Ok I have narrowed my choices for my first sword down to an Albion Berserkr or Sovereign. I have read good things about the Sovereign and was currious about yours opinions and experience with the Berserkr? I am looking for a strong durable cutting and chopping sword.
Thanks again for tolerating all my annoying questions.

From what I've heard, the Berserkr is a brutal and cruel sword that specializes in hewing through things. You might want to read the thread in myArmoury where Howard W of Albion introduced it: http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t...mp;start=0

I've owned the Sherriff, which has the same blade as the Soverign...and I've handled the Berserkr. These are VERY different swords and handle dissimilarly. I loved the Sherriff and thought the blade profile would have been perfect for close quarters fighting. Though I never cut with mine, I suspect it would have done a great job of it. The Berserkr is indeed a mighty chopper but you need to be comfortable wielding a viking style sword as the grip is pretty snug like is the case with most viking swords...Just something to be mindful of.

In terms of your question about which one to purchase...they're so different from one another, instead of asking "Soverign OR Berserkr?" How about saying "Soverign AND Berserkr?!?!"

yes ive held the berserkr though i prefer the hersir, the berserkr has a very short grip and cannot for that matter be held in the hammer grip but must use a handshake grip just dont want you to be dissapointed many originols also had equally short grips so this is not a negative just a fact i remember about it[/quote]

Let me echo Christopher, they are two very different swords. I like my Berserkr because it's
single edge makes it unusual. Using the handshake grip is not a hard adjustment to make.
I think yours is a good dilemna to have. Dish when you've chosen!

Doug G.

I reviewed a Beserkr here:

[ Linked Image ]

http://www.tritonworks.com/reviews?content=re...n_berserkr

Hmmm. Well, I owned both a Sovereign and a Berserkr. They handle very differently indeed! The Sovereign's POB is closer to the guard and with it's small size that makes it faster in recovery and a bit more lively in handling IMO. The Sovereign is also a bit stiffer. The Berserkr is a shieldbreaker! It has a lot of authority in the cut. It's still pretty lively, but it's clear that it was intended for bigger swings and heavier impacts. The added length of the Berserkr was more to my liking, but that is a matter of taste. Both are really nice swords and you won't go wrong with either.

How long is the grip on the two swords.

Hi J. Malick,

The Albion Berserkr or the Sovereign, what, NO Vassal :?:
Actually, at one point I almost bought the Sovereign, but when Albion started producing the Berserkr, this agenda changed and several months later I got my Berserkr with a black grip, so as match the color of my Arms & Armor Swords.
When I first saw the artwork for the Vassal, I was up and out of my chair because I could not contain myself, as I was overcome with excitement, anxiety and "Pleasure Center Circuit Board Overload" resulting in TILT! LOL!
Of course, my other Albion is the Vassal, for me, it's the perfect compliment for the Berserkr, though in reality the Vassal is a masterpiece in it's own right, created from 4 different falchions that Peter Johnsson studied intensively.
I sharpened the distal false edge on my Vassal and bought it with the black grip. Both of my Albions were purchased at Kult of Athena, about 18 miles from my house.
Before I bought the Berserkr, every time I would go to Kult of Athena, I would have to play around with the Berserkr, this went on month after month after month. Until finally, my mother sent me the money to buy the Berserkr for my 49th birthday in the summer of 2006. First after emailing Ryan (owner) at Kult of Athena, I showed up at his store that day with a wad of cash in my wallet. As soon as he saw me walk in the door, he started getting the Berserkr down off the wall because he knew I was there to buy it this time! You should have seen the happy look on Ryan's face, and it was not the happiness of making a sale, it was the genuine happiness for me, one of his best customers who he knew was there that day to buy his Viking Dream Sword :!:
I pulled out my wallet and started laying hundred and fifty dollar bills down on the glass showcase and as soon as I had put the last cash note down, Ryan handed the Berserkr to me with both hands while holding it horizontal to the floor as a formal gesture that said he was genuinely elated for me and that I was a very worthy buyer of this hellion of a sword!
I do lots of water jug cutting, in fact I've done a bit of the cutting of 4 gallon cat litter jugs with my Arms & Armor 3 Ring Rapier, everytime cutting clean thru and this blade is less than a half inch wide. WOW! What "can't" a Berserkr cut :?:
With that tapering spine and the wide shallow hollow grind, well that's why I named my Berserkr "The Amputator"!
My Vassal, I named it "The Dissembowler"!

OK, these are my two favorite Albion Swords, however, you cannot go wrong with the Sovereign either!

Good Luck and Happiness on your decision.

Don't second guess yourself after you've placed your order. Be happy and know full well that you bought the right sword for the right reasons and be content! Albion Swords is not going anywhere, they will be there for you when you are ready to buy that other sword you started wishing you had bought instead. LOL!

CONGRATULATIONS!


Bob