DSA Sword of Grayson
Oct 3, 2008 17:04:17 GMT
Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2008 17:04:17 GMT
Review: DSA Sword of Grayson
By Matthew Davis of Fremont, Indiana.
Introduction
The first sword I ever purchased, just recently, was Darksword Armory's Squire sword. While I love the looks and construction of it, it has not quite been what I was desiring for personal use. It is tip-heavy, which is not bad in and of itself, but when combined with a grip that is a bit uncomfortable in the left hand (arguably more a problem with the user ) and the wheel pommel being a bit harsh to use as a second hand grip bare handed, I realized that I might be better served by a different sword.
Being quite satisfied with the construction of the Squire otherwise, I hoped to stick to Darksword Armory for an additional purchase. Finding that other options were not immediately available, I eventually came across the Sword of Grayson on Arms of Valor. Seeing that it was more or less of a blade profile I prefer (I judge it as Oakeshott XVIII, though I could see one arguing it as an odd XV blade as well) and priced quite low ($215 before shipping), I decided to give this sword a shot.
Apparently, only twenty of these swords were made.
Before I go on to the rest of the review, I thought I would add some comments I received from Eyal himself as to the background of this sword (with some bolded, which I will get back to later):
The Sword of Grayson was a designed by an SBG member and submitted in an SBG contest. The design was one of two winning sketches. After about one year in production or so, AOV contacted us and asked whether we would be interested in producing the piece. We agreed, but only had three months to forge the sword, leaving us very little time to experiment (we usually prefer forging three or sometimes even 4 pieces prior to coming out with the "Master"). Jason from AOV can elaborate on the contest's background and various smiths that were contacted to produce this piece as I do not have all the details about the original contacted smiths. Gen2 was one of them. From my understanding he was simply too busy with his own production, which is quite a valid reason.
Three months after receiving the contract, we completed the batch of Grayson swords. I was particularly happy with the weight, balance and feel of the sword. I wanted this sword to be a "budget" piece. So we did everything possible to keep the price low, without compromising quality and the sword's structural integrity. Darksword Armory is known for making some of the most resistant combat swords on the market. I certainly did not want to deviate from this standard. We kept this vision, while thinking of budget. We used 1060 high carbon steel for the blade, and tempered them to a Rockwell of 53 as we always do. I did speak to Grayson about the piece. I personally loved his design. During our conversation, I informed him that I planned on making another version of the Grayson sword. One closer to the sketch. The new design however, would not be a budget piece due to the detailed work on the guard. Grayson is a very talented sword designer. He submitted multiple designs to the contest. They were all very impressive. Ultimately, in regards to the Grayson sword, I personally think that it's a really well balanced and comfortable sword. It handles quite well. I don't think that collectors with a tight budget will find a better sword at a similar price point.
EDIT: For those wondering about / unaware of the contest from which this sword came (including me initially ), the contest in question was the AoV Sword Design Competition that now rests in the archived section of the SBG Competitions and Members Collections Gallery on this forum. (I shall note here that there were separate historical and fantasy categories in the contest. While the Sword of Grayson was the winning historical design, the winning fantasy design was the Flame of Angels, the production version of which is also for sale at Arms of Valor.)
While the links for the images with the contest entries are no longer valid, I was able to find the drawing for the original version of the Sword of Grayson (or perhaps more appropriately, the Torino):
While I am not so sure how much I might like a riser between the wrap and the leather sections of the grip, I will admit that the original hilt and guard designs are quite elegant and make for a very attractive sword.
Arrival
This was my first order from Arms of Valor, and it was a good experience overall. They were quite quick and pleasant in conversation over my order, and the sword arrived swiftly enough.
Aside from this sword coming in a box with a more squared profile, there is not too much for me to add that has not been covered in other DSA reviews: the sword was similarly packed with bubble wrap and protective plastic, and coated with a generous helping of oil. There was no damage to the box, which is always a good thing.
