@@traviscole1009 Exactly, at the end of the day they're a production and an average person doesn't understand what edge alignment is or proper sword tests. They just want to see the sword break.
I've thought since before I discovered Shadiversity that Forged in Fire subjected their contestants' blades to unreasonably abusive, inconsistently controlled tests. And this is with blades that the contestants barely had enough time to finish. I'm glad to see my impression agrees with the opinions of actual experts. The show has decided to ask "Can you work really really fast to make a super-foolproof blade?" rather than "How good a craftsman are you in the real world?"
Their method is valid, because they are doing what Medieval fighters would do. A broken sword is brought to the blacksmith to repair as best they can in a short time so the fighters can get back into the fray. Subjecting a sword to impossible and unbelievable abuse measures the extent of the tolerances of the sword or other long-distance polearms. One meme I saw said something that was like: physicists like precision, like 1+1=2. Engineers want to see under what conditions the materials can tolerate, so the say, "what if 1+1=3? There are bridge building contests at high schools where participants are given a block of balsa wood, and they are charged to build a bridge that is as strong as possible. Each bridge is subject to pressure on the top of the bridge and see how much it holds before the bridge fails and breaks.
@ I don't mind testing the blades to failure, but Forged in Fire seems to go straight to level 11 on the dial from 1-10, without working their way up, so we don't get any distinction between the blades that would fail at level 5 and the blades that would fail at level 9. They're also not applying the stress tests consistently, as Shad points out with their occasional bad edge alignment. The wooden bridges in physics class (or engineering class) are much more scientifically tested to failure, gradually and fairly.
@@ginnyjollykidd While I agree with everything you said, it seems like you didn't really listen to the video, because as they explained doing proper strength test is what they've been doing. What Forged in Fire is doing is exactly what OP said. It's abuse for the sake of breaking the sword, they aren't testing it properly. Your bridge example doesn't really corelate because you're putting pressure exactly how a bridge would receive pressure. Using your example of the bridge project, the way you explained the test would be how Shadiversity does their sword tests. Meanwhile Forged will take a flamethrower to your wooden bridge, or blow it up with explosives. While the strength was "tested" it wasn't done correctly.
Great video, Shad, but you need to set a better example. Boromir rarely ever has adequate armor during testing. I know he’s the strong, silent type, but that stoicism will eventually end with him losing an arm or a leg…
@@sonicrose8430 Any suggestions for what to search? or the address unlinked? FNG ACADEMY - The Truth About Forge In Fire | Wil Willis FNG ACADEMY - The Better Broken Podcast | Wil Willis (Full Episode)
I saw one interview where he just claimed the filming was too boring for him to handle anymore, never saw the “rigged” interview but it doesn’t surprise me. Over the years I have seen some judge decisions that just seemed off.
one simple fix for this show is if they copy Top Gears idea of The Stig. You can have the judges doing their usual things when commenting on the weapons themselves and how well they perform in the tests, but they hand the weapons over to their “tamed weapons tester.” A big dude in fully protective gear who will wield the weapons in the tests while the judges, contestants and camera crew watch behind a protective barrier. To make it more interesting, maybe contestants receive a hand shake of approval from the “tamed weapons tester” if it does well. But if the weapon breaks or exhibits major faults, the tester melts them down at the end of the episode while the judges recap their favourite moments from said show. That way, the show is safer and more entertaining.
"Some say that our weapons tester was folded 1000 times himself. Some say that he invented nunchuks as a joke. All we know is... he's called the Strike!"
they do, it's just that their weapons exert is an expert in philipino martial arts, which use short one handed blades, so not actually an expert in using two handed swords
Doug has a HUGE issue with edge alignment on anything bigger than a dagger. You would be suprised on just how many times a blade snapes during the finale of this show because he can't hit a target edge on. Its mainly do to him being HIGHLY specalized in Kali and having neglected to further his training in larger weapons.
On the other video, someone pointed out that he apparently said he "deliberately" does poor strike to damage the blade at the behest of the producers when they haven't had a bad break in a while. But he fact he closes his eyes for many of the strikes tells me he isn't focusing that hard on alignment in the first place either.
@@littlekong7685 Its just a case of an unqualifed tester. Doug is GREAT at handling and judging any of the smaller weapons because, as a Kali master, that is what he has dedicated his life to mastering. Anything larger than a kurkri or eskrima stick though is basically being weilded by an amateur while in his hands. Its an unjustifiable oversight considering Dougs role on the show is as a WEAPON'S master and that he hasn't done ANY training with the larger weapons in the near decade the show has run.
The one at 15:00 has been called out by viewers of the show as intentional. He's not hitting a bit off and the sword loses alignment as a result of the impact, he clearly starts twisting his wrist before the sword hits the target in order to break it.
The person comes to a reaction video to see your opinions and complains that they are talking too much, what is wrong with you? If you want to see it without comments, go to the official channel and watch the videos there.
The internet is where youll find almost every moron on earth in the same place. And they all feel like theyre opinion matters when they dont at all lol
@@rafalszczepanski98 If you don’t find Shad and his commentary interesting, why are you even here? There are Forged in Fire highlight reels everywhere, there are sword fail compilations everywhere, you can just go watch one of those.
I always wondered why not just build a robotic arm to hit at the same angle, strength, distance, ... Mythbusters regularly created contraptions like that so a show dedicated to it could reasonably create a decent one
The main issue with Forged in Fire is that these smiths are essentially being set up to fail. “Make a knife in three hours, using materials we came up with on a whim, in an environment you’re not accustomed to.” I would not purchase a knife someone made under those circumstances. Even the blade that’s made at the home forge… Most of those guys are making something they’ve never attempted before. The chance of seeing what they can actually do is wildly reduced. It’s like those annoying cooking competitions, where they give them a rutabaga, a squid and half a pound of cottage cheese, then whine how the resultant dish wouldn’t cut it in a restaurant.
Not really. According to your logic every smith would fail, but not all do. And in many times they were able to deliver good weapons so it came to very close decisions because more than one blade survived all tests.
OP is correct. I was on season 5. It's not your workshop, you have a time limit. The blades are batch tempered after the first round at 350 so you can't give it that spring temper some of these blades need, the bright lights on stage messes with your judgement of heat, the camera guys are in your face and the producer is interviewing you constantly as you work. I've seen 20 year vets get booted first round and complete amateurs win. Skill is not represented well in that show. Because it's just that. A show.
i mean, yeah, it’s a challenge. I’m sure there would be a market for watching the process of five experienced blacksmiths spend days making the ideal knife, but I have to be honest I don’t think it’s that big.
The competition is to craft something in a specific time frame. If you can't accomplish the task at home, don't go do it on TV. I can play Super Mario Bros on NES but I wouldn't go on TV to compete in speed runs if I never practiced it.
@@TyeDPod You have to have a set of balls to get stepped on in the first place. That attitude is why so many smiths quit and give up after a single failure, or are too scared to even start. My apprentice made only a single knife before he went on stage. He had a quenched knife to spec at the end of the first round. He did it with zero experience and 100% determination. He sells kitchen knives for what takes a week at my day job now. You won't learn if you don't try.
