Response to Shadiversity: Don't Get SCAMMED when buying a sword!

[@shadiversity]

Great reaction Matt, I loved your additional commentary and insights. Cheers!

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Glad you liked it. Appreciate you commenting too. I will take it as being ok to keep up.

[@chasesmith3655]

Respect.

[@AEsir_Goji]

48:20 Just to add here, Skallagrim was the one who gave him that longsword. So he'd be the one to ask regarding price at the time. If he remembers that is. Or it might be in his review of it.

[@kevinc3751]

FWIW I’m certainly glad you had such a terrible first sword that led you to start your channel. Bar none yours is the best quality value added sword review channel. Some others do a great job and also entertain (personally I wouldn’t include Shad on that list), but your objective and thorough reviews are the best imo

[@michaelrs8010]

Obviously this type of transformative programming with commentary is covered under KZbin guidelines and federal regulations regarding Fair Use.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

It might be legal but I can see how it is irritating to have someone repost your video. If it is a bother I’ll take it down. Or maybe redo it and put in smaller bits. The editing is harder to do and the audience does not get shads point.

[@Waldemarvonanhalt]

Collecting swords as a financial investment, even if you're only buying the most expensive genuine historical articles, is a terrible idea.

[@Cerberusarms]

They're arguing that someone who doesn't know anything about swords won't appreciate the quality differences in an expensive sword vs a cheap one. This isn't really an issue because no one is going to spend $1,700 on a katana if they don't care about the quality difference. The "average consumer" isn't going to take a $1000 sword and start bashing it against hard targets and complain that it gets damaged. What is worth it to you is going to depend on so much more than how durable a sword is. How much money you make, personal preference, what you intend to use it for. This sort of black and white thinking is very counter intuitive to studying any type of martial art. I do appreciate that Shad is being quite level headed in this one, meanwhile his channel partner is visibly frustrated that someone has a different opinion than him.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

More than a decade ago I did almost that. Bought a Hanwei Praying Mantis L6 katana. It was my first "nice" katana and when I got it in hand, I was almost instantly filled with regret. I did not like the feeling. The shape did not work well for iaido. I did not know it at the time but the blade also damaged easily. I had collected swords prior to that but was not very involved in the community apart from martial arts. I thought I knew what to buy. I tried to research. Still ended up with a sword that was not for me. It was not a bad sword, just not one that was for me. I think judging a sword solely by how much abuse it can take is probably not the right approach for most sword customers.

[@Cerberusarms]

@ Totally, each sword is so different and people won’t actually know what they prefer until they’re bought several swords. Swords more than anything are based on personal preference but the long haired guy gets visibly frustrated that Shad doesn’t agree with every little thing he says. He straight up says he can’t tell the difference which says much more about him than it does the swords. They hate on katanas because they break when bashed against hard targets but they’d never dare do the same torture tests with an Albion or Lockwood sword because they know they’d break too. Instead they find the thickest club of a European sword that’s so thick it has to have a double bevel edge and use that as a blanket comparison for durability. Thats like comparing a hammer to a scalpel and basing their entire worth on pure durability. The most disingenuous clown shit I’ve seen from the sword community thus far.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

My brain read that as "dangerous clow shit" then I got a mental picture... now it is stuck in my head.

[@notsans9995]

This is why i like dragon king, although theyre blades arent particularly special, they put allot of effort in coming up with original koshirae that tends to be much crisper and nicer looking than most of their competitors in the same price range because they were designed in house

[@MakoSDV]

I watched the Shadiversity video previously. I think I understood the points they were trying to make, but I don't think they presented it as well as they could have. I feel they should have scripted the video more before they started filming so the message was more clear. I really appreciate Matt's additional insight and experience with this topic. Thanks for making a response to this.

[@JoeSteel1]

Wow, that was long. reached the end... great commentary...

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Yeah, that one went on for a while.. You know I like to talk.

[@Waldemarvonanhalt]

The blurry castings are as a result of "stacking tolerances" of making copies of dyes that copied a dye that copied a dye...You get the picture. The best quality tsuba would probably be made from lost-wax casting based on a high detail master model. Also, casting stuff out of Zamak really isn't great if it's meant to be the hand guard on a sword. I think LK Chen has used injection molded stainless steel for the guards on his Japanese-inspired Chinese swords, as well as for the guard of his Munich town guard sword, which is definitely more durable and can offer high fidelity.

