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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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Geoff Wood
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 Posted: Sun 21 Sep, 2003 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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Much more to my taste than the ones on the Armart website. Looks very well done. Any other specs. available?
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Chad Arnow
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Sun 21 Sep, 2003 3:27 pm Post subject: It's a beaut.. |
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I saw pictures of that elsewhere and it looks great.
ArmArt can put out some fine looking, fairly historically accurate swords. I hope to see more stuff like this from them when they get their backlog cleared up.
FWIW, my ArmArt is one of my favorites.
ChadA
http://chadarnow.com/
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Björn Hellqvist
myArmoury Alumni
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| Posted: Sun 21 Sep, 2003 4:54 pm Post subject: |
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Nice hilt, ugly point. Looks better than most other ArmArt Vikings. Peter J handled an ArmArt "Sword of Prayer" a while back. He wasn't impressed by it.
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Patrick Kelly
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| Posted: Sun 21 Sep, 2003 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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I think it's very nice, and I'm glad to see someone getting satisfaction from ArmArt.
I don't care for how the grip was done, and I'd prefer to see just a hint more taper towards the point. That's all just personal preference though. All in all it looks like a quality piece.
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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| Posted: Sun 21 Sep, 2003 6:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Björn Hellqvist wrote: | | Peter J handled an ArmArt "Sword of Prayer" a while back. He wasn't impressed by it. |
I was relatively impressed by the (sharpened) ArmArt "Sword of Prayer" that I had here. It was very nicely executed, had good fit and finish, and a nice edge geometry. The main criticsm I would mention is that it was rather "dead" in the hand, despite having a good weight and balance.
 Attachment: 19.86 KB
ArmArt "Sword of Prayer" (sharpened)
.:. Visit my Collection Gallery :: View my Reading List :: View my Wish List :: See Pages I Like :: Find me on Facebook .:.
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Steve Maly
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| Posted: Sun 21 Sep, 2003 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Geoff Wood wrote: | | Much more to my taste than the ones on the Armart website. Looks very well done. Any other specs. available? |
Here's the Specifications from the ArmArt website:
Total length : 95 cm (37.5")
Blade length : 79 cm (31")
Blade width at guard : 50 mm (2")
Blade thickness at guard : 6 mm (0.25")
Fuller length : 76.5 cm (30.25")
Fuller width at length : 20 mm (0.75")
Grip length : 10 cm (4")
Balance point : 15 cm (6")
Weight : 1.33 kg (2.93 lbs.)
Bjorn & Patrick: I usually prefer a less spatulate tip on my swords as well (probably why I don't have a Katzbalger), but the overall presentation of the sword overcame my prejudice. The tightly wound leather cord grip is surprisingly soft and comfortable. Overall, I give it a "thumbs up"--pretty good choice for my first Viking sword.
"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." ~A. Maslow
Last edited by Steve Maly on Sun 21 Sep, 2003 7:11 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Russ Ellis
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Sun 21 Sep, 2003 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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This is a review that I did on an undecorated version of the sword of prayer that I had at the time:
Armart Knightly Sword
Overall Length: 39 inches
Blade Length 33 inches
Point of Balance: 7 inches from cross
Center of Percussion: 21.5 inches from cross
Weight:2.9 lbs
Pommel type: B
Cross type 1
Blade type XII
Performance Review:
This sword was a customer's so I did not do any cutting with it. However I did dry handle it quite a bit. It seemed to be a bit blade heavy but not prohibitively so rather it strikes me as being balanced as a cutting sword rather then a thrusting sword. I would also wear gauntlets if I was going to use this sword for any extended period of time since the pommel can rub uncomfortably on the hand.
Appearance:
Armart appears to excel in the aesthetics department. This sword does not have the decoration of some of their other offerings but it is very cleanly executed. The fittings are nicely done and tightly fitted. The peening of the pommel is very clean. The fullers match on both sides of the sword and are nicely executed with only very minor ripples. All in all a very nicely done piece.
TRITONWORKS Custom Scabbards
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Thomas McDonald
myArmoury Alumni
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| Posted: Sun 21 Sep, 2003 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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What was the total cost of this piece ?
Thanks, Mac
'Gott Bewahr Die Oprechte Schotten'
XX ANDRIA XX FARARA XX
Mac's PictureTrail
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Steve Maly
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| Posted: Sun 21 Sep, 2003 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Thomas McDonald wrote: | What was the total cost of this piece ?
Thanks, Mac |
Hey Mac,
Including the scabbard, the total price was a little over $1000. The scabbard is walnut and covered in calfskin.
Attachment: 17.83 KB
"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." ~A. Maslow
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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| Posted: Sun 21 Sep, 2003 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Steve Maly wrote: | | Including the scabbard, the total price was a little over $1000. The scabbard is walnut and covered in calfskin. |
Well, despite having a good impression of the Sword of Prayer and thinking it was a good piece at its original price point, the new price point throws the equation off quite a bit. In my own personal estimation, the new asking price of the available Sword of Prayer swords simply do not reflect their value.
I'm mentioning this because, while being a very nice and impressive Viking sword, I am a bit confused by the $1,000+ price tag on the Riccard.
