Looking for a GOOD Viking Blade

It's not my normal routine to jump in first on this sort of thing, but since I am sitting here with my morning coffee... First, decide if functional means A: for looks, because all else being equal, a pretty sword is going to cost more but you do spend more time looking at them than cutting with them (and if you are able to do the inverse, I am thoroughly jealous and may hate you) B: for cutting, in which case the furniture is secondary to the blade quality and skill on the sharpening job and C: historical accuracy, in which case you might be trading off on either A or B, since smithing has made a few improvements over the centuries. Second, decide on budget. That link sent me to an $800 blade that didn't actually say who made it, not that I really looked terribly hard, but a quick look at their inventory showed me gear from half a dozen manufacturers of varying quality. For that amount of money I would hesitate at rolling the dice, I would instead pick up one of the lower end of Albion viking swords or try and sweet talk one of the makers on the forum. There are numerous reviews on myarmoury.com that could help you narrow down your search too, both in style and getting a feel for different companies' modus operandi.
 
I want it to be functional to the point where if I need to use it for something, it'll work. Looks arent as important as functional. Historical accuracy...dont care about that...except for the look part.
 
What is the price point/budget?

Edited to point out that the Darksword is a fashion statement for a premium price for what you will actually receive. If you are looking for a reasonable using sword, let me know. Otherwise go with the bling package you link. The sword (imo) is crap, as is the company producing them.

Look at Kult of Athena for the Hanwei/Tinker swords and the Albion Squire Line. More models of the Albions at Viking Shield.com. Del Tin also, actually a better choice than Darksword. Windlass a better budget sword deal.

Darksword Armory and Angel Sword are just some of the P T Barnum circus acts selling ad copy. Some people like them.

Cheers

GC
 
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I'm partial to my Kris Cutlery Celtic Sword. Kris Cutlery changed the handle design recently, but it's still a beast:

CTB-LG.jpg


Here's the product description:

This Celtic Sword has a double edge blade that is 20 1/4 inches long with a thickness of 1/4 inch plus in front of the guard area. The blade tapers gradually towards the tip to 3/32 of an inch giving it an excellent balance point at 3 inches from the tip of the guard. Lamination patterns of folded steel are visible on the polished blade. Two types of steel were used - 1060 and 9250 were fused and folded together producing close to 125 layers. Complementing the leaf shape blade is the brass hilt. Half circle flanges hold the blades base and has five large rivet-like protrusions. A disc pommel is pinned to the blades tang. A black lacquered wood scabbard is supplied. This new Celtic Sword is one of the best designs Kris Cutlery has ever produced. It has a classical style reminiscent of the ancient times- a design that is historical and pleasing to behold.

Specs:

BLADE: 20 1/4 inches long, 2 3/8 inches wide, 1/4 inch plus+ thick at the guard area.
BALANCE POINT 3 inches from the tip of the guard
HANDLE: 6-1/4 inches long, grip 3-3/4 inches, 2-1/4 inches diameter pommel.
WEIGHT: 2.9-3.0 lbs. without scabbard
 
bld522 said:
I'm partial to my Kris Cutlery Celtic Sword. Kris Cutlery changed the handle design recently, but it's still a beast:

CTB-LG.jpg


Here's the product description:

This Celtic Sword has a double edge blade that is 20 1/4 inches long with a thickness of 1/4 inch plus in front of the guard area. The blade tapers gradually towards the tip to 3/32 of an inch giving it an excellent balance point at 3 inches from the tip of the guard. Lamination patterns of folded steel are visible on the polished blade. Two types of steel were used - 1060 and 9250 were fused and folded together producing close to 125 layers. Complementing the leaf shape blade is the brass hilt. Half circle flanges hold the blades base and has five large rivet-like protrusions. A disc pommel is pinned to the blades tang. A black lacquered wood scabbard is supplied. This new Celtic Sword is one of the best designs Kris Cutlery has ever produced. It has a classical style reminiscent of the ancient times- a design that is historical and pleasing to behold.

Specs:

BLADE: 20 1/4 inches long, 2 3/8 inches wide, 1/4 inch plus+ thick at the guard area.
BALANCE POINT 3 inches from the tip of the guard
HANDLE: 6-1/4 inches long, grip 3-3/4 inches, 2-1/4 inches diameter pommel.
WEIGHT: 2.9-3.0 lbs. without scabbard
Click to expand...


Do they make a Viking sword? That looks pretty sweet. thanks for the tips.
 
SO looks like the Albion swords are a real deal. My budget is 1-2k, unless something compels me to spend a lot more.
 
Hard to go wrong with Albion. You might also check with Stuart Branson or Scott Roush or some of the other makers on here and potentially get a custom, alternatively. I think Scott does a fair number of Viking pieces, IIRC?
 
Yep, Albion or Arms and Armor (and honestly Albion has a better selection and more accurate fittings) with that budget. If it were a budget model I would be tempted to go to MRL, they have their problems but are better than some of the other alternatives named here.
 
I endorse both arms and armour and albion. But keep in mind that viking swords usually have pretty small grips, which may be smaller than you expect.
 
I usually get my historical swords from Medieval collectibles and have had good luck. That being said, 99% of their swords are for reenactment purposes for show. Not true, functional sharp swords. So the blade you linked I would say is certainly high quality, but more of a show/minor reenactment piece than anything else. I've actually been on their site all day looking for new renaissance faire garb.
 
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