Sword and Scale

I absolutely love this podcast! My commute is long, and Sword and Scale somehow makes it feel so much shorter. The storytelling is engaging, the cases keep me hooked, and I regularly find myself sitting in my car for a few extra minutes just to finish an episode. 😂 It’s become my go-to for the drive to and from work. If you love true crime and need something that makes windshield time fly by, this is it. Five stars from this commuter! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Surprised this podcast doesn't have a five star rating among true crime enthusiasts. Mike's narration is fantastic, and his dry sense of humor works well given the horrific crimes covered in each episode. I've heard him mention criticism over his views, though it's unclear why listeners continue tuning in just to criticize. As he says, those who disagree are welcome to listen elsewhere. This is the only podcast I subscribe to, and the $8 monthly fee is well worth it. Highly recommend!

I personally love your shows. I really enjoy your sense of humor, and although I don’t always agree with everything you say, I appreciate that you don’t shy away from expressing your opinions on touchy subjects. I respect your right to have and express those opinions, even when they differ from my own. I’ve noticed that a lot of the negative reviews rely heavily on buzzwords like “racism” and “misogyny,” to the point that it seems like the actual meaning of those words has been lost. I see and hear those terms used so frequently now that, honestly, I sometimes find myself rolling my eyes when I come across them. It’s frustrating when serious words with very real meanings are used so casually that they lose their impact.

Love, love, love this podcast. Obviously for the content, but mostly because the host doesn't bombard you with unwanted political tirades & treats adults like adults rather than fragile children whose psyche's will be triggered or permanently damaged if everything isn't sanitized to the point of yawning. I realize a certain amount of courteous compromise is advantageous when addressing large numbers, but so far, he's managed to pull it off without sacrificing his outspoken nature or bowing too much to media pressure toward epically BORING political correctness. It's seriously refreshing and I hope he stays around for a looong time.

I started listening to this podcast around COVID and fell in love with how Mike made sure to tell the stories of those who weren’t making headlines and he did such a great job doing so. I had a paid subscription and even downloaded the app to follow every release. I’ve listened to every episode probably at least 3 times over just because I couldn’t find any other podcast that told these stories the way Mike did. Unfortunately the last few years I’ve fallen out of love with this podcast. Mike put too much of his own opinion when it came to sensitive topics and these comments because racist, insensitive, misogynistic, and just overall gross. I had to unsubscribe and stop listening because I just could no longer support the full on hate that was being spewed to such a large audience that Mike holds and the comments on each episode were truly disgusting. These podcasts are here to help tell people’s stories and educate those looking out for each other and seeing the signs of abuse, child predators, etc. this podcast lost the plot and just became a place of hate. It’s truly sad to see the change from the very first episode to the most recent. Mike has the right to his own opinions but there is a point where keeping things to yourself is for the better.

I have listened to every episode of this show until recently. The majority of episodes these days are just recordings (usually very poor quality & hard to even understand) of the people involved in the stories. It is important to hear these people’s stories but the quality of the recordings are awful & have made the show un-listenable to me. Very disappointing as I was a big fan for a long time.