Statistics
Weight: 3.32 pounds
Total Length: 36.5 inches
Blade Length: 27.5 inches
Grip Length: 4.5 inches
Pommel Length: 3.5 inches
Guard Breadth: 6.5 inches
Blade Type: Oakeshott XVIII
Guard Type: Atypical
Pommel Type: Oakeshott T4
The Blade
(Please excuse the oil. )
The blade, as stated, most closely fits the profile of an Oakeshott XVIII in my opinion. The taper is so dramatic that one could make the argument for it being an odd XV, but the blade is broad enough towards the tip that I feel XVIII is more fitting.
The blade does show its share of hammer marks and light scuffs, but nothing different from other Darksword blades, especially when taking the low price point into consideration. The diamond profile of the blade is well done. It seems to terminate a bit off center at the tip, but this is extremely hard to notice.
As can be seen above, the maker's mark on this blade is in the normal spot...save that on the Grayson, the DSA logo is replaced by one for Arms of Valor.
One of two potential downsides I can note is that, upon arrival, the tip of the blade was rolled a bit:
Speaking with AoV, they advised that the tip may have been rolled at some point in shipping, and seconded my assessment that it could be hammered flat again. As I have never done such work myself I did not want to foul it up, but it just so happened that Angola was having its Fall Fest right at that time and with it the Civil War Days reenactment. The blacksmith who happened to be on hand pretty much corrected the issue. At current, a very small portion of what is now a slightly squared tip is ever so slightly rolled, but nowhere near enough to concern me.
The other, depending upon one's preference, is that the width of the edge on the Grayson is perhaps thinner than other Darksword blades. It is, at the thickest points, no more than half the thickness of my Squire's blade. The tip, while certainly not razor sharp, is still quite capable of puncturing most appropriate targets without any work needing to be done on it. On the one hand, this may make this sword a bit concerning for use in steel on steel use. However, for what I am assuming are the many folks on this site who would prefer to have their blades sharpened, this may actually be a plus; it should be far easier to put an edge on the Grayson than on other DSA swords I have seen.
The Guard
The guard is one of two areas in which the Sword of Grayson seems to vary from any historical precedents. I am assuming that this is the primary area (if perhaps the only area) in which Darksword really "cut corners" in order to keep the cost of this sword so low. I mark that as such because, aside from perhaps varying from Grayson's original sketches, the guard is not cheap at all. Its simplicity is actually quite handsome, and it fits in perfectly with the rest of the sword.
The Grip
The grip, from what I have seen, is the other part of the Sword of Grayson that is arguably without a historical precedent. The grip is covered with leather dyed black, and the bottom portion is covered with a stainless steel wire wrap. I was initially concerned, based upon the wire wrap on the Squire, that the wrap would feel quite rough when used bare handed. Happily, I can report that this is not the case. The wrapped portion of the grip is actually quite comfortable, and definitely helps to keep one's grip secure. I give many thanks to Grayson and Darksword for designing and executing this atypical grip...it is very nice.
The Pommel
The pommel seems to fit the billing of an Oakeshott T4, which is certainly historically acceptable for the blade on the Sword of Grayson. It is also one I have not seen on any other DSA swords. The smooth edges and elongated nature of this pommel make it wonderful for gripping to use the sword in a two handed fashion. It is quite solid and its attachment to the rest of the sword is rock solid. I definitely feel like I could safely bash in all manner of things with it and have it suffer no more than minor scratches. I do believe I have found myself a new favorite pommel type.
The Scabbard
As stated by other reviewers on other DSA swords, the scabbard for the Sword of Grayson is not up to par with the sword itself in terms of quality. Whereas the scabbard for my Squire is actually decently snug and almost completely rattle free, this scabbard is a very loose fit. The sword easily moves and rattles inside it. The leather on the scabbard also tends to leech black dye onto my hands when I hold it. In the end, it is a decent enough storage container for the sword, but would probably not be the most wonderful thing to wear.
