Darksword Armory Elf Fantasy Dagger
Jul 6, 2008 19:40:04 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2008 19:40:04 GMT
Darksword Armory Elf Fantasy Dagger
Review by Chad Werner, Ellettsville, IN (USA)
Description by Darksword Armory:
This is the companion dagger to our Elf sword, also found in the first medieval sword gallery. The dagger comes with a scabbard. The blade is forged from 1060 high Carbon Steel and Tempered to a rockwell of 53.
I received this dagger through a pre-order promotion and an act of generosity through Paul Southren. This dagger was delivered with my DSA Anduril Sword. It was heavily oiled and tightly packaged in newspaper, plastic and cardboard. No damage was observed on the box and all its contents were in excellent condition.
I removed the packaging and grasped the dagger in my hand. My first impression of the dagger was, “wow, this is sweet!” It felt solid, well made and ready for battle. Dry handling felt good since it felt that most of the weight as in the handle. The blade was extremely maneuverable and was lightning fast as daggers should be.
Dagger Overview:
Blade Length: 12”
Blade Width: 1 1/2” at guard
Blade Material: Hand forged 1060 high carbon steel
Hilt Length: 6 ¼”
Overall Length: 18”
Point of Balance: 1” from guard point (at steel spacer between guard and grip)
Guard Width: 5 7/16”
Pommel: 1 ¾” long, 1 ½” wide and 1” thick
Weight: 1lb. 10oz (including scabbard)
Design, Fit & Finish
The Blade
At just 12” in length, it felt perfect for slashing and thrusting. The blade is very smooth with subtle hammer markings, has an adequate fuller and a sturdy, stiff blade.
It arrived with an edge similar to that of an unsharpened Windlass, but after about 40 minutes, I had a sufficient cutting edge applied to the dagger.
The Grip
The grip is wood, with a blue, leather cover glued on and bound in a wire coil.
The grip allows for a firm and strong, no-slip grip. Though the leather would look worlds better if it was stitched on rather than glued, the grip looks pretty good.
The Pommel
The pommel is made of solid steel and is rather weighty, bringing the POB just above the leather grip, but below the guard.
Nothing special about the pommel other than it could deliver strong and powerful blows if used as the striking surface.
The Guard
The guard is also made of solid steel and provides good hand protection for a dagger.
It seems to mildly resemble the guard of Sting (short sword of Frodo in LoTR) but without the Elven runes.
The guard compliments the dagger well.
The Scabbard
The scabbard is a typical DSA style scabbard with a thin steel throat and chape.
The scabbard arrived with minor spots of corrosion, but were easily buffed off with a rotary tool or blade eraser. The scabbard is made of wood covered in the same blue, leather. The leather is nicely stitched together but is ultimately secured in place with glue.
My only issue with the scabbard is that the dagger fits in very loosely without any friction to lock it in place. If I were to place the dagger into the scabbard and then grip only the handle, the scabbard would immediately fall right off. The dagger, if worn, would have to be done so with it being straight up and down to avoid the dagger from falling out of the scabbard.
Testing
Cutting
I decided to have some fun with this set of tests. I had a buddy over and we decided we were going to cut up some watermelons using my DSA Elf Fantasy dagger, my DSA Ranger, and his Windlass Sticklestad Viking Sword.
My buddy went first and made some impressive cuts. Next, I thought I’d give the dagger a shot and see how it performed. Since the melon is the closest thing I had to a flesh-like target, I thought this would be an accurate test of functionality.
I started with some thrusts. I started with light thrusts which penetrated the melon a couple inches. I gradually applied more and more force each time and by the last thrust, the dagger was almost sinking in to the guard with the blade emerging from the other side. This is clearly what the dagger was designed to do and it did it well!
I then made some cuts on the melon and it cleaved pretty well. I was surprised since most of the weight was in the handle and not the blade, but it produced some good clean slices just the same.
I then moved onto a large section of log. I practiced chopping into the wood fully thinking there was not enough weight in the blade to get a good bite. I was once again very pleased to be wrong. I made several chops into the wood and it dug in firmly each time.
After I was done cutting with the dagger, I put it aside before cleaning it while I did some tests with the Ranger Sword. When I returned, I found some strange staining on the dagger blade. It must have been made from the juices of the watermelon.
They came off with the use of my blade eraser. Not sure whats in a watermelon that would cause the staining that fast.
Flex Test
This dagger really didn’t flex. Some serious weight was applied, but for the most part, the blade stayed straight. I realize short daggers aren’t exactly designed to flex, but I had to try anyways!
Conclusion
The DSA Elf Fantasy Dagger doesn’t let you down and proves to be a rock solid performer! The dagger seems right on par along with the heavy duty beaters that DSA is known to produce. Though it has no real historical accuracy, I think it would make a fine addition to any collection; I mean come on, we all need at least one good dagger!
Historical Accuracy: 1/5
Fit and Finish: 3.5/5
Handling: 4/5
Structural Integrity: 5/5
Value for Money: 3.5/5 (Would be a 5 if it came with a well fitted scabbard)
OVERALL: 4/5
Where to get:
Unfortunately, this dagger is currently out of stock and won’t be ready until the current production run is finished (expected finish time is either October or November). DSA sells the dagger on their website for $135 plus S&H. The SBG is also be stocking the dagger when they come available again will most certainly have the best price available.
