What do you think of this Hanwei Jian for my first?

Personally I recommend having one custom made through Garrett Chan. Hanwei's jians don't have the best reputation for durability. I can't speak for these two swords in particular, but I know in general they aren't designed to be used, just to be oogled.

Edit: Here's a link to some of Garrett's past commissions. s919.photobucket.com/albums/ad37 ... =slideshow

Have you seen these new choices?

www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=SH2316&name=Hanwei+Adam+Hsu+Two+Handed+Jian+%2D+Wood+Grip

several versions to choose from on KOA, all different lengths too choose from too- I just noticed them last night

Awesome catch- and so true...

Uzbazbiel, You can't just have ONE sword..oh no no no. You might think one is enough but you will come to find the necessary amount of swords required is directly related to how much money you can spare

I came to a number of conclusions about the sword I want. The chances that I'm going to have a real sword fight with someone in the next year or two are probably none so the need for a 'real' combat ready sword isn't necessary. I'm on a budget so I cant' afford those $1000+ swords so that is totally out even though some of those swords are really super nice! You're probably right as this probably isn't my last sword but it will be for a year or two unless I come into a bigger income (paycheck to paycheck normally).

I read somewhere that sword weight, for a practicing martial artist, ought to be a bit heavier vs. the 'practice swords' and that a typical practitioner eventually desires a more heavy sword once they get used to the lightweight ones. And ultimately it's not really the weight but the strength of the keeper that's the best issue so the more strength you have the lighter the sword will appear to be. To sort of pretest this idea I looked up a few sword routines and used a dumbbell weight in my hand to mimick the weight of a sword to see how easy it would be to move around with. I have a 1 1/4lb and a 2 1/2lb weight. The lighter is identical to the hanwei practical sword and the heavier weight is only 2oz shy of the weight of the tang jian. At first the 2.5lb weight seemed heavy (but I'm not in that great of shape as I'm just starting taichi and the sword would be my motivation) and the 1.25lb weight felt quicker to maneuver. After playing with each weight for about 10min/weight I came to the same conclusion as the guy who wrote the article that I read. The 1.25 felt great for my out of shape self and the 2.5 felt like a challenge, but I like challenges. Ultimately, the 2.5 felt better than the 1.25 as it gave me the feel of a 'real' sword and besides, if it's more of a stabbing sword some extra inertia might do desired though I'm not entirely sure on that. This morning I picked up the 2.5 and it felt normal to me. I also noticed that the 1.25 weight had more of a jerky motion and the 2.5 had a more graceful maneuverability. I convinced myself that the heavier sword is for me especially being that I know I'm the type of person who would want a heavier sword in the end and I don't want to end up wanting another sword due to availability of funds!

I also shopped around for different prices and noticed that the kultofathena website was incorrect on the POB. It's 3 1/2" vs. the 1 3/4". So I take it this is more of an artistic wrist action sword vs. swinging sword which suits me as I'll be using this indoors plus ethically speaking I believe in more of a defense vs. offensive posture and overall it will just be more fun (so when I subdue my enemy I can carve the letter "U" in the wall must faster and get away (haha). In any case, I feel its a good intermediate sword (for me) for what I want to use it for and a year or two down the road when my investments pay off I can buy an authentic 'real' sword. When I said my first and last sword I meant one that I can use as I am not the collector type. I'm a minimalist so I don't believe in owning things that don't serve a purpose.

So I did end up purchasing Hanwei Tang Jian (today) from kultofathena. They seem to have a good rep and ethical business practice and policy and best of all PRICE ($268). Every other site wants around $320 plus. In the end if I don't really like it I'll have 45 days to return it for a full refund minus shipping. And, of course, thanks for all the input and suggestions! I'll give my input/review on the sword once I get it and have used it for a while.

Namaste!

Well, I got the Hanwei Tang Jian and am quite impressed with a few surprises. It is beautiful and feels great to hold.

1) The weight of the Jian is technically 1lb 9 1/4oz with the tassel and 1lb 7 1/3oz without the tassel. The 2lb 10oz is with the scabbard. I was surprised to discover that it is quite a bit lighter than I had originally thought.

2) The point of balance is approx 4 1/2" from the end of the leather grip. the 1 3/4" was measured from the end of the guard. That I found strange.