[@Blindy_Sama]

I did enjoy shad's video so I want to see where this goes from Mr Jensen. Both put out content that I really enjoy and have influence some of my purchases and reviews.

[@Blindy_Sama]

I have a fun idea aesthetically for a katana but I feel like getting the fittings made would cost me a fortune whereas honestly the rest of the sword wouldn't cost me a whole lot

[@stefthorman8548]

"they feel the same" because they are the same type of katana, around 28inch inch blade, 10 inch handle, around 8-9mm at the base, and 5-6mm at the yokote, but kanata has an wide variety, thick ones, thin ones, extremely long ones, etc, ect.

[@JCOwens-zq6fd]

Imho one gets the best sword for their $, when they get themselves a blade & then have the rest built per their specs. Obviously the value improves even more when one builds it themselves like I do but I've noticed that most ppl tend to be afraid of trying that.

[@mirrorgs]

I like the framing where it looks like Matthew is a talking head sitting on the barrel beside the other two (Really interesting video, btw!)

[@OuterHaven_Snake]

After my experiences with a certain bad manufacturer that went out of business several years ago, I decided to just buy my own fittings off Ebay or Etsy and customize my blades myself- I simply can't tolerate con artists in this industry as a martial arts practitioner and instead of wasting time and money arguing online with prideful idiots I'd rather just put in the elbow grease to have the katana exactly how I want it.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

how did it turn out?

[@OuterHaven_Snake]

@Matthew_Jensen ; Fun, I got a sale on a Jkoo that had imperfections and lacquered the scabbard myself, even colored the Ito' wrapping that came white with real indigo dye and lacquered the same' black- entire thing turned into a little art project and best part is I use the blade since I'm not afraid of scuffing it due to the price. I even found some cheap Bull Horn from Mexico and added horn fittings on the scabbard.

[@aaronmatheson9730]

That is exactly how I started making my own . Now I forge the blade , make all the koshirae ect.. I may be able to help with your furniture situation when you are ready.

[@N7Allfather]

oh shad, that dude that wrote a rape fantasy book where the dude only viewed the rape of children as bad if it didnt get them pregnant. used to like him but holy fuck was that book an eye opener

[@notanotherswordreviewchann4901]

Oh wow didn't know that about him. Whelp that's it for me then. Won't give shad another view....

[@houayangthe3rd]

​@notanotherswordreviewchann4901 No, he's a try hard. I'm still subscribe to his channel and but I'm put off with thinking everything that he doesn't agree with is factually wrong.

[@V3RTIGO222]

Contextually, I heard he was trying to write a terrible villain and them becoming some kind of edgy anti-hero and it didn't work at all because the character was just too despicable. Inappropriately grim-dark, clearly tugging at the coattails of Game of Thrones. Anyways, he's pretty immature and argues over everything, talking down at a person even if he's in the wrong... the problem is that he is occasioanlly right and that just fuels him more. Comes off like a stereotypical redditor, tbh.

[@chris993361]

I liked his book, and if that is what you took from it, I don't think you actually read it. The main character had been objectively evil and nothing was said otherwise. Unless there is a book other than Shadow of the Conqueror?

[@houayangthe3rd]

@@chris993361 Child SA is a big no no in the US that's exclusively used to for irredeemable villians. Even real criminals don't like pedo let alone fictional one. But hey not everyone is from the US. Can't wait for Shad video defending SA-ing children builds character.

[@DDDontCare]

The things I look at when judging the quality of a sword is how comfortable is it to use and how long it will last in real combat use. I have no use for a $3,000 wall hanger. I don't care if it's made in traditional style with traditional materials or how beautiful it is if it's unwieldy or falls apart during real use. I guess that's why I'm a big fan of the modern so-called tactical swords made from spring steel with G2 handles.

[@SwordScience]

Somehow Shad can make himself sound like he simultaneously knows nothing and everything at the same time. I find him incredibly abrasive and arrogant and don’t watch his content because of it. He is demonstrating an enormous knowledge gap about how that Lockwood was made and how the majority of the small US and small EU sword smiths function. Calling anything about that longsword basic or cheap is fundamental incorrect. Seriously an apples to oranges comparison here. Trying to compare the industrial Longquan katana industry to the cottage longsword makers is completely absurd. I would easily pay $2000+ for a quality bespoke longsword but I’d never spend that much on a Chinese made shinken. You can find showato and even antique nihonto starting in the $2000-3000 range. Not to say they can’t make great swords in Longquan, but the fit and finish just always has a particular look that’s unmistakable.

