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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2014 6:41:31 GMT
Now THATS kinda hard to believe; no offense meant. Maybe you got a lemon there. But i managed by now to lay my hands on some of the AA swords. especially the big english twohander and the german bastard (both at Williams THE ROOM :lol: )and theyre NOT very far away from Albions quality level IMHO. Considering the look of that Wolfbane grip here and the other members experiences with "3 times a lemon" so far; no way. IMHO, as i said. If YOU are happy, all is fine.
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Post by LemuelTheLemur on Oct 9, 2014 7:04:22 GMT
ditto schwarzbaer, every review of A&A swords I've seen has been very positive. Could you give us details on what your grievances with the A&A sword are?
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Post by Sir Alan Adale on Oct 9, 2014 7:38:10 GMT
Being that this is a Wolfsbane reveiw I don't really want to go on about the A&A, and it is possible that the one I have is a lemon. But it has a poorly shaped grip and the cross is so loose that it not only rattle but swivels back and forth, seems like a lot for a $1000 dollar sword. As for the Wolfsbane, I'm not trying to say they are the same quality,merely trying to point out that none of them are perfect. As for the reveiw, yes I like the the sword, yes it has flaws and yes I intend to keep it. But I think my reveiw was honest and as impartial as any I've read. And I tried very hard to point out the flaws and to let people know that just because I like it does not mean everyone will. I think that's what the reveiws are for. Seems like some people did not separate out those two different factors. And as for the gentleman that is on his third one. Well I didn't have that problem. And in the end. Like I said in the reveiw, i don't work for DSA, didn't get anything for doing the reveiw. And I'm sure not trying to sell anyone any thing. Funny almost feels like some people are so busy judging the fact that I like it,and what that says about me, Instead ofusing the review to judge the sword. And as far as impartiality goes in the end is anybody really impartial. All reviews are based on the individuals knowledge,experience and their opinion. So is there really such thing as impartial. Otherwise we would just give measurements and use those for comparison. I certainly have not read a single reveiw that generated these type of responses although I have not read them all.
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Post by Sir Alan Adale on Oct 9, 2014 8:13:54 GMT
Would any one like a reveiw of my A&A I can do it next if its germaine to this forum. Haha just kidding. Its a Durer Bastard Sword. If anyone is interested in a reveiw on it.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2014 8:34:21 GMT
Thats what i wanted to hear, thank you, Sir Alan I would say you DEFINITELY got an AA lemon there; these types of flaws do happen with nearly every brand i know and used to have BESIDES Albion and AA; but sh*t happens! Honestly, i would give AA some kind words of customer disappointment... :?
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Uhlan
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Post by Uhlan on Oct 9, 2014 9:04:51 GMT
By all means, if you can spare the time. I find it ,,funny'' to see that you have to go in defence mode to defend a view and review as impartial as any I have read in a long time. Thats plain wrong. I do not like DSA and will never buy anything from them, not after that poor guy who won that design contest and got fobbed off with a (his) Dane with fullers out of wack. Are they still that way, the fullers I mean? But anyway, to get back to that blade. How do we find out whether it is any good? Meassure the taper in 5" increments down the blade? Meassure the flex with the tip on a bathroom scale to see how many pounds of pressure are needed to have an acceptable flex of so and so much inches at what point of the blade? And why should this blade be taken to the laboratory while A&A's and Albions get accepted without any critical discource like they are sacred objects come down to us from on High? Jesus, talk of bias!
Cheers.
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Uhlan
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Post by Uhlan on Oct 9, 2014 9:28:42 GMT
Anyway, to put my money were my mouth is ( is this English?) I have a suggestion to make. If Alan is okay with it, I am willing to cover the packing, insurance and shipping costs to ship the blade to an impartial entity, who's conclusions we all trust, so it can be tested, in a non destructive manner that is. Personaly I am thinking Dave Kelly could do it, though I do not know whether he would be willing to get involved, but maybe you people have better ideas? This, I think, could put the matter at rest, once and for all.
Cheers.
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Post by LemuelTheLemur on Oct 9, 2014 10:33:00 GMT
I'm not sure which blade you are talking about Ulan, the DSA or the A&A? I'm always interested in a second opinion but pressuring Alan to send his sword to someone "trustworthy" for a review is definitely unwarranted. Alan's gone through some effort to deliver a fairly detailed review, and I certainly don't have any reason to believe he's being dishonest. If you don't think Alan is qualified to comment on the quality of his sword, well that's just too bad.
