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Post by Kane Shen on Aug 20, 2020 23:12:05 GMT
I am beyond frustrated now! Two swords from Darksword Armory arrived and both of them are covered in HEAVY rust that shows total negligence on the dealer's part. I discussed the situation including Darksword's response and resolution. Then I reviewed both the Gothic Two-handed Sword (Oakeshott Type XVIIIb) and Henry V's arming sword (Type XVIII), laying out the detailed statistics including the length, weight, balance, distal taper measurements, flexibility and blade steel used. I've also looked at the fit and finish of both swords, and talked about the history of their respective designs.
I found both swords very light and nimble, and generally a joy to handle. The executions meet the expectation of products at this price point. I compared these swords to other products in the mid-range sword market and found they offer decent value for the price. I would give my recommendation if the mishandling hasn't happened. We shall see about it when the replacements arrive.
Tell me about your experience with Darksword Armory, please!
Update: DSA asked me to send back these two swords and paid for the postage. A month later replacements arrived at my doorstep and seemed to be in good order. Some minor corrosion was still observed on the fittings, but I’d give them a pass this time. At least they are willing to do the right thing, I think I’d still be interested in some of their interesting offerings in the future.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2020 23:35:52 GMT
3....2....1....
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Post by Jordan Williams on Aug 21, 2020 0:01:33 GMT
I N D I A & C H I N A
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Post by RufusScorpius on Aug 21, 2020 0:11:04 GMT
Nah, that's not rust. It's a special high grip friction coating. Usually they charge extra for that.
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Post by Kane Shen on Aug 21, 2020 6:00:11 GMT
Nah, that's not rust. It's a special high grip friction coating. Usually they charge extra for that. Yeah, next time I'll open a sword customization business by pissing on the fittings and calling it "antiquing".
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Post by Kane Shen on Aug 21, 2020 6:00:38 GMT
They could use a stinky grease bath.
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Post by Dandelion on Aug 21, 2020 7:41:23 GMT
They could use a stinky grease bath. What he meant is that DSA swords are no way made/forged in Canada... they are ASSEMBLED in Canada. The blades come from China and India; this is well known throughout the sword scene, and almost a problem since the company exists. Nothing wrong with blades from India or China; but why lying/shading the truth? My husband, a former member here has a looong story with DSA swords, receiving all kinds of lemons. But last year we bought two absolutely flawless (outside the "hood") models from them. So something has happened, but right now you are number two with lemon goo in a very short time again...
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Post by Lord Newport on Aug 21, 2020 19:08:15 GMT
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Post by Bryan Heff on Aug 21, 2020 19:27:29 GMT
Sorry to hear of that rust. Maybe it sat in that warehouse too long with no oil coating.
On a lighter note...the jogger running in and out of your frame while filming was awesome in a real world sort of way...lol. Like clockwork...
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Post by Kane Shen on Aug 21, 2020 22:05:42 GMT
Sorry to hear of that rust. Maybe it sat in that warehouse too long with no oil coating. On a lighter note...the jogger running in and out of your frame while filming was awesome in a real world sort of way...lol. Like clockwork... Wife and kids not comfortable playing tennis while I was swinging swords away and staring at the camera, so, that's how they worked out. XD
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Post by Kane Shen on Aug 21, 2020 22:07:33 GMT
I'm not exactly shocked. At this price range, they can't afford Canadian labour. Just like when Valiant Armoury used the 1060 steel blade back then, the blade was obviously churned out in some third world countries. Now that they produce blades themselves, prices are all in 4-digit.
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Post by Kane Shen on Aug 21, 2020 22:15:12 GMT
They could use a stinky grease bath. What he meant is that DSA swords are no way made/forged in Canada... they are ASSEMBLED in Canada. The blades come from China and India; this is well known throughout the sword scene, and almost a problem since the company exists. Nothing wrong with blades from India or China; but why lying/shading the truth? My husband, a former member here has a looong story with DSA swords, receiving all kinds of lemons. But last year we bought two absolutely flawless (outside the "hood") models from them. So something has happened, but right now you are number two with lemon goo in a very short time again... I would have guessed. No chance they can churn out sword with blades produced with the cost of Canadian labour and still stay in that price range. But that's OK. Being produced somewhere else in itself isn't an issue. I've heard about the tales and horror stories of their rat-tail tangs. But they specifically showed their tangs have improved, I'm willing to give them a shot, and this happened. It's not even stuff happening "under the hood" any more. If they give this little of a semprini about basic cosmetics when they ship, I don't know whether I'm willing to bet my money on what's happening underneath. But we shall see when they ship the replacements. One thing positive is that these swords handle rather well, as they are both extremely light-weight for their respective sizes. 2lbs 12oz for a longsword with 39" blade and a PoB at 4"? Sign me up. They do need to beef up the central ridge to improve the rigidity and tune down the spring temper, which appears to be the case for the new iterations. The grip is nicely done for this price range too.
