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Kevin Scott
Location: Cumberland, RI, USA Joined: 01 Aug 2010
Posts: 3
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 Posted: Sun 01 Aug, 2010 10:31 am Post subject: Accurate Viking reenactment/stage combat swords? |
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Hello Everyone,
I'm a newbie to the forums who's also a newbie to the reenactment hobby. I live in the USA with an intense interest in the Viking Age. I'm trying to put together a "kit" which will be historically accurate, and as such, I'm looking for a sword that is historically accurate, designed for reenactors/stage combat, and is reasonably-priced (not more than, say, $250). Any suggestions from anyone would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much,
Kevin Scott :0)
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Roger Hooper
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| Posted: Sun 01 Aug, 2010 10:48 am Post subject: |
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At $250.00, you're limiting yourself mostly to either crowbars or swords that will break under use or their hilts will get loose. However, there is the Hanwei-Tinker Viking blunt which could work out for you. A lot of people are pleased with it.
http://kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=SH2409
Tou can find this SH2409 sword all over the internet, but the best price is at Kult of Athena.
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David Sutton
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| Posted: Sun 01 Aug, 2010 11:23 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, I'd say the Tinker/Hanwei was your best bet really. I've handled this sword and unlike most re-enactment blunts (which tend to feel like boat anchors  ) it felt very well balanced. Plus it comes with a decent scabbard which could be made to look pretty presentable with a little work.
The older Hanwei Practical Viking Sword isn't terrible either, but it looks rather basic and the scabbard isn't very good.
http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=...king+Sword
If you decide to splash the cash and go for something more expensive there is always the Albion Skirmish Line
http://www.albion-swords.com/swords/albion/sw...irmish.htm
But they are about twice the price of the Hanwei/Tinker and frankly I reckon the Tinker is probably as good for re-enactment.
'Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all'
'To teach superstitions as truth is a most terrible thing'
Hypatia of Alexandria, c400AD
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Marc Blaydoe
Location: Maryland Joined: 29 Sep 2006
Posts: 72
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| Posted: Sun 01 Aug, 2010 11:39 am Post subject: |
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If you are on a budget and REALLY want to look authentic, don't buy a sword at all. Better to get a good axe, at least to start, and a spear or two. These were the most prevalent weapons for the average Viking. Swords were very expensive, equivalent to us buying a "nice" car, so not every Viking, in fact, not that many Vikings actually had a sword.
If you are just starting out, a "starting out" Viking would have a spear, shield, and axe, and that kit can be put together fairly reasonably. Save up and get a good sword a little later, just like a real Viking would. Oh and a decent belt knife would probably be worthwhile as well.
FWIW,
Geirmund
Able Seaman aboard the Viking Ship Sae Hrafn
An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.
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Kevin Scott
Location: Cumberland, RI, USA Joined: 01 Aug 2010
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Sun 01 Aug, 2010 1:00 pm Post subject: What about Armour Class Viking Swords? |
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What about Armour Class Viking swords? They're a little bit more expensive, but also come in sharp or blunt/stage varieties. How do they rate for handling and reenactment quality/authenticity?
Kevin Scott
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JG Elmslie
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Sun 01 Aug, 2010 1:58 pm Post subject: Re: What about Armour Class Viking Swords? |
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| Kevin Scott wrote: | What about Armour Class Viking swords? They're a little bit more expensive, but also come in sharp or blunt/stage varieties. How do they rate for handling and reenactment quality/authenticity?
Kevin Scott |
And lo, the god of swordmaking looked down upon Armourclass, and what he saw was Good. And there was much rejoycing.
erm, ok, maybe not. 
