A $600 sword that fails to make the cut - Darksword Armory extensive review  

This is an important review and I think everybody in this hobby should watch it to understand this company (more of a seller than a maker). I practically agree with everything Kyle says here. I sold this sword to Kyle, and I did a first impression video of it when I first received it in the summer of 2020. I had some issues with the inappropriate flexing and the mind-boggling central protrusion on the crossguard, other than that I liked how it dry-handled. In the following years, I grew increasingly wary of its problems, you can see some of those exposed when I juxtaposed it to an Albion Regent, in my review of that amazing sword. Their designs are based on the same historical sword housed at Landesmuseum Zürich. The DSA Gothic longsword failed at every aspect in comparison, both in the design and implementations. I have to say that I didn't do any cutting at the time of my first impression video as their swords arrived covered in rust, and I exchanged them for new ones at DSA. When the new ones came in, they were mostly free of rust but still had patina on the fittings (as can be observed on Kyle's close-up footage). Their stats are almost identical to the ones I returned but some cosmetic attributes can tell me they are different swords instead of same ones that had been cleaned up. That tells you that this was the standard quality at DSA in 2020. After that, DSA changed their contractors at least three times, and did two price increases in 2021 and 2022. Now they almost double the prices, and look drastically different from before. Their stats also vary wildly from batch to batch, and from their official specifications. In late 2020, this very model made by a new contractor was sent to Matt Easton for evaluation, and that contractor was probably the best DSA ever had access to. But they lost that access soon later during the Lockdown. Since then, many of their swords turned into crowbars churned out by yet another contractor, and in 2022 they found their current contractor who can't really do the profile as designed. So perhaps if you are reading this and order one tomorrow, you are getting something that bears little resemblance to this one reviewed here. Could be better, or worse. But I doubt DSA chooses their review samples to influencers carefully as they probably are not capable of telling what is even superior or inferior. It all depends on the contractor they are currently using. For the price, every other competitor does it way better and more consistently. Albion Squire Line destroys them. Windlass' Royal Armouries Collection has designs based on actual museum specimens and are way better swords construction-wise. Del Tin makes more reliable and consistent swords. LK Chen absolutely blows them out of the water with their work for Balaur Arms, and ask for only $400-500. There is no reason for any practitioner or collector to buy from DSA, especially when they don't even know how to do proper sharpening to create the edge geometry or apexing for basic cutting.

It flexes so much . That is actually crazy. And fron what I've heard, they're very combative when it comes to addressing customer concerns and complaints. It's crazy that they are still in business when there are so many other reputable companies that do much more for less money( Ronin Katana, Hanwei, Balaur Arms, etc.). Just a really bad look for them.

Spectacular overview Kyle. We sword reviewers I think naturally have a selection bias, where the swords we look at may seem to “always get great reviews” in part because as collectors we are largely looking at products that we like and believe in. But your candidness is always valued and when a sword does fail to meet the criteria which is expected for a consumer it’s important for everyone to know. These reviews continue to be invaluable to the community!

friends don`t let friends buy dsa swords.

Thanks for this overview!

Pfetty much what i experienced over the last 10 years: inconsistent quality in ways of construction as well as fit&finish, plus quite some catastrophic failures like broken blades/tangs and crumbling grip wood.

Thank you for this honest review. Subscribed.

The timing of this is crazy. I have been considering buying one of DSA's models this weekend. My finger has been hovering over the buy button on Kult, but I haven't pulled the trigger. I was just lamenting that I haven't seen any good reviews on their swords in a long time. DSA has always been sort of an enigma to me. Thanks for the review it gave me some more things to consider.

Thorough review as always, Kyle! I believe your aim was good during the cut that damaged the stand, it looked to me like the blade just noodled down towards the stand during the swing.

Thank you for the review. Super underrated channel

I'm pretty sure that educated sword enthusiasts are not DSA's target demographic. As long as there are high school kids willing to blow their Summer lawn mowing money on these overpriced wall hangers, DSA will keep on truckin'.

I appreciate that you put such detailed measurements on screen. Really generous of you (not that I was seriously considering buying this sword, but in principle lol)

love this channel thank you for your hard work as always

Watching closely, you didn't miss and hit your stand my friend. The blade flexed in the swing (well before impact) like a floppy wushu sword and bowed itself downward into the stand. That's terrifying, and potentially very dangerous with a sharp.

Thank you for this complete and honest review! Very appreciated. Before this video, i never expected such flaws to exist in this price range of functional swords by an established brand. Thank you for opening my eyes. Subbed of course :)

Has anyone else realized that when the blade hit the stand it was flexing downwards so it wasn't even the fault of his edge alignment? A sword this flexible could hit the user when you bring it back into a guard after a cut. It's not safe to even handle.