[@PeregrinTintenfish]

I think by basic, he means without complicated decoration.

[@neidhartmuller8804]

So glad you made this video! When watching shads video I couldn't stop thinking that I wished Matt was there to give his opinion. Side note; I purchased my katana(jkoo) recently thanks to your videos.

[@oxyband125]

Great vid Matt!

[@g.r.bilyeu4226]

Shad and his partner have tremendously huge egos for people who aren't particularly knowledgeable about or skilled with swords.

[@fettmaneiii4439]

it's literally what they do for a full time job. You need to grow up, and I say this with love. Your take is willfully misplaced.

[@firestrom44]

@@fettmaneiii4439 Full time job doesn't make them right

[@ravenbird111]

@@fettmaneiii4439 found his take to be pretty solid.

[@TheJriggins0071]

​@@firestrom44exactly,I agree with that,people seem to not understand that with affirmation you have a duty ultimately to be precise and right with what you say

[@RedHandedGod]

@@fettmaneiii4439 Shad has been called out multiple times because he literally doesn't know anything. He had a big blow-out with practically the entire HEMA community because he kept saying stupid, untrue things. Let's be clear and for a moment forget that Shad is, quite honestly, a garbage human being with truly terrible opinions on basically everything; his full time job is entertainment content. Not HEMA. Not any other kind of swordsmanship. Not the craft of creating weapons. Not even giving thorough and informed reviews on weaponry. He is an entertainment channel that talks about f'n back-scabbards and whether or not Princess Peach should wear pants. None of that makes him an expert on actual swords. I guarantee you at least 90 percent of the people in this very comments section know more about swords than Shad does.

[@serpnta1267]

This made me think of when I use to play music and worked for a high end guitar manufacturer. You could buy a custom setup or buy one already made from a music store. The custom setup always cost more and took several months to ship. Our specialty was carbon fiber necks and we had many famous musicians play our instruments. To the average person a custom high end bass or guitar might not look much different from a lower end instrument but for most musicians, you can see it, feel it, and hear it right away. One thing about collecting musical instruments is that most of them lose half their value as soon as it leaves the store. When I buy a sword I don't buy it because I think it will go up in monetary value, I buy it because I think it is cool and I want it. I guess my point is, people collecting what they like because they like it and it has value to them.

[@Davidcharrod]

I just got the shadow dancer Amazon L6 and honestly it's a bit overpriced compared to others in the budget sword category. But that's my opinion based on swords I own and have handled. In someone else's hands the one i received might be considered a way more expensive sword. Personal experience can make you pay attention more to certain things in a sword.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

What part of it fell short of your expectations?

[@shadowdancerswords]

Hello friends, which aspects of the sword did not meet your expectations? We would like to hear your thoughts.

[@Irishhellion420]

the vehicle analogy was fairly accurate if you look at reproductions as purchasing a base model versus clicking all the highest price options available on the highest tier model, a lot of similarities between the two but also many differences which will appeal to different people dependent on need/want ratio. another point is a fully loaded option is still a different class than a 'Ferrari' which is closer to a custom sword still apart from a handmade custom 1of 1 order to spec by highly skilled craftsman, sword or car.

[@By-The-Sword]

Great job man! I watch pretty much all sword channels and each has its own charm. I’m sure Shad will take your feedback for sure. Even if I did a review of one of my katanas and someone like you came up and told me I missed something by all means since I know these swords are your forte whereas I spend most of my focus on my European longsword so at best I have a layman’s knowledge of Japanese swords vs European

[@TopLob]

Idk why those two make videos together. They don't seem to appreciate each other's company very much.

[@8301TheJMan]

their actually hilarious the amount of passive aggressive slights are constant.

[@TopLob]

@@8301TheJMan Seems tiresome.

[@panoctic]

i think there is a factor i appreciate also fitting, the way the parts a put together is importat, having gaps, or cracked tsuka, the fit being too tight that you need to use more force to take it apart. rusted nakago kinda annoys me also bits of metal inside of a tsuka lol.

