Gen2/LA Black Prince
Jul 26, 2011 6:43:14 GMT
Post by gerbopyl on Jul 26, 2011 6:43:14 GMT
In 6th grade for part of my english class we had to read a certain number of books from the library and take tests to prove that we had in fact read them. One of the books I chose was about Edward the Black Prince. It wasn't based on anything historically accurate but got me very interested in him. Fast forward about 10 years and I win a Munetoshi sword at a gun store cut a few bottles with it and now im addicted. So of course the first sword I think about getting is one similar to his. I narrowed it down to the DSA and the Gen2/LA versions, unable to find very many reviews on the DSA I decided to go with the Gen2 version.
Historial background
According from what i've read (which has all been on the internet and not really credible sources so I could be absolutely wrong) it is based on the sword that Edward was supposedly buried with but later removed. From the one picture ive seen the Gen2 version seems to be slightly longer and doesn't have as much distal taper as the original.
Some basic statistics
Blade length-34 inches
Handle-7.5 inches
Overall length-44.5 inches
Guard width-8 inches
POB-4.5 inches
Weight- listed on AoV website is 3lb 6oz I believe it to be closer to 4lbs but I have no way to confirm this.
Initial Impressions
As you can see it came packed in a ton of tape and newspaper, the box it came in got pretty beat up during shipping but the sword was in great condition. Took me about 15 minutes to get all that wrapping off it was torture.
The blade came with a satin polish and was pretty thoroughly coated in wax. After a good cleaning I inspected it for any rust spots. I found a few spots on the guard but it came out really easy.
The handle has a discolored spot on it which I was unable to capture because its very faint. However it is easily felt if rubbed against. Other than that the leather is soft and forgiving on the hands, which is nice considering its weight.
The guard is extremely thick and I think it adds a lot to the weight of the sword. I much prefer the look of the DSA guard much smaller and also oven blued I believe. You can find the initials LA on the guard.
The scabbard is wood covered in leather with a chape at the tip and around the mouth. Fairly plain but I wasn't looking for anything flashy for it. It came with a sword frog once adjusted it hangs from a belt nicely.
The pommel has a round protrusion on each side with a cross pressed into it. Each cross is off center which looks funny but the peen was grounded down nicely.
Dry handling was interesting for me at first with my only other sword experience being the munetoshi which feels like a feather compared to this monster. When I received the sword I had just taken on an extra 20 hours a week and welcomed my first child, both of which kept me from putting the sword through its paces for a while. I got out a little last week and cut a few jugs.
Sliced through it with ease until most of the water came out then it turned into an excellent louisville slugger. After that I moved onto some leftover wood I had in the garage.
Sailed through the wood like nothing. My wife was watching at the time and asked to try after inspecting the blade and not even finding a scratch I let her have a go.
Her edge alignment was awful which led to this weird shaped cut. This did cause a couple scratches on the blade but they were very faint and only visible in the sunlight. I thought wow this is great I've got to take some pictures I go inside to get the camera and I come back to this.
I believe that was my exact reaction. No damage done to the blade and surprisingly her edge alignment improved. I have about 40 bottles and jugs saved up when I get the chance to cut them I will take some pictures and update the review.
Pros
Affordable
Decent replica of the original
Resilient to abuse
Good out of the box sharpness
Cons
Off center cross on pommel
Rust on the guard. This could have happened during shipping or while in storage but still a con.
The weight. If you don't have wrist or shoulder strength before you start using this you are going to get some.
Spot on the leather
In conclusion I am more than happy with what I got. I wasn't looking for a museum piece to display in my house just a functional replica that can take the abuse of a novice backyard cutter and his wife. I bought it from armsofvalor.com for $220. I had a coupon and also got the SBG discount which took about $40 off the final price. It shipped the next day and I had it 2 days later. I believe Gen2 holds true to its reputation of producing swords that can take quite a beating but also are on the heavier side because of it, while also offering a very affordable price. All in all I would definitely recommend this sword to anyone that is looking for a Black Prince replica or for a good strong beater sword.
Historial background
According from what i've read (which has all been on the internet and not really credible sources so I could be absolutely wrong) it is based on the sword that Edward was supposedly buried with but later removed. From the one picture ive seen the Gen2 version seems to be slightly longer and doesn't have as much distal taper as the original.
Some basic statistics
Blade length-34 inches
Handle-7.5 inches
Overall length-44.5 inches
Guard width-8 inches
POB-4.5 inches
Weight- listed on AoV website is 3lb 6oz I believe it to be closer to 4lbs but I have no way to confirm this.
Initial Impressions
As you can see it came packed in a ton of tape and newspaper, the box it came in got pretty beat up during shipping but the sword was in great condition. Took me about 15 minutes to get all that wrapping off it was torture.
The blade came with a satin polish and was pretty thoroughly coated in wax. After a good cleaning I inspected it for any rust spots. I found a few spots on the guard but it came out really easy.
The handle has a discolored spot on it which I was unable to capture because its very faint. However it is easily felt if rubbed against. Other than that the leather is soft and forgiving on the hands, which is nice considering its weight.
The guard is extremely thick and I think it adds a lot to the weight of the sword. I much prefer the look of the DSA guard much smaller and also oven blued I believe. You can find the initials LA on the guard.
The scabbard is wood covered in leather with a chape at the tip and around the mouth. Fairly plain but I wasn't looking for anything flashy for it. It came with a sword frog once adjusted it hangs from a belt nicely.
The pommel has a round protrusion on each side with a cross pressed into it. Each cross is off center which looks funny but the peen was grounded down nicely.
Dry handling was interesting for me at first with my only other sword experience being the munetoshi which feels like a feather compared to this monster. When I received the sword I had just taken on an extra 20 hours a week and welcomed my first child, both of which kept me from putting the sword through its paces for a while. I got out a little last week and cut a few jugs.
Sliced through it with ease until most of the water came out then it turned into an excellent louisville slugger. After that I moved onto some leftover wood I had in the garage.
Sailed through the wood like nothing. My wife was watching at the time and asked to try after inspecting the blade and not even finding a scratch I let her have a go.
Her edge alignment was awful which led to this weird shaped cut. This did cause a couple scratches on the blade but they were very faint and only visible in the sunlight. I thought wow this is great I've got to take some pictures I go inside to get the camera and I come back to this.
I believe that was my exact reaction. No damage done to the blade and surprisingly her edge alignment improved. I have about 40 bottles and jugs saved up when I get the chance to cut them I will take some pictures and update the review.
Pros
Affordable
Decent replica of the original
Resilient to abuse
Good out of the box sharpness
Cons
Off center cross on pommel
Rust on the guard. This could have happened during shipping or while in storage but still a con.
The weight. If you don't have wrist or shoulder strength before you start using this you are going to get some.
Spot on the leather
In conclusion I am more than happy with what I got. I wasn't looking for a museum piece to display in my house just a functional replica that can take the abuse of a novice backyard cutter and his wife. I bought it from armsofvalor.com for $220. I had a coupon and also got the SBG discount which took about $40 off the final price. It shipped the next day and I had it 2 days later. I believe Gen2 holds true to its reputation of producing swords that can take quite a beating but also are on the heavier side because of it, while also offering a very affordable price. All in all I would definitely recommend this sword to anyone that is looking for a Black Prince replica or for a good strong beater sword.