I'll admit I'm biased, and something of an armourclass evangelist, so take my opinion with a bit of tempering. For reenactment use, I would choose an Armourclass sword in favour over anything produced by Albion, A&A, or the simlar makers costing far more. The finish is'nt as good, of course - their polish is noticably slightly mechanical, compared to the high-end makers, but for actual impact durability and quality of construction for rebated combat, their blades really are absolutely fantastic - good feel in the hand, hard-wearing, and damage-resitant in use, while remaining at reasonable weights. their blades are designed specifically for rebated combat, and it shows in the durability. If it does fail, their customer service is great too. I've not heard a bad word said about Armourclass' quality in years among plenty of reenactors and WMA types here in scotland.
the only negative point with Armourclass are they're quite slow with orders, so if you need it next month, you're probably out of luck (give them a call and ask though - they're great guys, and you may be lucky).
Oh, and for viking stuff, I'd say that their reenactment scramseax is a ghastly lump of an object - my old flatmate ordered one once, and we were both horrified at its looks. Its cheap, so great value, but god, it's not so much ugly as sin, as it fell out the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down...
on the other hand, anything you do to that scramseax is going to improve its looks a thousandfold, so if you've got files and a desire to reprofile the slab-sided tang into a proper one, maybe reprofile the back edge slightly, and have access to good wood or horn to make a hilt with, and would like a project to make a good-looking weapon on a budget, the metal itself is absolutely brilliant - EN45 steel heat-treated exactly the same as their swordblades, which really are nuke-proof..
As I say, great price, but its horrid to look at out of the box, and really should not be taken as indicative of the quality of their swords at all - those really are fantastic in all criteria, and perform far better than many more expensive alternatives. my personal reccommendation is that if you've got the choice of a Hanwei or similar sword, or an armourclass, the armourclass blade is far, far better value, and worth the extra, for a sword which will last you a long time and serve faithfully.
(edited a bit for typos, etc)
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Chuck Russell
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| Posted: Sun 01 Aug, 2010 3:45 pm Post subject: |
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armour class and paul binns will be your friend. well they will be at the low end for your price range. go here: http://www.viking-shield.com/ ive had a Paul Binns blunt for years and I've never even scratched it.
Last edited by Chuck Russell on Mon 02 Aug, 2010 2:56 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Nathan F
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| Posted: Mon 02 Aug, 2010 11:34 am Post subject: |
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pauls blades are great but he has a very long waiting list try bob davies makes great blades fully authentic i have one myself that has taken serious punishment and is lasting and his lower end blade might be within your budget not sure on shipping though. but his blades are all quality price will only affect shipping. you might thing of getting a scram as well.
http://vikingswords.net/
for here starts war carrion birds sing, and grey wolves howl
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Brawn Barber
Location: In the shop Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 60
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| Posted: Wed 04 Aug, 2010 9:54 am Post subject: |
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Stage Steel makes a "Viking Age" sword that sells for $108.00 if you're on a budget and want something right away. Historic maybe no but might be worth it if you want a backup or just something to beat the crap out of.
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Scott S.
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| Posted: Wed 04 Aug, 2010 12:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Marc Blaydoe wrote: | | If you are on a budget and REALLY want to look authentic, don't buy a sword at all. Better to get a good axe, at least to start, and a spear or two. |
Marc, I think that's awesome advice, that I at least, will take you up on. It certainly rings true with everything I've read. I'm just now starting to plan on getting some various pieces together so I can have a few kit options of a Norman/Viking flavor. I considered a proper Viking kit a long way off because of the sword but once you take the "$300+ decent Viking sword" out of the equation it's suddenly quite do-able!
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P. L. Gross
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| Posted: Wed 04 Aug, 2010 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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I'll second Marc's advice. Spears, axes, and bows were the most common weapons among vikings. You had to be pretty well-to-do to have a sword in those days. If you look around, you should be able to pick up a spear and axe for less than you would pay for the sword. And Kult of Athena has definitely got the best prices. Also, if you don't know already, learn to sew. Fabric costs a lot less than the finished clothing, leaving that much more to spend on the metal items.
-Pete
From his weapons on the open road no man should step one pace away; you don't know for certain when you're on the open road when you might have need of your spear.
-Havamal
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