[@evanodder6948]

Value boils down to expense vs advantage. The small advantages that highly increase expense are more reasonable when you consider that swords are historically a life or death proposition. These days what"s considered an advantage are related to demo/practice, a voluntary occupation in the first place. The thing about Shad is how positive he is about his opinions but he doesn't express them clearly, especially the thought process behind them. Even when he's right. Combined with his aggressive/dismissive behavior it got tiring for me to watch but I still enjoy him in small doses.

[@Davidcharrod]

Excellent video. I really appreciate your videos and perspective.

[@Harleylege]

Mathew if you had 800 dollars to spend on a katana what would you buy

[@Matthew_Jensen]

I would hold that money and wait for a deal on the second hand market. My recent custom huawei sword for around $500 would cost at least $1500 to have made today. It is amazing and that would be the kind of deal I would look for. If you have patience and persistence, you can find something like that. It might take a few years though. For an off the shelf purchase, I would probably lean to a shadow dancer. I like the custom builder on swordis. Being able to make a sword that is my size and has good fitment is uncommon. I think I could find a good training tool there. A custom RyanSword would also be tempting.

[@messerlittle6166]

10 minutes in and I'm enjoying this, and I plan to watch this right through. I mention that because I used to enjoy Shad, but I have found his videos unwatchable since he brought on cohosts - I can't handle the bickering and talking over each other. Matt, I might need you to do more hour-long commentaries on videos that I cannot otherwise get through.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Any suggestions?

[@messerlittle6166]

Thanks for replying, no, no channels come to mind. If you think something is interesting and worth hearing about it, then I'm curious. I got through this, but the original video is tough for me to watch. It's definitely the cohosts.

[@mysticmarbles]

I actually like when his mates argue with him. Shad has a tendency to speak with authority on things he's not actually very familiar with, and I appreciate when they call him on it. For example the tsuba comparison around 12 minutes in that Tyranth corrects him on, because Tyranth has more experience with katana collecting.

[@adam5words688]

​@@messerlittle6166I totally agree, I've dropped off of Shad's vids as of late, but feel more connected to your two cents, and it does add a great dynamic!

[@Jessie_james1985]

I love katanas they are my number one and then the gladius is my number two. I just feel like they're the most cool badass looking swords out there. All I want is good blade that won't dull easy and is sharp and won't snap. It's just on my coffee table I don't do any cutting I don't do any practice with it it's just that someone f**** around in my house or breaks in I'm going to chop something off. I'm pretty sure the cheapest swords can get the job done no matter what type of sword even a piece of sharp plastic blade will work lol

[@PeregrinTintenfish]

I think Shad and Tyrth grade swords based on cutting and durability, but don't care much about drawing.

[@karasugane1414]

I miss when high end sword projects were a huge focus of youre channel

[@Matthew_Jensen]

I have less of them now.. But I have an Engnath Katana, Rado Katana, and Clark Katana that I will be talking about at some point.

[@karasugane1414]

@Matthew_Jensen fantastic 👌👌 what a treasure having some of engnaths work must be 🙏

[@Jaedeok82]

A lot of the criticisms made are fair, but Tyranth is way too hung up on one use-case scenario when giving his opinion and should be taken with a pinch of salt. A collector wants something different from a backyard beater, who wants something different from a practitioner in an actual class. Anyone buying a sword for an art piece is immediately going to get into the weeds on the cost vs performance scale. A practitioner in an actual class can easily spend quite a bit more on the sheath and handle that have no bearing on the cost vs performance scale that he is using, for instance, but find a great deal of value there. Durability is not the only measure of whether something is worth it, and I think he tends to overvalue that a bit (cont)

[@Jaedeok82]

That S5 katana review had fundamental problems IMO. They gave the score on that almost entirely on its durability. This was compounded by the fact they got a custom distal taper on it so it was much thinner like a longsword, so they effectively made a light cutter and then blasted it against an actual rock and said "well damn it broke 3/10". During the actual cutting they did with it, they loved the sword, but the moment they did durability testing they threw that out completely. They also tend to escalate their testing dramatically, where they go straight from a pool noodle to a 6x6, and then a rock without really evaluating its ability to perform as a tool against appropriate mediums (tatami etc). These tendencies really tend to skew the opinion of what "value" is.

[@Davidcharrod]

Tyranth has a different perspective because he actually makes weapons and parts. The S5 is built for and sold as a durable sword with no bells and whistles, honestly.