I don't mind the extra conversation for sure. The perspectives, information, and opinions are why I'm here. (Though the disagreements are entertaining at times as well. I like the editing effect used to overlay the faces to the video. It looks good and might help. I hope it does. It's sad that the strikes are in such poor form. I hope it wasn't their way of artificially influencing the outcomes. Though I can easily see that being done to have a bit of 'unexpected victor' or enforced drama (like how the HGTV shows have so much false conflict and drama it became unwatchable. And just about every other facet of 'reality' tv). Still, I enjoyed watching the show- especially the parts in the home forge of these folks or the times some got their first time with power hammer and stuff. I enjoyed this video an awful lot, too. I look forward to the next video.
You get to see the making process of the sword. So far there has never been an "unexpected" winner. I think they actually make sure to show the parts of the making process that led to the failure later on, although you only get that after the finale. Most of the time, the most exciting finals, its two perfect swords and the decision is made purely on the fit and finish of the blades, as they both shone in the tests. That's the point when a Damascus blade would win over a mono-steel blade, for example. As it is harder to make perfect pattern wielded steel.
Mythbusters made a mechanical arm to keep strikes consistent, watching the Forged in Fire fail strikes in slow motion is like watching wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man.
I can remember some tests they did in Forged in Fire where they did use a mechanical arm, I think it was for something striking a shield or a barrel, can't remember which it was a while ago.
I'd like to add that there have been times were at different parts of the challenge, the judges have deemed a blade not safe to test. So they do care about safety to an extent.
@@baconghoti odds doesn’t directly translate to something happening. If something has a 1 in 100 chance in happening, it can happen after the second time or simply never happen. A channel named “adef” has a video about that, but his is in the context of Pokémon shiny odds
@@baconghoti If "avoiding death" is your only benchmark of safety, then please do not ever work around me. Try to be less hyperbolic. Unless you work on the show, you cannot factually state that there have been no injuries, even serious injuries. You, like the rest of us, have no idea what happens that doesn't get aired and is settled privately. All we can do is judge them by the clear actions they present, which demonstrate a major disregard for safety of not only the testers, but the contestants, judges, and hands working the show.
I will say that the edge alignment issues, especially on the pigs due to both the density of the bones (spines, specifically) and the flesh,, can and often are due to the grind and the blade profile of the sword. They often bring it up after the fact, in the breakdown of the test.
@@Nerfherder01 as it is a competition, that's breaking the rules and is technically fraud. They wouldn't open themselves up to that kind of legal issue.
@@AnimeRonin Possibly. It's really hard to prove though. Even with the video you need to prove separate intent. That is very difficult. Maybe you'd get something in discovery but that is very iffy. In the ice test he's tilting his head as if in anticipation of the failure. I would use that in court to prove intent.
@@Nerfherder01 Not all Competition shows are how you think. That's usually only things like Survivor. Here they legally have to have each Competitor know what is going on. And Swords aren't something to take lightly. So, everything they do on the show during the KEAL test is supposed to be a test on how each Competitor designed the blade.
@@AnimeRonin The former host Will Willis has said in a interview that the producers have overridden the judges on the winner on some occasions when it suits them. It's reality TV after all. I'm sure they've got a way of wriggling out of things in the contestants contracts. One of the reasons he left.
I have enjoyed FIF so much over the years, but more than once I’ve been annoyed by someone losing PURELY because of the judges user error. Nothing against any of the judges, they’re are more than capable, but people make mistakes
That was one of my pet peeves with. The testing on FiF. There were times where it here was pretty obvious edge alignment issues. I think even they realized this as they did have some tests which used mechanical arms to get a more consistent strike between blades. One question I have though is how much would a lack of sharpness or poor edge profile cause a blade to deviate ? For example a blade causing tearing when cutting a pool noodle
That is definitely a factor, which is why edge alignment is so crucial because to properly guage the construction of the blade, you need as few variables as possible. Even the finest blades won't hold up to someone swinging it like a bat or a club
i like the commentary dont worry about going to long its what we are here for if people just want to watch the swords fail go watch a compilation or the actual FIF Channel
I have noticed that certain contestants are tested harder by particular judges. One judge in particular ( the judge that was struck on the neck by the broken sword ) strikes at the targets with the intention to break the knives/swords. I’ve seen him striking at dry thick bone laid horizontally and secured with vicious strikes and when it didn’t break on the 4th strike his 5th and final strike was intentionally a bit angled and mostly on the solid base. Needless to say it broke. In particular the guy hitting the ice blocks with as much force as he can muster… is the one that breaks on purpose and not as a test. If possible you should do a review not of the safety but of the strikes and if they are done with intention to cause a failure vs. an accidental bad strike. I think you’ll be surprised by the Ice block maniac and where the slow motion videos show were his hits land. Thank you and keep up the great work!!!!!
You guys mentioned it later in the video, but it really looked like their poor edge alignment was because they were putting all their strength into the strikes. There were two varieties I noticed. One where the edge was off on the initial strike. The other was like the pig, where once the blade entered the target and started drifting off, they had no way to control or stop it due to the strength of their blow.
My brother and I used to watch Forged In Fire with our parents. Every time it got to those tests when they basically smashed the blades against hard materials, my brother would giggle and say “It’s beautiful delinquency.”
one thing you end up noticing on forged in fire ... the "experts" are often told by production to "cheat" and often that traslates to trash edge alignement doug "it will keeeaaal" said in an interview that things weren't always on the up and up on the show
I absolutely love watching Forged in Fire because it's truly impressive the skill many of these contestants bring, and I'm immensely fascinated by blacksmithing, knife-making, and sword smithing. As a former member of a small medieval living history organization here in the States, I have done a very tiny, minuscule amount of blacksmithing, specifically forging a more period-accurate nasal bar for a spangenhelm that didn't end up coming out as I wanted, but I desperately want to do more work and learn how to do things properly and l when I can set up my own home forge. That said, I have ALWAYS felt as though the practices and absolute lack of standards (both in terms of safety and consistency) in testing on this show are honestly pretty egregious, as are a great number of the tests they actually conduct. I get certain tests, like the pig carcass - yes, we all know that pig tissue is extremely similar to human tissue so it's a great analog, fair enough. But it cannot be stressed enough that "tests" that repeatedly expose an implement to a task it is not designed to do - cutting barbed wire with an infantry saber, smacking giant blocks of ice with an arming sword, striking a thick log repeatedly with a cane sword, etc., is simply not s relevant test because it's nothing in the wheelhouse of the stresses whatever type of blade the contestants made is designed to deal with. I spent 15 years working for a local parks department and I operated some very powerful machinery. We had a great big lawnmower with three decks, one in the front of the machine, two wing decks that swung down from the sides like an X-Wing locking S-Foils into attack position. This beast had ten blades, four in the front deck and three in each wing, was powered by a turbocharged 4 liter Diesel motor, and was very, very good at cutting a swath of grass 16 feet wide in s single pass at about 17mph. And it cost $125,000. And it is very, very good at cutting a 16-foot swath of grass because that's its thing to do. Heck, it's even really good at mulching leaves. Can it chip up a hefty pile of twigs no thicker than your finger? Yep, even that. I daresay if some poor fool tripped under it, it would probably mostly pull them apart like a rotisserie chicken (wet bone and all) but would this thing jam and stall out of you hit s tree root thicker than your thumb? Absolutely. Chipping up actual branches? No way, that's what we've got the wood chipper for. And even that machine has limits. She'll eat a whole tree that's 30 inches or less in diameter as long as you feed it in properly. I think we even went a bit bigger if we went slower (yes, I am well aware of how bad that sounds...) but sometimes even with smaller stuff, oh geez I'm gonna actually have to say it, aren't I... dry wood didn't go so easily, but wet wood was much better... All childishness aside, even with pieces of equipment as powerful as the chipper or the big 16' mowers, you could only push the intended purpose so for before failure was inevitable.