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Post by Jordan Williams on Aug 21, 2020 23:09:29 GMT
I'm not exactly shocked. At this price range, they can't afford Canadian labour. Just like when Valiant Armoury used the 1060 steel blade back then, the blade was obviously churned out in some third world countries. Now that they produce blades themselves, prices are all in 4-digit. The difference is that VA made no chinks about it. DSA and Eyal will deny any foreign involvement.
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Aug 21, 2020 23:21:54 GMT
DSA has a cheaper official "Made in India" product line. I don't disagree with your assumptions about their other sword blades origin but their advertising claims seem to be legal. "Made in Germany" means "Price tag attached in Germany", ...don't ask!
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Post by Kane Shen on Aug 22, 2020 3:26:01 GMT
I'm not exactly shocked. At this price range, they can't afford Canadian labour. Just like when Valiant Armoury used the 1060 steel blade back then, the blade was obviously churned out in some third world countries. Now that they produce blades themselves, prices are all in 4-digit. The difference is that VA made no chinks about it. DSA and Eyal will deny any foreign involvement. I seem to recall some videos somewhere of Eyal trying to prove his sword is made in Canada. I don't know what to make of it.
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Post by Kane Shen on Aug 22, 2020 3:29:30 GMT
DSA has a cheaper official "Made in India" product line. I don't disagree with your assumptions about their other sword blades origin but their advertising claims seem to be legal. "Made in Germany" means "Price tag attached in Germany", ...don't ask! Yeah that's their "Heraldry" line or whatever. I mean there's strong evidence to suggest that Albion swords are indeed made in Wisconsin and Valiant Armoury have their sword made by Sonny and Zack. I'm NOT so certain about DSA's swords. Their main line do have two levels of blades too (regular 5160 and folded).
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Post by Lionhardt on Nov 29, 2020 17:30:55 GMT
I disagree on not being made in Canada. I have many of their swords. I had issues with ONE of them. After discussing some changes with them, they took it back, made a new blade for it, exactly how I wanted and had it back to me in a couple weeks. Note, the blade they made me does not match any of their other blades offered and it was exactly the dimensions I was looking for. So, it would not have been possible for them to quickly get one from India to exactly match my specifications. And they couldn't have stolen it off one of their other swords; they HAD to have made it from scratch for me. So I stand by them. They have been nothing but fantastic to me. Now their "sharpening"?....not so much... But their products are great and blades must be made in house.
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Post by Kane Shen on Nov 29, 2020 17:44:46 GMT
I disagree on not being made in Canada. I have many of their swords. I had issues with ONE of them. After discussing some changes with them, they took it back, made a new blade for it, exactly how I wanted and had it back to me in a couple weeks. Note, the blade they made me does not match any of their other blades offered and it was exactly the dimensions I was looking for. So, it would not have been possible for them to quickly get one from India to exactly match my specifications. And they couldn't have stolen it off one of their other swords; they HAD to have made it from scratch for me. So I stand by them. They have been nothing but fantastic to me. Now their "sharpening"?....not so much... But their products are great and blades must be made in house. That is an interesting input and good testimony. Thank you for this but of information? Are you still in possession of the said sword? Would love to see some pictures :-)
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Post by Lionhardt on Nov 29, 2020 17:54:24 GMT
I do indeed have it still! Ironically I was going to sharpen it up a bit more today actually. Just got a nice belt grinder, so I have been slowly working my way through the swords I have that just were never sharp enough and putting razor edges on them. Since many of mine ARE DSA swords, I have a lot of "sharp" swords that are definitely not sharp. Ha. I will work on getting a few pictures of it and adding them here.
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Post by Kane Shen on Nov 29, 2020 18:03:56 GMT
I do indeed have it still! Ironically I was going to sharpen it up a bit more today actually. Just got a nice belt grinder, so I have been slowly working my way through the swords I have that just were never sharp enough and putting razor edges on them. Since many of mine ARE DSA swords, I have a lot of "sharp" swords that are definitely not sharp. Ha. I will work on getting a few pictures of it and adding them here. Good luck. I tried to sharpen the Gothic longsword, and it was hard given the 39” blade length, and the edge hardness (Eyal claimed the edges are at HRC 60).
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