[@fettmaneiii4439]

@@Jaedeok82 A sword is not a tool meant to be used against "appropriate mediums" like tatami. A sword is a weapon, not tool, meant for martial combat.

[@Jaedeok82]

@@fettmaneiii4439 Sorry, maybe I articulated that badly. It's a cutting tool. You want to make sure you are cutting things with it. Not just hitting it against things. I'm certainly not saying it was unfair to destruction test it. Just that a more gradual progression would've given people a better idea how it performs overall instead of using one of the lightest mediums possible and then going straight to punishing it in ways the average user would not.

[@Jaedeok82]

@@Davidcharrod Sure is. But when you start to play around with the geometry, you're going to see the results of that in one way or another. Not aknowledging that is kind of shortsighted.

[@iitim2152]

Thought this was to trash shad, glad I was wrong. here's a Free like, Already watched the video uninterested to watch it again

[@DK_HAXX]

"Its tsuba-tsuba-cheap!" :P

[@andydefrain8955]

I dont Like them...why? So what...

[@vorynrosethorn903]

Wow, dude has attracted some serious haters, not sure how, Curtis Yarvin doesn't get this sort of flack and his work has actual political ramifications. This is like watching children bully a clown, why, his job is engagement, he gets paid either way, and he's on the bottom of the power hierarchy, you are one step away from concentrating on some random family man, it has no effect on anything relevant to things beyond his household and channel. The vitriol is unhinged all things considered. Is this some new form of scapegoating?

[@aaronmatheson9730]

With all do respect to Shad. Unlike Matthews reviews , I don’t hold much weight to his reviews. I would not go to a bus driver to buy a helicopter. Like Matthew , I have been a practitioner for a long time. There is no way Shad is going to be able to convey the nuances that I am interested in knowing. Not just by words but how MJ is “operating” the sword (although his and my styles are different). There is just more to consider as a practitioner of “Japanese style” swords than how many times you can bash it against a tree. As there would be with Shad’s style, there is just more to it . I am talking about myself and what I want to see in a review to guide me where I want to go. This may not hold true to a backyard cutter or display only. Plus I am pretty sure Matt smells like Cherri blossoms and choji oil lol!!

[@Matthew_Jensen]

I can assure you the musk is enchanting but far from choji and cherry.

[@aaronmatheson9730]

@@Matthew_Jensen your just trying to take everything away from us Canadians 😔

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Its going to be ok. I live in Minnesota at that is basically south Canada. Lets sit down to a warm cup of maple syrup and some poutine and work out bud.

[@aaronmatheson9730]

@@Matthew_JensenCheers to your state leader ! I actually saw what you we’re speaking of on our national news last night! I think it would take a lot to stop calling our friends to the south, “brothers and sisters”!

[@SwiftVendetta2000]

SD s5 blade is not of good quality and they offer bad customer service. Cloudhammer is 10 times better.

[@Blindy_Sama]

From what I've observed a lot of people that don't like shads work are because they don't like his political views which to each their own and in all honesty I could care less everyone's entitled their own political opinions and it kind of is discouraging when people discount completely good content because of slightly different viewpoints that are not related to the subject that they are talking about. A terrible analogy I like to use is you might like giraffes, I might like elephants, but we can both like horses

[@TheBlacksmith5]

For real. Like he doesn't even bring politics into his sword content. He's done a great job of keeping those 2 things separate, IMO. I understand the difference of opinion, but to say his other content is bad because of it is just ridiculous

[@Blindy_Sama]

@TheBlacksmith5 IMO it's all because of cancel culture if you don't agree with someone's standpoint whatever then cancel them and that's what a lot of people try to do instead of saying okay we don't agree on these things and that's fine but boy they have some really cool stuff over here about this stuff. Smh granted I'm a very opinionated person but even I can get along with people that I have certain differences with because it's really easy to find differences no one ever tries to find similarities I feel. I'm not going to lie I used to be very guilty of this and I'll try to look at things from a broader perspective

[@RedHandedGod]

This is incorrect. Shad had alienated a lot of the HEMA/history crowd prior to his turn as a right-wing grifter. The fact that he has awful opinions and is incredibly egotistical and deluded certainly makes it easier to dislike him as a person, that's true. But people have been loudly complaining about Shad since way before his crazier "political" opinions started coming out.