The global economy doesn't allow us to simply look at the product and define its value. We must consider where it is being manufactured. This is simply a truth in the world economy. Having said that, there are many swords at the $1,000 price point including those from Vince Evans, Rick Barrett, custom A&A's, Peter Johnsson-line AlbionMarks, etc. These pieces are all American-made, having all the overhead that comes along with domestic manufacture.
Still, you have a very nice sword and, as you know, I was interested in it when I saw it posted on their site. I'd love to have the chance to have it in-hand.
.:. Visit my Collection Gallery :: View my Reading List :: View my Wish List :: See Pages I Like :: Find me on Facebook .:.
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Markus Haider
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| Posted: Sun 21 Sep, 2003 11:11 pm Post subject: |
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The Czech Republic is developing very fast. Their costs/salary are already only 50 % under that of the neighbouring EU-countries (from under 1/4 around 1991). By 2010 (current estimates) they will be on nearly the same level. Expect quite some price-increases from other makers there too.
I have a Viking sword from them, and for the price it is very nice. It has a good balance (as a cutting sword) and great fit and finish. The only pet peeve I have with it is that it is not really sharp (despite ordered so), and that it is a bit unhistorical (longer grip, shorter fuller).
I would surely not say that it feels dead - but it does not feel as good as a ATrim (may be a preference thing, since my XVIII-ATrim is of course completly differently balanced).
I am still waiting for one sword from them (Bronze Vollgriffschwert), which is about 4 month overdue (so is a sword of another major maker, so I don't have much of a problem with it).
The new prices make me hestiate to order from them - considered 1 year of wait minimum and the offerings of other makers (and the favourable Euro-exchange-rate with the Dollar).
Last edited by Markus Haider on Sun 21 Sep, 2003 11:16 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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Markus Haider
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| Posted: Sun 21 Sep, 2003 11:54 pm Post subject: |
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Yes I have made some. They are not very good, but here they are :
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[ Download ]
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Markus Haider
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| Posted: Mon 22 Sep, 2003 12:09 am Post subject: |
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next
I'll try to post them properly when I have access to my ftp (to resize them) in the afternoon (Z-time)
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Markus Haider
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| Posted: Mon 22 Sep, 2003 12:11 am Post subject: |
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last
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Roger Hooper
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| Posted: Mon 22 Sep, 2003 6:56 am Post subject: |
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It is a very good looking sword. But for $1000+ they should have been able to make the etching on the pommel straight.
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Angus Trim
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| Posted: Mon 22 Sep, 2003 7:43 am Post subject: |
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| Roger Hooper wrote: | | It is a very good looking sword. But for $1000+ they should have been able to make the etching on the pommel straight. |
Maybe the original they got their inspiration was like that.....
*g*
Seriously though, maybe they aren't as concerned about straightness and perfect symmetry as the typical US buyer is. Most antiques don't sport perfect symmetry of the hilts.... In fact most antiques I've seen don't really have straight edges, straight or neat fullers, etc and so on....
Who knows?
$1000 sounds like a lot of money for a sword to a typical buyer. But for a maker it really doesn't when you know how much labor goes into these things. The one thing not mentioned here, is that all of that sword is handmade. The blade is handforged, etc and so on. A lot more labor goes into the Czech sword, than the typical US sword.
Is an ArmArt worth what a Vince Evans is?
No, but then Vince grossly underprices his work.........
swords are fun
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Shane Allee
Industry Professional
Location: South Bend, IN Joined: 29 Aug 2003
Posts: 506
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| Posted: Mon 22 Sep, 2003 7:54 am Post subject: |
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Thank you Roger...I didn't want to be the first.
I noticed this sword on ArmArt's website a week or so back and was bothered by this. The sword is major step back in the right direct for them, and someone put some major time and effort into this one. Attention to detail is what I look for in more expensive work, it looks like they did a pretty decent job at this till the engraving process. I'm anal about these kind of things, but it would have looked better to me if it had just been left off.
Now I'm sure some out there are already thinking that period stuff wasn't perfect either. It took some time, but I developed a taste for the "Frankish" floral decorations found on some viking age swords. These are probably some of the farthest from perfect, you can tell the tool and technics used were very crude. Really I have never noticed one that I would say was off center or anything, possibly because something like that would have been incorporated. I'm really interested to see how Albion handles the Frankish style on their Clontarf. If they get people saying that it looks like someone carved it with a hammer and nail, and other saying it looks spot on then they did a good job.
Shane
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Roger Hooper
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| Posted: Mon 22 Sep, 2003 8:10 am Post subject: |
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Gus, are you saying that they intentionally made that etching crooked so that it would seem more in keeping with an antique? 
On the "dead" issue - I've got an Armart, the type XIX pictured over there in my Avatar. It feels very much "alive" when I wield it. It is a terrific sword (except for the ##$%% etching on the ricasso, which they didn't do to the amplitude that I had requested of them) In fact, I heard through Genise of SFI that Armart thought it the finest sword they had ever made. (as of April 2002). I'm not saying that Nathan and Peter Johnsson were wrong in their assessments. The quality probably depends on the model, or even the individual sword within the model.
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This is a standard topic
