Hello everyone, today I got my first custom sword- from Darkwood Armory- in the mail.
It is the same style of hilt that is reviewed here http://www.myArmoury.com/review_dw_papp.html with a few minor changes to the pommel, quillons, and handle.

I ordered this sword with a sharpened blade- since this is my first custom piece I wanted something that was "real". The blade is only 32" long, which I guess is short for a rapier like this, but I am more familiar with shorter weapons. Its thin, pointy, and is somewhere between stiff and flexible without being too much of either. One of the first things I did after inspecting the sword was to put lots of little slit-shaped holes and short, shallow cuts in the box it shipped in... and I really enjoy the speed and balance that Darkwood built this thing with.

The hilt itself is, in terms of finish, rough and gritty. I ordered it with the munitions-grade finish, so this wasn't unexpected. The welds are smoothed out but not cleaned up, the corners on the stock used to make the hilt bars are not completely rounded away, and the darkening on the steel is somewhat uneven. To me this is a plus; I like how this sword cannot possibly be mistaken for anything other than a weapon, and certainly isn't a "sword-like art object". The shells and bars are very solidly put together. I don't know how traditional this is but on a longer weapon I want a guard and pommel that can be used to strike at extremely close quarters, and this hilt seems to be more than sturdy enough to do that with. Of course I have yet to test that extensively, but it certainly "feels" right.

Thats another reason why I think a rougher finish is better for a weapon like this- its probably going to pick up a few scratches and dents as I practice. Having never ordered a custom sword before, I was irrationally nervous, but Darkwood really did a nice job on this one.

Any Chance you can post some photos?