[@Blindy_Sama]

@RedHandedGod The only time I've ever seen him be someone to call out other people in the community was someone that he thinks was being agatistical and that's a matter of opinion. And let's face it everyone has a bit of an ego that being said from my eyes seen on his channel he keeps his politics and his sword stuff pretty separate and the only time I see anyone attacking him is usually deal to political stuff what she has every right to have his a viewpoints on whether you like them or not. I'm not saying I completely agree with his viewpoints when it comes to political stuff either what I am saying those that he puts out very good quality sword content and is very entertaining and honestly any ego that I think he has on camera I think it's for fluff and for entertainment value I don't think he's that egotistical of a guy all in all but I also never met the man in person so I can only go by what I've seen and heard online. I do know that he had a disagreement with another famous sword review person and I have no idea what that was all about but allegedly is because of a difference in political views but I don't know the truth of that either. However, simply based on your wording of your statement it seems more like you have your metaphorical barrels pointed at him for more political reasons than actual sword stuff and I get that and you have ever right to be that way but at the same time I will say keep his sword content in his political stuff separate and I'll be the first person say there's probably things about my channel people don't like I'm not the most professional and I'm not the best but I enjoy what I do and there's plenty of famous KZbinr sword guys out there's probably something about them that I don't like in general but that doesn't mean I think that they put out bad content. There are a couple I think are little bit obnoxious but then again I don't know them personally it could just be how they are on camera it could be their mannerisms that I'm taking a totally different way than from what I know of them. I rarely however have seen a sword reviewer that I actually genuinely hate or I think that has totally garbage content. I will also be the first person to say that I don't agree with everything that shad says in some of his weapon videos but he has some very good viewpoints about certain things. Also, for the record I don't completely grow with all this political stuff either but I'm not completely against it either I don't believe in my identity being wrapped up in a political viewpoint. I feel that most political parties has something that I agree with and things that I don't agree with but that's a whole other subject matter.

[@RedHandedGod]

@@Blindy_Sama I don't know what to tell you if you've never seen Shad being called out besides his political views. There was an entire article in HEMA Digest way back in like.. 2021. So this was before the political stuff. Shad was basically in a big whine-fest because he thought he was being bullied by the entire HEMA community because they kept calling him out for saying blatantly untrue and misleading things, and even misrepresenting himself as a practitioner of HEMA (which he was and is not). There's literally not enough space in a KZbin comment for me to point out all the garbage stuff Shad has said that isn't politically-motivated. His trash take that he's as good of an artist as his literal professional artist brother, for example. That's not 'all of us are a little egotistical.' Shad's entire existence is pure ego. He consistently presents himself as an expert in basically anything he wants to talk about; art, swords, fighting, fantasy, writing, pop culture, etc. Speaking more specifically about the swords and history side of things; he's just wrong all the time. That's where my problems with Shad actually started. His complete inability to practice any amount of humility. Even guys like Matt Easton - who is legitimately a fencing instructor and history expert - do not present themselves with the air of authority that Shad poorly attempts at. He knows practically nothing. I also take issue with the idea that his content is entertaining; even when I was interested in what he might have to say - a long time ago - I often had to watch his content on 1.5 speed and skip through because he's one of the worst presenters I've ever seen on KZbin. He has all the ability in the world to edit his own videos (and they are often clearly heavily edited), but his videos are just meandering nonsense where he stutters, grunts, and repeats himself 800 times throughout a 35 minute video with 10 minutes of actual content in it. His videos are just bad. However, I'm also absolutely willing to admit that my utter and complete disgust with Shad - the reason I genuinely believe he is a person without value; is about who he is as a person. That includes his 'political views.' But also just what an absolute hypocrite he is about his political views, since those views never seem to apply to him. The guy will simultaneously complain about women needing to appear more modest and feminine, but also complain if he doesn't personally want to have sex with every fictional video game and cartoon character he sees. He's all 'family values' unless a video game character doesn't have big enough tits to get him aroused. He's disgusting. Every social and political opinion he has is absolutely disgusting, AND he's a hypocrite. And his content is terrible. And he's actually kind of stupid (he does not know how KZbin works at all, but constantly complains about 'the algorithm' killing his channel because no one is watching his trash content anymore). He also wrote a rape-fantasy novel where his self-insert superman character is the rapist in question, and he draws jerk-off art of little Asian girls. The guy is utter and total scum. BUT ... all of that truly horrendous stuff came after many many people had already abandoned Shad, or at least gotten very fed up with him, because he pretends to know things he doesn't, makes content with wild and inaccurate claims, and makes terrible content about how to fight with swords and refuses to be corrected by people that know how to fight with swords (he does not -- I have to be really clear about this - Shad is NOT trained in any meaningful way beyond what any SCA member knows how to do). So yeah. He's just awful in every possible way. Like I said - his terrible social and political views make it easier to hate him. But the hate started, and justifiably, way before he started complaining about the size of video game girl boobs. He just uses the 'everyone hates me because I'm Christian' because he thinks it will get him sympathy and win him points with the religious crowd. Seems to work.

