Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-25604636-20151019154404/@comment-26295802-20151020133917

Thorin Stonehelm wrote: High Prince Imrahil wrote: And who's to say that Numenoreans steel is not better or equal to that of Valyria? It is stated several times that "their shields were unbreaking and their swords could not be withstood. Their craft was surpassed only by that of Valinor".

So basically the best metal in middle earth. Who's to say that their craft is not better then that of Valyria? I doubt the numenoreans surpassed the dwarves at their height. The best numenorean smiths and the best dwarven ones may have been roughly equal but in the history of arda the dwarves were said to be the greatest smiths save the noldor and aule No, Tolkien directly says that Numenorean steel and smiths surrpassed even the Dwarves. That's canon.