It'd be reasonable to think Redheart would be in the same genus as Purpleheart, but that is not the case. Much like Purpleheart, keeping it out of the sunshine will help it retain its vibrant color. The grain is generally straight but may also be figured, with stripes of varying tones of bright pink and red, as well as some deeper reddish browns intermingled. Compared to Padauk, the reds in Redheart are much truer to hue - they are deep, rich, and without any orange tones. Redheart is smooth to the touch and ranks 1210 on the Janka hardness scale. While we believe it would make an imposing shield, our Viking Lumberjack predecessors may have likely disagreed, as they preferred much softer woods for their shields. Fir (660) and poplar (540) are some examples, while historical records mention wood such as linden (410),otherwise known as basswood. The flexibility of these woods prevented splitting - absolutely a key part of their success in combat - and helpfully absorbed the brunt of the impact.