I'm looking at that third sword strike, thinking it looks like I was taught to cut with a butterfly sword for showing off in demonstrations. Short, deep blade, angled back, aiming for a glancing slice for maximum wound area rather than depth. Even a slight misalignment could help with soft tissue opening up. Maybe that particular Sifu was just a bit of a nutter... 🤣
Copyright claims are an easy way to silence a video since the video needs to be reviewed and they won’t get ad revenue, the money is just sent to whoever sent the claim in and nothing is done about it.
Comment on the inconsistency of striking angles. Early on, a few blades were tested in a "Mythbusters" style. A rig was built to test the strike at an absolute angle with full repeatability, etc. Based on the fact that they discontinued those almost as fast as they started using them, I have to assume it wasn't considered "manly enough."
forged in fire got me REEEEELING when i was young. i didnt miss a SINGLE episode. however after years and years of watching i grew tired of it... i thought it was because i saw so much, but after coming back to it trying to get back that golden feeling (the same we see on shads face walking trough actual castles) i noticed these tests were WRECKING the blade. not testing. you guys had some fun on the first episode. you got a copyright strike for it. this was not a smart move from their producers. they should have invited you guys to breathe new life into the show wich it sorely needs. keep calling them out until they do!!! i love every second of these video's
3:40 not sure if it's been mentioned but I'm pretty sure the purpose of the rings on that first sword are for spiritual purposes, believing they ward off demons
I never really thought about how they said screw saftey, I guess they assumed people's stuff would hold together given how most blacksmiths on the show have like 10+ years experience. The clip I thought I was going to see and unless I skipped over it somehow, was one where they hit a pig with the flat side of the sword and bent it like 90s degrees then they smacked the other sword and it actually snapped so the bender won the competition.
I think I've watched that, if you're talking about a test on Scottish Claymores.¹ With the first blade you can actually see that Doug hit the pig at about 45° - not what you call a perfect edge alignment. 😆 His alignment was better for the second blade which cut into the pig and shattered, probably in contact of the spine of the carcass. Therefore the firs contender was allowed to straighten his blade and move on to the next test, cutting into a copper sheet. The judge who executed the test was top notch, he cut the metal for about 20cm without any further bending of the sword. I was wondering why they didn't repeat the first test but moved on to the next one, but the contester was probably lucky for that because another tester did the test. ¹The first one in following video: _Forged in Fire: _*_10 MORE_*_ CATASTROPHIC WEAPON FAILURES_
Yeah, you knew exactly which one I was thinking of. I wonder if they watch it back in slowmo and realized the judge botched that swing so they didn't bother with a retry or if they just said screw it, how will it do on the next test since the blade survived the first test
@@stevencolor3389 Yeah, right, but if the second blade didn't shatter or bent they probably disqualified the first guy although it was clearly the fault of the tester. His edge alignment was much better with the second sword. Sometimes the testers are honest enough to admit their technique wasn't good at certain test, not so here.
@@Spielkalb-von-Sparta Yeah, I am suprised they don't have a machine to do the swinging. IIRC mythbusters frequently used some form of mechanical arm to do these kinds of tests, which allowed for more control over the setup for consistency. Had they done that they could ensure the same force was used and effective edge alignment on each swing.
10 or more years making knives and shit as a hobby doesn't mean much when you're tasked to make a scottish claymore out of your garage furnace in ~3 days. The amount of time it would take to even make the thing leaves almost no time to actually quality control, and they can't well test it themselves before returning to the set as it breaking during a personal test would basically guarantee a loss due to not having the time to make a new one, assuming they're even _allowed_ to personally test. They really should have someone else that actually knows how to wield a weapon (because Doug is the closest thing they have, which is sad as he can barely hold anything correctly if it's beyond the size of a large dagger) and wearing proper protective equipment if they're giving backyard blacksmiths less than a week to make these large and intricate weapons that could very easily have a chunk of it explode into a cloud of shrapnel on impact when made poorly.
At 9:47, it looks as the the guard twists, indicating that the blade is not tight in the handle perhaps, as the wielder hits the corner of a stone, deflecting the angle of strike.
Shad, Tyranth, I believe they copyright your videos because they don’t like the fact that you’re smarter than them in every single way and better at doing their jobs than they are. No one likes being told they suck at their job. But FIF sucks as an educational medium and I feel it lacks substance because of their lack of standardized testing for the weapons/tools being created and tested. Tyranth and Shad, you guys are my “Forged in Fire”. I value your knowledge and professional opinions way more than the quacks on their show. You give real time and logical explanation to why things work, why things don’t, and splash a healthy amount of satire in to make it entertaining. Yall are the MVPs
Entertainment/tv value is always taking away from accuracy and doing the thing properly. Thnaks for the commentary, as always: entertaining and educational at the same time :)
You clearly didn't watch the beginning. If you want to be stupid in your own backyard go ahead. They aren't a company with other people's safety on the line.
@@Inaktha But they are a channel that thousands of young people watch, and take notes from. I don't mind them doing it. I mind them being petty about other people doing the same. Obviously FiF would be shut down if they didn't employ a degree of safety standards. And a lot of it is edited so it's more dramatic with sound effects and slomo reshots.
@@misterlobsterman You know I'll concede on that note. I realize my brain skipped that part of what they said as well so thank you. My literal only counterpoint, which could still be wrong since I've only seen a few of their videos now, is that I'm not too quick to take a few seconds clip and paint it in a way thats convenient to support my current thought. So while I'm not dismissing what they did, I'm also not going to damn them for a few seconds when there is a whole video or more to what they were showing and probably explains why they chose to do that demonstration that way. Who knows if they took additional safety measures? We from this video only have a few seconds to go on. I'll try to find the video and assess myself, but I'm working so I'll do it when I can.
I don't think this is a very fair critique to be honest. All of the things in that montage are choreographed movements and not stress test on blades. It's important to be geared up when things might break, but there is such a thing as showing off without needing to be fully geared up.
And yet, one of the consistant camera shots on the show is the contestants putting on flimsy plastic safety glasses, before the blades are tested. Like, Hey! Look how safe I'm being!
I've always hated that they don't seem to understand edge alignment on Forged in Fire. I've also always thought the tests should be specific to the weapon and what that weapon would have been used for. You would use a long sword to break stone.
10:27 A few years ago I wanted to get rid of some ice on the ground outside my parents home. They are elderly and dad was a bit crippled at the time, making it hard for dad to get out due to the ice. So I found this big, thick iron rod that's used to open holes in the ground. I took it and swung the entire thing against the ice... I had to get bandaged immediately, the vibrations were just brutal against my hands.
@@davidgruzin8269 Nothing serious, but my hands really weren't happy. In retrospect, I could probably have figured out that would happen if I wasn't so impulsive, so I guess in the end it was a positive experience of sorts: Now I know not to do it again.
@@maasbekooy901 No guns, massive surveillance society, bunch of nanny state nonsense, restrictions on self defense? Seems the opposite of free to me, but you do you.
