Comments on: The Sovereign 15th C. Renaissance Sword (#1322)

By: fjamesknight

fjamesknight — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 22:59:50 +0000

I wasn’t planning to leave a review, it’s just not my thing really. But after a year and a bit of having the sword (I got it late August 2022) I decided I might as well. They were kind enough to upgrade the scabbard I ordered to one with an interlaced belt due to an issue with their stock, which I appreciate.

I’m going to break this up into three sections, problems, suggestions, and things I like but someone else might not.

Issues
The bronze crossguard guard has three significant holes in the casting, on the same side around the edges of the decoration. It also has decorations on the ends of the crossguard, one side is good the other is a bit mangled.

The pommel doesn’t even come close to fitting the grip as well as you see in the pictures, on mine the grip overhangs the pommel by 3.5-4mm (5/32″) or so on either side.

This is entirely personal preference, but I’m not a big fan of the black stuff in the crevices, especially not around the crossguard decoration.

Suggestions
I know full well nothing I suggest is going to happen, redoing the molds is just not practical but I’m going to say it anyway.

The decoration on the crossguard is thicker than it needs to be, its ~5mm (13/64″ – a little less than 1/4″) deep, and I suspect the depth and how sharply the design jumps off the crossguard is the reason mine has holes in the casting. I’d suggest cutting it down to about 2 mm deep. I do have a second reason for suggesting this, the size of the decoration makes it difficult and uncomfortable to try and put your finger over the guard. Which is a thing they started doing in the 15th century! I’m not just complaining for the sake of it!

The pommel does not fit the grip, I have no idea if mine just has an exceptionally poor fit, but as I said above there is a significant overhang where the grip meets the pommel. I’d suggest reworking the grip design to better fit the pommel, or (I assume this one is the most unlikely to be acknowledged, they seem rather proud of the pommel in the description) to use an entirely different pommel design that fits into the grip better. The fishtail on your Two Handed Gothic Sword looks nice.

Things that I like
The blade is definitely hand done. It’s got a lot of ripples and does not have a symmetrical grind. One side, toward the end, actually has a visible dip that runs from the last third to the end, it’s tiny but you can see it and it makes the point noticeably asymmetrical.

It is not sharp. I ordered it sharpened because, it’s a sword, if you don’t have a specific reason to leave it unsharpened then why would you? But there is no part of that blade that I could cut myself on unless I REALLY tried. Which in my case is a good thing, Knight might be my name but competent swordsman I am not. I’d have hurt myself by now if it was sharp lol. It’s pointy as hell though.

Overall I do like it, but I would like it more if the pommel fit better and the crossguard didn’t have as many problems.

By: Anna-Marie

Anna-Marie — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 18:54:44 +0000

Outstanding quality, excellent balance and makes the perfect gift. Looks even better in person!

By: Kai

Kai — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 15:16:36 +0000

The Sovereign is an eye catcher. I will say the pictures I saw before receiving ours didnt do it justice. 100% stunner. While DSA lists the sword as an arming sword, it handles a bit closer to a bastard sword. Still very useable in one hand but wont stop on a dime like other one handed swords. But the grip is long enough to get two handed cuts in and with both hands on, this sword is wicked fast.

Teaching HEMA and cutting to students, my smaller/shorter and female students all wanted to buy this sword from me right away. Even though most of them were studying longsword and the Sovereign is far shorter than their usual, they felt more at home with the point of balance, length, and overall size.

In the time we tested the Sovereign, we cut through over 100 bottles of different sizes and shapes. So long as you do your part with edge alignment, it will go through everything. Even thicker, less forgiving bottles.

I also did some light torture testing on hard wood and the Sov to this day is still shiny and without bends or burs in the edge.

Check out my full review of the sword here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv9alXRC8bc&t=200s

By: Gregory Yandl

Gregory Yandl — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 18:01:26 +0000

Love the sword! Beautifully made and historically grounded. My video review is here: https://youtu.be/YB5SYuZZjiE

By: ATTICUS

ATTICUS — Fri, 28 May 2021 02:31:17 +0000

Brilliant sword, shipped at lightning pace for me. No wiggle in the fittings or fraying in the leather after a few days of very consistent handling. My only point is to recommend using a glove on your dominant hand since the beautiful floral designs can dig into your hand during tight maneuvers.

By: William James Beningfield

William James Beningfield — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 04:55:26 +0000

I received my Sovereign about a month ago ,and this is the sixth weapon I I ordered from DA. (5 swords and 1 dagger). when I opened the package I was most pleased , the fit and finish was what I expected . I have now had a good few weeks with it and it makes a welcome change form the 2h swords I already have , light enough for single h use and with the longer handle super easy to use with both hands . The bronze fittings are excellent well made and add a certain amount of classiness I highly recommend this sword for its looks and functionality thank you again Dark sword and keep up the good work

By: Charles

Charles — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 17:28:51 +0000

I purchased the Sovereign a couple of months back, and I wanted to make sure any review I wrote would not be biased by the blissful feeling of a new purchase. Now that I have had time to not only perform some test cuts, but also get used to it on display in my home, I must say that I am exceedingly satisfied with my purchase.
The Sovereign’s design manages to accomplish the task I have always sought but seldom found: being historically plausible yet uniquely designed. Aesthetically speaking, this sword is striking. It has received numerous complements on its combination of class and functionality, even from those with no previous interest in medieval swords. My girlfriend’s description was “masculine yet elegant”. Many original designs end up gaudy, while many direct historical replicas lack personality. The Sovereign has personality, yet doesn’t push its individuality so far as to become overpowering. This sword has a subtle and respectable yet highly artistic design.
Design is nothing without proper construction, however, and so cutting tests were done to see how this beauty performed. The construction felt solid before, during, and after the cuts. The blade, while incredibly light and quick, still manages to instill confidence and give the feel of an intimidating and forceful tool for combat.
As for the team at Darksword, I couldn’t be more satisfied with their service. I exchanged emails, curious about the timeline for construction/delivery, and they kept a running dialogue with me the entire time. Although it was my first purchase from the company, I felt that my individual needs and concerns were being addressed by people who legitimately care about their products and customers. I am not used to that.
The only downside to this purchase is that I now find myself browsing the Darksword Armory site looking for possible future purchases. The Sovereign was bought for a very specific and personal reason, and I hadn’t planned on starting a collection, but such is life.