DSA Black Prince Review.
Jan 6, 2014 23:06:06 GMT
Post by Rob C on Jan 6, 2014 23:06:06 GMT
Ok, this is my first review on an internet site of a sword, I hope it's a good one.
Introduction:
After my Hanwei longsword broke in a very strange situation I needed another sword for my drills and this time I would find one that would not break so easily (hopefully) and that was within my budget which is somewhat tight so no Albions, Arms & Armor or even Del Tin (otherwise I would have bought one of those). So checked several sword manufacturers and this model of sword fitted my needs, a longsword of a correct time period, more or less historically accurate design (more on that on the review), reasonable weight and point of balance, so I bought it from Kult of Athena.
Historical Overview:
I think that almost every fan of western swordsmanship knows this guy, Michael Oakeshott. He in theory managed to find the sword that was stolen from the grave of Edward of Woodstock, better known as Edward the Black Prince. If you wanted a very good replica of this sword then the Arms and Armor version would suit your needs better as this one possesses a longer handle and the cross-guard looks a bit different to me, also Arms and Armor have the notes from Oakeshott to begin with so their version should be more true to the original. The DSA version is similar enough with a few differences that other people more interested than me on that particular man or sword. I pretty much just wanted a sword that handles and won't be destroyed just like that but if you want an extreme historical copy of the original this is not the sword for you.
This sword fits in the type XVa of Oakeshott typology, a sword that would have been used in the hundred years war when there was a reasonable knowledge and use of armor, it can cut, but it is also very pointy to find gaps in the armor and use half-swording techniques with deadly results. It is peened, hand-made and has a correct design for the time it is intended so for loose historical accuracy and reenactment it should fit the bill.
Full disclosure:
I'm not affiliated to DSA, Sword Buyers Guide or any site/org. This review is entirely what I actually think of the product.
Initial Impressions:
The sword came well packaged by KultOfAthena, it came wrapped completely in paper, the scabbard and the sword came wrapped separately, and the entire box was filled with paper so it won't move too much. When I saw the sword the first thing I thought was that I looked better in person and that the pommel was bigger than I thought. It came with a mirror polish, a few scratches but nothing too noticeable. My initial impression was ok EXCEPT for this detail. download/file.php?mode=view&id=14937 The DSA logo came a tore down and it looks as if was not as tough as it should be, still the aesthetics in general were fine, it is a handsome sword. The scabbard, well it is just a scabbard so I didn't pay much attention to it, it has a metal chape at the bottom and the wood feels kinda cheap but if it holds the sword in place it's alright, I took the cheaper version of the scabbard.
This is how the sword looks like:
Here is the logo defect:
Statistics:
All measurements were take by me, I would add distal taper but my micrometer broke, I'm going to add distal taper data once I get another one.
Weight: 1428g, 3lb 2oz
Overall length: 114 cm, 45 in
Blade length: 85cm, 33.4 in
Handle length: 20.5 cm, 8in
Guard width: 25.5cm, 10in
Point of Balance: 8.9cm, 3 1/2 in
Point of Pivot DISCLAIMER, in my opinion the waggle test lacks way to much precision to be relied on, but still here is the data: 19.05cm away from the point or 7 1/2 in away from the point.
Points of Percussion: 10.16cm away from the guard or 4 inches away from the guard. The other one is at 35.5cm away from the point or 14 inches away from the point.
Components:
First the worst part, the scabbard:
I'm not very picky with scabbards, I actually don't care much about them as long as they have the sword in place and protect the sword from the elements, but this particular scabbard turns me off, it's not the wood, it's not the leather (actually I like the leather), not the design or chape, it is a minor detail that could actually blunt the tip of the sword or just being annoying when you try to sheathe it if you are not careful, and it is this:
The wooden core of the scabbard is not very well put into the leather which when you try to sheathe the sword fast, the point sometimes get's stuck on the wood if I'm not careful, it ticks me off sometimes and it's not that bad but this should be fixed. When I wrote this part I felt like a nitpicker haha.
The blade has a very significant profile taper and is very pointy, so I do not recommend this sword for contact sparring even if it is blunt, that is a seriously dangerous point, but it should be very good at penetrating objects.
The blade is very stiff, it does flex a bit but with that point and flexibility it should be a very dangerous thruster, but the profile taper also permits a decent cut. Also the blade is very sturdy. The only problem that I have with it so far is that it is way too bumpy for my taste, I know that it is hand made but in my opinion it is very wavy, I have handled other hand made swords in the past which were wavy, some of them were more wavy than this one but most of them are not, this could be partially taken care of with a polishing stone and a lot of work, but I would have preferred to have a straighter blade from the beginning, there is also the detail on the logo but as it is only aesthetical it does not bother me too much, overall the blade is good.
