Deepeeka Charlemagne Sword Re-Review Shocker!
Oct 2, 2007 17:19:34 GMT
Post by septofclansinclair on Oct 2, 2007 17:19:34 GMT
Review of Deepeeka Charlemagne Sword, Originally done and Re-Submitted by Daniel D. of Manitoba, Canada
Price: $79.99 USD at Kult of Athena
This may be a surprise to those of you who have read this already, but I assure you there is news here. I submitted this review a couple months ago, but have come back with new developments, including a video - and a startling surprise about this supposedly "Battle Ready" sword. What follows is the original review, along with my annotations after the sharpening and cutting tests - which will be italicized. There will be an updated Testing section at the end that will cover all new info.
Official Image:
Remember your first sword? The one that when you got it, it was the coolest thing ever - but now what? What do you feel when you look back on it? If you reviewed the first sword you ever got, how would it face your more informed standards? I found no reviews of Deepeeka's swords on this site, and being new here I thought I'd try my hand at contributing to the conversation. So here goes. I apologize for the poor lighting of the pictures, my camera leaves much to be desired.
This was my very first. I had a hundred bucks, I had time on my hands, and I had a hankering for some pointy things in my life. Having spent little to no time researching, I sent away for the first sword that caught my eye. All I knew was that it was “Battle Ready”, which apparently meant that it was “real.” I waited for it anxiously, dropping by the post office every day. I didn’t know much, and when I received it I was ecstatic. Now... well, let’s just say I’ve learned alot. I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane with me.
First Impressions
The moment I got it out of the box, I was struck by how heavy it was. Having never handled a “real” sword before, I assumed that I was a wimp and continued to examine it. Like everything from Kult of Athena it came promptly and wrapped in brown paper. To this day the smell of brown paper gives me a bit of a thrill, because I associate it with the arrival of something I’ve waited for eagerly.
I held the sword in my hands, turning it over a few times, trying to get a feel for it. Even without knowing much my first thought was that it was poorly balanced. And I was right. Weighing in at 5 pounds, approximately a pound and a half heavier than the same sword from myarmory (http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_charlemagne.html). This thing looked and felt like a beast. I remember thinking, “Geez, Charlemange must have been strong like a freak to be able to use this thing.”
Length: 40"
Blade length: 32 3/4"
Hilt width:
Weight: 5lbs
Historical Accuracy: Not that I was expecting anything else, but the original Charlemange Sword – Joyeuse – had a golden handle, as opposed to mine which has cast brass. Just thought I’d point that out. The original was probably a bit lighter, with a thinner blade – this one has a thick, meaty blade that is closer to a Falchion than a longsword. The research I’ve done would suggest that the original (currently residing in Louvre Museum in Paris, France) would have had the same length but less weight and durability – appropriate for a sword that belonged to an Emperor. All that plus the level of detail on the hilt and handle gets this sword a 3/5 in this category.
Fit and Finish: The blade had nice polish, and the fuller was pronounced and even. Unfortunately, not only did it come unsharpened but the edges of the blade were rounded enough that regular use of a whetstone would probably not make a noticeable difference. I contemplated using some metalworking tools to grind it down, but not knowing what I’m doing is giving me pause. I may someday take it in to have it sharpened, but I’m not honestly sure if it’s worth it. The blade and handle were quite well put together, with no loosening issues after some test whacks against 2x4’s, and the tang appears to be peened onto the pommel – rare in this price range, unless I miss my guess! EDIT: I did, in fact, miss my guess, and the pommel was not peened. It wasn't really screwed on, either. It - well, I'll show the results later. And while a few light hits against a solid target resulted in no discernible change to the sword's integrity, this was not to be the case with cutting targets.
One problem was that sword didn’t fit in the scabbard – 4 inches of blade were visible above the top of the scabbard when the sword could go no farther in. This issue has been remedied with some wiggling and working at it, but the brass fitting at the throat of the sheath was improperly affixed and fell off when the sword was taken out, dropping this score to a 2/5.