Handling
After handling the DSA Squire, I knew I wanted a sword possessing a closer point of balance to the hilt. Not having handled any real swords prior to the Squire, however, I was unsure how large a difference three inches would make. Suffice it to say I was quite happily surprised when I took this sword out of its shipping box and tested it. If you took knowledge of point of balance out of the equation, I would swear this sword only weighs something like a third of what the Squire does, even though they should both weigh about the same.
This sword is very lively in the hand, but still possesses fair authority in the cut. It is quite comfortable in one hand; even for someone lacking in strength such as myself, I feel like I could swing this thing all day. Thanks to its pommel, it is also easily used in a two handed fashion. It is quite easy to keep in line for thrusts. In short, compared to my prior experience, the Sword of Grayson is a dream and a joy to handle.
Cut and Thrust Tests
Okay. I may never sharpen this sword. Despite it already having some scuffs, I really do not want to bring any extra harm to it. I do not possess anything sturdy and stable enough for full force stress tests. On top of this, there is not exactly a large selection of additional Swords of Grayson to fall back on should I need to replace it for any reason. Therefore, the hardcore stress tests performed on other DSA swords on this site are pretty much out of the question.
With that said, I still wanted to test how dangerous the thin yet still blunted edge might be, how dangerous the tip might be, and more importantly how resistant the tip would be to rolling again. Therefore, I decided to see how the Sword of Grayson would hold up to a one liter soda bottle filled with water.
I first took the bottle and attempted to cut it. As I did not have a good surface to put the bottle on, and I did not really want the bottle to go flying off, I had to hold it down with one hand. As such, I was only able to safely attack it with one handed swings using moderate power. While I could certainly dent the sides of the bottle, the sword's edge was still too blunt to cut through it at all. As for the blade, there was no damage to it that I saw.
Then, to what concerned me more...how the sword would handle in the thrust. Out of concern for the tip, I began with very light taps on the side of the bottle while holding it stable with the other hand. However, I quickly found that it took very little power to make the tip pierce the bottle. With that, I coiled back and hit with a thrust using moderate power.
Suffice it to say, the soda bottle appears to approve of this blunt sword's thrusting ability.
I shall furthermore admit that, in my learning the motions for various cutting techniques and the like indoors (you can understand I kind of prefer my swords to be on the shorter side ), I have accidentally hit the tip on the ceiling of my room a few times and hit the cover on my ceiling light with the edge of the Grayson while practicing the motions of going from an Ox guard into a Zwerchau. In all these cases, the sword received no damage (and fortunately, save a tad bit of paint, neither has my room).
In any case, I have little reason to doubt that this sword lives up to Darksword's reputation for extremely tough swords.
Final Thoughts
After my experience with my first sword, I knew I definitely wanted a livelier sword. The Sword of Grayson easily fits this billing, and is a good thrusting sword of a blade type I prefer to boot. The only real downsides I see to this sword in the end are:
1.) The edge might be a little too thin for safe steel on steel use.
2.) There are no more than nineteen more of these swords for people to purchase!
That last comment takes me back to the portion of Eyal's comments that I bolded. As shown there, it seems Darksword may plan on making another version of the Sword of Grayson, only a more expensive piece closer to the original sketches and with a more detailed guard. I can happily say to Eyal that, save a look to see if I like how the new version looks, he can consider me his first buyer (unless Grayson wants to go first ). This is a wonderful sword that should really make people rethink their opinion of DSA's swords, and I cannot wait to see what any new version will look like.
Scoring
Historical Accuracy: N/A (This is an original work.)
Handling: 5 / 5 (Again, this sword is a joy to wield.)
Structural Integrity: 4.5 / 5 (I do not plan on any destructive tests, so we'll leave it at that. )
Fit and Finish: 4 / 5 (Perhaps a little rough compared to an Albion, but excellent at this price point.)
