Dark Sword Armory Excalibur (sale edition) review
Jun 15, 2018 21:03:33 GMT
Post by rjodorizzi on Jun 15, 2018 21:03:33 GMT
Full Disclosure: I paid full price for this item purchased directly from Dark Sword Armory's Sale Page.
About the Sword (from the manufacturer):
5160 High Carbon Steel
Dual hardened
Total length: 42.5″
Blade length: 34″
Handle length: 6″
Blade width at base: 2″
Weight: 3 lbs 6 oz
Initial Impressions: I LOVE the movie Excalibur. If you haven't ever see it please go rent it. It is a 1981 film that stars tons of famous actors (Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson to name a few) and is one of (in my opinion) best Arthur adaptations put to screen. That being said, it does the usual route of Arthur films and takes LOTS of liberties. Along with Highlander and Conan I feel like it has one of the most memorable swords in it's version of Excalibur. It seems the films sword takes it's inspiration from the Discerner sword although it appears as this is unconfirmed. A few years ago I noticed that Dark Sword had put their version on sale for some cosmetic defects, at (if I remember correctly) $250 I couldn't help but take a shot. The sword arrived well packaged and as I drew it forth as if from a stone my inner child squealed with joy.
The Sheath: Darksword still sells this piece with a standard sheath or one with an integrated belt. The sale piece came with neither, so all I can say is that I've heard their sheaths are of good quality!
The hilt: As mentioned with my other review I love wire wraps. That being said this one has a little bit of movement behind it. Initially I was worried that it would become more loose with time, but so far with LOTS of dry handling (and even a couple excursions in a non-combat use theatre production) it has held up just fine. You can see the wood slightly at the top by the cross guard but I chalk that up to some of the cosmetic flaws. It doesn't impact my grip at all and it still feels really nice in the hand. My main gripe with the construction is that it needs about another 2" (hey-o.) My large meat-paws can't quite comfortable grip this blade 2-handed and that's what I really want to do. When I get two around it it feels MUCH nicer in the hand. As it is single-handed the weight doesn't feel right. It's not that it's unbalanced, it just feels right with two hands on it. That being said it's a fantasy piece so I don't think this is super relevant. I still use it for random drills when I want to build some muscles so it works out!
Above you can see a picture of the rough peen, and it is rough, but even when displayed you can't really notice it. This doesn't bother me and, honestly, if that tang is anywhere as wide as what that peen makes it look I'd rather know that anyways! I'll make some notes about tangs and Darksword in my final thoughts, but the construction on this piece seems to be solid as a rock. I have no movement or play in either the pommel or the guard, although the guard does seem to utilize some shims, which again at this price point doesn't really bother me.
The blade: I didn't have Darksword sharpen this. I knew this one would be primarily for display and the occasional run around the house because I'm King Arthur fantasy. That being said it has enough of an edge that I've used it for cutting through some ripe fruit and it's been able to do that just fine and I certainly wouldn't want to take a hit with it. The point is plenty sharp for thrusting and works well in that capacity. The blade has a good amount of flex to it but has always returned true without issue. Even with lots of manhandling everything has stayed straight and tight! One thing I will point out is that initially this blade seemed to develop the dark spots of surface rust quickly, however, this is when I still used 3-1 for my blades. Ever since I switched to Ballistol I had no further issues and I don't have to oil as regularly. I've left that spots that did develop but they could be easily removed with polish.
Handling: As I talked about above, the blade screams to be handled with 2 hands. It's usable with one, but just feels right with two. This is my major complaint with the piece and one (maybe someday) I'll address. With two hands even this blades considerable weight becomes easily manageable. That being said it handles fine and even with an unsharp edge can hit targets and move where I want it to, albeit at a slower pace.
Fit and Finish: Again, as mentioned, I've had this blade for awhile and used it in several different capacities. The blade came nice and tight and it has remained so.
Final thoughts: Darksword remains a hot topic in the sword community. My personal experience doesn't go much farther than this piece. That being said I find some of their prices to be a bit high but this particular offering was outstanding for what I paid. I found no issues with the construction, no sign of thin tangs at all and everything is constructed solidly. This blade has been smacked around a bit and hasn't suffered any real issues. I have another (frankensword) piece on Darksword on delivery and hope to see this same level of construction in that piece. All in all I can recommend this piece based off my own experience with the "sale" model.
PROs:
It's friggen Excalibur!