Handling: The balance of the sword made it feel like the handle should be another 6 inches long. And that wasn’t the only problem - after one practice swing I nearly dropped the sword as the hard edge of the pommel dug into my wrist. Serious pain! Adjusting my grip on the sword did little to alleviate this problem – there was nowhere else for my hand to go. I was able to take a 2-handed grip by squeezing the pommel in my off hand, which helped with the horrid balance and pommel problems – but the pommel was so large that this was an equally uncomfortable arrangement. Add that to the fact that it was very overweight, and this thing gets a 1/5 for Handling.
Structural Integrity: In case I haven’t made myself clear, let me say it again; this is a hefty sword. When swung against a target you feel like you’re swinging something that means business. If it was sharp, I’d bet it’d make a great pumpkin smasher. The truth is, it’s an axe with a sword handle. No looseness in the handle after swinging, and the peened tang adds considerable strength. I felt no loosening of anything after impacts against hard targets. The only complaint I have is that it rusts very quickly – I had it polished with WD40 and left in a cool, dry place and little rust spots were starting everywhere quite quickly. I’m not sure what that’s a sign of, but I’m guessing the quality of steel is lower – I checked around but couldn’t find the numbers on this. The description says “carbon steel”, and that’s it. So I’ll give it a 4/5, because it still feels sturdy to me. EDIT: Ignore this entire section. None of this applies anymore, and the truth is I didn't know enough 2 months ago to recognize signs of danger.
Value for Money: This is a tough one. As it was my first sword I have warm fuzzies for it. There isn’t much to redeem it to me now that I’ve held and owned swords from Gen2 (my new preferred supplier). The handling issues reduce its value tremendously, as even for backyard cutting it is unwieldy and awkward. If this is an accurate depiction of Deepeeka’s quality of work, I would probably not buy from them again. That being said, it is beautiful to look at and, with a good coat of wax, will draw the eye as a wall-hanger. I have nicer SLO’s for much cheaper, however, so I’m pretty torn. 2/5, but it still has a warm place in my heart.
Totals: Pre-Testing
Historical Accuracy: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 2/5
Handling: 1/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 2/5
OVERALL: 2.5/5
Testing
After acquiring a few more swords and reviewing them, as well as learning more about the history and construction of swords from fellow forumites, I decided to take this sword to Fatecaller's forge and have him put an edge on it. Like the savage he is, he readily agreed, and relished the chance to work with someone else's steel. here's a few pics of our sharpening party - Fatecaller doing all the hard work, of course:
After a rough edge was placed on this sword, I took it to a coke bottle - it sliced clean through despite my poor form, proving that Fatecaller can put edges on swords with the best of them. However, as the video will show you, what happened next was completely unexpected.
"That's Bad" is right. "That's Stupidly Dangerous" would also be true. After the first hit it was noticeably loose, and after the second it basically fell out of the grip. Fatecaller stood pretty far away as he didn't want the blade he worked so hard to sharpen between his eyeballs. Here's some pics:
The blade/tang and handle.
This fell out. I have no idea what the hell it is.
And a close up of the tang, which was held in by a washer and glue. That's right, glue. The crap that fell out of the handle was simply unimaginable.
The blade is still decent. With some elbow grease it could be re-worked into a fairly good arming sword. The temper appears to be good - but the poor construction drops the Structural Integrity scores to zero (at least). This, friends and neighbors, is a wallhanger. A Sword-Like Object. And it should have been advertised as such.
A few email exchanges with Deepeeka's customer service folks later, and they told me that the sword has never been listed as Battle Ready. I sent them this link:
www.kultofathena.com/product~item~AH4118~name~Charlemagne+Sword.htm
To show that it is in fact listed as such at at least one vendor. They forwarded me a strongly worded email that they drafted to the vendor to cease labeling the sword as Battle Ready, and that's the last I heard of them.
This is my Deepeeka experience. I got a project blade out of it, so I'm not too disappointed. But I will never again purchase a weapon from them. I will stick to Windlass and Gen2 and others that produce quality over quantity. I hope that this unintentional destruction test was helpful to some of you.