Review by Chad Werner, Ellettsville, IN (USA)
Description by Darksword Armory:
This is the companion dagger to our Elf sword, also found in the first medieval sword gallery. The dagger comes with a scabbard. The blade is forged from 1060 high Carbon Steel and Tempered to a rockwell of 53.
I received this dagger through a pre-order promotion and an act of generosity through Paul Southren. This dagger was delivered with my DSA Anduril Sword. It was heavily oiled and tightly packaged in newspaper, plastic and cardboard. No damage was observed on the box and all its contents were in excellent condition.
I removed the packaging and grasped the dagger in my hand. My first impression of the dagger was, “wow, this is sweet!” It felt solid, well made and ready for battle. Dry handling felt good since it felt that most of the weight as in the handle. The blade was extremely maneuverable and was lightning fast as daggers should be.
Dagger Overview:
Blade Length: 12”
Blade Width: 1 1/2” at guard
Blade Material: Hand forged 1060 high carbon steel
Hilt Length: 6 ¼”
Overall Length: 18”
Point of Balance: 1” from guard point (at steel spacer between guard and grip)
Guard Width: 5 7/16”
Pommel: 1 ¾” long, 1 ½” wide and 1” thick
Weight: 1lb. 10oz (including scabbard)
Design, Fit & Finish
The Blade
At just 12” in length, it felt perfect for slashing and thrusting. The blade is very smooth with subtle hammer markings, has an adequate fuller and a sturdy, stiff blade.
It arrived with an edge similar to that of an unsharpened Windlass, but after about 40 minutes, I had a sufficient cutting edge applied to the dagger.
The Grip
The grip is wood, with a blue, leather cover glued on and bound in a wire coil.
The grip allows for a firm and strong, no-slip grip. Though the leather would look worlds better if it was stitched on rather than glued, the grip looks pretty good.
The Pommel
The pommel is made of solid steel and is rather weighty, bringing the POB just above the leather grip, but below the guard.
Nothing special about the pommel other than it could deliver strong and powerful blows if used as the striking surface.
The Guard
The guard is also made of solid steel and provides good hand protection for a dagger.
It seems to mildly resemble the guard of Sting (short sword of Frodo in LoTR) but without the Elven runes.
The guard compliments the dagger well.
The Scabbard
The scabbard is a typical DSA style scabbard with a thin steel throat and chape.
The scabbard arrived with minor spots of corrosion, but were easily buffed off with a rotary tool or blade eraser. The scabbard is made of wood covered in the same blue, leather. The leather is nicely stitched together but is ultimately secured in place with glue.
My only issue with the scabbard is that the dagger fits in very loosely without any friction to lock it in place. If I were to place the dagger into the scabbard and then grip only the handle, the scabbard would immediately fall right off. The dagger, if worn, would have to be done so with it being straight up and down to avoid the dagger from falling out of the scabbard.
Testing
Cutting
I decided to have some fun with this set of tests. I had a buddy over and we decided we were going to cut up some watermelons using my DSA Elf Fantasy dagger, my DSA Ranger, and his Windlass Sticklestad Viking Sword.
My buddy went first and made some impressive cuts. Next, I thought I’d give the dagger a shot and see how it performed. Since the melon is the closest thing I had to a flesh-like target, I thought this would be an accurate test of functionality.
I started with some thrusts. I started with light thrusts which penetrated the melon a couple inches. I gradually applied more and more force each time and by the last thrust, the dagger was almost sinking in to the guard with the blade emerging from the other side. This is clearly what the dagger was designed to do and it did it well!
I then made some cuts on the melon and it cleaved pretty well. I was surprised since most of the weight was in the handle and not the blade, but it produced some good clean slices just the same.
I then moved onto a large section of log. I practiced chopping into the wood fully thinking there was not enough weight in the blade to get a good bite. I was once again very pleased to be wrong. I made several chops into the wood and it dug in firmly each time.
After I was done cutting with the dagger, I put it aside before cleaning it while I did some tests with the Ranger Sword. When I returned, I found some strange staining on the dagger blade. It must have been made from the juices of the watermelon.
They came off with the use of my blade eraser. Not sure whats in a watermelon that would cause the staining that fast.
Flex Test
This dagger really didn’t flex. Some serious weight was applied, but for the most part, the blade stayed straight. I realize short daggers aren’t exactly designed to flex, but I had to try anyways!
Conclusion
The DSA Elf Fantasy Dagger doesn’t let you down and proves to be a rock solid performer! The dagger seems right on par along with the heavy duty beaters that DSA is known to produce. Though it has no real historical accuracy, I think it would make a fine addition to any collection; I mean come on, we all need at least one good dagger!
Historical Accuracy: 1/5
Fit and Finish: 3.5/5
Handling: 4/5
Structural Integrity: 5/5
Value for Money: 3.5/5 (Would be a 5 if it came with a well fitted scabbard)
OVERALL: 4/5
Where to get:
Unfortunately, this dagger is currently out of stock and won’t be ready until the current production run is finished (expected finish time is either October or November). DSA sells the dagger on their website for $135 plus S&H. The SBG is also be stocking the dagger when they come available again will most certainly have the best price available.