I would love reaction videos to various forging channels, because I think that a lot of forging channels deserve more love. For example, 'shurap' made a Damascus blade called 'Spirit of Fire' which was made using an electro-erosive machine to cut a stylized sun shape into the blank. Or Tyrell Knifework who made a copper damascus katana. Or Alec Steele's titanium forging videos.
Hey Shad and Tyranth! I won Season 5 Episode 8, and I can tell you with my experience that there are no barriers whatsoever, but they generally try to have the force of a blow in a direction where no one is place. Kind of like a 180 degree space where no one can get hit, but obviously that doesn't help with ricochets and spall, so they definitely need to redo their safety procedure. I was also on Knife or Death season 2 episode 1, and the spin off has MUCH better safety procedures, including barriers and armor
Going 100% is how you test KNIVES. Swords require more technique than brute force. I may be wrong, but I believe knives are what the judges got their experience.
About the breakage in the tang in any case it is a common breakage point but aside from tempering the issue is often that the connection between the tang and the blade is at a sharp 90 deg intruducing a good amount of curveture to that transition reduces the stress on that area by miles (or rather megapascals/gigapascals)
Ive been a long time viewer here, since Shad's solo days on the channel, and Ive always been here for the rabmles and commentary because nobody else will give the extra attention to detail. As much as I love Tyranth and where the channel is now, i also miss the nerdy, Shad on his throne, full bore in-depth discussions about one topic. Keep up the great work guys!
Lol, wow there are so many points that you guys bring up that ive not considered, or at the very least wondered why they haven't, particularly in terms of safety, but also, the sloppy strikes due to the amount of aggression and lack of control, well done gentlemen 👍👍
I kenjutsu we only use the flat ir spine in a parry or a block, and that very rarely. Swords generally don't contact at all, a good polish takes time and is expensive.
one thing I noticed about a lot of the pig tests they were doing is they were swinging swords with curved blades but their impact point was nearly at the hilt of the weapon. The entire concept of a curved blade is that it generates the most cutting power and force at the apex of the curve, similar to an axe. I get that they are trying to test non-ideal conditions, but I think that striking at such a poor point also contributes to the issues they have with edge alignment.
I prefer when you do talk about it. Commentary like yours shows that you know what you're talking about. It's obviously more effort than watching a video and going "Ooh!"
10:30 Have a look how differently they use single vs two handed weapons, they put A LOT more force into single handers to the point it looks like they produce deeper cuts. To me it feels like they have very little experience using two handed swords actually. Also farely few swords have any distal taper, making them more akin to sword like objects than a well made sword.
it would've been really cool if while talking about the stress test survivor swords you would show and mention which swords of yours endured the steel bar.
Dash Rendar did a part 2 to a comparison to medieval war bow Vs compound, since the original was Vs 70lber. This time he got hold of 100 lb compound bow and custom 1800 grain modern tech arrow to match the bow.... It's strut it stuff vs the medieval and shows Archery tech is still advancing, that arrow/bow was... impressive!
27:55 Speaking of sword cutting rig, if there's one point I'm concerned about your safety, it's when you use that thing. And especially when it doesn't work as intended (which was quite often early on, as you were still figuring it out).
That first hit with the ringed Dao, he's also hitting really close to the handle for that weapon. It still suggests flaws in the blade to snap how it does, but that hit will induce torque into the blade.
Why is that white line between yall not a sword? It seems like a wasted opportunity
I swear! 🔪
Nah. Just imagine that frame was cut by a sword. Lol
fair point
Or a *STICK!*
@@durandolthat’s what he said, sword.
us: "hey doug... what do you think about the saftey at forged in fire?"
Doug: "It will Kill"
no no. it will keeeell!
keal
KHEEAEAEAELEE!
That's generously funny!
Their safety standards failed the nuclear bombardment test.
Conspiracy theory: They are intentionally messing up edge alignment so the favored person for the show narrative can win.
based on other comments, it sounds like that is exactly what they were doing
@@shocktnc I'm not sure if you should form your opinions based on a few youtube comments though.
Your sword failed the whacking a rock till it breaks test.
I think it's less about favoring one contestant over another, and more about violent sword failure makes for great slow mo and entertaining tv.
@@traviscole1009 Exactly, at the end of the day they're a production and an average person doesn't understand what edge alignment is or proper sword tests. They just want to see the sword break.
My friend claims he has a degree in blacksmithing.
But everything he makes is forged.
I mean....... That's..... What Blacksmithing is ?
Funny joke though
I'mma demand you get out. But I'm also going to high five you on your way out.
🤣🤣👍
......I love you.
A handful of third degrees, in fact
I've thought since before I discovered Shadiversity that Forged in Fire subjected their contestants' blades to unreasonably abusive, inconsistently controlled tests. And this is with blades that the contestants barely had enough time to finish. I'm glad to see my impression agrees with the opinions of actual experts. The show has decided to ask "Can you work really really fast to make a super-foolproof blade?" rather than "How good a craftsman are you in the real world?"
Their method is valid, because they are doing what Medieval fighters would do. A broken sword is brought to the blacksmith to repair as best they can in a short time so the fighters can get back into the fray. Subjecting a sword to impossible and unbelievable abuse measures the extent of the tolerances of the sword or other long-distance polearms.
One meme I saw said something that was like: physicists like precision, like 1+1=2.
Engineers want to see under what conditions the materials can tolerate, so the say, "what if 1+1=3?
There are bridge building contests at high schools where participants are given a block of balsa wood, and they are charged to build a bridge that is as strong as possible. Each bridge is subject to pressure on the top of the bridge and see how much it holds before the bridge fails and breaks.
@ I don't mind testing the blades to failure, but Forged in Fire seems to go straight to level 11 on the dial from 1-10, without working their way up, so we don't get any distinction between the blades that would fail at level 5 and the blades that would fail at level 9. They're also not applying the stress tests consistently, as Shad points out with their occasional bad edge alignment. The wooden bridges in physics class (or engineering class) are much more scientifically tested to failure, gradually and fairly.
@@ginnyjollykidd While I agree with everything you said, it seems like you didn't really listen to the video, because as they explained doing proper strength test is what they've been doing. What Forged in Fire is doing is exactly what OP said. It's abuse for the sake of breaking the sword, they aren't testing it properly.
Your bridge example doesn't really corelate because you're putting pressure exactly how a bridge would receive pressure. Using your example of the bridge project, the way you explained the test would be how Shadiversity does their sword tests. Meanwhile Forged will take a flamethrower to your wooden bridge, or blow it up with explosives. While the strength was "tested" it wasn't done correctly.
HELL YEAH. Idk if my comment was at all seen by you guys but i'm happy my idea made to a video!
They saw it
Great video, Shad, but you need to set a better example.
Boromir rarely ever has adequate armor during testing. I know he’s the strong, silent type, but that stoicism will eventually end with him losing an arm or a leg…
Tis but a scratch.
Too bad Boromir's twin left Shadiversity, he was awesome...
But he doesn't have limbs...?
@@KLUCZESIA That was just a flesh wound.
Facts @@jeroenceulemans3715
It’s funny when you guys say “is it fair to the maker?” When the drama that lead to the host leaving was them rigging the show.
Really? I never heard the reason he left.
@ he did an entire interview about it you can find the video on YT
@@sonicrose8430 Any suggestions for what to search? or the address unlinked?
