Rangers are a fantasy character ‘archetype,’ idealized warriors who fight with honour and have a deep and abiding respect for nature. From Strider and the Dunedain Rangers in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings novels to Drizzt Do’Urden in the Forgotten Realms books, Rangers are one of the most popular characters in fantasy fiction and role-playing games. Frequently depicted as the “lone warrior” character fighting in the shadows against evil, Rangers fight with sword, knife and bow, and are talented in all manner of wilderness and tracking skills. Friend of elves and other mystical creatures, they have a tendency to wander the land alone in search of injustice. Hence the name of this Ranger-inspired weapon, ‘The Nomad.’
A weapon well-suited to a transient lifestyle, the Nomad is a hand and a half sword with superb balance – the POB at 1.3″ makes it feel alive in the hands, appropriate for a warrior who prefers striking fast from the shadows and then fading into them once more. The guard has a stylized leaf emblem at the base of the blade, perhaps a sign of elvish work or inspiration.
Specifications
5160 High Carbon Steel, Tempered to a Rockwell of 60 at the Edge; 48-50 at the core.
Guard and pommel: Mild Steel
Total length: 45″
Blade length: 34″
Blade width at base: 2″
Point of Balance: 3″ from the guard
Weight: 3 lbs. 8 oz.
Construction: Threaded/Peened
Steven Winnett – :
The Nomad was picked up on sale from DSA sharp, with scabbard. What a wonderful little surprise it is! It had damage to a tip on the guard which was easily fixed with a file and balanced on the corresponding tip. It differs significantly from the description on the site but these differences are great as far as I am concerned! A well thought out upgrade in my opinion. The blade is 34″ long rather than 30″. The blade is not fullered and the POB is 3″ from the hilt rather than 1″ as described. May be subjective, but all of these variations seem, I believe, beneficial for this particular sword. This is an EXTREMELY agile sword with excellent dynamics. It has an amazing balance between cut and thrust with the blade pivot point out at the tip which keeps the tip trained on the target when changing angles for thrusts but the percussion point in a nice meaty part of the blade to deliver heavy cuts. The handle point of percussion is on the heel of the hand when holding the blade close to the hilt minimizing vibration on target contact. The lines are nice and straight and a magnet check reveals a good tang profile. The width of the hilt is 8.25″ and the handle is 11″ long to the top of the cross guard. The sharpening was done very well, the blade is 2″ wide at the base and the peen is finished very well on the block. The leaf piece in the middle of the guard provides an excellent, “grippy”, forward resting place for the thumb when using a flat grip on the sword. This sword was an amazing surprise and one of the best balanced swords I have held yet. Great work team DSA!
The Nomad was picked up on sale from DSA sharp, with scabbard. What a wonderful little surprise it is! It had damage to a tip on the guard which was easily fixed with a file and balanced on the corresponding tip. It differs significantly from the description on the site but these differences are great as far as I am concerned! A well thought out upgrade in my opinion. The blade is 34″ long rather than 30″. The blade is not fullered and the POB is 3″ from the hilt rather than 1″ as described. May be subjective, but all of these variations seem, I believe, beneficial for this particular sword. This is an EXTREMELY agile sword with excellent dynamics. It has an amazing balance between cut and thrust with the blade pivot point out at the tip which keeps the tip trained on the target when changing angles for thrusts but the percussion point in a nice meaty part of the blade to deliver heavy cuts. The handle point of percussion is on the heel of the hand when holding the blade close to the hilt minimizing vibration on target contact. The lines are nice and straight and a magnet check reveals a good tang profile. The width of the hilt is 8.25″ and the handle is 11″ long to the top of the cross guard. The sharpening was done very well, the blade is 2″ wide at the base and the peen is finished very well on the block. The leaf piece in the middle of the guard provides an excellent, “grippy”, forward resting place for the thumb when using a flat grip on the sword. This sword was an amazing surprise and one of the best balanced swords I have held yet. Great work team DSA!
Sir Robin Steal (verified owner) – :
As usual DSA does it again. Really a nice example of craftsmanship. There is not much I can add to what the first reviewer, Steven, wrote so eloquently about the Nomad. The picture seems to be of a earlier version only in that it makes the handle look shorter than it really is and no problem at all. What is really super impressive when seeing the Nomad in person is the mirror finish on the blade… It’ just like in the picture. It quite literally is jaw dropping and outside with the Sun high in the sky it can catch the Sunlight and glint off when taking swings, cuts and thrusts. I imagine a un-sharpened version would really look totally bad assed if used in a stage production with all the stage spotlights and such. Definately worth adding to a collection.
As usual DSA does it again. Really a nice example of craftsmanship. There is not much I can add to what the first reviewer, Steven, wrote so eloquently about the Nomad. The picture seems to be of a earlier version only in that it makes the handle look shorter than it really is and no problem at all. What is really super impressive when seeing the Nomad in person is the mirror finish on the blade… It’ just like in the picture. It quite literally is jaw dropping and outside with the Sun high in the sky it can catch the Sunlight and glint off when taking swings, cuts and thrusts. I imagine a un-sharpened version would really look totally bad assed if used in a stage production with all the stage spotlights and such. Definately worth adding to a collection.