Rangers are a fantasy character ‘archetype,’ idealized warriors who fight with honor 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, 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: 51″
Blade length: 40″
Blade width at base: 2″
Point of Balance: 3″ from the guard
Weight: 3 lbs. 8 oz.
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!
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.
Steven (verified owner) –
From the moment I saw this sword on this site it caught my eye and stood out as one of the nicer ones to me, needless to say I jumped at the chance to order it and once it arrived I just have to say the that pictures on here are nice but do not do it justice.
Right out of the box it is incredibly pleasing to the eye.
The weight and over all feel is perfect and feels to me what a sword should feel like, it felt well balanced not to heavy and not to light. The grip fits two hands perfectly but feels light enough to use one handed and works well. The leather wrapping on the handle is very well done and feels good in the hands. The blade is beautiful and no flaws to it that I could tell, I’m no expert on swords here but it just seemed very well made very solid. At the time I ordered it the description said that the blade was 34” but when it shipped it measured at 40” that was a bit long for my taste but still very beautiful. I informed DSA of that and they proved how fantastic not only their works of art are but their customer service and over all communication with me was equally great, they took it back and put a 34” blade on it for me and receiving it for the second time was like the first time all over again. The 34” blade is beautifully done as is everything else from pommel to tip of the blade. DSA really shows they care for their customers. This sword is easily 5 stars.
Greg –
First off, this sword is beautifully crafted, the sheath is well made, and it handles extremely well IF USING TWO HANDS. I’m not giving this sword five stars for a couple of reasons. First, there appears to have been some mix up with the specs and I thought I was buying 34” blade, hand and half sword…this is NOT a hand and a half sword, it’s a two handed sword with a 39” blade. This picture on DSA’s site and their distributors I bought it from certainly appears to be that of a hand and a half sword however the specs posted seem to differ by website and even reviewers here are giving different measurements (i.e. Steve’s review from 5/2017). Not sure if the specs were changed along the way, but I was wanting a long sword not a two-handed sword. Second nit pick is the scabbard. It’s a nice scabbard, but WHY is DSA putting on this leather flap that covers and hides their beautiful cross piece work?! I’m guessing it’s because they have a generic sheath and want it to fit many different models instead of making a sheath that fits/matches a particular swords cross piece style. DSA, I’d pay more for a sword/sheath combo with a sheath that matches the sword and shows off your EXCELLENT metal craftsmanship.
So that’s my two cents on this fine sword. I’m keeping it for a two-handed sword because it’s too nice to send back, but wanted others to realize there is apparently variations of this model out there so double check before you hit buy on which you are getting.
Eyal Azerad –
Hi Greg,
Sorry about the inconvenience. To answer your question, yes, we have made changes to this design over the last couple of years. If you compare it to one purchased in 2017 it will be a different sword (shorter grip,shorter blade, less refined guard). When ordering from us please look at the specs on our website. We don’t monitor what other people place as specs on their website. Other retailers might have an old stock lying around and therefore use the older specs for example.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you.
Steven