FNG ACADEMY - The Truth About Forge In Fire | Wil Willis
FNG ACADEMY - The Better Broken Podcast | Wil Willis (Full Episode)
@@lurkingllama8364 They were changing some of the challenges and letting the JUDGES win when they should have failed.
I saw one interview where he just claimed the filming was too boring for him to handle anymore, never saw the “rigged” interview but it doesn’t surprise me. Over the years I have seen some judge decisions that just seemed off.
Im so glad you made this video. I wanted to see someone do a thorough video on the matter
YEEESSS!
I'm finally getting recommended your videos again!
Thank you guys so much for making these :)
one simple fix for this show is if they copy Top Gears idea of The Stig.
You can have the judges doing their usual things when commenting on the weapons themselves and how well they perform in the tests, but they hand the weapons over to their “tamed weapons tester.” A big dude in fully protective gear who will wield the weapons in the tests while the judges, contestants and camera crew watch behind a protective barrier.
To make it more interesting, maybe contestants receive a hand shake of approval from the “tamed weapons tester” if it does well. But if the weapon breaks or exhibits major faults, the tester melts them down at the end of the episode while the judges recap their favourite moments from said show.
That way, the show is safer and more entertaining.
All we know is, he's called...Tyranth
"Some say that our weapons tester was folded 1000 times himself. Some say that he invented nunchuks as a joke. All we know is... he's called the Strike!"
THIS.
they do, it's just that their weapons exert is an expert in philipino martial arts, which use short one handed blades, so not actually an expert in using two handed swords
uses thermite to destroy them!
6:52 DID I HEAR A ROCK AND STONE?!
i know i did, ROCK AND STONE!
FOR KARL !
If you dont ROCK AND STONE, you aint coming home!
ROCK AND ROLL AND STONE!
ROCK! AND! stoooone.
Doug has a HUGE issue with edge alignment on anything bigger than a dagger. You would be suprised on just how many times a blade snapes during the finale of this show because he can't hit a target edge on. Its mainly do to him being HIGHLY specalized in Kali and having neglected to further his training in larger weapons.
On the other video, someone pointed out that he apparently said he "deliberately" does poor strike to damage the blade at the behest of the producers when they haven't had a bad break in a while. But he fact he closes his eyes for many of the strikes tells me he isn't focusing that hard on alignment in the first place either.
Tbf in practical situations not all hits are going to be in perfect edge alignment. So I guess I can let that part slide
the alignment was fine. the smiths very very often overharden (50+% of the time)
@littlekong7685 That strikes me as an excuse, though
@@littlekong7685 Its just a case of an unqualifed tester. Doug is GREAT at handling and judging any of the smaller weapons because, as a Kali master, that is what he has dedicated his life to mastering. Anything larger than a kurkri or eskrima stick though is basically being weilded by an amateur while in his hands. Its an unjustifiable oversight considering Dougs role on the show is as a WEAPON'S master and that he hasn't done ANY training with the larger weapons in the near decade the show has run.
The one at 15:00 has been called out by viewers of the show as intentional. He's not hitting a bit off and the sword loses alignment as a result of the impact, he clearly starts twisting his wrist before the sword hits the target in order to break it.
The person comes to a reaction video to see your opinions and complains that they are talking too much, what is wrong with you? If you want to see it without comments, go to the official channel and watch the videos there.
I can partially understand where the complaints might come from. Sometimes you just want to watch interesting content, not a lecture.
The internet is where youll find almost every moron on earth in the same place. And they all feel like theyre opinion matters when they dont at all lol
@rafalszczepanski98 right, so they can watch the official stuff.
@@rafalszczepanski98 If you don’t find Shad and his commentary interesting, why are you even here? There are Forged in Fire highlight reels everywhere, there are sword fail compilations everywhere, you can just go watch one of those.
"Chef! There's too much cheese in my macaroni!! 😡"
Head and leg protection, I've got a wicked scar from my early years where I was sparing and the sword snapped at the hilt and went into my leg.
Hey, I have a permanent scar from something as innocuous as an empty box made of soft plastic hitting my face when I slipped.
I always wondered why not just build a robotic arm to hit at the same angle, strength, distance, ... Mythbusters regularly created contraptions like that so a show dedicated to it could reasonably create a decent one
They used one in a few episodes, though ngl, it was cooler to see a "master" wield one.
actual robotic arms wouldn't be hard to get ahold of either
The main issue with Forged in Fire is that these smiths are essentially being set up to fail. “Make a knife in three hours, using materials we came up with on a whim, in an environment you’re not accustomed to.” I would not purchase a knife someone made under those circumstances. Even the blade that’s made at the home forge… Most of those guys are making something they’ve never attempted before. The chance of seeing what they can actually do is wildly reduced. It’s like those annoying cooking competitions, where they give them a rutabaga, a squid and half a pound of cottage cheese, then whine how the resultant dish wouldn’t cut it in a restaurant.
Not really. According to your logic every smith would fail, but not all do. And in many times they were able to deliver good weapons so it came to very close decisions because more than one blade survived all tests.
OP is correct. I was on season 5. It's not your workshop, you have a time limit. The blades are batch tempered after the first round at 350 so you can't give it that spring temper some of these blades need, the bright lights on stage messes with your judgement of heat, the camera guys are in your face and the producer is interviewing you constantly as you work.
I've seen 20 year vets get booted first round and complete amateurs win. Skill is not represented well in that show. Because it's just that. A show.
i mean, yeah, it’s a challenge.
I’m sure there would be a market for watching the process of five experienced blacksmiths spend days making the ideal knife, but I have to be honest I don’t think it’s that big.
The competition is to craft something in a specific time frame. If you can't accomplish the task at home, don't go do it on TV.
I can play Super Mario Bros on NES but I wouldn't go on TV to compete in speed runs if I never practiced it.
@@TyeDPod You have to have a set of balls to get stepped on in the first place. That attitude is why so many smiths quit and give up after a single failure, or are too scared to even start. My apprentice made only a single knife before he went on stage. He had a quenched knife to spec at the end of the first round. He did it with zero experience and 100% determination. He sells kitchen knives for what takes a week at my day job now.
You won't learn if you don't try.
Tyranth is looking rather medieval these days. It's great!
Ey, babe, you look proper medieval ❤
Shad: can we do Forge of Fire at Shadiversity
Tyranth: we have Forge of Fire at Shadiversity
This Video & more on Shadiversity:
I don't mind the extra conversation for sure. The perspectives, information, and opinions are why I'm here. (Though the disagreements are entertaining at times as well.
I like the editing effect used to overlay the faces to the video. It looks good and might help. I hope it does.
It's sad that the strikes are in such poor form. I hope it wasn't their way of artificially influencing the outcomes. Though I can easily see that being done to have a bit of 'unexpected victor' or enforced drama (like how the HGTV shows have so much false conflict and drama it became unwatchable. And just about every other facet of 'reality' tv).
Still, I enjoyed watching the show- especially the parts in the home forge of these folks or the times some got their first time with power hammer and stuff.
I enjoyed this video an awful lot, too. I look forward to the next video.
You get to see the making process of the sword. So far there has never been an "unexpected" winner. I think they actually make sure to show the parts of the making process that led to the failure later on, although you only get that after the finale.
Most of the time, the most exciting finals, its two perfect swords and the decision is made purely on the fit and finish of the blades, as they both shone in the tests.
