Kneeling before the ashes of his home beaten and bloodied but not yet amongst the dead, a young warrior held close the broken lifeless body of his one true love. In his last breath he cursed the false God who allowed such tragedy to befall him and called out to the old Gods to grant him vengeance. The Allfather heard his plea and out of respect for his valor he mended the broken mans wounds.
Odin commanded the Dwarves Brokkr and Sindri whom had crafted Thor's mighty hammer Mjolnir to craft another weapon worthy of the Gods. The dwarves labored tirelessly for 30 days and presented the newly crafted weapon before the Allfather whom then delivered the sword personally to the young warrior to enact his vengeance upon the false God and all those who shared in the destruction of his life.
The sword gleamed with the shimmering light of the stars above, it's blade stretching 3 feet long and as broad as a mans hand. The sword was lighter than a ravens feather with an edge sharper than the fangs of the mighty Fenris wolf. The Dwarves boasted that No shield nor armor forged by Man nor God was capable of protecting one from it's mighty blade.
Odin wove a spell into the heart of the steel and judged the warrior worthy, proclaiming that the sword shall forever stand as the Key to Valhalla, allowing entry only the one worthy to wield the swords mighty power.
Behold!
The Key to Valhalla! Forged in a dying star by the living legend himself, John Lundemo
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW:
The sword is a fantasy take on the type X viking sword, Historically there is little to no evidence that a 2 handed viking sword ever existed.
FULL DISCLOSURE:
I paid full price up front for this sword and I do not have a business relationship with John Lundemo/Longship Armory.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS:
The sword arrives packed in one of Johns infamous wooden crates with the lid secured by 8 Scews. After removing the lid the sword was nestled inside a nice tight bundle of bubble wrap. Upon freeing the sword from its safe resting place my litteral response was "HOLY SH1T!!!!" I was taken by surprise at how light the sword felt for its massive size...but more on that later.
STATISTICS:
Blade Length: 34.25"
Blade Width: 2.75" at Shoulder
Blade Width: 1.8" at 3" from tip
Grip Length: 9"
Overall Length: 46"
Weight: 3lb 11 oz
Point of Balance: 4" from guard
Blade Material: Through hardened 5160 Spring Steel
Hilt material: Cast Bronze Designed by Mike Jia of the Printed Armoury , Wood core, Leather and cord wrapped
COMPONENTS:
THE BLADE:
The blade of the sword is made from 5160 Spring steel and was Through hardened to a rockwell of around 58. The polish is one of the best i have ever seen. It is not mirrored, but it is an incredibly smooth clean Satin finish which i much prefer over mirrored. The blade is Extremely sharp, and if any of you have seen my past reviews on swords you know this is often my biggest complaint. But it would be a disjustice to simply state that its sharp, its not just sharp, it is geometrically flawless as far as edge geometry is concerned. There is absolutely no secondary bevel whatsoever. The fuller is clean and well executed and has a very organic character to it as well as the rest of the blade. John hand finishes all of his blades in a very lengthy laborious fashion which lends to his swords having the distinct look that they do. Johns Makers mark was hand engraved into the blade and is well executed.
THE HANDLE:
The handle of the sword is flattened octagonal in shape which lends extremely well to edge alignment. It is a 2 piece wood core with a solid Bronze spacer in the middle, which is incredibly well done. The leather wrap is very clean and near seamless. Unlike many swords no matter which way you hold the sword in your hand you can not feel the seam. The grip is lightly textured with a cord over wrap and feels very good in the hand, after a cutting session i noted that there were no "hot spots" on my hands from wielding the sword.
THE GUARD:
The guard is cast in solid bronze by John Greybeard utilizing PLA models from Mike Jia of the Printed armory, I worked with Mike tweaking the design until we reached what you currently see here. It features a woven knotwork of the Midgard Serpent Jormundanr' with a texturized dimpled background. The guard is inspired by the Suontaka viking sword and is very well shaped and fitted to the word. There is absolutely no rattle or play in the fit to the blade. The guard is recessed and the blade shoulders sit down inside the "pocket"
THE POMMEL"
The pommel like the guard was designed by Mike Jia and cast by John Greybeard, and features the same Midgard serpent theme featured on the guard. The pommel is snugly fiit with no gaps or rattle and John also made a Peen block from a block of solid bronze. Everything is well executed and the antiqued patina is flawless.
HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS:
OK. This is where the sword really shines... If you recall the specs, this is a MASSIVE sword. It's the type of sword that most would consider pure fantasy and unable to function as a proper sword should. But That statement couldnt be farther from the truth, this monster sword comes in at 3lb 11oz which is pretty dead ass Normal for most standard sized warswords. Pair the light weight with excelent harmonics and balance and you have a 2 handed mosnter sword that can be wielded in 1 hand that simply Floats when used in 2 hands. The sword is extremely easy to swing and once you do swing it, you can really feel its energy. This is the most lively sword I have ever handled. John Lundemo is definitely the man for the job when handling is a MUST. This sword outshines even the Atrims I've owned in the past in terms of handling. I am very very impressed the sword is just a joy to swing, and it doesn't leave you feeling wore out and tired when your done.
TEST CUTTING:
The meat and potatoes...Every other aspect of a sword can be on point but if it's no fun to cut with then whats the point right? This sword effortlessly sails through bottles and lets off a loud vibrant RING on impact. Silent cuts are easy to achieve using the sword both 1 and 2 handed. The floaty balance, immaculate geometry, and super sharp edge make it a joy to cut with and thus far Johns Satin polish remains unscuffed from the bottles I've been cutting. Id like to get some tatami and try it out because this sword is just overkill for bottles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTSNyo4MsOw
CONCLUSION:
Overall I could not possibly be more pleased with this sword, I have been lusting after a 2 hand viking sword since early in 2010, and I have spoken to several different smiths about the sword over the years. I had this vision in my head for what the sword was supposed to look like and John surpassed by vision by far. I would urge anyone commissioning John for a sword to not be too spec heavy and just give john a general idea of what you want and let him do the rest. His experience and artistic prowess will NOT be disappoint.
Pros
- Immaculately Overall Construction
- Very good handling
- Super Sharp Blade
- Extreme attention to detail
Cons
- Wait time can be somewhat long
- Price may be a con to many who cant afford it, but the swords are definitely worth the asking price
- I was unable to find any cons with the sword itself.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
I would recommend John/Longship armory to anyone who wants an Heirloom Quality piece of art that is as deadly and functional as it is beautiful. The price may be intimidating to some, but if you saved up all the money you spend on this production sword or that, as well as added cost in customization you could probably afford a sword of Johns which will need NO work done on it upon receiving it.