Hey man! Nice comprehensive review! To add to your analysis of this piece…I bought one new from DSA 1-2 years ago. Mine was well over 3 pounds! I think 3lbs 5 ounces. I felt the grip was uncomfortable, the length of the cross guard was too short, aesthetically looked odd. The weird protrusion in the cross guard is uncomfortable when attempting to place your thumb on the flat, the edge was very poor. On top of all of that, the sword was bent in the foible. It was the last DSA I bought. I had a negative experience with two other DSA swords. The Alexandria I enjoyed but….that was it for me. I pass on DSA now.

This sword is mechanically impressive. It having a well defined central rib, and still whip and spring like that is wild, it's a neat bit of metallurgy. Poor sword, impressive spring.

Companies will establish either a good or bad reputation based on the quality of their product and for DSA it's just a rubbish brand. Especially considering the price against companies that have a very good reputation for quality.

That flex in a sword with that blade length and that kind of cross section and distal taper is concerning...

man the reason you had that bad cut is the sword was bending all over the place prior to contact, it doesnt matter about edge alignment when its bent prior to hitting what you are trying to cut. I have bought two swords from them and both more stable that the sword you are using. That being said I wont be buying a third

Hardly surprised I have a different darksword offering never again

Interesting review! I was interested in buying the DSA piece but I think I think again...

Funny you went to the Balaur Italian comp. As I was watching the video and cutting I was thinking about the same comparison. Balaur Italian LS is a light, fairly flexible hollow ground XVIII budget sword as well. Difference is, I also have a first gen, and I find it extremely fun to cut with. It's got a pretty rudimentary KOA sharpening, but it's cuts great and is a blast to play with. I like cutting with it better than my Alexandria (don't tell anyone). It's just fun and easy and loves eating water bottles. Maybe I got lucky with a good first gen, too, idk.

I have an older version of this sword, bought back in 2019. The blade on mine is much shorter and quite rigid actually. However I haven't bothered buying another DSA sword ever since, especially since I live overseas and their prices increases don't make it worth anymore.

I bought a gen 1 or 2 Five lobed viking sword was great, the distal taper was accurate and was light in the hand. Ive heard alot of mix reviews on the same sword

Very good, sir! In India, we call the sword ara. They are so flexible that the blades can stretch around to hit your enemies. Warriors train with arra naked, they break open the flesh but not cut through it.

I have no doubt that review samples are double and triple checked. I took a chance and bought a Crusader sword today. I'll let you know how it is upon receipt. Merry Christmas! Cheers :D

My Vindaaris broke first strike out of the box when a friend chopped downward into a fresh pine 2x4. Mind you I dont recommend this, but an overhead strike with a 2-h sword I feel should not snap in half on the first strike. The friend weighed 150 pounds and was 5'6, it was a solid chop but very controlled. Dark sword replaced the blade but in the email said that the damage to the edge meant it had been heavily abused, and they made it sound like we were beating metal poles with it or sword fighting(that response alone made me very skeptical to ever buy from them again). I recently reached out asking what thickness of steel they use in their swords, bc one sword was listed as 1.48mm which is very very thin. The other swords do not have listed values, but im starting to wonder if they keep costs down by making 5 swords out of the same material most companies make 4 swords, not enough to tell with eyesight, but enough for people to routinely say "the swords kinda whip or break or habe issues and we arent sure why..." I mean this could be their big secret.

Slow mo wibble wobble. Then again its blunt. If it were sharp then it might be cooler in the tests. Since the tip is the only sharp part, It would be cool to see some stabs or attempts at using it instead of the nodes.

I almost bought one of these purely as a dress sword for my SCA persona. Glad I stayed away.

Wow that flex....DSA..what are you doing!? also that looks like a Tod Cutlery 14thC dagger in the back ground. I have it..its my fave.

It's flexing like a sparring blade, at those cuts around the 28:00 mark... no bueno! The edge alignment didn't help though, hey, we've all been there 😆

I can't see how DSA stays in business. So many better options at lower prices. Why mess with this trash?

Im about 2 for 4 on cracked blades from dsa

Awww it looked so cool, definitely my style but damn that’s a shame

Brutal

I actually appreciate the paper tests - thank you! - but from a personal perspective ... man, they are hard to watch! It's a visceral thing.

I bought a DSA sword this year and it’s great. No complaints. Medieval knight bastard sword. And I’m definitely not a RU-vid reviewer. But yeah something’s wrong with your sword.

So where do I buy a sword?

These swords and scabvards are made in india, in india the sw9rd exported cannot be sharpened as to the law. They then assemble these in canada. They are deceptive.