That's the point when a Damascus blade would win over a mono-steel blade, for example. As it is harder to make perfect pattern wielded steel.
How the sword handles is part of the test, if you make a sword that is harder to maintain good edge alignment that is part of the test.
People complaining about commentary in commentary videos should be diregarded without any consideration.
Mythbusters made a mechanical arm to keep strikes consistent, watching the Forged in Fire fail strikes in slow motion is like watching wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man.
I can remember some tests they did in Forged in Fire where they did use a mechanical arm, I think it was for something striking a shield or a barrel, can't remember which it was a while ago.
I'd like to add that there have been times were at different parts of the challenge, the judges have deemed a blade not safe to test. So they do care about safety to an extent.
The problem is that you can care about safety 80% of the time, but its that 20% that might kill someone.
@@jacara1981 there's been over 1500 weapons tested and no deaths yet. That 1 in 5 is a tad overstated.
@@baconghoti odds doesn’t directly translate to something happening. If something has a 1 in 100 chance in happening, it can happen after the second time or simply never happen. A channel named “adef” has a video about that, but his is in the context of Pokémon shiny odds
@@baconghoti If "avoiding death" is your only benchmark of safety, then please do not ever work around me. Try to be less hyperbolic. Unless you work on the show, you cannot factually state that there have been no injuries, even serious injuries. You, like the rest of us, have no idea what happens that doesn't get aired and is settled privately. All we can do is judge them by the clear actions they present, which demonstrate a major disregard for safety of not only the testers, but the contestants, judges, and hands working the show.
Or it's rigged.
I will say that the edge alignment issues, especially on the pigs due to both the density of the bones (spines, specifically) and the flesh,, can and often are due to the grind and the blade profile of the sword. They often bring it up after the fact, in the breakdown of the test.
I think they do it on purpose to create drama. It is tv after all.
@@Nerfherder01 as it is a competition, that's breaking the rules and is technically fraud. They wouldn't open themselves up to that kind of legal issue.
@@AnimeRonin Possibly. It's really hard to prove though. Even with the video you need to prove separate intent. That is very difficult. Maybe you'd get something in discovery but that is very iffy. In the ice test he's tilting his head as if in anticipation of the failure. I would use that in court to prove intent.
@@Nerfherder01
Not all Competition shows are how you think.
That's usually only things like Survivor.
Here they legally have to have each Competitor know what is going on.
And Swords aren't something to take lightly.
So, everything they do on the show during the KEAL test is supposed to be a test on how each Competitor designed the blade.
@@AnimeRonin The former host Will Willis has said in a interview that the producers have overridden the judges on the winner on some occasions when it suits them. It's reality TV after all. I'm sure they've got a way of wriggling out of things in the contestants contracts. One of the reasons he left.
You guys definitely need to start making your own swords. Imagine how great swords could become.
"Make Swords Great Again"! Lol
@@justincupka2963I love it MSGA
I have enjoyed FIF so much over the years, but more than once I’ve been annoyed by someone losing PURELY because of the judges user error. Nothing against any of the judges, they’re are more than capable, but people make mistakes
Enjoyed the first looking forward to the second!
That was one of my pet peeves with. The testing on FiF. There were times where it here was pretty obvious edge alignment issues. I think even they realized this as they did have some tests which used mechanical arms to get a more consistent strike between blades.
One question I have though is how much would a lack of sharpness or poor edge profile cause a blade to deviate ? For example a blade causing tearing when cutting a pool noodle
That is definitely a factor, which is why edge alignment is so crucial because to properly guage the construction of the blade, you need as few variables as possible. Even the finest blades won't hold up to someone swinging it like a bat or a club
@@Terezarwell, actually they do hold up. More blades pass than fail (break) on the show.
Glad to see you all keeping up with this series! Reviewing these shows is fun.
i like the commentary dont worry about going to long its what we are here for if people just want to watch the swords fail go watch a compilation or the actual FIF Channel
I have noticed that certain contestants are tested harder by particular judges. One judge in particular ( the judge that was struck on the neck by the broken sword ) strikes at the targets with the intention to break the knives/swords. I’ve seen him striking at dry thick bone laid horizontally and secured with vicious strikes and when it didn’t break on the 4th strike his 5th and final strike was intentionally a bit angled and mostly on the solid base. Needless to say it broke. In particular the guy hitting the ice blocks with as much force as he can muster… is the one that breaks on purpose and not as a test. If possible you should do a review not of the safety but of the strikes and if they are done with intention to cause a failure vs. an accidental bad strike. I think you’ll be surprised by the Ice block maniac and where the slow motion videos show were his hits land. Thank you and keep up the great work!!!!!
I really wish Shad and Friends could swing by Texas for some Brisket and Dr. Pepper
And pop over to Louisiana afterwards for some gumbo and boiled crawfish.
And pop over to Louisiana afterwards for some gumbo and boiled crawfish.
Then swing on up to Idaho for some Steak and Taters
Just a breezy 20-hour flight from down under
tennessee is the place to be… home of people who actually have emotions…
You guys mentioned it later in the video, but it really looked like their poor edge alignment was because they were putting all their strength into the strikes. There were two varieties I noticed. One where the edge was off on the initial strike. The other was like the pig, where once the blade entered the target and started drifting off, they had no way to control or stop it due to the strength of their blow.
Good video Shad and Tyranth. Really like your fellows commentary. Thanks for the awesome sword content.
My brother and I used to watch Forged In Fire with our parents. Every time it got to those tests when they basically smashed the blades against hard materials, my brother would giggle and say “It’s beautiful delinquency.”
I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean but it sounds like a Clockwork Orange quote
I think the alignment is off on purpose. They're deliberately doing it to create drama for the show. That's my take.
That's certainly a worry when drama increases views
It’s already been revealed that it’s all rigged/scripted
Not being able to trust the reason was enough to turn me off contest shows in general. You never know if they are being honest.
Your commentary is what makes these videos so enjoyable to watch. Don't listen to anyone who says otherwise. Awesome video!!!
Its also exactly what makes them textbook fair use, shame on forged in fire!
Watching you guys talk about safety (or lack thereof) and consistency in these tests, I'm flashing back to watching Mythbusters growing up. I love it
one thing you end up noticing on forged in fire ... the "experts" are often told by production to "cheat" and often that traslates to trash edge alignement
doug "it will keeeaaal" said in an interview that things weren't always on the up and up on the show
Hey Shad is there any Titan Sword updates in the near future? I can’t wait for it to finally come to fruition. It’s going to be AWESOME!
Came for the judgement on F.i.F’s safety standards, stayed for the deep dives into sword construction and testing methods 😆
I really love your long detailed commentary and love all your content!!
I just realized Shad has the exact same edition of "The Art of War & other Classics of eastern Philosophy" as the one I got as a gift from my father.
I've been a fan of you guys for a long time it shows personality
The whole talking thing besides I like knowing about my weapons and what I should do when I have things like such
I could watch this all day
This is the start of Shadiversity's reaction channel arc.