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Post by Jussi Ekholm on Oct 9, 2014 13:01:10 GMT
Don't get discouraged Sir Alan, stuff like this happens sometimes with some of the more controversial brands.
You got a sword you liked, provided your thoughts and great pictures of it. To me that makes it a good review.
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Uhlan
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Post by Uhlan on Oct 9, 2014 13:13:11 GMT
Ho. I do not doubt Alan. I got the impression some others doubted him or the sword and or the review. And to lay the matter at rest whether the Darksword BLADE is any good, I suggested the above. And Lemuel, if you read what I posted, you will see that I am not pressuring anybody into anything. I made an offer in good faith and if you want to see that as some form of malice, then thats your interpration, so don"t you go lecture me.
Cheers.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2014 13:29:00 GMT
MOD/ADMIN ALERT PLEASE KEEP THIS NICE&EASY!!! :shock: WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DO HEATED DISCUSSIONS!!!
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Post by Bryan Heff on Oct 9, 2014 13:42:32 GMT
This thread seems pretty civil to me....lets all please strive to keep it that way. Also, this thread is a review thread and a very good one at that. Alan gave his impressions, his opinions and wrote and excellent review with plenty of great photographs, lets keep that in mind....as that really is the point of ALL of these sword reviews - To be honest and fair and above all describe the sword in as much detail as possible so others can use that information to make informed decisions of their own. Alan obviously did that with his Wolfsbane review. As already stated, well done!
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Uhlan
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Post by Uhlan on Oct 9, 2014 13:50:17 GMT
If you want to keep this nice and easy, I am your man, Schwartzbear. Just do not accuse me of things I did not say. My offer is honest and still stands. That was my way to keep things in check. Now with you crying for mods and all, you do not make it any better, do you. I think you and Lemuel should calm down a bit and apologise. Not only to me, but to Alan as well as it is his thread that is going to be shut down if you go on like this. Shouting for the mods is no way to have a good, honest discussion here. It is about facts and if you do not want to know them, be my guest, but stop trying to derail someones thread. I am 100% for Alan and this review. Like I said earlier, it is by far the best, certainly where DSA is concerned, in a long time. Brian posted while I was writing this and I fully concur with his views.
Cheers.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2014 14:13:25 GMT
OK so it seems i completily lost my ability to express sarcasm and ironics. Or it was wasted on you. And where should i calm down and apologize? Just because i said that it is highly unlikely for an AA blade to suck that bad? And where did i accuse you? Man, youre kind of full of yourself, arent you? I guess i stuck around this forum for much too long...
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Post by LemuelTheLemur on Oct 9, 2014 14:35:54 GMT
You'll get no trouble from me. Uhlan, I felt like your tone was a tad aggressive, and you seemed to suggest that Alan's review was lacking in some way. If that wasn't your intention then I'm sorry there was a misunderstanding.
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Uhlan
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Post by Uhlan on Oct 9, 2014 14:52:55 GMT
Sorry. It was Lemuel who accused me. Of course this pisses me off. I think of myself as an honourable person. The accusation bit was not adressed to you, but in general to all who accuse me of dishonesty or malice. And no, I am not full of myself as far as I can see. I sure hope not. If you remember my post further up, I concured with you that there are issues with this sword unworthy of the price DSA asks for it. But those are cosmetic. The blade is what is interesting. That is why I offered to pay for an undisputed person to have it tested. It is the blade what one pays for, at least I think so. And as for leaving this forum, well it is up to you of course, but I and for sure a lot of others would be sad to see you go. Jesus, posts are done in the wink of an eye here. Lemuel posted before I was finished writing this. Hey Lemuel, apologies accepted. No problem. It is not the review that is lacking, is my opinion. From what I read above, it became clear to me that it might be a good idea to have a third party examen the blade, as to know exactly what it is. Then we know what DSA is offering here. A very good blade or another not so good one. Because there was talk about DSA upping their ante and such. And that price being Albion territory. Third party rapport would help out to see if this is realy the case. By the way, my offer still stands. I wanted to do the Rheinlander review today. Yeah, right. This DSA stuff is exhausting. Oh, well. Do it tonight then.
Cheers.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2014 18:10:25 GMT
For a theme sword, I guess they did ok and if the new steel and heat treat are true (a whole separate subject), the blade does seem the best part of the effort but the castings are what the sword was all about. With the continued debate during grip evolution, they end up with what we see. It looks embossed/pressed to me, Why on earth they would choose red oak is beyond me and I have my own doubts that it actually is. They do omit carving in the ad copy. I really try to sit on my hands when visiting this venue but the review was very welcome as a look at the best from DS. They seem to be trying pretty hard to improve but what I see here is that they still have a long way to go.
