Sword Preview - Darksword Two-Handed Gothic Sword Review

The Darksword Two Handed Gothic Sword (1332)
Reviewed and tested by
Jason Ryan (Owner of AoV) and Jamie Thompson (War of the Roses Re-enactor UK)

Forward:

In October 2007 Arms of Valor, Ltd. became the exclusive US retailer for Darksword Armory. As the first large shipment arrived I (like a kid on Christmas) had to see each of the new swords and feel how they handled and performed. One of the swords I fell in love with immediately was the Two Hand Gothic Sword. I knew right away that it was one that I wanted to own.

Over the last year or so I have seen many debates about how well historically swords held up in battle. How well did they handle the impact of inadvertent blows to a steel-rimmed shields or a blow against plate armor? Since the Gothic Sword was designed to be used against armor "This sword was very popular in Germany during the mid to late 15th century" a time when plate armor was prevalent on the battlefield. I thought it only fitting to use this sword for a test that I have wanted to accomplish for a long time.

The Test:

The purpose of the test is to see how well the DS Two Handed Gothic Sword would survive a solid cut and a thrust against plate armor and secondly how much damage would it do to the armor. The armor used for the test was a 17-gauge chest and back plate. The Gothic Sword was sharpened using the AoV sharpening service. Leading up to the plate armor test a water bottle was cut to demonstrate the sharpness. Sharpness, not a problem.

The Results:

The first cut to the mid section of the breast plate was rendered with all my strength using my hips and arms. The Gothic put a nice crease in the steel and had no edge damage.

Next was the thrust test, which was given with all my strength in the center of the breastplate. The penetration was about 1-1/2 inches and minor damage was done to the tip. The damage was easily filed out and I put a slightly rounded (stronger tip) on the reformed tip. See video for results of the new tip (no further damage after that).

After the cut and the thrust test I performed a hard flex test. It returned to true with ample spring. So what you have here is a sword that is stiff enough to puncture 17 gauge steel yet still flexes like a bow and returns to true!

The final test was the chainmail cut. The sword cut through the chainmail like butter and imbedded it deep into the tree. I would have hated to be wearing it. Not a scratch on the blade.

Now that the “official” testing was complete I decided to have some fun with the sword and the armor (poor armor). Watch the video for those results.

Above - Click for a Video Demonstration of the DSA Two-Handed Gothic's
Sword Strength, Sword Cutting, and Blade Durability.