Not really, they had a couple previous videos just like this
I absolutely love watching Forged in Fire because it's truly impressive the skill many of these contestants bring, and I'm immensely fascinated by blacksmithing, knife-making, and sword smithing. As a former member of a small medieval living history organization here in the States, I have done a very tiny, minuscule amount of blacksmithing, specifically forging a more period-accurate nasal bar for a spangenhelm that didn't end up coming out as I wanted, but I desperately want to do more work and learn how to do things properly and l when I can set up my own home forge. That said, I have ALWAYS felt as though the practices and absolute lack of standards (both in terms of safety and consistency) in testing on this show are honestly pretty egregious, as are a great number of the tests they actually conduct. I get certain tests, like the pig carcass - yes, we all know that pig tissue is extremely similar to human tissue so it's a great analog, fair enough. But it cannot be stressed enough that "tests" that repeatedly expose an implement to a task it is not designed to do - cutting barbed wire with an infantry saber, smacking giant blocks of ice with an arming sword, striking a thick log repeatedly with a cane sword, etc., is simply not s relevant test because it's nothing in the wheelhouse of the stresses whatever type of blade the contestants made is designed to deal with. I spent 15 years working for a local parks department and I operated some very powerful machinery. We had a great big lawnmower with three decks, one in the front of the machine, two wing decks that swung down from the sides like an X-Wing locking S-Foils into attack position. This beast had ten blades, four in the front deck and three in each wing, was powered by a turbocharged 4 liter Diesel motor, and was very, very good at cutting a swath of grass 16 feet wide in s single pass at about 17mph. And it cost $125,000. And it is very, very good at cutting a 16-foot swath of grass because that's its thing to do. Heck, it's even really good at mulching leaves. Can it chip up a hefty pile of twigs no thicker than your finger? Yep, even that. I daresay if some poor fool tripped under it, it would probably mostly pull them apart like a rotisserie chicken (wet bone and all) but would this thing jam and stall out of you hit s tree root thicker than your thumb? Absolutely. Chipping up actual branches? No way, that's what we've got the wood chipper for. And even that machine has limits. She'll eat a whole tree that's 30 inches or less in diameter as long as you feed it in properly. I think we even went a bit bigger if we went slower (yes, I am well aware of how bad that sounds...) but sometimes even with smaller stuff, oh geez I'm gonna actually have to say it, aren't I... dry wood didn't go so easily, but wet wood was much better... All childishness aside, even with pieces of equipment as powerful as the chipper or the big 16' mowers, you could only push the intended purpose so for before failure was inevitable.
These are the best!
I'm looking at that third sword strike, thinking it looks like I was taught to cut with a butterfly sword for showing off in demonstrations.
Short, deep blade, angled back, aiming for a glancing slice for maximum wound area rather than depth. Even a slight misalignment could help with soft tissue opening up.
Maybe that particular Sifu was just a bit of a nutter... 🤣
2:32 I thought "criticism and review" was very clear "fair use", and you were clearly doing criticism and review. Are they just not being nice?
Copyright claims are an easy way to silence a video since the video needs to be reviewed and they won’t get ad revenue, the money is just sent to whoever sent the claim in and nothing is done about it.
Comment on the inconsistency of striking angles.
Early on, a few blades were tested in a "Mythbusters" style. A rig was built to test the strike at an absolute angle with full repeatability, etc. Based on the fact that they discontinued those almost as fast as they started using them, I have to assume it wasn't considered "manly enough."
forged in fire got me REEEEELING when i was young. i didnt miss a SINGLE episode.
however after years and years of watching i grew tired of it... i thought it was because i saw so much, but after coming back to it trying to get back that golden feeling (the same we see on shads face walking trough actual castles) i noticed these tests were WRECKING the blade. not testing.
you guys had some fun on the first episode. you got a copyright strike for it.
this was not a smart move from their producers. they should have invited you guys to breathe new life into the show wich it sorely needs.
keep calling them out until they do!!!
i love every second of these video's
3:40 not sure if it's been mentioned but I'm pretty sure the purpose of the rings on that first sword are for spiritual purposes, believing they ward off demons
Many times it almost looks like they are practically slapping the target with the side of the blade inside of the edge.
I never really thought about how they said screw saftey, I guess they assumed people's stuff would hold together given how most blacksmiths on the show have like 10+ years experience.
The clip I thought I was going to see and unless I skipped over it somehow, was one where they hit a pig with the flat side of the sword and bent it like 90s degrees then they smacked the other sword and it actually snapped so the bender won the competition.
I think I've watched that, if you're talking about a test on Scottish Claymores.¹ With the first blade you can actually see that Doug hit the pig at about 45° - not what you call a perfect edge alignment. 😆
His alignment was better for the second blade which cut into the pig and shattered, probably in contact of the spine of the carcass. Therefore the firs contender was allowed to straighten his blade and move on to the next test, cutting into a copper sheet. The judge who executed the test was top notch, he cut the metal for about 20cm without any further bending of the sword.
I was wondering why they didn't repeat the first test but moved on to the next one, but the contester was probably lucky for that because another tester did the test.
¹The first one in following video: _Forged in Fire: _*_10 MORE_*_ CATASTROPHIC WEAPON FAILURES_
Yeah, you knew exactly which one I was thinking of.
I wonder if they watch it back in slowmo and realized the judge botched that swing so they didn't bother with a retry or if they just said screw it, how will it do on the next test since the blade survived the first test
@@stevencolor3389 Yeah, right, but if the second blade didn't shatter or bent they probably disqualified the first guy although it was clearly the fault of the tester. His edge alignment was much better with the second sword.
Sometimes the testers are honest enough to admit their technique wasn't good at certain test, not so here.
@@Spielkalb-von-Sparta Yeah, I am suprised they don't have a machine to do the swinging. IIRC mythbusters frequently used some form of mechanical arm to do these kinds of tests, which allowed for more control over the setup for consistency.
Had they done that they could ensure the same force was used and effective edge alignment on each swing.
10 or more years making knives and shit as a hobby doesn't mean much when you're tasked to make a scottish claymore out of your garage furnace in ~3 days. The amount of time it would take to even make the thing leaves almost no time to actually quality control, and they can't well test it themselves before returning to the set as it breaking during a personal test would basically guarantee a loss due to not having the time to make a new one, assuming they're even _allowed_ to personally test.
They really should have someone else that actually knows how to wield a weapon (because Doug is the closest thing they have, which is sad as he can barely hold anything correctly if it's beyond the size of a large dagger) and wearing proper protective equipment if they're giving backyard blacksmiths less than a week to make these large and intricate weapons that could very easily have a chunk of it explode into a cloud of shrapnel on impact when made poorly.
7:10
When you've only got one swordsman left and the RTS objective is "Destroy the enemy water supplies"
22:52 if you actualy take a moment to look closely the smartest of the judges is putting the other judge between him and the test LOL
At 9:47, it looks as the the guard twists, indicating that the blade is not tight in the handle perhaps, as the wielder hits the corner of a stone, deflecting the angle of strike.
More. I always new there was something wrong, but I was distracted by the weird pronunciation of ‘keeel’
Shad, Tyranth, I believe they copyright your videos because they don’t like the fact that you’re smarter than them in every single way and better at doing their jobs than they are. No one likes being told they suck at their job.
But FIF sucks as an educational medium and I feel it lacks substance because of their lack of standardized testing for the weapons/tools being created and tested.
Tyranth and Shad, you guys are my “Forged in Fire”. I value your knowledge and professional opinions way more than the quacks on their show. You give real time and logical explanation to why things work, why things don’t, and splash a healthy amount of satire in to make it entertaining. Yall are the MVPs
Thanks for this series, I love it guys!