3) I agree that it really would not be wise to use it as a cutting sword. The blade isn't polished much and is quite thin. It's rigid but does flex quite nicely but it takes a good strong hand/wrist to make that happen. It has the perfect flexibility as far as I'm concerned. It was exactly what I was looking for. And as far as the edge it is sharp, does cut paper, but isn't so sharp that it'll slice through anything which I think is a good thing. I've I ever used it for self defense purposes I think it could stand up to a once time beating but probably without some edge damage, maybe, though I'm not sure about that.

Overall I love the sword, feel, look, weight, handling, ect. It was exactly what I was looking for. If I had more money I'd probably spend more but I think this one will do for a while. So I would recommend this to anyone who wants a great display sword or practices form or wants to have a battle against a piece of paper. I doubt anyone will have this blade fall out of the hilt or break easily so I feel safe giving it a good swing. It's much nicer in person than it is in pictures too.

I emailed Garrett but he didn't seem interested in making a sword. I asked him how much are his swords so I know if it's in my budget and he didn't even bother to respond so foey on him.

I don't know my dynasties. It just looks good to me. As far as Garrett is concerned, I don't know about him. I did tell him exactly what I was looking for and what he might be able to offer for under $300 and he never responded to that. What he did respond to was to tell me that I don't have an eye for a good sword. Basically, what I was looking for is different from what he feels is a 'real' sword because I like the flexible blades. His website is far less than informative enough to be able to determine what to order and he's less than communicative to being able to facilitate and order. I don't know exactly what he does as far as his style and he just never bothered to tell me. It's been over a week since I asked and he emailed me more than once. I can't speak of the quality of swords that he makes but as far as his business is concerned it's far less than professional.

Like I said, unprofessional. Now you're threatening me and projecting your untrue perception (aka slandering). You want to be reasonable yet you threaten me? What's wrong with you? I simply stated my experience as well as my opinion of my experience of you. But, go ahead, and post everything so you can prove everything I said here is true. You have bad communication skills ("My job is to provide swords to a certain segment of the market." <- website doesn't say anything about this nor have you ever told me this), your website is less than informative and your business is a joke and I wouldn't recommend anyone go to you because of your lack of professionalism. You talk down to people and you're rude. You're diplomatic like a sociopath, trying to be "kind" while attacking person you're requesting kindness from. They call that psychological abuse and no one responds positively to that so you might take a clue and learn from the experience and move on if you can't handle someone speaking of their experience with you. You've "sullied" your own name, Garrett.

Interesting Post.

Garrett has devoted his company to making swords that perform as closely to the antiques as possible. Antique swords typically are heavier, stiffer, with a more distal POB than the soft 'tai chi swords' that pass themselves off as true weapons. Garrett also consults with experts in the field like Peter Dekker, Philip Tom and Scott Rodell to try to nail down historical accuracy for his pieces. He also examines as many antiques as possible (like those in my collection) and in the past has literally spent hours measuring weigth, POB, blade dimensions and then making prototype blades to see how they play compared to the antiques. He has also reproduced antique fittings as well.

The Chinese Sword market has languished for years due to companies that really don't give a damn about historical accuracy. Even big companies like Huanuo still make flat diamond blade geometries, and even Hanwei's Rodell jian doesn't really have a clamshell profile like the antiques. Jin-shi has focused on historical accuracy. This is not cheap yet realistically is still a better deal than Huanuo. To me the Hanweil Rodell jian while a serviceable cutter, has various deficiencies.

Now not everyone may need an antique like sword. That's fine since the market is full of more affordable 'sword like objects'. They function well for forms but one MUST be careful when cutting since their tangs and handle construction may not be designed to take that tremendous impact. Also, a 'solid' looking sword blade may lack the heat treatment to have the proper resiliency to not snap when cutting. To use a 'practice sword' for such things may be very dangerous. Although I'm sure a 'practice sword' is quite capable of very limited defensive use and cutting meaning it could likely cut or stab before snapping, if you ever parry with it, it once again may not be resilient enough to take the force of the blow.

To demand a sword company to make something it's not focused or set up to produce is like going to a Harley Davidson Store and asking them to make a 'Harley Davidson' Scooter. Jin-shi makes a certain type of sword and that is it's business mandate. If it doesn't fit your needs or budget then buy from another store like you have.