Totals: Post-Testing
Historical Accuracy: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 2/5
Handling: 1/5
Structural Integrity: 0/5
Value for Money: 1/5
OVERALL: 1/5
Deepeeka Charlemagne Sword - not recommended.
Price: $79.99 USD at Kult of Athena
This may be a surprise to those of you who have read this already, but I assure you there is news here. I submitted this review a couple months ago, but have come back with new developments, including a video - and a startling surprise about this supposedly "Battle Ready" sword. What follows is the original review, along with my annotations after the sharpening and cutting tests - which will be italicized. There will be an updated Testing section at the end that will cover all new info.
Official Image:
Remember your first sword? The one that when you got it, it was the coolest thing ever - but now what? What do you feel when you look back on it? If you reviewed the first sword you ever got, how would it face your more informed standards? I found no reviews of Deepeeka's swords on this site, and being new here I thought I'd try my hand at contributing to the conversation. So here goes. I apologize for the poor lighting of the pictures, my camera leaves much to be desired.
This was my very first. I had a hundred bucks, I had time on my hands, and I had a hankering for some pointy things in my life. Having spent little to no time researching, I sent away for the first sword that caught my eye. All I knew was that it was “Battle Ready”, which apparently meant that it was “real.” I waited for it anxiously, dropping by the post office every day. I didn’t know much, and when I received it I was ecstatic. Now... well, let’s just say I’ve learned alot. I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane with me.
First Impressions
The moment I got it out of the box, I was struck by how heavy it was. Having never handled a “real” sword before, I assumed that I was a wimp and continued to examine it. Like everything from Kult of Athena it came promptly and wrapped in brown paper. To this day the smell of brown paper gives me a bit of a thrill, because I associate it with the arrival of something I’ve waited for eagerly.
I held the sword in my hands, turning it over a few times, trying to get a feel for it. Even without knowing much my first thought was that it was poorly balanced. And I was right. Weighing in at 5 pounds, approximately a pound and a half heavier than the same sword from myarmory (http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_charlemagne.html). This thing looked and felt like a beast. I remember thinking, “Geez, Charlemange must have been strong like a freak to be able to use this thing.”
Length: 40"
Blade length: 32 3/4"
Hilt width:
Weight: 5lbs
Historical Accuracy: Not that I was expecting anything else, but the original Charlemange Sword – Joyeuse – had a golden handle, as opposed to mine which has cast brass. Just thought I’d point that out. The original was probably a bit lighter, with a thinner blade – this one has a thick, meaty blade that is closer to a Falchion than a longsword. The research I’ve done would suggest that the original (currently residing in Louvre Museum in Paris, France) would have had the same length but less weight and durability – appropriate for a sword that belonged to an Emperor. All that plus the level of detail on the hilt and handle gets this sword a 3/5 in this category.
Fit and Finish: The blade had nice polish, and the fuller was pronounced and even. Unfortunately, not only did it come unsharpened but the edges of the blade were rounded enough that regular use of a whetstone would probably not make a noticeable difference. I contemplated using some metalworking tools to grind it down, but not knowing what I’m doing is giving me pause. I may someday take it in to have it sharpened, but I’m not honestly sure if it’s worth it. The blade and handle were quite well put together, with no loosening issues after some test whacks against 2x4’s, and the tang appears to be peened onto the pommel – rare in this price range, unless I miss my guess! EDIT: I did, in fact, miss my guess, and the pommel was not peened. It wasn't really screwed on, either. It - well, I'll show the results later. And while a few light hits against a solid target resulted in no discernible change to the sword's integrity, this was not to be the case with cutting targets.
One problem was that sword didn’t fit in the scabbard – 4 inches of blade were visible above the top of the scabbard when the sword could go no farther in. This issue has been remedied with some wiggling and working at it, but the brass fitting at the throat of the sheath was improperly affixed and fell off when the sword was taken out, dropping this score to a 2/5.
