Cold Steel Jade Lion Gim (updated)
Aug 13, 2009 2:50:55 GMT
Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2009 2:50:55 GMT
I've been wanting a chinese sword for a while now but never saw one that I thought both A) looked cool enough and B)wasn't too expensive. Then I got a look at the jade lion earlier this year and fell in love...here was a jian (my favorite chinese sword style) with a folded blade, a same-wrapped scabbard and that cool jian guard style with the open mouth of some animal swallowing the throat of the scabbard...I love that!
I ordered the sword from Kult of Athena as their service has been stellar in the past and they had the cheapest price around. It arrived quickly and well-packaged in two boxes with lots of foam peanuts.
STATS:
blade length - 28.5"
grip length - 4.25"
weight - 2 lbs 3 oz
point-of-balance - 3"
blade thickness - 6mm @ guard
This is actually my first single-handed sword, and I was a little apprehensive at how it would handle...but all this prooved to be unfounded as I found the blade very nimble for its length. The hilt feels solid with no rattles or shimmies. The folding pattern in the blade is obvious but not too gaudy...something else I had some concerns about. The blade is quite stiff, seemingly well tempered and very sharp.
The hada was very hard to photograph...these pics are in a dark room with a flash. The blade is quite highly polished.
The fittings are very detailed, but there are some slight casting flaws in the designs. Nothing serious at all, though. The scabbard is quite nice and accents the sword perfectly. The same is a nice shade of green and in fits the blade tightly. The grip is green cord over what I believe to be same and is tightly and evenly wrapped. No movement at all. At the end of the lion head pommel is some sort of fastener or rivet...almost certainly not removable (EDIT: found out later the pommel screws on and the tang nut is underneath). So no breaking this sword down. The pommel did turn a bit after dry handling the sword for an hour or so but it still seems tight and well affixed to the hilt.
I have not done any cutting yet with this sword and here's my excuse: I'm a total newb to chinese swords and have no experience cutting with them. Also, I just ordered a Jin Shi mono steel jian and will probably hold off on cutting till it gets here...I'd also hate to scuff up the nice "hada" on this one already ;D.
UPDATE:
Ok, I got the chance to cut some jugs and bottles, but my video came out pretty crappy:
The first target was a water bottle, then a 2 liter coke bottle, then a milk jug. The sword effortlessly sliced through each one and I was even able to "onion ring" the milk jug
So, it all comes down to this:
PROs:
- very nice blade (shape, hada)
- tightly wrapped grip
- nicely executed scabbard
CONs:
- slight turning of pommel after a little use
- some small casting flaws in the fittings
- strange (to me) hilt construction...could just be my inexperience with these types of swords
Despite any cons, I'd certainly recommend this sword and Kult of Athena to anyone looking for a nice, decorative jian for a functional display piece...but its a little too pretty for practical use, IMHO.
Thanks for reading my first review!
I ordered the sword from Kult of Athena as their service has been stellar in the past and they had the cheapest price around. It arrived quickly and well-packaged in two boxes with lots of foam peanuts.
STATS:
blade length - 28.5"
grip length - 4.25"
weight - 2 lbs 3 oz
point-of-balance - 3"
blade thickness - 6mm @ guard
This is actually my first single-handed sword, and I was a little apprehensive at how it would handle...but all this prooved to be unfounded as I found the blade very nimble for its length. The hilt feels solid with no rattles or shimmies. The folding pattern in the blade is obvious but not too gaudy...something else I had some concerns about. The blade is quite stiff, seemingly well tempered and very sharp.
The hada was very hard to photograph...these pics are in a dark room with a flash. The blade is quite highly polished.
The fittings are very detailed, but there are some slight casting flaws in the designs. Nothing serious at all, though. The scabbard is quite nice and accents the sword perfectly. The same is a nice shade of green and in fits the blade tightly. The grip is green cord over what I believe to be same and is tightly and evenly wrapped. No movement at all. At the end of the lion head pommel is some sort of fastener or rivet...almost certainly not removable (EDIT: found out later the pommel screws on and the tang nut is underneath). So no breaking this sword down. The pommel did turn a bit after dry handling the sword for an hour or so but it still seems tight and well affixed to the hilt.
I have not done any cutting yet with this sword and here's my excuse: I'm a total newb to chinese swords and have no experience cutting with them. Also, I just ordered a Jin Shi mono steel jian and will probably hold off on cutting till it gets here...I'd also hate to scuff up the nice "hada" on this one already ;D.
UPDATE:
Ok, I got the chance to cut some jugs and bottles, but my video came out pretty crappy:
The first target was a water bottle, then a 2 liter coke bottle, then a milk jug. The sword effortlessly sliced through each one and I was even able to "onion ring" the milk jug
So, it all comes down to this:
PROs:
- very nice blade (shape, hada)
- tightly wrapped grip
- nicely executed scabbard
CONs:
- slight turning of pommel after a little use
- some small casting flaws in the fittings
- strange (to me) hilt construction...could just be my inexperience with these types of swords
Despite any cons, I'd certainly recommend this sword and Kult of Athena to anyone looking for a nice, decorative jian for a functional display piece...but its a little too pretty for practical use, IMHO.
Thanks for reading my first review!