Value for Money: 5 / 5
Total: 4.6 / 5
DSA Sword of Grayson - Very Highly Recommended
By Matthew Davis of Fremont, Indiana.
Introduction
The first sword I ever purchased, just recently, was Darksword Armory's Squire sword. While I love the looks and construction of it, it has not quite been what I was desiring for personal use. It is tip-heavy, which is not bad in and of itself, but when combined with a grip that is a bit uncomfortable in the left hand (arguably more a problem with the user ) and the wheel pommel being a bit harsh to use as a second hand grip bare handed, I realized that I might be better served by a different sword.
Being quite satisfied with the construction of the Squire otherwise, I hoped to stick to Darksword Armory for an additional purchase. Finding that other options were not immediately available, I eventually came across the Sword of Grayson on Arms of Valor. Seeing that it was more or less of a blade profile I prefer (I judge it as Oakeshott XVIII, though I could see one arguing it as an odd XV blade as well) and priced quite low ($215 before shipping), I decided to give this sword a shot.
Apparently, only twenty of these swords were made.
Before I go on to the rest of the review, I thought I would add some comments I received from Eyal himself as to the background of this sword (with some bolded, which I will get back to later):
The Sword of Grayson was a designed by an SBG member and submitted in an SBG contest. The design was one of two winning sketches. After about one year in production or so, AOV contacted us and asked whether we would be interested in producing the piece. We agreed, but only had three months to forge the sword, leaving us very little time to experiment (we usually prefer forging three or sometimes even 4 pieces prior to coming out with the "Master"). Jason from AOV can elaborate on the contest's background and various smiths that were contacted to produce this piece as I do not have all the details about the original contacted smiths. Gen2 was one of them. From my understanding he was simply too busy with his own production, which is quite a valid reason.
Three months after receiving the contract, we completed the batch of Grayson swords. I was particularly happy with the weight, balance and feel of the sword. I wanted this sword to be a "budget" piece. So we did everything possible to keep the price low, without compromising quality and the sword's structural integrity. Darksword Armory is known for making some of the most resistant combat swords on the market. I certainly did not want to deviate from this standard. We kept this vision, while thinking of budget. We used 1060 high carbon steel for the blade, and tempered them to a Rockwell of 53 as we always do. I did speak to Grayson about the piece. I personally loved his design. During our conversation, I informed him that I planned on making another version of the Grayson sword. One closer to the sketch. The new design however, would not be a budget piece due to the detailed work on the guard. Grayson is a very talented sword designer. He submitted multiple designs to the contest. They were all very impressive. Ultimately, in regards to the Grayson sword, I personally think that it's a really well balanced and comfortable sword. It handles quite well. I don't think that collectors with a tight budget will find a better sword at a similar price point.
EDIT: For those wondering about / unaware of the contest from which this sword came (including me initially ), the contest in question was the AoV Sword Design Competition that now rests in the archived section of the SBG Competitions and Members Collections Gallery on this forum. (I shall note here that there were separate historical and fantasy categories in the contest. While the Sword of Grayson was the winning historical design, the winning fantasy design was the Flame of Angels, the production version of which is also for sale at Arms of Valor.)
While the links for the images with the contest entries are no longer valid, I was able to find the drawing for the original version of the Sword of Grayson (or perhaps more appropriately, the Torino):
While I am not so sure how much I might like a riser between the wrap and the leather sections of the grip, I will admit that the original hilt and guard designs are quite elegant and make for a very attractive sword.
Arrival
This was my first order from Arms of Valor, and it was a good experience overall. They were quite quick and pleasant in conversation over my order, and the sword arrived swiftly enough.
Aside from this sword coming in a box with a more squared profile, there is not too much for me to add that has not been covered in other DSA reviews: the sword was similarly packed with bubble wrap and protective plastic, and coated with a generous helping of oil. There was no damage to the box, which is always a good thing.
