ordering a jian

I can't seem to get a site to come up

what's the price on your OP choice? I would ask to see pics of the tang and how it is secured to the grip and pommel. If the construction is sound I would pay up to $250 (but would like it for less) for it depending on how bad I wanted it if the fittings are real metal and the grip is not wrapped in nylon cord.

With all these jians around it's hard to tell the good from the bad- they look so similar in pictures. Personally I do not care for the pattern on the blade - looks cartoony

Why don't they list prices? I find that to be a big turn off.

This one is a perfect example of how hard it is to tell the difference in pictures. I question whether it is really brass fittings. My jian was advertized as brass fittings to the original owner but in fact is just zinc alloy with paint. I suppose it depends on how much you trust the seller.

I mentioned the nylon only as a kind of gauge of the rest of the quality. Better made ones will have cotton or leather, and the ends of the wrap should not be visible (mine had hot glue right on the top for all to see ).

The disassembled sword will give us a much better idea of it's worth (again, wht are the prices here?). The method of securing the sword to the grip and pommel will tell us a lot too. I'd like to see things pinned together ideally- the grip to the tang and the pommel to the tang (mine is not exactly done this way though).

Here's a link to my customization- if you read and watch through it all to the other links about the parts of the sword you will see more about why getting 'under the hood' and getting a firsthand view of the fittings makes such a big difference.

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=6008

look for the link to inside the hilt

sounds like a good price for t10 with a real? hamon. Hope the pics prove good construction

I've ordered two Jians from them in the past a short Han Jian and a Cloud Dragon Jian. They sent me photos of the tangs on their swords and they looked good so I decided to order. Both turned out very good, although one had misalignment with the blade and hand guard, and the fittings on the scabbard was lose, however I told them this and they told me to send it back for them to repair and they'll pay for the shipping.
Both had the handle glued on, but the one that got repaired was no longer glued when I got it back so I took it apart to see the tang and was quite happy to see a decent sized tang with no wields to the thread.

Just make sure they are clear on what you want. sometimes things can get lost in translation. Best to list bullet points so that its clear and understandable.

If it helps I can post some pictures of my swords.

I asked these questions:

"would you send me pictures of the disassembled sword, please?
how is the sword secured to the grip and the pomme?
what is the grip made of and what is it wrapped with?"


I received these answers:

" see attached pictures
We make the pin on the handle , full tang blade and the handle is solid for cutting
the handle wrapping material is cotton rope"

Hrm... Tang is a little skinny for my personal tastes, and from what I can see of the pics it looks like the pommel is threaded? Either way, they don't look so horribly constructed as to not be worth it at that price point.