Darksword Armoury Norman Sword Review

Sometime around 2003-2004, Darksword Armoury started getting bad reviews by two members on Sword Forum International, one of whom purchased a $35 dagger made by one of their apprentices and sold on ebay, and the other - who have never actually purchased a sword from them...

I'll let Eyal from Darksword pick up the rest of the story...

"Their comments resulted in a 'snowball' effect on SFI, resulting in about 20 different posts. We obviously took the reviews very seriously and took appropriate steps to find the source of the reviews, the reason behind them, and to correct the problem. After several days of research we found that the second author was actually a competitor of ours, also located in Montreal. The review was written after we received our first order from the ARMA (Association of Renaissance Martial Arts), who had initially ordered their swords from our competitor, but after an ARMA member purchased one of our swords, the group decided to switch over. His reviews were specifically intended to curb our activities (but failed)."

Unfortunately, these negative comments and general 'Darksword bashing' on SFI caused many people to avoid them. However, all that has changed because of SBG - and in this review by regular SBG contributor, Daniel D, as well as my own tests and those conduced by Jason Woodard - we have discovered that anyone who has bought into the Darksword bashing... Is missing out on some very special swords indeed...

Darksword Armoury Norman Sword

The Darksword Norman sword is based on weapons typically carried by Norman invaders during their assaults on Briton and the Anglo-Saxons, as well as during other periods in history. It looks like the "classic" Medieval sword - round pommel, straight guard, leather-wrapped handle.

It appears so "normal" that it almost escapes one's notice when looking through Darksword's offerings on their site (or here at the SBG Sword Store). Perhaps this is why it is also a sword that I have spent many hours looking at in pictures and searching in vain for reviews on - it is the very archetype of the long sword, right down to the details.

Since the weapons I currently own - 1 Masahiro, 2 Generation 2's, 2 Windlass, and 'half' a Deepeeka - are all very unique in their own way, I had been wanting a sword that would jump out at you with its simple beauty. I knew little about Darksword Armoury except that they had a poor reputation, although no one seemed to know why.

When I heard that Paul was in the middle of his destructive tests with the Norman's sister blade - the Knight's sword - I knew that it was time to take a chance on the Norman.

The sword arrived promptly, double-wrapped in newspaper and plastic with good amounts of bubble-wrap on the hilt and handle. A few minutes of knife-work and I held the Darksword Norman in my hands.

The first thing that struck me was the overall package - it is one very attractive sword. Having handled a few different brands I immediately noticed a few things - while there were some cosmetic scratches on the surface of the blade, the fuller was straight and even, the balance good, the leatherwork perfect. Hammer marks were visible on the blade, and while in some cases that can detract from the finish in this case it seemed to add to it. It felt very comfortable in both a cut and a thrust, more so than Windlass or Generation 2 swords of similar length. Without a word of exaggeration, the temper and flex of the blade was the best I’d ever seen.

"It made me glance at the price in wonder more than once - here was the first sword I held that felt like it came from the far past instead of a modern-day forge..."

Here are some numbers:

THE BLADE

The blade is sturdy with a hint of flex. As mentioned before, it was very well-tempered - and even though it was unsharpened, the tip was wickedly sharp. While there are numerous surface scratches, many of these went away with a quick polish – and the rest just add to this product’s appearance as an 'authentic' historical sword.

However, since some people hope to have their swords arrive with a perfect mirror polish (as historically inaccurate as it may be!). EDITORS NOTE: In response to feedback like this, the most recent batches of Darksword blades all have a much higher level of polish than previous models!

THE HILT

The hilt is a nice-looking plain fighting sword hilt upon first glance. It extends from the blade in two octagonal rods, ending with a decorative groove approximately 1/4 inch from the end. It mates with the blade very well, with no looseness as a Windlass hilt of this design sometimes has. It is one of the biggest attractions for me on this sword; in its simplicity it holds your attention. It is a very functional design, and I have to admit that I like it a great deal.

