Darksword Armoury Katana Prototype Review
Jun 24, 2009 5:04:32 GMT
Post by septofclansinclair on Jun 24, 2009 5:04:32 GMT
Darksword Armoury Katana Prototype (Model 1701) Review
Introduction
Some time ago, Eyal from DSA and I were chatting, when the subject of katanas came up. I don’t remember exactly how we got on the topic, but I remembered that he had at one time announced that DSA was moving in this direction. So, we got to talking about the new line that he was producing – iron fittings, silk ito, 1095 steel blades, sub-$300 pricing, which all sounded very interesting – and one thing led to another... long story short, almost before I knew it I had a courier show up at my doorstep carrying one of the DSA katana prototypes!
Especially in this day and economic situation that we find ourselves in, I know I’m not the only one out there looking for the most “bang for your buck” possible – which is hard to do when businesses are being forced to jack their prices in order to stay afloat. For many people, taking a risk on an “unknown” just isn’t feasible – they need to protect their investment, no matter what it is. I’m far from a katana expert, but I’ve seen a few different kinds... and I was curious what this new katana from DSA would be like. I promised Eyal that I’d give it a good, fair review, and hopefully be able to give some pointers for future lines – and hopefully, be able to recommend it to the public. That being said, Eyal was very specific in his request – he didn’t want me to pull any punches or gloss over any faults. So here goes.
Initial Impressions
The Prototype arrived slightly before noon on a day that I was working partly from home, so I took a well-deserved (I thought) break to open it up and see what it looked like. As soon as I got the box (which was liberally wrapped in bubble wrap) open, I saw the maintenance kit and the katana in the cotton sword bag. I usually try to take my time with this sort of thing, but I was curious so I just pulled the bag off right away, savouring that “new sword smell.”
The first thing that jumped out at me was the saya. What an interesting design! Eyal had mentioned that it was “different”, but I had seen no pictures of this and was very pleasantly surprised by the way it jumped out at me (even though I know deep down that a pretty saya does not a good sword make, it was certainly eye catching). Everything seemed very tight and even, and the overall look was very consistent – the gold highlights contrasted nicely with the darker fittings and colours. More about the appearance later in the review.
Statistics
Nagasa Length: 28"
Tsuka Length: 11"
Overall Length: 39.5"
Tsuba Width: 3.5"
POB (Point of Balance): 5.5"
Weight: 2lbs 5oz
Components
The Nagasa
1095 is a good steel for sword blades; I have several swords made from it and wondered how this one would turn out. Eyal let me know that they would not be Differentially Hardened, but I don’t have a problem with a monosteel blade myself (it’s better for my crappy form; there’s less likelihood of a flubbed cut twisting the blade). I pulled the blade from the saya to take a peek.
First thing – it’s very, very sharp. It’s as sharp as any other katana I’ve handled in this price range, and sharper than some. Easily paper-cutting sharp. So that’s a big plus. That sharp edge, though, is covered up by a wire-brushed hamon – that was a bit of a surprise to me. It doesn’t look terrible, but compared to the rest of the sword – which has fittings that look quite good for the price – the wire-brushed hamon really stands out and seems out of place. That isn’t the end of the world, though – polishing one out would be a bit of time but not impossible, and getting a nice mirror shine on this blade once it’s gone will be easier with the addition of the maintenance kit the sword comes with. So it goes down on the list as a “Con”, but not a world-ending one. I would like to see an acid-etched hamon on this model if anything; I personally don’t care if a monosteel blade has a hamon at all but if you’re going to do one, acid-etching is the way to go.
The blade seems to have decent flex (for a katana) and from what I can tell has been tempered properly. I don’t think I’d have any problem using this to chop through whatever I put in front of it (within reason, of course).
Also of note is that the yokote is counter polished, which is pretty much par for course in this price range but still something that I’d feel negligent not noting. I’m always a fan of the geometric yokote. This particular counter-polish wasn’t done badly, but when taken next to the wire-brushed hamon it may make the blade look “cheaper” than it actually is (for some people, anyways).