The Wolfsbane - inspired by the Game of Thrones swords
Hand forged from 5160 High Carbon Steel Differential Hardened at a Rockwell of 60 at the Edge; 48-50 at the core. Fittings: Solid bronze handle: Red Oak
Total length: 47" Blade length: 38" Blade width at base: 2" Weight: 3 lbs 5 oz) POB: 6"
Distal Taper (at the edge): 1.54mm (base); 1.3mm (midpoint); 1.27mm (tip)
Deep in the mists of time, as raiders from the North landed on foreign shores to burn and plunder, there was an age of legends. Doomed gods walked among men, gathering their strength for the final battle at the end of the world. It is little wonder that when our imagination takes us into the most gripping realms of fantasy, we cannot help but turn to the myths and legends of the North. The wolf was one of the most potent symbols of the Norse world. It represented fearsome strength and doom – it is a wolf that will begin Ragnarok by swallowing the sun, and a wolf that will slay and consume the most powerful of the gods as the world ends. A pair of wolves are the sacred companions of the Allfather, and the symbol of royalty and power across the Nordic world. The Vikings called upon the power of the wolf in the names they gave their children. The WolfsBane pommel and guard are intricately detailed and made with solid Bronze. The blade is forged from 5160 High Carbon Steel and Dual Hardened. The Fenris Wolf, the offspring of Loki and Angrboda destined to kill Odin during Ragnarok and fettered at the cost of Tyr’s hand, rests on the guard. Its fetters are worked into knotwork reminiscent of the Jelling Stone. The Fenris Wolf’s head snarls on the pommel. On the handle, the wolves Geri and Freki, the loyal companions of Odin who hunger for the bodies of the slain in battle, lay intertwined.
Hand forged from 5160 High Carbon Steel Differential Hardened at a Rockwell of 60 at the Edge; 48-50 at the core.
Why am I doubting that? Reads a bit like Tinker's methodology for drawing back blades he ground from fully heat treated raw stock.
As to A&A, I have owned a few with frustrating fitting issues. Oversize ragged guard openings, pommels bottoming on the tang taper making it impossible to tighten the fit without taking them apart or using glue. Their normal compression assembly is a threaded peen block vs what DS is doing with the hidden nut. Again, kind of secondary subjects but worth mentioning. Those threaded peen blocks on a lot of A&A can be turned clockwise to tighten things.
Excuse me and now back to the shadows
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Uhlan
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Post by Uhlan on Oct 9, 2014 18:52:59 GMT
Edelweiss, you hit that grip nail! I wondered about that grip. They cannot carve them. Much too expensive and too slow. I think hot steam pressed with a mold, like one sees in cheap furniture. Some woods will react wonderfully, some woods will react with a splintery look. If the mold is good it is sometimes hard to distinguish from the real deal.
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Uhlan
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Post by Uhlan on Oct 10, 2014 5:08:35 GMT
Hear, hear!
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Post by Sir Alan Adale on Oct 10, 2014 8:23:56 GMT
"Wow" A quick thanks to every ones kind words, those that had some anyway. Its obvious that some either doubt my veracity, or my qualifications to reveiw this sword. But if there are requirements that have to met prior to being qualified to do reviews here on this forum then I must have missed that notification. Apparently the fact that this is a DSA, and that brings up such rancor for some, that the fact that I like it, causes them to be doubtful of my, I don't know what ,taste or judgement. I don't need to defend the sword or DSA. I don't have the money to buy a custom, and I am sure that Brother Bonzais bronze work would make DSA's look like it was made by a child. But I can't afford it. This sword is not perfect, none that I own are. But I'm smart and practical enough to know what I like and still be able to understand that what we want and what we can get are almost always two different things. If I could get a perfect sword like this one for less than the $700 I would sure prefer it. But I can't, can any of you. And as for the A&A that I have even if it is a lemon does that mean the fact that its got problems make the comparison any less valid. So one lemon is meaningless unless they are all that way. Seems like a double standard as Ulahn was so helpful in pointing out. Each to their own but let's judge the swords and the manufacturers. Not the people reveiwing them. I'm not trying to start anything but in all honesty it seems like some people are very impressed with their own opinions. Without doing more than looking at this reveiw. And no matter how good a reveiw is until you have held a sword in your own hands can you really be sure. $700 is a lot of money for any of us I'm sure. But in the end like so many have said if Im happy then that's all that matters. In the end we will all do what we feel is best for us. I spent " My $700 on it" I'm satisfied so judge me not.
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