Statistics
Weight: 3.32 pounds
Total Length: 36.5 inches
Blade Length: 27.5 inches
Grip Length: 4.5 inches
Pommel Length: 3.5 inches
Guard Breadth: 6.5 inches
Blade Type: Oakeshott XVIII
Guard Type: Atypical
Pommel Type: Oakeshott T4
The Blade
(Please excuse the oil. )
The blade, as stated, most closely fits the profile of an Oakeshott XVIII in my opinion. The taper is so dramatic that one could make the argument for it being an odd XV, but the blade is broad enough towards the tip that I feel XVIII is more fitting.
The blade does show its share of hammer marks and light scuffs, but nothing different from other Darksword blades, especially when taking the low price point into consideration. The diamond profile of the blade is well done. It seems to terminate a bit off center at the tip, but this is extremely hard to notice.
As can be seen above, the maker's mark on this blade is in the normal spot...save that on the Grayson, the DSA logo is replaced by one for Arms of Valor.
One of two potential downsides I can note is that, upon arrival, the tip of the blade was rolled a bit:
Speaking with AoV, they advised that the tip may have been rolled at some point in shipping, and seconded my assessment that it could be hammered flat again. As I have never done such work myself I did not want to foul it up, but it just so happened that Angola was having its Fall Fest right at that time and with it the Civil War Days reenactment. The blacksmith who happened to be on hand pretty much corrected the issue. At current, a very small portion of what is now a slightly squared tip is ever so slightly rolled, but nowhere near enough to concern me.
The other, depending upon one's preference, is that the width of the edge on the Grayson is perhaps thinner than other Darksword blades. It is, at the thickest points, no more than half the thickness of my Squire's blade. The tip, while certainly not razor sharp, is still quite capable of puncturing most appropriate targets without any work needing to be done on it. On the one hand, this may make this sword a bit concerning for use in steel on steel use. However, for what I am assuming are the many folks on this site who would prefer to have their blades sharpened, this may actually be a plus; it should be far easier to put an edge on the Grayson than on other DSA swords I have seen.
The Guard
The guard is one of two areas in which the Sword of Grayson seems to vary from any historical precedents. I am assuming that this is the primary area (if perhaps the only area) in which Darksword really "cut corners" in order to keep the cost of this sword so low. I mark that as such because, aside from perhaps varying from Grayson's original sketches, the guard is not cheap at all. Its simplicity is actually quite handsome, and it fits in perfectly with the rest of the sword.
The Grip
The grip, from what I have seen, is the other part of the Sword of Grayson that is arguably without a historical precedent. The grip is covered with leather dyed black, and the bottom portion is covered with a stainless steel wire wrap. I was initially concerned, based upon the wire wrap on the Squire, that the wrap would feel quite rough when used bare handed. Happily, I can report that this is not the case. The wrapped portion of the grip is actually quite comfortable, and definitely helps to keep one's grip secure. I give many thanks to Grayson and Darksword for designing and executing this atypical grip...it is very nice.
The Pommel
The pommel seems to fit the billing of an Oakeshott T4, which is certainly historically acceptable for the blade on the Sword of Grayson. It is also one I have not seen on any other DSA swords. The smooth edges and elongated nature of this pommel make it wonderful for gripping to use the sword in a two handed fashion. It is quite solid and its attachment to the rest of the sword is rock solid. I definitely feel like I could safely bash in all manner of things with it and have it suffer no more than minor scratches. I do believe I have found myself a new favorite pommel type.
The Scabbard
As stated by other reviewers on other DSA swords, the scabbard for the Sword of Grayson is not up to par with the sword itself in terms of quality. Whereas the scabbard for my Squire is actually decently snug and almost completely rattle free, this scabbard is a very loose fit. The sword easily moves and rattles inside it. The leather on the scabbard also tends to leech black dye onto my hands when I hold it. In the end, it is a decent enough storage container for the sword, but would probably not be the most wonderful thing to wear.