I wouldn't class hand tailoring review samples as heresy. Almost every review of a non provided sample has had issues that I've seen over the last 5 years. When skall (he and I are well aquatinted) was getting a review sample of the current DSA Oslo design, just after they finally addressed the QC issue regarding unsuitable tang width, I bought a DSA Oslo of the former design. I had issues with heat treatment, the bottom third was over tempered and ductile, after contacting them the replacement I received had a bad twist. At that point when I explained I was just looking for a suitable blade for cutting practice they threw in the towel and just refunded me outright. 1/3 swords being acceptable in price from my perspective within a few months of each other. The metallurgical information they provide is also very dubious ("5160 Dual Tempered HRc 60 / 48-50 at the core") at one point they listed their HRC values as being 54 HRC at edge. This is not a supplier recommended heat treatment for 5160 alloy. 5160 incurs martensite embrittlement below 59 HRC and is overly brittle at 60 HRC. it is also a through hardening steel in medium-fast speed quench oil. Meaning in order to draw quenched martensite into the high forties with a hard edge they have to torch temper from the blade center, or use an improper quench time / medium as to get a partial hardening. This is a big issue because recommended tempering times are 2 2hr cycles (4hrs) in an oven. in fact almost all low alloy blade steels are recommended in that tempering time range. Ultimately I would concur in support of the idea that they are importing blades. 5160 is a extremely common steel for blade forging and heat treating literature is public domain from foundries and metallurgists, to purposefully ignore established literature and do a unsuitable heat treatment is mind boggling. Dr Larrin Tomas's article: knifesteelnerds.com/2019/04/01/how-to-heat-treat-5160/ From what I've been able to tell over the 10 years I've kept a side eye on them as the biggest sword retailer in my native country they did forge their own blades at some point. They had a stellar reputation for well built beater swords before 2015. in the last 7ish years that's gone to hell in a hand basket.

What does it mean to have a reinforced blade tip?

Is this a new sword or one you bought from someone who had bought bought this in 2020. A comment in your comment section makes me curious as to what the answer is. My experience with DSA has been relatively good but I will say that people don't really make reviews when they're happy customers. I've never felt the need to make a review with my 3 DSA swords but I'm one of the lucky ones. Here's hoping they see this and work to put out quality products in the future.

Im more shocked that Marto still exists as a company than DSA but unlike DSA at least MARTO doesn't claim their swords are functional. I wont lie some DSA swords I do like the look of but seeing the disasterous reviews ocer the years ruins them as they clearly haven't addressed the issues; at least not entirely. I've have some regular Windlass production swords I'd trust far more as I've owned them for years, cut often with them & they are going strong.

If DSA is junk who should a guy look to online?

I don't own a DSA and I have no dog in the fight (and I don't really care for their aesthetic overall). I generally enjoy your reviews (and have learned from them) and I've been looking forward to this review, but I am disappointed that you've trotted out the same old tropes, issues and speculations and flogged the same old dead horses. A review should not be about supposition and guesses...but facts. All you do with the supposition is imply something negative and muddy the water, your "take it with a grain of salt" does no more to remove a potential stain than a warning buy a judge to ignore a comment that has been objected to in court drives the comment out of a jury's mind. A solid review of the sword and shredding it if it deserves it...cool. Talk about verified issues with their old tang design compared to now, perfectly legit. Criticize their lack of historicity in their designs, absolutely. That it is as rigid as a wet noodle....absolutely valid complaint. Dull and no fun....sure. The issue of whether or not they make swords in Canada? Who really cares? Does it really matter? I argue that it does not and I don't understand why this is such a bugbear for so many detractors. I don't care about it the same way I don't care where or from what breed of cow Albion sources its leather. It is more important to know if those components are of good quality, fit together well, and function properly.....and if it isn't, say so...if it is, commend them for such. Re the peen...you don't know the shape of the void in the pommel and how the peen collapses the tang to fill that void...but it certainly doesn't look great. Commenting on patina on a 3 yr old sword that has changed hands a few times is also unfair, lol. Unfortunately, I think the comments on hilt construction need to be backed up with deconstruction...there is simply too much supposition and outright guessing than is fair and indicates bias. I also wonder what changes may have been made by them today on a sword that was sold for almost 1/2 the price three years ago (if any...I certainly hope there would be....but I have my doubts, too). I haven't dug through your reviews, but have you reviewed an actual new DSA swords in the year or two?

You obviously know NOTHING about DSA as they manufacture EVERYTHING in their own shop from raw metals. Hand made individual pieces of anything has some variances but I own a few of their swords and have purchased from your recommended distributors. I will buy from DSA again if I like a product they offer. I think DSA is an awesome small business doing a great job and whenever I've contacted them I've never had an issue with their customer service. In fact, their service is one of the stronger points I've found with their business.

Darksword swords are some of the finest inexpensive swords made. They are balanced and almost indestructible. A back yard cutter with obviously no knowledge or experience has no place reviewing such a fine instrument. He thinks a heavy clunker is better than a light balanced real weapon for trained swordmanship. No wonder they didn’t want to send this made up wannabe. I hate fake martial artists. This guy isn’t even up to that level. He really should S…

Sharpen it and stop swinging it like a baseball bat.

This video concerns me a lot. Since I can't justify to myself the cost of an Albion Principe, I was thinking about buying the Darksword Armory Alexandria sword. Even though I will probably never do any actual cutting with the sword, the inconsistancey and poor QC bothers me. 🫤