Now the handle, it is in fact very comfortable, the stitching is well done and the leather is good, I have not complaints on this one it is very well executed. The guard is very tight, it does not rattle at all and looks good, the only thing it has is a very very small chip which I don't care much about, the pommel is also well executed, it is bigger than what I expected but it serves well it does not feel as delicate as my Hanwei's pommel which is a good thing. A hit of this thing would hurt...A LOT. The peen is tight, it has a scratches but it is not a thing to worry about, this one was definitely cold peened.
Now the most important thing, the handling.
Ok this is not an Albion or a high end sword, but it does handle well, the transition between fool's guard and ox is fast enough for me and that transition is one of the slowest in my opinion. It is not as agile as my Hanwei but it has more authority, the Hanwei feels like a toy in comparison, it might not be faster but it is not much slower just slightly and rarely a fight ends with just one blow and in western longsword fencing levering is a very important factor that benefits from the mass of the weapon as long as it is not too heavy. it also feels great in halfswording but most swords are ok in this regard because the actual technique is more forgiving on the blade properties. This sword is not super heavy nor super light it has a good balance in between which would make this one deadly HOWEVER, there are better swords in the handling like one of the spanish hand made swords I have used or the Albions, among others. Is it bad? no, is it good? yes but not excellent or top end but at about 3.5 times less the cost of an Albion it is worth it. It does have another detail, you do need some strength to use it in one hand, but handles decently for a longsword also a longsword is not really for one handed use but it is a perk if it can do it effectibly.
CONCLUSIONS:
Pro's:
Affordable.
The handle is great! (do not confuse with handling).
Handsome design.
The handling properties are good for the price range.
The balance point and weight are reasonable.
Peened.
Pointy!
Con's
Some aesthetic touches on the blade have defects.
The blade is too wavy for my taste.
This is not a con for me, but some people might be turned off by the differences with the original.
The scabbard.
Bottomline:
I would recommend this sword to those who want a sword for drills and cutting but just like me can't afford something on another price tag, the handling is decent, the construction is solid it just needs a less wavy blade and a better scabbard.
I would not recommend this sword to historic nitpickers or people with more budget.
Introduction:
After my Hanwei longsword broke in a very strange situation I needed another sword for my drills and this time I would find one that would not break so easily (hopefully) and that was within my budget which is somewhat tight so no Albions, Arms & Armor or even Del Tin (otherwise I would have bought one of those). So checked several sword manufacturers and this model of sword fitted my needs, a longsword of a correct time period, more or less historically accurate design (more on that on the review), reasonable weight and point of balance, so I bought it from Kult of Athena.
Historical Overview:
I think that almost every fan of western swordsmanship knows this guy, Michael Oakeshott. He in theory managed to find the sword that was stolen from the grave of Edward of Woodstock, better known as Edward the Black Prince. If you wanted a very good replica of this sword then the Arms and Armor version would suit your needs better as this one possesses a longer handle and the cross-guard looks a bit different to me, also Arms and Armor have the notes from Oakeshott to begin with so their version should be more true to the original. The DSA version is similar enough with a few differences that other people more interested than me on that particular man or sword. I pretty much just wanted a sword that handles and won't be destroyed just like that but if you want an extreme historical copy of the original this is not the sword for you.
This sword fits in the type XVa of Oakeshott typology, a sword that would have been used in the hundred years war when there was a reasonable knowledge and use of armor, it can cut, but it is also very pointy to find gaps in the armor and use half-swording techniques with deadly results. It is peened, hand-made and has a correct design for the time it is intended so for loose historical accuracy and reenactment it should fit the bill.
Full disclosure:
I'm not affiliated to DSA, Sword Buyers Guide or any site/org. This review is entirely what I actually think of the product.
Initial Impressions:
The sword came well packaged by KultOfAthena, it came wrapped completely in paper, the scabbard and the sword came wrapped separately, and the entire box was filled with paper so it won't move too much. When I saw the sword the first thing I thought was that I looked better in person and that the pommel was bigger than I thought. It came with a mirror polish, a few scratches but nothing too noticeable. My initial impression was ok EXCEPT for this detail. download/file.php?mode=view&id=14937 The DSA logo came a tore down and it looks as if was not as tough as it should be, still the aesthetics in general were fine, it is a handsome sword. The scabbard, well it is just a scabbard so I didn't pay much attention to it, it has a metal chape at the bottom and the wood feels kinda cheap but if it holds the sword in place it's alright, I took the cheaper version of the scabbard.