The Tsuka
I’m seeing more silk ito on sub-$300 katanas these days, which is a real good move for this industry. The silk ito on the Prototype is pretty even and tight, no visible gaps around the real rayskin, and the whole assembly seems quite solid. I am a fan of the slender shape of the tsuka because it feels easier to grip in my hands than the “axe-handle” style I’ve seen on Hanwei and some others. One thing I would note is that the silk ito does not alternate its direction as it is wrapped around the handle, which is more traditional and – in my opinion, at least – if you’re going to have silk ito you might as well go all the way and have it alternate too. For many people this is not a deal-breaker, for some it is. I’m ok with it as is based on the sub-$300 price – not a deal breaker for me here. Not sure what the menuki are supposed to be, though.
The Tsuba
The iron tsuba is tightly fitted to the blade, I couldn’t get any movement at all out of it. The design is... I’m going to say “people sitting around,” because I can’t figure out who they are or what they’re supposed to be doing. Lounging? Calling this the “Iron Lounging” katana doesn’t seem to do it justice, though. That isn’t to say that it is unattractive – the colour is very nice, with the gold highlights standing out attractively. I like it a bit more every time I look at it; it lacks the fine defects that are common on cheap tsubas. I think from what I’ve seen I would say this is a relatively good quality tsuba – it looks as nice or nicer than most of my sub-300 tsubas.
The Fuchi-Kashira
Continuing the theme from the tsuba, the fuchi and kashira have similar highlights. The pattern and design looks nice enough, I have no complaints. I was unable to get any movement on the kashira, which sometimes happens in this range.
The Saya
The saya is actually really unique. Since I didn’t know what to expect I was surprised by the gold highlights. Really, only the pictures do it justice, so take a look.
I’m a big fan of katanas that look different from the standard “black ito, black saya” look – hence my affection for my SBG Custom. So even though this katana has the black ito, the gold starbursts on the saya really makes it stand out. The saya fits tightly, though it rattles – a common issue at this price point, something that is actually pretty “normal” for a production katana so not a huge issue here. The gold here matches the gold on the fittings and makes the overall piece a real eye-catcher.
Handling Characteristics
The Prototype weighs in at 2lbs 5oz, which is a nice weight for a katana. I enjoyed the handling on this one, it felt as good or better in the hands than most of my sub-$300 katanas. I’d actually put this at the upper-end of handling for sub-$300 katanas, I don’t think I’ve handled many that were better than it (the Hanwei Golden Oriole was would be an exception, but it is definitely more expensive than $300).
I felt very comfortable holding and swinging this, moving smoothly (and clumsily, but only due to my lack of skill) from cut to guard and back again. Knowing how sharp it was, I couldn’t wait to take it outside and slice and dice some bottles.
Test Cutting
Due to the untimely death of my camera’s video feature (which is fantastic since we have a newborn) the videos will have to wait until I can get Fatecaller or Ignited over here to film me. But they are forthcoming and should be up within a week or two.
I did get a chance to slice up a few milk jugs, which vanished under the DSA Katana's edge like they weren't even there. When I have a camera I'll take some vids of me slicing hopefully some different bottles and see how that turns out - but based on what Ive seen so far I'm not worried.
Conclusions
The DSA Prototype is an interesting mix. The choice to go with silk ito and iron fittings was a good one; more manufacturers should invest in higher-quality fittings to give their customer better quality for their dollar. I showed it to a fellow collector, who was looking it over and commenting on how nice the fittings and the silk were (he’s someone who has handled everything from a $50 Musashi to a $600 Hanwei), and he was guessing high prices until he saw the wire-brushed hamon, at which point he wasn’t sure what to guess. Overall, I’ve been very pleased with this katana. I was concerned at first that a new forge and new foray into the world of production katanas would be something that DSA would struggle with. But if this is any indication of what’s to come, I would say that DSA might be in really good shape to break into this corner of the market in a very solid way.
The price was something I had very little idea about until this review was mostly finished, so when Eyal announced the base price would be $250 bucks, I thought that sounded pretty fair – even though there were some things that I would have changed. Then I saw that he was going to sell this first run at $80 off, and that actually was a huge surprise for me. At $169, this katana goes from a good deal to a steal. If you can look past the wire-brushed hamon (or better yet, polish it out yourself) and some of the other minor cons, then this is really good value for your money.
Pros
* durable 1095 monosteel blade
* silk ito and good quality tight fittings
* handles well
* very sharp blade
* low price
Cons
* Wire-brushed hamon
* Counter-polished yokote (pretty standard in this range, but has to be mentioned)
* Non-alternating ito wrap
The Bottom Line
I would recommend this to a friend, especially with the reduced starter price.
