CAS Hanwei Renaissance Schlager Rapier
Jan 31, 2008 4:40:03 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2008 4:40:03 GMT
Hey Guys, my real name is Sean Smith, and I found an amazing deal at the MRL showroom here in Atlanta (believe it or not). My fiancee is starting to get into rapier fighting in the SCA, and it is quite hard to find sub $300 rapiers that don't need tape to distinguish from everyone else. It seems like everyone and their brother has the Hanwei Practical rapier, which to her is not as pretty, and is quite heavy, for a rapier. I am probably going to get into it as well, just for something new (and so she has a training partner). So when I went into the MRL showroom and saw this hanging on the wall, I was hooked. We managed to get the last two remaining in stock (though one might be getting returned) for $125 including tax (they were $130-10% showroom discount). At CASHanwei, they are retailing for 190 (-.75 Value for Money, they show up on Ebay occasionally).
Cant really comment too much about packaging or shipping, as I picked it up in-store. There were a few nicks on the blades from people taking them off the wall and putting them back on, but nothing more than a couple of minutes with a file to smooth them out won't fix. One of the biggest things that drew me to this sword was the faux roping that was along most of the barstock. I had not seen this feature on a sub-$300 sword, much less a "mass" produced one. Not all of the roping was perfectly cast, but the medieval aesthetic was a bit more forgiving than we are today (-.5 Fit and Finish).
Blade length (to top of ricasso): 34"
Blade length (including ricasso): 36.5-37"
Ricasso: 2.5"
Hilt length (including pommel): 5"
Grip length (without pommel): 3.25"
Pommel: 1.75"
Quillion length: 10"
Overall: 41.5"
POB (point of balance): 2.5" from the ricasso
COP (center of percussion - 'the sweet spot'): ??.?" from the guard
Weight: Light (CASHanwei.com lists it at 2lbs)
DESIGN, FIT & FINISH
The Blade
The blade that came with the sword was a blunted schlager blade, which was 37" long. The only wierd part about the blade was that it ends prematurely, resulting in a small tube that connects the blade to the threaded rod ending in the pommel. A picture of that is below in the pommel section. One of the local fighters expressed a leery feeling about the ability to accomodate blade to blade cuts (laterally) with the threaded tube (-1 Structural Integrity). The blade looks as though it has been ground down to accomodate it through the narrow ricasso. A friend who has a second-hand one also has a ground down blade (all indications were it was the previous owner). The tip is a blunted tip, which will have a rabbit blunt mounted for safety. The blade has a significant degree of flex to it, which is necessary for safe sparring. I was able to bend it to a decent degree before feeling any unwanted resistance. It was not nearly as bendable or whippy as some of the other blades I have handled, which resulted in a nicely handling weapon.
The Grip
The grip is nice and soft, while being not overly large. The grip itself is only 3.75", which is enough to accomodate your hand, without leaving a lot of extra to hang off of. I have large hands, and was able to easily grasp it in a handshake style grip. Gripping directly down as though grabbing a hammer resulted in a bit of discomfort from the quillions digging into my hand. The grip is soft black leather over a wooden core. When originally buying this blade, some of the wood was worn away trying to get the blade out. The tube mentioned earlier was glued into the wood, and "unscrewing" the blade caused the shoulder to dig in a bit. Even with this, the blade still fits tight against the grip and guard.
The Pommel
The pommel is a nice small weighted pommel. The shape is very evocative of the German pommels of the 15th and 16th century. I cant say for sure that it is based off of a historical model (not my interest of study) but definitely seems to capture the "historical flavor (-.25 Historical Accuracy). In the photo you can also see the threaded tube that I mentioned earlier.
The Guard
Left Side
Right Side
The guard is a variation of the swept hilt design, looking to appear a bit later than the 2 and 3 ringed variety. It appears to be made out of mild steel. The interesting part of the grip is both the design and the decorative roping mentioned earlier. It helps to give this sword a certain flair that I feel is missing from the other mass-produced rapiers out on the market. This seems to be the child who was overlooked. The guard on this is very close to the hand, which is a personal preference (vis a vis wider, which helps to protect more of the arm). Most of the rapiers I have seen have a bit wider guard, resulting in a -.25 for Historical Accuracy. This is a photo of looking down the blade, for width purposes.
The Scabbard
There is supposedly a scabbard that is available to buy, along with matching gauche daggers, but neither was in stock.
Historical Accuracy: 4.5/5
Fit and Finish: 4.5/5
Handling: 5/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 5/5 (From CASHanwei, 4..25/5)
OVERALL: 4.75/5
Last Impressions:
This is a great value for the price. The original blade might have some issues depending on how hard you are sparring with other people, but rapier blades will break eventually (fact of life), and if you have the patience to regrind tangs to fit, you can get a very nice looking rapier for not a lot of money.
