Old Version Valiant Armory Viking Sword Reviewed

The Valiant Armory Viking Sword reviewed here was once the same one being sold by CAS Iberia. However, after the previous owner of Valiant Armory died in late 2006, and was subsequentially bought out by the entrepreneurial minded Sonny Suttles (who has since been radically redesigning the entire line) – this sword doesn’t truly represent where this company is going – but rather where it has been...

However, as it is still currently in production – and comes across as a very sturdy, if extremely contemporary ‘Viking’ sword – this review covers a line that rarely gets much coverage. And as such, is important to any collector who wants to know the ‘big picture’ of what is available out there for the Viking sword enthusiast...

Valiant Armory Viking Sword

I bought this sword from Bladeseller for $150 and $25 delivery charge.

I debated whether or not to due a review on this sword. I decided to do it because I don't see any reviews on any Valiant Armoury swords on this site and thought it might be useful information on someone thinking about a purchase of this brand of sword.

I kind of got this sword on accident as I ordered it on a whim. I then had to leave town suddenly and was gone for a month or so. I didn't think the sword had arrived in my absence as I had some one collecting my deliveries and they made no mention of it. I contacted Bladeseller and he said it had shipped.

I insisted it hadn't arrived and they refunded my money even though their records showed it was delivered. I give big customer service credit to then as I found out later my niece had picked up a sword sized parcel and hadn't told me. I by then didn't really want the sword as I had ordered different one but due to Bladesellers customer friendly conduct I kept it. (Yeah, I paid for it again).

The sword arrived well packed and greased. The first thing I noticed was how bulky it was.

The fixtures are thick and look like stainless steel. The blade is made of a decent carbon steel it seems with a little flex the way I like it and a shallow fuller.

"The grip is rather large for my hand...

It seems solid enough however, it resembles a Viking sword only in that they are both sword shaped and made of metal. This does not concern me much. My main focus on swords when I bought this one was durability.

Here are some stats: Overall length- 34 inches, blade length- 21 1/4 inches, blade width-2 1/8 inches, hilt- 6 3/4 inches, POB- 5 1/2 inches below guard, weight- 3 1/2 lbs

Now for the testing.

Part of the reason I decided to go ahead with this review was my wife said our yard was looking like the set of "Sanford and son". As I said I bought this sword with durability in mind so I decided to use it to chop up the junk out back.

I also have taken a notion to do some cutting lately so I tried my hand with this sword with mixed results.

As the pictures show I didn't meet with a lot of success in the cutting, partly my skill level, but also the sword is a bit unwieldy. I had a bit more success at the heavy work.

The sword suffered no significant damage, some expected scratches and still tight in the fittings. However I can't say it did too well on the cutting as it is too clumsy for me but it is very durable and is a good chopper.

I'm glad I have it as it broadens the range of my collection. I have seen pictures of some new products from Valiant Armoury that I find interesting...

PROS

• Extremely durable blade and solid construction

• Overly heavy and performs poorly on lighter targets

• Not even close to being historically accurate. Very plain appearance

WHERE TO BUY

Rick bought his Valiant Armory Viking Sword from a little known sword vendor called Bladeseller and experienced some excellent customer service well above and beyond the call of duty. Not to mention, for US$175 shipped, it is definitely a good price for this particular blade.

Normally, I'd recommend Kult of Athena – for Valiant Armory swords simply because they clearly display their stock levels, have extremely fast shipping, a 45 return policy – and a price matching guarantee...

However, in this case, I think that Bladeseller deserves some recognition for excellent customer service – though the final choice is up to you...