Introduction
Some time ago, Eyal from DSA and I were chatting, when the subject of katanas came up. I don’t remember exactly how we got on the topic, but I remembered that he had at one time announced that DSA was moving in this direction. So, we got to talking about the new line that he was producing – iron fittings, silk ito, 1095 steel blades, sub-$300 pricing, which all sounded very interesting – and one thing led to another... long story short, almost before I knew it I had a courier show up at my doorstep carrying one of the DSA katana prototypes!
Especially in this day and economic situation that we find ourselves in, I know I’m not the only one out there looking for the most “bang for your buck” possible – which is hard to do when businesses are being forced to jack their prices in order to stay afloat. For many people, taking a risk on an “unknown” just isn’t feasible – they need to protect their investment, no matter what it is. I’m far from a katana expert, but I’ve seen a few different kinds... and I was curious what this new katana from DSA would be like. I promised Eyal that I’d give it a good, fair review, and hopefully be able to give some pointers for future lines – and hopefully, be able to recommend it to the public. That being said, Eyal was very specific in his request – he didn’t want me to pull any punches or gloss over any faults. So here goes.
Initial Impressions
The Prototype arrived slightly before noon on a day that I was working partly from home, so I took a well-deserved (I thought) break to open it up and see what it looked like. As soon as I got the box (which was liberally wrapped in bubble wrap) open, I saw the maintenance kit and the katana in the cotton sword bag. I usually try to take my time with this sort of thing, but I was curious so I just pulled the bag off right away, savouring that “new sword smell.”
The first thing that jumped out at me was the saya. What an interesting design! Eyal had mentioned that it was “different”, but I had seen no pictures of this and was very pleasantly surprised by the way it jumped out at me (even though I know deep down that a pretty saya does not a good sword make, it was certainly eye catching). Everything seemed very tight and even, and the overall look was very consistent – the gold highlights contrasted nicely with the darker fittings and colours. More about the appearance later in the review.
Statistics
Nagasa Length: 28"
Tsuka Length: 11"
Overall Length: 39.5"
Tsuba Width: 3.5"
POB (Point of Balance): 5.5"
Weight: 2lbs 5oz
Components
The Nagasa
1095 is a good steel for sword blades; I have several swords made from it and wondered how this one would turn out. Eyal let me know that they would not be Differentially Hardened, but I don’t have a problem with a monosteel blade myself (it’s better for my crappy form; there’s less likelihood of a flubbed cut twisting the blade). I pulled the blade from the saya to take a peek.
First thing – it’s very, very sharp. It’s as sharp as any other katana I’ve handled in this price range, and sharper than some. Easily paper-cutting sharp. So that’s a big plus. That sharp edge, though, is covered up by a wire-brushed hamon – that was a bit of a surprise to me. It doesn’t look terrible, but compared to the rest of the sword – which has fittings that look quite good for the price – the wire-brushed hamon really stands out and seems out of place. That isn’t the end of the world, though – polishing one out would be a bit of time but not impossible, and getting a nice mirror shine on this blade once it’s gone will be easier with the addition of the maintenance kit the sword comes with. So it goes down on the list as a “Con”, but not a world-ending one. I would like to see an acid-etched hamon on this model if anything; I personally don’t care if a monosteel blade has a hamon at all but if you’re going to do one, acid-etching is the way to go.
The blade seems to have decent flex (for a katana) and from what I can tell has been tempered properly. I don’t think I’d have any problem using this to chop through whatever I put in front of it (within reason, of course).
Also of note is that the yokote is counter polished, which is pretty much par for course in this price range but still something that I’d feel negligent not noting. I’m always a fan of the geometric yokote. This particular counter-polish wasn’t done badly, but when taken next to the wire-brushed hamon it may make the blade look “cheaper” than it actually is (for some people, anyways).
The Tsuka
I’m seeing more silk ito on sub-$300 katanas these days, which is a real good move for this industry. The silk ito on the Prototype is pretty even and tight, no visible gaps around the real rayskin, and the whole assembly seems quite solid. I am a fan of the slender shape of the tsuka because it feels easier to grip in my hands than the “axe-handle” style I’ve seen on Hanwei and some others. One thing I would note is that the silk ito does not alternate its direction as it is wrapped around the handle, which is more traditional and – in my opinion, at least – if you’re going to have silk ito you might as well go all the way and have it alternate too. For many people this is not a deal-breaker, for some it is. I’m ok with it as is based on the sub-$300 price – not a deal breaker for me here. Not sure what the menuki are supposed to be, though.
