|
Post by Afoo on May 20, 2015 2:18:56 GMT
good luck?
|
|
|
Post by medievalgeke on May 20, 2015 20:09:45 GMT
Luck seems to be with me. I just received a tracking number.
|
|
|
Post by Afoo on May 23, 2015 12:52:35 GMT
Any news?
|
|
|
Post by William Swiger on May 23, 2015 16:01:24 GMT
"small independent forge that hand crafts all of their swords in house" surely not the case here; i think everybody knows that by now. Their blades are forged in India, thats a vendor information...cant say more. No problem with that at all, if the quality is OK. But i dont want to see lets say Windlass level issues with near Albion level pricing. And they are making things difficult for themselves, as i said. After receiving my outstanding Guardian i was fire and flame for DSA again, and wanted to order a lot of their fantasy models! And know, i am back on the old "to worried to order" train... Let's keep the thread on track without speculating if DSA actually forges anything at a forge in Canada or imports everything. Most people who have been around have their own opinions but in lieu of any concrete proof, posting they do not is just speculation and a form of vendor bashing. That being said, discuss the products at length if you have actual experience with them in an objective manner.
Thanks!
|
|
|
Post by Afoo on May 23, 2015 19:36:32 GMT
The warhammer I got from them a while back was confirmed to be made "outside of Canada" by DSA, so its not unheard of for them to import items for resale here. I know nothing of their swords though
|
|
Scott
Member
Posts: 1,675
|
Post by Scott on May 25, 2015 1:07:38 GMT
They do have an import section on their site. I think the stuff there is made in India.
|
|
|
Post by medievalgeke on May 26, 2015 1:21:10 GMT
Ok so very busy weekend of shuttling the kid to rehearsals and performances, plus the wife returned from a business trip briefly to see a performance.
The long and the short of it.
The sword was waiting for me at the front door when I returned home Saturday night. The unboxing was the same, it was well wrapped and arrived undamaged. In fact the scabbard was the one I had originally been sent and it was returned still wrapped in the saran wrap I had used to package everything up.
This blade is better, the cross guard is more symmetrical and the blade is straighter. There is no obvious corkscrew twist as there was in the original. The blade also feels stiffer. There are a couple spots where the grind on the bevel wanders and there are some scratches, some of the machining is visible in the fullers. The fullers wander towards the tip. So much epoxy was used when fitting the handle that it squeezed through the cross guard, meaning that there are gaps between the guard and the tang, or maybe epoxy was used to bed the guard on the tang. All of these are small details that I feel I can live with at this point.
In general I do not feel that this sword is a good value for the money charged, but perhaps my perception of the market is skewed. I would say that if one could find this sword at around $300-$325 it would be worth picking up. I intend to buy one of Sonny's new offerings once he gets the castings sussed out. So I will begin to have some comparison at that point.
I havent had a chance to do any cutting with it yet so I will follow up with a final section once I do.
|
|
|
Post by Croccifixio on May 26, 2015 2:38:51 GMT
Yikes. It's gonna be compared to a VA? Good luck.
|
|
|
Post by Bryan Heff on May 26, 2015 11:50:09 GMT
In general I do not feel that this sword is a good value for the money charged, but perhaps my perception of the market is skewed. I would say that if one could find this sword at around $300-$325 it would be worth picking up. I intend to buy one of Sonny's new offerings once he gets the castings sussed out. So I will begin to have some comparison at that point.
I think you make a pretty important point here, at least for me personally. All the other DSA drama aside...seems to me based on the many posts around the quality and condition of DSA models, the supposedly better new models included...the risk vs reward or bang for your buck just does not seem to be there. For the price that is being asked...just too many reports of QC issues. DSA has a large and varied line up of types, which is great, but their pieces are now consistently over $400 some up to $700 and there just are too many reports of bad execution for me to plunk down the cash. Just my personal take for what it is worth....
|
|
|
Post by Afoo on May 27, 2015 0:16:12 GMT
Its a pity, since their stuff looks very nice, especially with the latest redesign. To me, it makes it *almost* worth it. The sword looks great, its unique and promises better balance and handling - but the risk is a bit much.
IMO, I think they have definitely improved, and the risk/reward equilibrium has shifted decidedly in favour of the "reward" side. Its just that if I am dropping over $500 on a sword, I would rather there be no risk at all in that equation
|
|
|
Post by Croccifixio on May 27, 2015 1:58:04 GMT
The problem is really their pricepoint, which already reaches Albion/A&A level on some models. I mean, VAs and Albion Squire Lines are at their price range. So you would expect that their quality in terms of handling, finish, and even basic things like straight blades and properly aligned guards wouldn't ever be an issue.
To be sure even Albion sometimes screws things up (mostly Albion EU afaik) but at least the general reviews are pretty high and they do take care of their customers who receive lemons. I know Eyal and Robert try as well but it's getting to the point that every other post about DSA concerns QC issues.