I like to try and watch these early before the copyright comes in and steals all the subsequent revenue.
Entertainment/tv value is always taking away from accuracy and doing the thing properly. Thnaks for the commentary, as always: entertaining and educational at the same time :)
3:16 fighting with flaming swords, without hand, face or eye protection. Definitely double standards when critiquing others on safety.
I don't take these guys seriously
You clearly didn't watch the beginning. If you want to be stupid in your own backyard go ahead. They aren't a company with other people's safety on the line.
@@Inaktha But they are a channel that thousands of young people watch, and take notes from. I don't mind them doing it. I mind them being petty about other people doing the same.
Obviously FiF would be shut down if they didn't employ a degree of safety standards. And a lot of it is edited so it's more dramatic with sound effects and slomo reshots.
@@misterlobsterman You know I'll concede on that note. I realize my brain skipped that part of what they said as well so thank you.
My literal only counterpoint, which could still be wrong since I've only seen a few of their videos now, is that I'm not too quick to take a few seconds clip and paint it in a way thats convenient to support my current thought.
So while I'm not dismissing what they did, I'm also not going to damn them for a few seconds when there is a whole video or more to what they were showing and probably explains why they chose to do that demonstration that way. Who knows if they took additional safety measures? We from this video only have a few seconds to go on.
I'll try to find the video and assess myself, but I'm working so I'll do it when I can.
I don't think this is a very fair critique to be honest. All of the things in that montage are choreographed movements and not stress test on blades. It's important to be geared up when things might break, but there is such a thing as showing off without needing to be fully geared up.
And yet, one of the consistant camera shots on the show is the contestants putting on flimsy plastic safety glasses, before the blades are tested. Like, Hey! Look how safe I'm being!
I've been thinking about this since the very first episode I ever saw. Glad you guys are on the same page
I love ALL Shadiversity videos!!!! ❤
I wish they would also test the example weapon they show at the start to see if they are well made or just look good.
9:17
"1101-1816 is the item number on this one..." I think you all know the final words of that one 🤣
I love these videos, because they show how brutal medieval battles really were.
Awesome Video Guys! I like these!
I've always hated that they don't seem to understand edge alignment on Forged in Fire. I've also always thought the tests should be specific to the weapon and what that weapon would have been used for. You would use a long sword to break stone.
10:27 A few years ago I wanted to get rid of some ice on the ground outside my parents home. They are elderly and dad was a bit crippled at the time, making it hard for dad to get out due to the ice. So I found this big, thick iron rod that's used to open holes in the ground. I took it and swung the entire thing against the ice... I had to get bandaged immediately, the vibrations were just brutal against my hands.
That must have sucked. Did you hurt your wrists and bones?
@@davidgruzin8269 Nothing serious, but my hands really weren't happy. In retrospect, I could probably have figured out that would happen if I wasn't so impulsive, so I guess in the end it was a positive experience of sorts: Now I know not to do it again.
"This is a free world."
> Lives in Australia
Australia seems pretty free to me (for Europeans)
Free as can be
@@maasbekooy901 No guns, massive surveillance society, bunch of nanny state nonsense, restrictions on self defense? Seems the opposite of free to me, but you do you.
I would love reaction videos to various forging channels, because I think that a lot of forging channels deserve more love. For example, 'shurap' made a Damascus blade called 'Spirit of Fire' which was made using an electro-erosive machine to cut a stylized sun shape into the blank. Or Tyrell Knifework who made a copper damascus katana. Or Alec Steele's titanium forging videos.
If you ever do bad sword fights again, do the end fight between Blade and Deacon Frost in the first Blade movie.
YES! I was hoping for another of these ones! I only watched the first one like 2 days ago.
Hey Shad and Tyranth! I won Season 5 Episode 8, and I can tell you with my experience that there are no barriers whatsoever, but they generally try to have the force of a blow in a direction where no one is place. Kind of like a 180 degree space where no one can get hit, but obviously that doesn't help with ricochets and spall, so they definitely need to redo their safety procedure. I was also on Knife or Death season 2 episode 1, and the spin off has MUCH better safety procedures, including barriers and armor
Going 100% is how you test KNIVES. Swords require more technique than brute force. I may be wrong, but I believe knives are what the judges got their experience.
Enjoyed this and agree with your findings,thank you both.
About the breakage in the tang in any case it is a common breakage point but aside from tempering the issue is often that the connection between the tang and the blade is at a sharp 90 deg intruducing a good amount of curveture to that transition reduces the stress on that area by miles (or rather megapascals/gigapascals)
Ive been a long time viewer here, since Shad's solo days on the channel, and Ive always been here for the rabmles and commentary because nobody else will give the extra attention to detail. As much as I love Tyranth and where the channel is now, i also miss the nerdy, Shad on his throne, full bore in-depth discussions about one topic. Keep up the great work guys!
22:20 But Hollywood thought us that the cameraman is invincible!
You should be a judge, send them a letter or email. That will be interesting.. I still love the show even with all the nonsense
Lol, wow there are so many points that you guys bring up that ive not considered, or at the very least wondered why they haven't, particularly in terms of safety, but also, the sloppy strikes due to the amount of aggression and lack of control, well done gentlemen 👍👍
I kenjutsu we only use the flat ir spine in a parry or a block, and that very rarely. Swords generally don't contact at all, a good polish takes time and is expensive.
one thing I noticed about a lot of the pig tests they were doing is they were swinging swords with curved blades but their impact point was nearly at the hilt of the weapon. The entire concept of a curved blade is that it generates the most cutting power and force at the apex of the curve, similar to an axe. I get that they are trying to test non-ideal conditions, but I think that striking at such a poor point also contributes to the issues they have with edge alignment.
I would enjoy a commentary by you guys watching through certain episodes of Forged in Fire that you find interesting.
oh it's pretty cool. I didn't know forged in fire exists until your last video, been binging their seasons good. it's fun as hell
I prefer when you do talk about it. Commentary like yours shows that you know what you're talking about. It's obviously more effort than watching a video and going "Ooh!"
You indeed went all out to break the handle of that sword. You even closed your eyes before the impact 😜
yay! glad you brought this back. Also consider the spin off show Knife or Death.
10:30 Have a look how differently they use single vs two handed weapons, they put A LOT more force into single handers to the point it looks like they produce deeper cuts. To me it feels like they have very little experience using two handed swords actually.
Also farely few swords have any distal taper, making them more akin to sword like objects than a well made sword.
it would've been really cool if while talking about the stress test survivor swords you would show and mention which swords of yours endured the steel bar.
This show:
Eet weel _keel_ ...your blade.
Dash Rendar did a part 2 to a comparison to medieval war bow Vs compound, since the original was Vs 70lber. This time he got hold of 100 lb compound bow and custom 1800 grain modern tech arrow to match the bow.... It's strut it stuff vs the medieval and shows Archery tech is still advancing, that arrow/bow was... impressive!
27:55 Speaking of sword cutting rig, if there's one point I'm concerned about your safety, it's when you use that thing. And especially when it doesn't work as intended (which was quite often early on, as you were still figuring it out).
That first hit with the ringed Dao, he's also hitting really close to the handle for that weapon. It still suggests flaws in the blade to snap how it does, but that hit will induce torque into the blade.
This is a great idea! I would love to see more content about forged in fire.
--17:40... how can he not break his wrist doing that.!. That looks horribly painful.!