Thursday, January 28, 2010

Darksword Armory - 100 Year War Sword

At long last this beauty from Darksword Armory has arrived, and I am nothing but totally pleased with it. In this review, I will be talking only about the sword itself, the sword is unsharpened but I will be sharpening it later to do some cutting tests. Let's get on to the actual product.



This sword comes straight from the 15th Century during the Hundred Years War between
England and France. The sword is modeled after the one carried by Johannes Von Eglofstein. I tried to do some research on him, but I unfortunately couldn't find much. From what I understand, he was apparently a German Prince Bishop during the Hundred Years War.



First, let's talk about the handle. The handle is made of wood with a layered leather wrapping. This gives the sword a great grip so you can swing it with total confidence. The pommel is a circular design and gives the sword a very nice balance. The cross guard however is where I find the first problem, though it is minor. The cross guard is designed in such a way where there is a squarish area where the blade meets the handle, then two long octagonal pieces jut out of the square on either end. This makes the cross guard very beautiful, but it does tend to make the knuckle on your thumb a bit sore. After a while, you learn how to hold it more correctly so that doesn't happen, and you can always wear a glove as well so it's certainly not a huge problem.



The blade is about twenty seven inches long, making it an overall of thirty four inches. The sword is a bit on the heavy side for it's length, but not enough to cause any real problems when striking. Though heavy, I find the blade to be pretty well balanced. The blade is made out of carbon steel and have a very nice flex. (Pictures of the flex soon to come.) There is a very noticeable "D/S" crest on the lower right side of the blade that I at first thought would really disrupt the look of the blade, but now I wear that crest on the blade proudly, as Darksword Armory has truly done a great job at this sword.

From Darksword Armory you can get this sword for $305 sharpened and with a matching scabbard. For $275, you can get the sword unsharpened with the scabbard. It is also worth mentioning that Darksword Armory offers a matching dagger for $135 unsharpend or $160 sharpened. For the amazing quality of this sword, the price is definitely a bargain. I would recommend this sword not only for it's great quality but also it's absolutely beautiful design.

Stay tuned for part 2, I will be conducting some cutting tests with this sword.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Royal Knight Sword


I have mixed feelings about this sword, mostly because it is the first sword I have ever owned and as a starter it was great, but as a real sword it's a mockery. However, just because it's not real doesn't mean it doesn't have it's share of good qualities. Let's get into it then, shall we?

First of all, one thing I can truly respect about this sword is its beautiful design. It's why I got it in the first place. In my youth and ignorance of sword buying, I wanted something nice but dirt cheap, and I also wanted it to have some personality. And that is exactly what this sword has- a bit of personality; it's unique although not over the top. One of the first things that attracted me to this sword was its slight leaf blade style and unique pointed pommel. I also really liked the cross guard on it, however, the handle itself does not feel very grippy at all.

Now on to the problems. Though I have never taken it apart, I can tell that it is a rat tail tang. It clinks around inside the handle every time you move the sword. This makes it a very unstable blade, so don't whack it against anything. That being said, I have practiced some basic movements and have accidentally hit it against many things and it's still in good shape. The scabbard, which looks and feels very nice at first, is actually not very good quality. It didn't take long for the scabbard to not have a strong hold of the blade and moved around a lot inside of it. Also, the top piece of my scabbard became loose after a while and came of completely. An easy fix with some super glue, but I shouldn't have to do that- and of course if you are using super glue on a sword, it's not real. The blade is a mock edge but the point, like on most swords, is quite sharp.

If you are just getting started on sword collecting, you don't take collecting too seriously and aren't looking for something practical, this is for you. It's got a great look and makes an absolutely beautiful display. For a modest price of about $30, you really can't go wrong, just don't expect to ride into battle with this at your hip.