The Tsuba
The iron tsuba is tightly fitted to the blade, I couldn’t get any movement at all out of it. The design is... I’m going to say “people sitting around,” because I can’t figure out who they are or what they’re supposed to be doing. Lounging? Calling this the “Iron Lounging” katana doesn’t seem to do it justice, though. That isn’t to say that it is unattractive – the colour is very nice, with the gold highlights standing out attractively. I like it a bit more every time I look at it; it lacks the fine defects that are common on cheap tsubas. I think from what I’ve seen I would say this is a relatively good quality tsuba – it looks as nice or nicer than most of my sub-300 tsubas.
The Fuchi-Kashira
Continuing the theme from the tsuba, the fuchi and kashira have similar highlights. The pattern and design looks nice enough, I have no complaints. I was unable to get any movement on the kashira, which sometimes happens in this range.
The Saya
The saya is actually really unique. Since I didn’t know what to expect I was surprised by the gold highlights. Really, only the pictures do it justice, so take a look.
I’m a big fan of katanas that look different from the standard “black ito, black saya” look – hence my affection for my SBG Custom. So even though this katana has the black ito, the gold starbursts on the saya really makes it stand out. The saya fits tightly, though it rattles – a common issue at this price point, something that is actually pretty “normal” for a production katana so not a huge issue here. The gold here matches the gold on the fittings and makes the overall piece a real eye-catcher.
Handling Characteristics
The Prototype weighs in at 2lbs 5oz, which is a nice weight for a katana. I enjoyed the handling on this one, it felt as good or better in the hands than most of my sub-$300 katanas. I’d actually put this at the upper-end of handling for sub-$300 katanas, I don’t think I’ve handled many that were better than it (the Hanwei Golden Oriole was would be an exception, but it is definitely more expensive than $300).
I felt very comfortable holding and swinging this, moving smoothly (and clumsily, but only due to my lack of skill) from cut to guard and back again. Knowing how sharp it was, I couldn’t wait to take it outside and slice and dice some bottles.
Test Cutting
Due to the untimely death of my camera’s video feature (which is fantastic since we have a newborn) the videos will have to wait until I can get Fatecaller or Ignited over here to film me. But they are forthcoming and should be up within a week or two.
I did get a chance to slice up a few milk jugs, which vanished under the DSA Katana's edge like they weren't even there. When I have a camera I'll take some vids of me slicing hopefully some different bottles and see how that turns out - but based on what Ive seen so far I'm not worried.
Conclusions
The DSA Prototype is an interesting mix. The choice to go with silk ito and iron fittings was a good one; more manufacturers should invest in higher-quality fittings to give their customer better quality for their dollar. I showed it to a fellow collector, who was looking it over and commenting on how nice the fittings and the silk were (he’s someone who has handled everything from a $50 Musashi to a $600 Hanwei), and he was guessing high prices until he saw the wire-brushed hamon, at which point he wasn’t sure what to guess. Overall, I’ve been very pleased with this katana. I was concerned at first that a new forge and new foray into the world of production katanas would be something that DSA would struggle with. But if this is any indication of what’s to come, I would say that DSA might be in really good shape to break into this corner of the market in a very solid way.
The price was something I had very little idea about until this review was mostly finished, so when Eyal announced the base price would be $250 bucks, I thought that sounded pretty fair – even though there were some things that I would have changed. Then I saw that he was going to sell this first run at $80 off, and that actually was a huge surprise for me. At $169, this katana goes from a good deal to a steal. If you can look past the wire-brushed hamon (or better yet, polish it out yourself) and some of the other minor cons, then this is really good value for your money.
Pros
* durable 1095 monosteel blade
* silk ito and good quality tight fittings
* handles well
* very sharp blade
* low price
Cons
* Wire-brushed hamon
* Counter-polished yokote (pretty standard in this range, but has to be mentioned)
* Non-alternating ito wrap
The Bottom Line
I would recommend this to a friend, especially with the reduced starter price.