Introduction
Valiant Armoury is a small Texas company run by Sonny Suttles, currently with his son Zach. They first created a niche for themselves selling swords with Asian-made blades (which are OK for what they cost, but not refined) fitted with their own grips and scabbards (which for my money are the best value on the market). More recently they have taken ‘a stab’ toward the higher end production market, with what they call their ‘craftsman series’. These swords are forged and finished by Sonny and/or Zach themselves and approach A&A and Albion in price, albeit usually with a scabbard thrown in as well. The question is, are their higher end swords worth the money, and can they compete in this range of the market?
The Valiant Suontaka Sword.
The Suontaka sword is one of the best known, and often replicated Viking/Medieval age swords. It was found in the last century in Finish grave site, attached to a woman’s grave, although a very recent study disputes the latter (https://www.utu.fi/en/news/press-release/weapon-grave-of-suontaka-hattula-in-finland-reveals-flexible-gender-roles-in-the ). The sword, dated to ~1100 AD, has hollow bronze fittings and a wide blade that seems to taper rapidly toward the end toward a highly corroded tip. As noted above, it has inspired many recreations, from entry level Asian-built swords to high-end production and custom pieces. However, I have never seen an exact replica, in particular most have avoided the bronze grip.
I’ve had an eye on tis piece for a while. Valiant’s initial version was coupled to one of their Asian-built blades that only generally approximated the original blade. More recently they came out with a craftsman series version, which might be the priciest production item in the line. I ordered one late 2019, but there were various delays related to outsourcing the bronze castings. Sonny was upfront about this and apologetic. However, things came together this year and the piece arrived, with scabbard, on my doorstep several months ago. I chose the leather colours based on Valiant’s extensive online catalog.
Overview and Statistics.
The Valiant version appears to follow the proportions and decorations fairly closely. One exception is the grip, where they have gone with a leather-covered wood grip and centre bronze ring, and I assume the castings are solid because they feel quite heavy. Like the original, it has a type X blade (Geibig type 3?) combined with a Petersen type AE hilt. The speculative tip is quite pointy, reasonably following the curvature of the edges and contour of the fuller terminus.
Statistics (in inches unless otherwise indicated):
Overall length: 36-3/8
Blade length / width: 30 / 2-3/16
Fuller length / width: 27-1/4 / 1-1/8
Blade thickness near guard / end of fuller ~4.5mm / ~2.5mm
Guard / pommel width: 5-1/2 / 2-5/8
Grip length: 3-3/8
Weight: 2.6 lbs
Centre of Gravity: 4
Proximal / Distal pivot points: ~ 26 / 7 from blade tip.
Distal harmonic node (optimal striking point): ~11 from tip
Proximal harmonic node: at guard
Fit and Finish
Valiant did a great job on the blade: the lines have a very organic, curvilinear look. Hand-made, but clean. The wide fuller (hard to do) is very well executed without wavers. The tip is a flat lenticular. The edge will cut paper and has no secondary bevel. The finish is very smooth, with a final polish grade slightly coarser than Albion. It has a few faint scratches, but nothing worth commenting on. The bronze castings are very nice, capturing the original design and dimensions with no edge burrs and minimal pitting. The quality of the grip (with two risers and overwrap impression) and scabbard are Valiant’s usual standards, with designs worked into the latter to match the hilt. My only nit-picky complaint is that the scabbard chape, although nicely designed to match, looks somewhat bulky and, being pressure fit to the leather, can and does fall off.
Handling
At 2.6 pounds, not a lightweight, this sword has a very solid, authoritative feel to it but at the same time is very maneuverable. Chalk that up to the heavy hilt, relatively near CoG for a Viking sword, and low mass near the tip. The acute tip is relatively easy to aim by Viking age standards. The grip is short (although long by type AE standards) but is very comfortable due to both guard and pommel curving away from the hand. It works well with both a hammer and handshake grip (pistol gripping the flat guard is possible but not necessary). Transitioning between grips is easy, although one feels the square edges of the bronze. It almost handles as well as, e.g., a later Oakeshott type XIV sword. I can’t comment on the durability of cutting performance of the blade but have no reason to expect it wouldn’t do well in that department, especially in the thrust compared to most type X blades.
Overall, this is one of the best handling of the various Viking swords I’ve owned, and the best of the few AE variety I’ve handled.
Overall Conclusions
Was it worth it? Hell yeah! IMHO this is a beautiful sword, 9/10 on historical accuracy, and great handling to boot, if you like a meaty Viking sword. I’m proud to display it among my current Albion and Custom Viking swords, and keep it close by for dry handling whenever I get the chance. Well done Valiant!
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