[@nickybeingnicky]

I like tour style more then shad anyway my guy.

[@belikdawhoee]

I'll gladly echo what others have said already. Shadversity simply aren't knowledgeable on either swords or the arts irregardless the faculty. There's just something about the condescending and pseudo expert tone they project that makes their content unpalatable to anyone more than a layman. Before I considered pulling the trigger on my d2 motohara comission, I came here first. There simply isn't another creator more qualified to speak on that end of the market. Keep up the great content Mr Jenson.

[@8301TheJMan]

when it comes to swords... in what way? What did they say about swords that are factually incorrect?

[@shawnn188]

cool vid i used to like shad when he made surious vids and focus on facts now he just doing fluff vids to get views which is sad

[@PicardoMontalban-sq8gg]

Yep apparently can’t spell.

[@WhatIfBrigade]

20:12 We have poison sumac in Minnesota and I'd pay extra to have none of that.

[@fettmaneiii4439]

I like Shadiversity! They engage me because sometimes I'm yelling at the screen "dude how could you miss this point!" and other times I am just laughing along with something funny that happened, etc. There is a variety there taking place, and that's what I appreciate about it. I also appreciate the regularity of their posts, and the way they present things. There's no use trying to view any one or two people as supreme deities of swords, but if you just relax and try to enjoy the content for entertainment, you'll find that from this more mature perspective, Shad fits the bill!

[@V3RTIGO222]

It's a shame that I had to stop watching it, the behaviors and background attitude started to become more unbearable as time went on... on a personal level, I just don't like him and it's bled to far into his content (especially the podcast) that he's assassinated his own character. Being homophobic and sexist only to roll it back when he got critisized for revealing his true beliefs was an eye opener for me... it would be one thing if he was just childishly ranting about technique or weapons, but it's gone beyond that.

[@JohnKeener-w5c]

I love your videos, and you do amazing work. but I think you should take this video down for a few reasons first and most importantly Shad wrote a book about child rape. It’s not talked about enough but he wrote a book with this mane character is a “reformed” child predator. The next thing is that the man has an ego that will not allow him to be corrected. He says things that just aren’t true and when he’s proven wrong he does bs “testing” that is essentially just him demonstrating that “if you do it this exact way that I do I’m right. Ofc I know how much time and energy goes into these things so I get it if you don’t, but I don’t think he needs any validation or exposure. There’s a reason nobody else in the sword community will touch the guy

[@AdoreYouInAshXI]

Anyone that dislikes Shad (and I mean dislikes him personally, not just someone that doesn't prefer to watch his videos) does so because of his sociopolitical and/or religious beliefs. It's that simple. The guy is one of the most kind hearted, family oriented people in the KZbin industry. Just wanted to put that out there. Other than that I found this video extremely interesting. I love both of your channels, and appreciate having two different points of view on a subject like this. Wish you would do more reaction videos Matthew. I watch Shad for entertainment. I watch Matthew for historical accuracy and knowledge.

[@matthewpham9525]

He’s an abrasive and arrogant bully even outside of politics, plenty of reasons to dislike the guy personally haha

[@AdoreYouInAshXI]

@ so link the video that made you come to this conclusion, because you clearly don’t know him

[@matthewpham9525]

@@AdoreYouInAshXI Clearly you’re the one who doesn’t know Shad. One of Shad’s recent videos is one where he bullies a small content creator for presenting “fake” swordsmanship. The video clearly presented stage fencing, and he approaches this conclusion, but not after 20 minutes of berating. As a cherry on top, he proclaims himself as a “sword expert” despite no certification, accreditation, or even interactions with other sword fighters. There’s plenty more videos exactly like this regarding fighting, forging, science, archery, movies, and I can go on. Aside from that, his content is plain old outdated and sensationalist.

