Paul Chen Viking Sword

lagarto

lagarto

Joined
Oct 26, 2001
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Does anyone have any experience with this blade. I want something that could be used defensively as a last ditch sort of thing, but also looks good and is affordable. This seems like exactly what I want but I've never handled one, so any input is much appreciated. Thanks.

Lagarto
 
lagarto said:
... something that could be used defensively as a last ditch sort of thing...
Click to expand...

Do not EVEN try to fool us with that line! You just want to play with swords. Admit it. It is an honorable thing to do... as long as you stay within the bounds of common sense and your own property.
I must admit though, one of my swords is within easy reach of my bedside. My wife has the .32 cal Beretta. :D
"There ain't nuthin' funny 'bout a woman with a gun." (Pinkard and Bowden)
 
Hi there
Have a Practical Viking, it is a good buy for the money. Non-authentic pommel and scabbard construction can be altered or camoflaged. In the hand it is OK but a bit heavy, for re-enactment style combat it will be fine. for weight, agility and other performance issues compare with the Godfreid, it is closer to the feel of a "real" sword. (Yes I know there are all kind of other issues with a Godfeid)
Phil
 
Nice sword, pretty well made- i've beaten hell out of a sand bag with it and found it had pretty good harmonics (in that it didnt tear itself out of my hand with virbration) though reverse strokes i found Jarring (my teq. no doubt...?). The edge would need to be ground or sanded sharp and the rounded tip (penitrates quite well into soft stuff as it is...) would need to be adjusted. The steels rather soft (to stop it from shattering i sopose) but would likly hold enugh of an edge to cut meat. Real Viking swords of the regular varity often had to be replaced after (or in one Saga at least DURING) a battle though they were VERY different from anything your'll buy today (Forge welded Iron core with Steel edges welded on)
The Sword handles as i imagine (and have read) a real Viking sword would, and there in lies the problmb for Self Defense use. Its very Blade heavy, and is made for 'Machette' like CUTS (usaly to the legs or neck as far as we can see from bones found at battle feilds) The swing is fast, and can be done 'hard', but the return stroke or recovery to 'start' possition is quite slow compared to later (say Medeveal) swords. You can stab and thrust, (did wonders for my wrist strength) but onece again, its not really designed for that kind of fight.
Inside the home you'd have trouble weilding the blade, outside you'd need to watch that they didnt get behhinfd you before you could swing...its all down to training and luck.
If your planning to defend aginst other folks with Viking swords or spears then get a sheild (this type of blade was NOT used to parry in normal use) and your'll be fine. If your planning to fight a single oponent with a knife AND you practiced every day you would have a fair chance of winning. If you were up against multiple, determined, oponents i'd say you'd take atleast one with you....
If i were getting into that sort of fight in the open i'd want either a nice, fast sword (the Rhinlander is next on my sword shopping list) On the other hand if your thinking in doors use get a windlass Kukuri. Nice heavy blade at an optimal length for close up fighting, potential for point and edge use, and almost instinctual movments with it.
Also one would HOPE (never expect) that the sight of the big blade would make an attacker back off without a fight....one can hope
 
Nice for the price no? I saw a couple threads about the swords snapping in one of the recent generations (heat treat issue). Not many considering the amount sold... but why were you beating the hell out of a sandbag? XD
And it's really blade-heavy? what's the POB and pivot points?

I so want to try handling one of Lundemo's recent Viking stuff.... (apples and oranges).

P.S. Steel blades should NEVER be "soft" - if properly heat treated it should also NEVER shatter unless its built a huge amount of stress points without visible cracks somehow.

Someone recently got a Cervenka Viking on SFI... quite nice looking.
 
Nice for the price no? I saw a couple threads about the swords snapping in one of the recent generations (heat treat issue). Not many considering the amount sold... but why were you beating the hell out of a sandbag? XD
And it's really blade-heavy? what's the POB and pivot points?

I so want to try handling one of Lundemo's recent Viking stuff.... (apples and oranges).

P.S. Steel blades should NEVER be "soft" - if properly heat treated it should also NEVER shatter unless its built a huge amount of stress points without visible cracks somehow.

