[Jeremy C]

Hello,

I happened upon this site while looking for swords, specifically viking sword replicas. (approximatelly 900-1200 A.D.)
This site is very well managed from the looks of it, so i shall hope i conduct myself with respect.


I am soon going to be 18 years of age. I have always had a love for swords, so in honor of what you might call, "my coming of age", I am searching for a sword to start off my collection.

I have always been very interested in the vikings and the norse mythology, that is why i am looking for a viking style sword.

If you would lend me help or advice it would be appreciated. I am looking for a good sowrd, nothing fancy. One of the reasons i like blades is becuse they represent purpose, and not pomp.

So a good sturdy viking sword, is what i am looking for. Also I have a budget

Tho e-bay is well loved, I know that its not where you go when you have a budget, and are buying something that you have nothing to determine true quality with. Since i am in this sort of situation, I am seeking assistance.thus this thread.

Any advice, or links will be greatlly appreciated. Thank you for your time

[Chad Arnow]

Jeremy,
Welcome to myArmoury.com. I've moved your post to the Historical Arms Talk forum, since it is mostly concerned with finding a Viking sword. I also re-named it to help others know what you're looking for.

We have reviews of several Viking swords on our Reviews page which may be of interest, too.

Again, welcome!

[Travis Canaday]

Jeremy,

Check out Albion... They have ten different models.

[Tom Carr]

What kind of budget are you working with. There is a great deal of options from the grand to the inexpensive. I wont say cheap as you get what you pay for. The Albions models are great if you have plenty of money to work with. You would never regret that decision. Then you work your way down in price. Angus Trim makes a great Viking style blade to build on.
Less expensive you have Paul Chen and MRL. Chen makes a nice looking pattern welded model, but it has some strenght issues and its not recommended for anything more than very lite cutting at best. MRL makes a couple of work horse types. The River Scheldt model was quite nice for the money, but its no longer made. They have the Leuterit model now. Roughly based on a sword in the British Museum. I got to handle one that was sent to me to sharpen, and it handled better than some more expensive pieces you can find out there. I was not thrilled with the hilt furniture, but it was solid and looked good if you didnt stare too hard at it. Scabbard was a little better than the usual MRL fare. There are plenty of other models and makers out there. These are just the more discussed and well known.
Best thing you can do is search the forums and find whats right for you and your pocketbook.
By the way, welcome to the world of swords!
Tom

[C.L. Miller]

Welcome to the forum Jeremy!
I think we're going to need a little bit more information before we can help you out... you say you've got "a budget," but don't say how much you're talking about. A Viking sword of quality, even if it's "nothing fancy," (and it's worth noting that many viking swords were very fancy indeed) can still be quite pricey depending on how authentic a blade you require.
Also useful to know would be what you intend to do with this sword... are you planning on cutting with it, or will it be primarily decorative?
Right off the bat, I'm going to say that $300 is a bare minimum. For that price, you can get Albion's excellent squire line viking sword, a blade quite authentic in its handling characteristics and general appearance and a phenomenal value. The downside is a one-piece pommel (Viking swords with hilts of this type, known as "Type H," where usually assembled in two pieces historically), a blunt-edge (which can be sharpened for a fee, but will never be an authentic sword edge) and a slightly rough finish. For a first sword, these are really very minor compromises and I think you'll be well served by such a blade.
If you've a bit more money, you might want to consider a "Next Generation" blade from Albion (several reviews can be found on this site), or if you're willing to wait, you might want to consider commissioning a custom sword from a smith such as Vladimir Cervenka, who has very reasonable prices and a good reputation, but a 2-3 years waiting list.
If you've both time and money to spare, you can't do better than Patrick Bárta... but his work is unlikely to fit into your budget, to say the least.
The best advice that I can offer is to read. Before you invest in a sword, familiarize yourself not only with the modern replicas and recreations of historical swords, familiarize yourself with the construction and style of the originals. The books of Ewart Oakeshott provide an excellent starting point for the study of Medieval European swords, particularly The Archaeology of Weapons, which also has the advantage of being one of his easier to find, less expensive works. Another fine resource would be Ian Peirce's Swords Of The Viking Age, a work which gives a great impression of the variety of swords in use during this time period, their construction and the current terminology which is used to discuss them.
Taking the time to research the subject will make your eventual purchase a far richer and more rewarding experience.
Again, welcome to the forum! Have fun exploring the site!

[David Wilson]

Another cheap but good quality option would be the Kris Cutlery Viking sword:
http://www.kriscutlery.com/medieval/index_viking.html

[Chuck Russell]

if 300 is the base. albion has a sweeeet sqquire line viking sword. now its not a sharpie but awsome none the less. for a beater sword, look in to paul binns swords. www.viking-shiled.com

[Russ Ellis]

A lot of good options have been posted. You could also take a look at www.arms-n-armor.com these guys have a replica of the "Shifford" viking sword:



Or Del Tin http://www.deltin.it/home.htm who has several models that I would consider entry level viking swords:







Also, just out of curiousity have you ever handled a viking sword? I ask because they may not be what you expect at all...

[J. Bedell]

I am also a new member, but not new to collecting, if your looking for a nice viking sword for a good price I would recommend MRL. I've bought a few swords from there, and I was quite pleased. I haven't seen what viking swords they have been selling lately, but I have been pleased with them in the past. If your willing to spend the extra cash for a higher quality sword though, I would go with Albion.

[Patrik Erik Lars Lindblom]

Hi Jeremy!
in The Marketplace in this forum you have this one, Albion SL Viking
and here are a book to Download, Den Norske Vikingesverd (in old Norwegian language)
but maybe better for you are Swords of The viking Age, paperback are good to
well! that is a good way to start with, Good Luck

[Alexander Ren]

I would also second Albion's Squire Line Viking Sword. However I also second that if you do have the money to spend there are very few makers that compare with Patrick Barta, http://www.templ.net/who_is_patrick_barta.php, and Jake Powning, http://www.powning.com/jake/home/j_homepg.shtml, for pattern welded viking swords.

Alex

[David Wilson]

.... or, if you happen to be in Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Custom Knife Show (February 10 to 12), and have the money, this piece will be available at Vince Evans' table....

[Russ Ellis]