This is how the sword looks like:
Here is the logo defect:
Statistics:
All measurements were take by me, I would add distal taper but my micrometer broke, I'm going to add distal taper data once I get another one.
Weight: 1428g, 3lb 2oz
Overall length: 114 cm, 45 in
Blade length: 85cm, 33.4 in
Handle length: 20.5 cm, 8in
Guard width: 25.5cm, 10in
Point of Balance: 8.9cm, 3 1/2 in
Point of Pivot DISCLAIMER, in my opinion the waggle test lacks way to much precision to be relied on, but still here is the data: 19.05cm away from the point or 7 1/2 in away from the point.
Points of Percussion: 10.16cm away from the guard or 4 inches away from the guard. The other one is at 35.5cm away from the point or 14 inches away from the point.
Components:
First the worst part, the scabbard:
I'm not very picky with scabbards, I actually don't care much about them as long as they have the sword in place and protect the sword from the elements, but this particular scabbard turns me off, it's not the wood, it's not the leather (actually I like the leather), not the design or chape, it is a minor detail that could actually blunt the tip of the sword or just being annoying when you try to sheathe it if you are not careful, and it is this:
The wooden core of the scabbard is not very well put into the leather which when you try to sheathe the sword fast, the point sometimes get's stuck on the wood if I'm not careful, it ticks me off sometimes and it's not that bad but this should be fixed. When I wrote this part I felt like a nitpicker haha.
The blade has a very significant profile taper and is very pointy, so I do not recommend this sword for contact sparring even if it is blunt, that is a seriously dangerous point, but it should be very good at penetrating objects.
The blade is very stiff, it does flex a bit but with that point and flexibility it should be a very dangerous thruster, but the profile taper also permits a decent cut. Also the blade is very sturdy. The only problem that I have with it so far is that it is way too bumpy for my taste, I know that it is hand made but in my opinion it is very wavy, I have handled other hand made swords in the past which were wavy, some of them were more wavy than this one but most of them are not, this could be partially taken care of with a polishing stone and a lot of work, but I would have preferred to have a straighter blade from the beginning, there is also the detail on the logo but as it is only aesthetical it does not bother me too much, overall the blade is good.
Now the handle, it is in fact very comfortable, the stitching is well done and the leather is good, I have not complaints on this one it is very well executed. The guard is very tight, it does not rattle at all and looks good, the only thing it has is a very very small chip which I don't care much about, the pommel is also well executed, it is bigger than what I expected but it serves well it does not feel as delicate as my Hanwei's pommel which is a good thing. A hit of this thing would hurt...A LOT. The peen is tight, it has a scratches but it is not a thing to worry about, this one was definitely cold peened.
Now the most important thing, the handling.
Ok this is not an Albion or a high end sword, but it does handle well, the transition between fool's guard and ox is fast enough for me and that transition is one of the slowest in my opinion. It is not as agile as my Hanwei but it has more authority, the Hanwei feels like a toy in comparison, it might not be faster but it is not much slower just slightly and rarely a fight ends with just one blow and in western longsword fencing levering is a very important factor that benefits from the mass of the weapon as long as it is not too heavy. it also feels great in halfswording but most swords are ok in this regard because the actual technique is more forgiving on the blade properties. This sword is not super heavy nor super light it has a good balance in between which would make this one deadly HOWEVER, there are better swords in the handling like one of the spanish hand made swords I have used or the Albions, among others. Is it bad? no, is it good? yes but not excellent or top end but at about 3.5 times less the cost of an Albion it is worth it. It does have another detail, you do need some strength to use it in one hand, but handles decently for a longsword also a longsword is not really for one handed use but it is a perk if it can do it effectibly.
CONCLUSIONS:
Pro's:
Affordable.
The handle is great! (do not confuse with handling).
Handsome design.
The handling properties are good for the price range.
The balance point and weight are reasonable.
Peened.
Pointy!
Con's
Some aesthetic touches on the blade have defects.
The blade is too wavy for my taste.
This is not a con for me, but some people might be turned off by the differences with the original.
The scabbard.
Bottomline:
I would recommend this sword to those who want a sword for drills and cutting but just like me can't afford something on another price tag, the handling is decent, the construction is solid it just needs a less wavy blade and a better scabbard.
I would not recommend this sword to historic nitpickers or people with more budget.