of the scabbard. I then closely examined both the Sax and Viking sword pics posted on KOA and saw that the exact same issues were present on their model products for their site pictures...and dug up a thread on this forum where another buyer of this sword had more serious issues with the fit and finish. I realized that my sword wasn't a second, but that the factory, for whatever reason, doesn't seem it was able to do the fit up correctly. On a $750 sword, that probably is not acceptable. I have had things from Windlass that were rock-solid and flawlessly finished at 1/3 the price.
On to the review:
The scabbard- The scabbard, excepting the chape misfit, is quite nice. It is wood, covered in leather of reasonable thickness and quality (nice, authentic leather smell). The scabbard appointments appear to be of brass and are of good quality, like all of the fittings I have seen from the forge that makes this (Huanao). The scabbard fits the sword well; no rattle, not difficult to draw, but the sword does not fall out when held upside down. The sword rings when drawn from the scabbard, which is something I always enjoy.
The handle- The handle is relatively complex, and quite possibly beyond the capability of the work-flow model of the factory to complete correctly. The guard, formed of three plates is appropriately done on mine and the rosewood of the handle is pretty and feels good. The three plates that form the middle of the handle are misaligned, as seems to be the case for every one of these. The pommel is done correctly though it seems to be a hair loose and can be turned slightly with pressure. The inside nut may have loosened in shipping from China to the U.S. so I can forgive that. The handle is a little large for this type of sword, but not overly so. It is oval in cross-section and feels good in the hand.
The blade- The blade has no problems... although the fuller, to my eye, may not be totally symmetrical, which I guess is a problem. The blade is well sharpened with just a tiny secondary bevel, and the pattern is understated but attractive and sufficiently visible. Unlike most Cold Steel swords, this sword is not overbuilt. I comes in under three pounds and swings like it. It actually feels lively. The blade rings nicely when struck, so despite the fit up not being flush, it is solid. Cold Steel does not tell us which steels they use for their patterned blades (which is not like them, as they are generally all about steel type). I am guessing (hoping) that it is 1060 and 1095, since those are the two steels that Huanao uses in pretty much everything they make.
Evaluation- Most places have this listed at $750. If the sword didn't have fit & finish problems, and had been established as holding up well to cutting (no one has tested that, including me thus far), it mighhhhtt be worth that number to certain people. As it sits, I would say probably not. Despite being attractive and using seemingly high quality materials, there are too many issues to justify that price.
I am again reminded why the community has somewhat turned against factory made swords of the true large-scale mass-production variety...so often they look so tempting, and the prices seem so fair, but it just can't be guaranteed that you will actually get a good one (with a tiny handful of manufacturers proving to be exceptions).