I've repaired 4 Darkwood tangs now, all broken in pretty much the same place on the tang, different types of blades too, so the earlier tang issue was across the range. Haven't heard of many newer ones breaking so perhaps they changed their production. A number of Darkwood's I've seem also seem to have a softer temper meaning they require more attention to nicks and dents they acquire easier. But, the balance and feel of the Darkwood blade I've tried has been rather nice. Good vid mate 👍
Would you say there is anything preventative that can be done to an older Darkwood bated rapier blade to reduce the chances of this, i.e. annealing the tang partway into the ricasso area, or rounding the corner where tang meets blade?
Excellent review, thank you. I've had my first Darkwood 3-ring since 1997, still have the original 40" DelTin blade on it and have only had to replace the grip. Since '97 I've also purchased from DA - a 16" dagger, an 8" ring dagger, another 3-ring with 42" bated blade, and a 2-ring swept with their 40" DA3 Spada blade. And I picked up a custom paired rapier and main gauche set for my wife at Estrella War in 2017. Darkwood has amazing gear for SCA and HEMA at very reasonable prices, their quality reflects that. Cheers! ~ Antoine de Vallier, SCA Outlands (Colorado, USA)
"guard will weigh more and slow the sword down"... Yes and No. It does increase the weight but it also shifts the center of mass further down which alters the balance and IMPROVES rotational speed. This makes the blade FASTER for parrying and compound actions like cutting attacks with feints. This is a good trade-off for a very small decrease in initial thrusting speed.
@@TheSchoolofHistoricalFencing thanks! I was actually looking to get the same options so this is a good indicator! Where is the point of balance if you know?
I've repaired 4 Darkwood tangs now, all broken in pretty much the same place on the tang, different types of blades too, so the earlier tang issue was across the range. Haven't heard of many newer ones breaking so perhaps they changed their production. A number of Darkwood's I've seem also seem to have a softer temper meaning they require more attention to nicks and dents they acquire easier.
But, the balance and feel of the Darkwood blade I've tried has been rather nice.
Good vid mate 👍
Would you say there is anything preventative that can be done to an older Darkwood bated rapier blade to reduce the chances of this, i.e. annealing the tang partway into the ricasso area, or rounding the corner where tang meets blade?
Have had 3 darkwood rapier over 15+ years. Only broke one blade. They have improved and fixed the issue with tang.
Excellent review, thank you. I've had my first Darkwood 3-ring since 1997, still have the original 40" DelTin blade on it and have only had to replace the grip. Since '97 I've also purchased from DA - a 16" dagger, an 8" ring dagger, another 3-ring with 42" bated blade, and a 2-ring swept with their 40" DA3 Spada blade. And I picked up a custom paired rapier and main gauche set for my wife at Estrella War in 2017. Darkwood has amazing gear for SCA and HEMA at very reasonable prices, their quality reflects that. Cheers! ~ Antoine de Vallier, SCA Outlands (Colorado, USA)
"guard will weigh more and slow the sword down"... Yes and No. It does increase the weight but it also shifts the center of mass further down which alters the balance and IMPROVES rotational speed. This makes the blade FASTER for parrying and compound actions like cutting attacks with feints. This is a good trade-off for a very small decrease in initial thrusting speed.
Nice looking rapier
how much does it weigh? I know the site says 2.5lb but I'm sure that's an estimate
mine is 1100 g but every rapier will be different because of which blade, pommel and furniture combination you choose
@@TheSchoolofHistoricalFencing thanks! I was actually looking to get the same options so this is a good indicator! Where is the point of balance if you know?