Handling
After handling the DSA Squire, I knew I wanted a sword possessing a closer point of balance to the hilt. Not having handled any real swords prior to the Squire, however, I was unsure how large a difference three inches would make. Suffice it to say I was quite happily surprised when I took this sword out of its shipping box and tested it. If you took knowledge of point of balance out of the equation, I would swear this sword only weighs something like a third of what the Squire does, even though they should both weigh about the same.
This sword is very lively in the hand, but still possesses fair authority in the cut. It is quite comfortable in one hand; even for someone lacking in strength such as myself, I feel like I could swing this thing all day. Thanks to its pommel, it is also easily used in a two handed fashion. It is quite easy to keep in line for thrusts. In short, compared to my prior experience, the Sword of Grayson is a dream and a joy to handle.
Cut and Thrust Tests
Okay. I may never sharpen this sword. Despite it already having some scuffs, I really do not want to bring any extra harm to it. I do not possess anything sturdy and stable enough for full force stress tests. On top of this, there is not exactly a large selection of additional Swords of Grayson to fall back on should I need to replace it for any reason. Therefore, the hardcore stress tests performed on other DSA swords on this site are pretty much out of the question.
With that said, I still wanted to test how dangerous the thin yet still blunted edge might be, how dangerous the tip might be, and more importantly how resistant the tip would be to rolling again. Therefore, I decided to see how the Sword of Grayson would hold up to a one liter soda bottle filled with water.
I first took the bottle and attempted to cut it. As I did not have a good surface to put the bottle on, and I did not really want the bottle to go flying off, I had to hold it down with one hand. As such, I was only able to safely attack it with one handed swings using moderate power. While I could certainly dent the sides of the bottle, the sword's edge was still too blunt to cut through it at all. As for the blade, there was no damage to it that I saw.
Then, to what concerned me more...how the sword would handle in the thrust. Out of concern for the tip, I began with very light taps on the side of the bottle while holding it stable with the other hand. However, I quickly found that it took very little power to make the tip pierce the bottle. With that, I coiled back and hit with a thrust using moderate power.
Suffice it to say, the soda bottle appears to approve of this blunt sword's thrusting ability.
I shall furthermore admit that, in my learning the motions for various cutting techniques and the like indoors (you can understand I kind of prefer my swords to be on the shorter side ), I have accidentally hit the tip on the ceiling of my room a few times and hit the cover on my ceiling light with the edge of the Grayson while practicing the motions of going from an Ox guard into a Zwerchau. In all these cases, the sword received no damage (and fortunately, save a tad bit of paint, neither has my room).
In any case, I have little reason to doubt that this sword lives up to Darksword's reputation for extremely tough swords.
Final Thoughts
After my experience with my first sword, I knew I definitely wanted a livelier sword. The Sword of Grayson easily fits this billing, and is a good thrusting sword of a blade type I prefer to boot. The only real downsides I see to this sword in the end are:
1.) The edge might be a little too thin for safe steel on steel use.
2.) There are no more than nineteen more of these swords for people to purchase!
That last comment takes me back to the portion of Eyal's comments that I bolded. As shown there, it seems Darksword may plan on making another version of the Sword of Grayson, only a more expensive piece closer to the original sketches and with a more detailed guard. I can happily say to Eyal that, save a look to see if I like how the new version looks, he can consider me his first buyer (unless Grayson wants to go first ). This is a wonderful sword that should really make people rethink their opinion of DSA's swords, and I cannot wait to see what any new version will look like.
Scoring
Historical Accuracy: N/A (This is an original work.)
Handling: 5 / 5 (Again, this sword is a joy to wield.)
Structural Integrity: 4.5 / 5 (I do not plan on any destructive tests, so we'll leave it at that. )
Fit and Finish: 4 / 5 (Perhaps a little rough compared to an Albion, but excellent at this price point.)
Value for Money: 5 / 5
Total: 4.6 / 5
DSA Sword of Grayson - Very Highly Recommended