As an aside, my fiancee has decided this particular blade is not for her. We are willing to sell it for what we paid for it ($125) plus applicable shipping. Saves me a 45min-1hr drive back to MRL. Keep on the lookout for her next purchase (should be happening about the middle of Feb). Why? Because once she gets her rapier, I can get a sword (both of which will be reviewed on this website). Stay tuned!
Cant really comment too much about packaging or shipping, as I picked it up in-store. There were a few nicks on the blades from people taking them off the wall and putting them back on, but nothing more than a couple of minutes with a file to smooth them out won't fix. One of the biggest things that drew me to this sword was the faux roping that was along most of the barstock. I had not seen this feature on a sub-$300 sword, much less a "mass" produced one. Not all of the roping was perfectly cast, but the medieval aesthetic was a bit more forgiving than we are today (-.5 Fit and Finish).
Blade length (to top of ricasso): 34"
Blade length (including ricasso): 36.5-37"
Ricasso: 2.5"
Hilt length (including pommel): 5"
Grip length (without pommel): 3.25"
Pommel: 1.75"
Quillion length: 10"
Overall: 41.5"
POB (point of balance): 2.5" from the ricasso
COP (center of percussion - 'the sweet spot'): ??.?" from the guard
Weight: Light (CASHanwei.com lists it at 2lbs)
DESIGN, FIT & FINISH
The Blade
The blade that came with the sword was a blunted schlager blade, which was 37" long. The only wierd part about the blade was that it ends prematurely, resulting in a small tube that connects the blade to the threaded rod ending in the pommel. A picture of that is below in the pommel section. One of the local fighters expressed a leery feeling about the ability to accomodate blade to blade cuts (laterally) with the threaded tube (-1 Structural Integrity). The blade looks as though it has been ground down to accomodate it through the narrow ricasso. A friend who has a second-hand one also has a ground down blade (all indications were it was the previous owner). The tip is a blunted tip, which will have a rabbit blunt mounted for safety. The blade has a significant degree of flex to it, which is necessary for safe sparring. I was able to bend it to a decent degree before feeling any unwanted resistance. It was not nearly as bendable or whippy as some of the other blades I have handled, which resulted in a nicely handling weapon.
The Grip
The grip is nice and soft, while being not overly large. The grip itself is only 3.75", which is enough to accomodate your hand, without leaving a lot of extra to hang off of. I have large hands, and was able to easily grasp it in a handshake style grip. Gripping directly down as though grabbing a hammer resulted in a bit of discomfort from the quillions digging into my hand. The grip is soft black leather over a wooden core. When originally buying this blade, some of the wood was worn away trying to get the blade out. The tube mentioned earlier was glued into the wood, and "unscrewing" the blade caused the shoulder to dig in a bit. Even with this, the blade still fits tight against the grip and guard.
The Pommel
The pommel is a nice small weighted pommel. The shape is very evocative of the German pommels of the 15th and 16th century. I cant say for sure that it is based off of a historical model (not my interest of study) but definitely seems to capture the "historical flavor (-.25 Historical Accuracy). In the photo you can also see the threaded tube that I mentioned earlier.
The Guard
Left Side
Right Side
The guard is a variation of the swept hilt design, looking to appear a bit later than the 2 and 3 ringed variety. It appears to be made out of mild steel. The interesting part of the grip is both the design and the decorative roping mentioned earlier. It helps to give this sword a certain flair that I feel is missing from the other mass-produced rapiers out on the market. This seems to be the child who was overlooked. The guard on this is very close to the hand, which is a personal preference (vis a vis wider, which helps to protect more of the arm). Most of the rapiers I have seen have a bit wider guard, resulting in a -.25 for Historical Accuracy. This is a photo of looking down the blade, for width purposes.
The Scabbard
There is supposedly a scabbard that is available to buy, along with matching gauche daggers, but neither was in stock.
Historical Accuracy: 4.5/5
Fit and Finish: 4.5/5
Handling: 5/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 5/5 (From CASHanwei, 4..25/5)
OVERALL: 4.75/5
Last Impressions:
This is a great value for the price. The original blade might have some issues depending on how hard you are sparring with other people, but rapier blades will break eventually (fact of life), and if you have the patience to regrind tangs to fit, you can get a very nice looking rapier for not a lot of money.
As an aside, my fiancee has decided this particular blade is not for her. We are willing to sell it for what we paid for it ($125) plus applicable shipping. Saves me a 45min-1hr drive back to MRL. Keep on the lookout for her next purchase (should be happening about the middle of Feb). Why? Because once she gets her rapier, I can get a sword (both of which will be reviewed on this website). Stay tuned!