Global Gear G-802 Viking Sword Review

I have recently been impressed by Australian based sword seller Global Gear and their exclusive range of ‘G series’ Spring Steel blades.

Their Chikara was a Japanese Katana with very attractive fittings and a stunningly beautiful blade. But this one is perhaps one of the most interesting to date...

Essentially, it is a Viking style one handed sword with a differentially hardened edge and double temper lines. In other words, a Viking sword with a Hamon!

It sounds odd I know, but before you jump to any conclusions, let’s take some time to check it out...

Global Gear G-802 Viking Sword

The global Gear 802-Viking Sword came in the usual unique and attractive Global Gear wooden box with three latches and their name emblazoned in gold on the outside of the box.

Upon opening it I was greeted by the sword in it’s scabbard and the inside of the red lined box.

Now in speaking with Leon at Global Gear, he told me that the current scabbard is undergoing some revisions – but in all honesty, I think it is pretty good as is. As it is about to be revised, I won’t spend too much time describing it other than to say that it is a synthetic brown leather covering over a wooden core, four steel ribbed sections and a loop suspension system reminiscent of the Windlass Sticklestad.

So as this is about to change, let’s skip over the scabbard and move straight to the fittings.

HILT FITTINGS

The stainless steel pommel is quite well executed, similar to a type S in the Petersen Typology and with appearance of attractive wire trimmings separating the lobes and giving it some character.

At the tip of the pommel you can just make out where it has been peened, which is an excellent feature often overlooked on less expensive swords and increases the overall structural integrity.

The handle itself is, how should I put it, just a bit too beefy. While it isn’t too bad when you are using it, it certainly feels and looks somewhat bulbous, possibly due to the criss crossing pseudo leather diamond wrap which binds it, though wood underneath is also just a little too broad.

A band of leather at the top and bottom of the handle are studded with stainless steel rivets which also give it just a little more flavour.

The cross guard is a typical Viking one and is actually quite historically accurate. Overall, the hilt looks good – but the thickness and length of the handle should be reduced to give it a better sense of proportion.

Everything was tightly assembled with no movement or rattling.

The only other thing that I did not like was the black rubber spacer between the mouth of the scabbard and the cross guard. Of course, this is more of a personal preference of mine – some people may like it as it softens the impact when the sword is sheathed, but if you are like me and don’t like them, they are quite easy to remove.

THE BLADE

Now you may have just got a glimpse of the 31” blade itself a couple of times when I was describing the hilt. And as you will note, it is extremely unique...

Now of course, this a very modern development – an east meets west cross pollenization, though historically many Viking swords displayed a similar character in that the outer part of the blade was hard with a soft inner core created by folding.

But a Viking blade with hamon, now that is something new.

And actually, it works very well!

Not only is the hamon very visually appealing, but with a very wide and relatively thin spring steel blade, it creates an edge that is incredibly sharp.

Historically, the shape of the blade is quite accurate – though the tip is just a little too long and pointed.

HANDLING

Weighing in at 2lbs 6 oz and with a point of balance 5.51” from the cross guard, this sword feels extremely light in the hand. Indeed, a friend of mine who was handling it for the first time was extremely surprised by the weight – with such a wide blade and big blade and thick handle, visually it looks like it will be a clunker, but the reality is that it is incredibly fast and smooth to wield.

Part of this is due to the blade being quite narrow in the cross section. Unfortunately, I do not at the time of writing this review have any callipers in working order (leaving them outside in the sun for a couple of days tends to do that) – but the blade is very wide and quite thin, giving it the kind of blade a kind of ‘competition cutter’ kind of geometry. But while it is quite thin, I cannot describe it as whippy. In short, they got the blade geometry and handling down pat.

My only criticism is that the thick handle does occasionally make it feel awkward, but the overall weight and balance is superb.

TESTING

I knew from the first seconds I held it and gingerly touched the razor sharp, differentially hardened edge that I would have no problems cutting with this blade.

And a variety of targets from water bottles to tatami proved defenceless to its awesome cutting ability.

VIDEO: Test Cutting Testing the G-802 on water filled milk jugs, bottles and Tatami mats

Tatami was especially satisfying, slicing through like a Katana without even the slightest effort required.

Indeed, cutting with this sword is quite addictive!

CONCLUSION

While it may not be particularly historically accurate, this is a very FUN and unique sword. Combining the best of both European and Japanese sword making technology with modern spring steel creates a very unique and contemporary blade that I am sure many a Viking would have killed for (perhaps not the best choice of words, as Vikings used to kill for pretty much everything!).

Overall, I was again very pleasantly surprised by this latest offering from Global Gear and highly recommend it as a fearsome one handed sword that no Viking sword collection should be without.

PROS

• Extremely fast in the hand and razor sharp blade

• Very attractive and unique blade with high quality fittings

• Handle is a little bit 'fat'

WHERE TO BUY

The G-802T is exclusively available from Australian based sword sellers Global Gear here at their website, for AU$490 (approx US$400).

While I personally feel this is quite expensive, the overall ability of this sword as a cutter, its handling and the sheer beauty of the differentially hardened blade means that it is still in my mind still well worth buying.

Shipping costs mean that this sword is much cheaper in Australia than elsewhere (and Global Gear ship FAST, even internationally US orders can arrive within 3-4 days!), with typical costs for non US order is around AU$100.

And of course, you can get monthly 10% discount codes by subscribing to their newsletter, so it brings the price down to around AU$441 + shipping, which makes it worthwhile to subscribe.

I hope this review of the Global Gear G-802 has been helpful. To return to Modern Replicas of Viking Swords, from Global Gear G-802 Viking Sword Review, click here