Handling: The balance of the sword made it feel like the handle should be another 6 inches long. And that wasn’t the only problem - after one practice swing I nearly dropped the sword as the hard edge of the pommel dug into my wrist. Serious pain! Adjusting my grip on the sword did little to alleviate this problem – there was nowhere else for my hand to go. I was able to take a 2-handed grip by squeezing the pommel in my off hand, which helped with the horrid balance and pommel problems – but the pommel was so large that this was an equally uncomfortable arrangement. Add that to the fact that it was very overweight, and this thing gets a 1/5 for Handling.
Structural Integrity: In case I haven’t made myself clear, let me say it again; this is a hefty sword. When swung against a target you feel like you’re swinging something that means business. If it was sharp, I’d bet it’d make a great pumpkin smasher. The truth is, it’s an axe with a sword handle. No looseness in the handle after swinging, and the peened tang adds considerable strength. I felt no loosening of anything after impacts against hard targets. The only complaint I have is that it rusts very quickly – I had it polished with WD40 and left in a cool, dry place and little rust spots were starting everywhere quite quickly. I’m not sure what that’s a sign of, but I’m guessing the quality of steel is lower – I checked around but couldn’t find the numbers on this. The description says “carbon steel”, and that’s it. So I’ll give it a 4/5, because it still feels sturdy to me. EDIT: Ignore this entire section. None of this applies anymore, and the truth is I didn't know enough 2 months ago to recognize signs of danger.
Value for Money: This is a tough one. As it was my first sword I have warm fuzzies for it. There isn’t much to redeem it to me now that I’ve held and owned swords from Gen2 (my new preferred supplier). The handling issues reduce its value tremendously, as even for backyard cutting it is unwieldy and awkward. If this is an accurate depiction of Deepeeka’s quality of work, I would probably not buy from them again. That being said, it is beautiful to look at and, with a good coat of wax, will draw the eye as a wall-hanger. I have nicer SLO’s for much cheaper, however, so I’m pretty torn. 2/5, but it still has a warm place in my heart.
Totals: Pre-Testing
Historical Accuracy: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 2/5
Handling: 1/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 2/5
OVERALL: 2.5/5
Testing
After acquiring a few more swords and reviewing them, as well as learning more about the history and construction of swords from fellow forumites, I decided to take this sword to Fatecaller's forge and have him put an edge on it. Like the savage he is, he readily agreed, and relished the chance to work with someone else's steel. here's a few pics of our sharpening party - Fatecaller doing all the hard work, of course:
After a rough edge was placed on this sword, I took it to a coke bottle - it sliced clean through despite my poor form, proving that Fatecaller can put edges on swords with the best of them. However, as the video will show you, what happened next was completely unexpected.
"That's Bad" is right. "That's Stupidly Dangerous" would also be true. After the first hit it was noticeably loose, and after the second it basically fell out of the grip. Fatecaller stood pretty far away as he didn't want the blade he worked so hard to sharpen between his eyeballs. Here's some pics:
The blade/tang and handle.
This fell out. I have no idea what the hell it is.
And a close up of the tang, which was held in by a washer and glue. That's right, glue. The crap that fell out of the handle was simply unimaginable.
The blade is still decent. With some elbow grease it could be re-worked into a fairly good arming sword. The temper appears to be good - but the poor construction drops the Structural Integrity scores to zero (at least). This, friends and neighbors, is a wallhanger. A Sword-Like Object. And it should have been advertised as such.
A few email exchanges with Deepeeka's customer service folks later, and they told me that the sword has never been listed as Battle Ready. I sent them this link:
www.kultofathena.com/product~item~AH4118~name~Charlemagne+Sword.htm
To show that it is in fact listed as such at at least one vendor. They forwarded me a strongly worded email that they drafted to the vendor to cease labeling the sword as Battle Ready, and that's the last I heard of them.
This is my Deepeeka experience. I got a project blade out of it, so I'm not too disappointed. But I will never again purchase a weapon from them. I will stick to Windlass and Gen2 and others that produce quality over quantity. I hope that this unintentional destruction test was helpful to some of you.
Totals: Post-Testing
Historical Accuracy: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 2/5
Handling: 1/5
Structural Integrity: 0/5
Value for Money: 1/5
OVERALL: 1/5
Deepeeka Charlemagne Sword - not recommended.