THE POMMEL

The large pommel looks like it could be a formidable weapon in its own right - a blow from it to the head would put anyone down. There are visible grind marks, but none too garish to ruin the overall appeal.

It is a classic design that would look home on any Medieval sword, but brings appealing attention to this historical blade.

THE SCABBARD

As Paul has addressed Darksword Armories Scabbards in another review, I won't add much here except to say that when it arrived it had some surface-level rust on one side of the throat.

This would be easily removed with some elbow grease, and as Darksword has stated that they are looking into some new scabbard designs it won't affect the overall score for this product. EDITORS NOTE: Again - the current batch of DSA swords have greatly improved scabbards - talk about a responsive company!

THE HANDLE

The handle has the best leather detailing that I've seen on a sword at this price point. The raisers underneath provide some comfort, and the sword is balanced enough that it doesn't want for a longer handle. It fits nicely into the palm of the hand, grips well, and even in a smaller hand like mine doesn't feel too large.

TESTING

Paul did an extremely good job of showing what this sword can do if sharpened. While I intend to sharpen the Norman, I thought it would be good to put it to the test in steel-on-steel with a dull edge (the 1.4mm edge that Darksword ships their weapons with), similar to what it would experience in a re-enactment environment.

Handling

This sword handles very well. With a point of balance at about 5" from the guard it is definitely a sword that wants to chop. But there is enough point control that it would make a mean thruster. It wouldn't be suitable for fencing, but you certainly won't have any difficulty telling this one where to go. Simply put, this sword flows, and would be a quick and vicious weapon in the hands of a skilled fighter.

Edge Test: Re-enactment

Without anyone else to help me, I decided to test the edge like this:

Holding the Norman steady, I allowed another blunt blade that I owned fall from approximately 8 inches to hit edge-to-edge, just to get a feel for impact. They clinked together lightly with a pleasant sound. No damage.

Holding both blade apart, I attempted to recreate an appropriate angle if I were cutting diagonally downward with the other blade in the way. I impacted lightly at first, then increased the strength until I was making some heavy blows. After a minute or so of this, I then put the Norman down and examined the other blunt blade.

The Norman's superior weight and heft had literally chewed big chunks out of the opposing blade (a slightly softer sword also with a 1-2mm blunt edge). I was shocked at the damage. There was also a noticeable bend in the blunt blade that I had used for the test. I had a slightly sick feeling in my stomach as I began examining the blade of the Norman for damage.

A generic re-enactment sword (left) vs the Darksword Armoury Blade (right)...

There was no noticeable damage to the Norman, not even a scratch. In fact, I couldn't tell where on the blade edge the impacts had taken place, and examined the Norman for several minutes before I concluded that my test of the blunt edge had proved its durability. I can foresee no issues with this particular model being used in heavy duty re-enactment with the factory edge. And from what I could tell from the flex test I did (and the flex test that Paul did of the Norman's sister sword, the Knightly sword), this was one blade for which the hardness and stiffness did not come at the expense of integrity.

It would be flexible enough to withstand the rigors of combat yet hard enough to hold a great edge.

CONCLUSION

When I started collecting swords, I would have thought that one like this would have been out of my league.

For the price, I don't see how you could get one better.

If you're going to have one Classic Medieval sword in your collection, make it this one.

PROS

• Extremely durable sword with solid, peened assembly

• Attractive fittings and overall appearance

• Superior heat treatment

• Great handling, despite it's weight

• Comes unsharpened, but a sharpening option is available for an additional $25)

WHERE TO BUY

The Norman Sword Normally Sells at Darksword for $275 plus around $35 shipping) for a total amount of around $310.

However, you can get the latest model shipped FREE in the USA and Canada here at the SBG Sword Store for just US$259.99!

I hope this review of the Darksword Armoury Norman Sword has been helpful. To return to Affordable Replicas of Medieval Swords from Darksword Armoury Norman Sword Review, click here