Few weapons can compare to the sword when it comes to artistry, imagination, passion, and history. At Angel Sword, our one-of-a-kind creations are more than beautiful works of art — each bladed weapon is fully functional, razor sharp, battle ready, and combat worthy. Our artisans proudly make the toughest, high-hardness swords and knives in the world — and we back that up with our lifetime guarantee against breakage and depreciation. Angel Sword blades, wielded by expert martial artists, hold numerous world records in the Japanese cutting art of tameshigiri. Our hand-crafted weapons can be found far and wide: in the kitchens of demanding chefs, strapped to special forces operators, on display in renowned martial arts studios, worn by the bodyguards of royalty, and in your very own home.
Daniel Martin Watson and his wife, Sylvia Guadalupe Vicarte, taught Shaolin Kung Fu and Dong-style Tai Chi Chuan in Morelos, Mexico, in the 1970s. He learned the art of charcoal forging from the Aguilar family of Oaxaca and began hand-forging swords for the martial arts students that Daniel and Sylvia trained. The couple moved to Daniel’s hometown of Driftwood, Texas, where the couple opened a martial arts studio and founded Angel Sword in 1983. Two of the Aguilar brothers spent nearly a decade forging with Angel Sword and Daniel’s father, Billie Sunday Watson, offered his craftsmanship for the beautiful leather sheaths complementing the swords. Todd “Benedicto” Barnhart joined the small family business as an apprentice and served as Daniel’s right hand in the forge until his untimely death in 2006. Daniel and Sylvia separated in 1996, with Sylvia continuing her martial arts studio and Daniel continuing Angel Sword.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Daniel passionately pursued his art while studying both traditional and modern metallurgy that allowed him to push the functional and artistic limits of the weapons created by his growing team at Angel Sword. He was awarded 6 patents for his thermal processes that pushed the metallurgical limits of modern steels and his modern processes to forge crystalline Wootz Damascus mono-steels that rival the famed antique crucible-forged steel of the same name.
Over the past 4 decades, Angel Sword has forged a renowned presence at renaissance festivals and custom knife shows in Texas, Minnesota, New York, Florida, Nevada, and other American destinations despite its small, humble shop in the Texas Hill Country.
Daniel Watson passed away in December 2021, leaving behind a team of dedicated, talented artisans who leverage the combination of Daniel’s training, their individual artistic passions, and their impeccable skills to ensure that Angel Sword weapons will be enjoyed by collectors for generations to come. One year after Daniel’s passing, the team revealed the completion of The Master’s Ode.
Angel Sword offers several different steel lines to choose from, each with its own price range to accommodate a variety of budgets, and all our weapons are guaranteed against breakage or depreciation for life.