Anyway I digress and mean no offense to DSA, but I will not buy from them at the price they demand. I'd rather give my money to Sonny or to the people at Albion.
|
|
|
Post by medievalgeke on May 27, 2015 12:09:04 GMT
The problem is really their pricepoint, which already reaches Albion/A&A level on some models. I mean, VAs and Albion Squire Lines are at their price range. So you would expect that their quality in terms of handling, finish, and even basic things like straight blades and properly aligned guards wouldn't ever be an issue. This is my point exactly. I think if I had received the second blade the first time around I would have been reasonably positive about it. I still find that there are some negative points given the price and the competition in the bracket. However if the performance of the blade matches the extreme handling videos I have seen, including those on the DSA website then I am willing to overlook those small details. Not that I am going to try demolishing cinder blocks or trash cans, but knowing that the sword is not going to come apart if I miss while cutting is reassuring. Eyal made good on the deal and I am happy with the outcome on the whole. But the customer service left me feeling bitter all the way through and I am not inclined to buy directly from DSA again. I think this customer service issue is a mistake on the part of Dark Sword, and if they are seeking to grow their business should be addressed and soon. I hope they get this sorted and continue to thrive.
|
|
Scott
Member
Posts: 1,675
|
Post by Scott on May 27, 2015 14:59:01 GMT
The spotty quality control makes me a bit cautious. I really like some of their swords though. If I get one I'll be buying it from KOA, which should avoid the problem.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 27, 2015 18:16:17 GMT
In general I do not feel that this sword is a good value for the money charged, but perhaps my perception of the market is skewed. I would say that if one could find this sword at around $300-$325 it would be worth picking up. I intend to buy one of Sonny's new offerings once he gets the castings sussed out. So I will begin to have some comparison at that point.
I think you make a pretty important point here, at least for me personally. All the other DSA drama aside...seems to me based on the many posts around the quality and condition of DSA models, the supposedly better new models included...the risk vs reward or bang for your buck just does not seem to be there. For the price that is being asked...just too many reports of QC issues. DSA has a large and varied line up of types, which is great, but their pieces are now consistently over $400 some up to $700 and there just are too many reports of bad execution for me to plunk down the cash. Just my personal take for what it is worth....
Right.
|
|
lairyfairy
Member
Onward and Upward,I don`t consume mass media.
Posts: 8
|
Post by lairyfairy on Aug 15, 2015 22:59:57 GMT
Personally I don't mind a blade that wavers but returns back to centre along It's length,especially if the blade has been forged,in fact I quite like it.I don't like a bent blade though that veers off at an angle.Couple this with a asymmetrical guard just equates to shoddy workmanship for me. The problem I have is the ongoing quality control issues from a small independent forge that hand crafts all of their swords in house.Surely a set of skilled craftsman would inspect all of their finished products before shipping them out, as a matter of personal pride if nothing else or am I just being especially naive? . I could accept it if they were mass produced in the east but for a western hand made sword,sorry there's just too many ongoing quality issues that come up with alarming regularity for me to risk buying from this company, regardless of their customer service in dealing with returns. I swore I would never get involved in another DSA thread,but It's Friday and the bourbon is spurring me on.Maybe you should give up the bourbon then Talon.....
|
|
|
Post by medievalgeke on Nov 26, 2015 14:55:06 GMT
OK, a longer term review. I have owned and carried this sword for six months now. It has largely lived in its scabbard and been used as essentially jewelry during several living history shows and meet ups with my group. It has been dry handled a lot. But I havent done any test cutting with it.
All of my original observations stand. It's ok, not great but feels more like a real weapon than say my DelTin which is a crowbar by comparison.
HOWEVER!
Yeah there is always something.
last weekend while sitting around the campfire we were discussing binding and winding and the concept of fullen. The Jarl and I crossed swords edge to edge to demonstrate the idea - his is a Hanwei-Tinker viking sword. This was firm contact but not a hard strike our blades came together with the effort of say a firm handshake and then I did a winding to gain the forte advantage. Sure enough as advertised edge to edge contact was sticky. Pretty cool.
Now, I expected the primary edge to be damaged by this a little bit maybe a burr or a small nick. Eyal advertises these blades as having an RC 60 edge so knowing that and the reputation for 'toughness' I didn't honestly think about it. But that evening I was examining my gear and discovered several very deep cuts in the edge. Like 2mm deep cuts. Quite clearly made by the Jarl's blade contacting mine. The edge had been peeled back as though it was cut by a graver.
Being somewhat non-plussed I figured I would try it against my DelTin, with that merely pressing the blades together edge to edge caused the DSA edge to roll.
It is not the advertised RC60.
Disappointing.
|
|
|
Post by Croccifixio on Nov 26, 2015 16:09:27 GMT
Any edge on a budget Euro which is claimed to be above 50 hrc is suspect in my view. It's almost always hype, since at that budget, you can't really afford very good temperature control equipment. And we all know that budget blades are basically made by hand or power tools in India, China, Pakistan, and South East Asia (essentially areas with lower than world average labor costs and a higher poverty rate); circumstances that don't really give you the exacting standards in most first-world factories. But hey, historical blades went as low as 30 hrc, so maybe it's an attempt at being more historically accurate Edit: hope I didn't give an impression of looking down on those countries, as I am in fact from one of them. I'm also aware of amazing swords made by Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Indonesian, and Filipino smiths - some like KC, Hanwei, and Windlass which are well known for quality at that price point even for beater blades. But in all honesty, I'm certain that the average US-made or EU-made blade is better than the average Chinese-made blade. It's a product of the economic and cultural situation.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2015 5:38:58 GMT
IMO, the ad copy DSA is using is pure bunk. The differential tempering rap came from Michael "Tinker" Pearce and the methodology Tink uses. All Eyal has to do to convince me is show one of his "smiths" demonstrating that on one of his products.
|
|
|
Post by Croccifixio on Nov 27, 2015 6:12:44 GMT
IMO, the ad copy DSA is using is pure bunk. The differential tempering rap came from Michael "Tinker" Pearce and the methodology Tink uses. All Eyal has to do to convince me is show one of his "smiths" demonstrating that on one of his products. And Tinker's method is, IMO, quite difficult because it requires lowering the spine with a torch once the entire blade's been hardened. That requires incredible control, experience, and time. Ah well.
|
|
|
Post by William Swiger on Dec 3, 2015 12:04:55 GMT
And we all know that budget blades are basically made by hand or power tools in India, China, Pakistan, and South East Asia.
|
|