Someone recently got a Cervenka Viking on SFI... quite nice looking.

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Definatly the price is right on the sword-i was pretty suprised at how good it was for the price. I never regretted buying it, (and i remeber to oil it well ever now and then).
I suspect the steels ment to be soft so that it wont break when people 'play' with them- leaving it soft is probibly cheeper. When i say soft i mean the edge will dent on impact with a post and cratch on some impacts with a bag.
Shrugs...mabye its just my one....?
The only things that bothers me a little it the handle wrap started to come loose after about 20 hours of use and needed a glue touch up (though, to be fair the weather was hot and bery humid), and the pommel weight's peened into position a little loosly. MAkes me want to drill and tap a retaining screw into the tang 'Just in case...'
The reasons i was beating the sandbag are 1) I wanted to feel what it was like to actualy HIT somthing as oposed to miming- it gave me a new respect for edge alignment!
2) I wanted to see if the blade, and more importantly the TANG could take the abuse. Tang failure is soposedly a big problmb on repro swords (read about it at

http://www.thearma.org/spotlight/GTA/motions_and_impacts.htm

3)its good exercise and and a lot of fun.

center of balance is about 5 inches from the hilt on mine, if i understand what you mean by pivot points then it feels slightly ahead of the hilt.
 
Dents or chips when hitting what kind of post (if metal.... bad)? I wouldn't say that's especially a heat treat issue, more a style of use issue. It's for cutting flesh and maybe at most leather on top of flesh. Scratching and chips (if small) is regular. But definitely try not to hit or cut abrasive and/or hard stuff. You can use a mace/hammer much more effectively for those purposes.

Yeah, for the price, the handle wrap typically isn't quite as well done as it could be. People have been telling a friend of mine to go get the Kris Cutlery Viking (including me). I'll have to ask on SFI how the handle wrap holds up, as this is a good issue to bring up.

Oh yeah, a good idea instead of hitting a sand bag (I practice barehanded against one that feels like concrete but WILL dent or bend knives) is get a cheap boxing bag (full length, weight as heavy as you can get) and wrap the whole thing in layers of duct tape and cloth. Make sure you get it tight so a whole load of padding doesn't gather at the bottom. If it does, just invert and shake :D. If it's not very unyielding this is a bad idea. BTW, for using a blunt sword, a tire pell would be a good idea.

The edge alignment thing simplifies things a bit... but generally yeah, hitting with the flat or off-center to force is a bad thing.

Check ARMA's site for some videos where John Clements tests a blade on a boxing bag.
 
The post was a chemicaly rot proffed post sutch as you'd get at a garden center- the wood chipped pretty well when the sword hit it so i cant complain about the sword.
I'll CKout that video a little later-soudns like its worth a look.
 
If the blade actually dented then you would be correct, its a HT issue. Hum... maybe you hit against the grain or something? I've seen wood dent (non-hollow_ steel bars.... weird. Either way, it's what you get for "practical" prices... a non-practical sword :D.
 
senoBDEC, matters of heat treat and temper tend to be balances of durability versus edge holding. With swords, the tendency is toward durability over edge holding for reasons that seem obvious to me. You can always resharpen a blade, but a broken blade requires reforging and it ain't as easy as the movies make it look. The Japanese got durability and edge holding by variable temper, but that is quite an expensive and tricky business not attempted with swords in the Practical Viking's pric e range.
 
I am quite aware of that... but that's why they're so cheap.

I believe all the practical line has a relatively wide variety of the heat treat... including the PK's - as discussion of the older generations some are extremely tough and hold edges well while others bend easily (but still hold edge)....

Yup... you'd be correct about the through-hardened and differentially hardened. And it's not a variable "temper", I thought, that would come after the quench (softening) as I understand it - not during.
 
Hi Guys
mine has held up quite well, some edge deformation that was easily fixed with a little light hammering. If youwant a live blade then this is categorically the wrong sword. It is designed with re-enactment combat in mind where a robust weapon is preferable over one that is more authentic. There other makers who can provide an economical live blade.
Phil
 
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