Well constructed
Well tempered blade
CONs:
Rough peen (hence the sale)
The grip NEEDS to be 2-handed or lightening elsewhere needs to happen
Wire wrap is a bit loose and shows some wood near the guard (again I chalk that up to one of the cosmetic defects, but it's still a con)
About the Sword (from the manufacturer):
5160 High Carbon Steel
Dual hardened
Total length: 42.5″
Blade length: 34″
Handle length: 6″
Blade width at base: 2″
Weight: 3 lbs 6 oz
Initial Impressions: I LOVE the movie Excalibur. If you haven't ever see it please go rent it. It is a 1981 film that stars tons of famous actors (Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson to name a few) and is one of (in my opinion) best Arthur adaptations put to screen. That being said, it does the usual route of Arthur films and takes LOTS of liberties. Along with Highlander and Conan I feel like it has one of the most memorable swords in it's version of Excalibur. It seems the films sword takes it's inspiration from the Discerner sword although it appears as this is unconfirmed. A few years ago I noticed that Dark Sword had put their version on sale for some cosmetic defects, at (if I remember correctly) $250 I couldn't help but take a shot. The sword arrived well packaged and as I drew it forth as if from a stone my inner child squealed with joy.
The Sheath: Darksword still sells this piece with a standard sheath or one with an integrated belt. The sale piece came with neither, so all I can say is that I've heard their sheaths are of good quality!
The hilt: As mentioned with my other review I love wire wraps. That being said this one has a little bit of movement behind it. Initially I was worried that it would become more loose with time, but so far with LOTS of dry handling (and even a couple excursions in a non-combat use theatre production) it has held up just fine. You can see the wood slightly at the top by the cross guard but I chalk that up to some of the cosmetic flaws. It doesn't impact my grip at all and it still feels really nice in the hand. My main gripe with the construction is that it needs about another 2" (hey-o.) My large meat-paws can't quite comfortable grip this blade 2-handed and that's what I really want to do. When I get two around it it feels MUCH nicer in the hand. As it is single-handed the weight doesn't feel right. It's not that it's unbalanced, it just feels right with two hands on it. That being said it's a fantasy piece so I don't think this is super relevant. I still use it for random drills when I want to build some muscles so it works out!
Above you can see a picture of the rough peen, and it is rough, but even when displayed you can't really notice it. This doesn't bother me and, honestly, if that tang is anywhere as wide as what that peen makes it look I'd rather know that anyways! I'll make some notes about tangs and Darksword in my final thoughts, but the construction on this piece seems to be solid as a rock. I have no movement or play in either the pommel or the guard, although the guard does seem to utilize some shims, which again at this price point doesn't really bother me.
The blade: I didn't have Darksword sharpen this. I knew this one would be primarily for display and the occasional run around the house because I'm King Arthur fantasy. That being said it has enough of an edge that I've used it for cutting through some ripe fruit and it's been able to do that just fine and I certainly wouldn't want to take a hit with it. The point is plenty sharp for thrusting and works well in that capacity. The blade has a good amount of flex to it but has always returned true without issue. Even with lots of manhandling everything has stayed straight and tight! One thing I will point out is that initially this blade seemed to develop the dark spots of surface rust quickly, however, this is when I still used 3-1 for my blades. Ever since I switched to Ballistol I had no further issues and I don't have to oil as regularly. I've left that spots that did develop but they could be easily removed with polish.
Handling: As I talked about above, the blade screams to be handled with 2 hands. It's usable with one, but just feels right with two. This is my major complaint with the piece and one (maybe someday) I'll address. With two hands even this blades considerable weight becomes easily manageable. That being said it handles fine and even with an unsharp edge can hit targets and move where I want it to, albeit at a slower pace.
Fit and Finish: Again, as mentioned, I've had this blade for awhile and used it in several different capacities. The blade came nice and tight and it has remained so.
Final thoughts: Darksword remains a hot topic in the sword community. My personal experience doesn't go much farther than this piece. That being said I find some of their prices to be a bit high but this particular offering was outstanding for what I paid. I found no issues with the construction, no sign of thin tangs at all and everything is constructed solidly. This blade has been smacked around a bit and hasn't suffered any real issues. I have another (frankensword) piece on Darksword on delivery and hope to see this same level of construction in that piece. All in all I can recommend this piece based off my own experience with the "sale" model.
PROs:
It's friggen Excalibur!
Well constructed
Well tempered blade
CONs:
Rough peen (hence the sale)
The grip NEEDS to be 2-handed or lightening elsewhere needs to happen
Wire wrap is a bit loose and shows some wood near the guard (again I chalk that up to one of the cosmetic defects, but it's still a con)