[@AdoreYouInAshXI]

@ what is the name of the video, specifically? Link the video or give the name.

[@matthewpham9525]

@ Beware of FAKE sword masters and their “lessons” The thumbnail is a lady holding a sword with the word “FAKE” in all caps laid over.

[@PicardoMontalban-sq8gg]

I’m kinda meh on shad but tyranth seems pretty cool. Not a big fan of anime weapons but I like his Chanel

[@hokiturmix]

I don't want this to be like Gamersnexus vs Linustechtips about paypal honey. I'm into atheist debates. When he talked about how in the "old times" christians perceived the shape of the planet made me a skeptic about some of his knowledge. Later he made an excuse that he is unfairly discriminated against because he is christian. Few hundreds of years ago most of the people had no clue about the shape of the earth. Did not even gave a thought. Even the highest of churches made you a suspect of "influenced by the devil" if you even talked about such topic. I love and respect all of your work!!! All of the participants who appear in this video!

[@Matthew_Jensen]

I don't think that will be the case. I have a different perspective than Shad on some things and it makes for interesting conversation. There is no ill will or insinuation of wrongdoing.

[@hokiturmix]

@@Matthew_Jensen Thanks for spending time to respond. I watch your videos in a similar way as I watch OC3D Tom Logan computer parts videos. Linus media Group is an "entertainment" channel about tech stuff and approach teaching in a more relaxed way. Gamernexus is more about justice and precision to the max. You. Tiny tom Logan (OC3D) and Jamesthebikeguy are the closest to my liking. The reason why i mentioned the religious topic because of a "cautionary tale" but I don't want to be a preaching type. :D

[@FlorisGerber]

Please do not give Shad any air. Was it not enough that Matt Easton apologized openly for filming with the bleep-bleeper? I will assume that you are critical of Shad, because you know things, and he doesn't. And assuming this, I will not unsubscribe. But I will not watch the Video. I cannot stand his blathering.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Shad and I share a lot of interests and goals. We both like swords and want to help people better send their money by providing reviews on KZbin. We don't need to agree on everything and it is perfectly fine for us to disagree strongly on things as well. The places we do not align are no reason to avoid conversation. I appreciate your subscription and comments. I hope you choose to stay and simply skip the content that does not interest you. If you choose to unsubscribe, then I understand. You are welcome back anytime.

[@JohnKeener-w5c]

I love your videos, and you do amazing work. but I think you should take this video down for a few reasons first and most importantly Shad wrote a book about child rape. It’s not talked about enough but he wrote a book with this mane character is a “reformed” child predator. The next thing is that the man has an ego that will not allow him to be corrected. He says things that just aren’t true and when he’s proven wrong he does bs “testing” that is essentially just him demonstrating that “if you do it this exact way that I do I’m right. Ofc I know how much time and energy goes into these things so I get it if you don’t, but I don’t think he needs any validation or exposure. There’s a reason nobody else in the sword community will touch the guy

[@Matthew_Jensen]

I have not read Shadow of the Conqueror, which is Shads brook. From what I have heard from him when he was publishing it, it is a fantasy book. It is in the same genre as Game of Thrones.. I have also not read that but I hear it has some stuff in it that is taboo. I am reading Wheel of Time, it also has some rather evil things in it. Describing a his book as a book about child rape seems like a bad explanation. I have not read it so maybe it is, have you read it? I am aware that Shad is a conservative. I am aware he has strong opinions and beliefs that he shares on his other channel. I am aware that others have chosen not to work with him. I have chosen to keep speaking, working, and being a friend with Shad. I have many friends that I disagree with on fundamental issues. Cutting them out of the conversation or pretending they do not exist is not how I choose to handle it. I feel we can all have a good conversation about swords and share a hobby. I would also add, Shad is a much larger channel. I would hazard a guess that I am not going to influence anything by talking to him. If that were not true, I would still take the same stance. I will talk to just about anyone. If associating with people you do not like is a deal breaker for you, then I understand. I appreciate you watching my channel and engaging with it. I hope you choose to stick around. If it is not clear, you are welcome here too. I disagree with you on a point but I still respect your opinion.