Hanwei Tinker GSOW
Mar 11, 2012 1:17:57 GMT
Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Mar 11, 2012 1:17:57 GMT
hey guys, today ill be doing a review of the Hanwei Great sword of War. To start off ill just throw out the specs from Hanwei
Overall Length: 47 3/8'' Blade: 35 7/8'
Weight: 3 lb 9.5 oz
Edge: Sharp
P.O.B.: 4 5/8''
Thickness: 5 mm - 3 mm
Width: 56.6 mm
Grip Length: 9 1/4''
Pommel: Nut
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The package was very very nicely done as always, Compliments of Sean (shadowhowler). I recieved the sword from him in new condition, and the shipping was extremely fast, i just sent him my address like 3 days ago :shock:
Upon First inspection, the sword felt very heavy and beastly, truely a GREAT sword of War. Dry handling it felt very substantial with alot of blade presence, but far from unwieldy, just as id expect from a sword Tinker designed.
THE BLADE
The edge felt very sharp, although in paper cut test one side passed and the other side failed miserably. The edge is pretty rough, appears to have been done by like a 60 grit belt at best. but it was even most of the way, its nothing 5 minutes on my belt sander cant fix. The polish is smooth and even all along. the fuller is nicely executed and even. The profile taper is pretty nice, and the spatulate tip is very nicely executed, much more attractive in person than some pics ive seen.
THE HILT
Ahhh yes...the Hilt, the sword kind of fell short here IMO, the pommel is not properly keyed to the tang, so it has play in it side to side, the tang slot was carved too wide and the tang can noticeably be felt rattling in the handle when the sword is swung, the hex nut works itself loose with each swing, and after some dry handling i decided as it was the sword was unsafe for further use without some work...well get back to that in a moment, i wanna talk about the handle and wrap itself. The wrap is very nicely done, high quality soft leather, barely any visable seam, and the guard/pommel are simple yet attractive. if not for the handle to tang issues, the handle would be perfect as is. Its not overly thin like the viking or Long Sword handles were, and feels very good in hand. Now back to the hilt assembly issues, the hex nut appears to have been poorly cut off or something, it was really jagged at the bottom, and the hex part itself appears nearly stripped like it was forced on or something.The tang is also poorly executed and isnt strait, it has chunks missing where it looks like they slipped with a grinder and bored too much off but decided to ship it anyway, this probably has something to do with the poor handle fit... These are minor issues, and issues that can and will be easily fixed, however hanwei coulda had better QC on this one IMHO.
THE SCABBARD
really like the scabbard on this one, the fit is tight, and the wobble is minimal, my viking sword flops allover the place in the scabbard, but this one is spot on. The leatherwork is clean and nicely done, and the chape and throat are secure. The throat doesn't scrape the blade, and all in all the scabbard is exactly what id expect. Not much more to say about it.
HANDLING
as i said already, this thing is a beast, and i can tell im gonna enjoy swinging this thing around, the POB seems kind of far out and it has alot of blade presence, but IMHO this is not a bad thing, it is a great sword after-all. The one and biggest issue with the sword however...this thing is FLOPPY. even when being held still the blade bends under its own weight, and when swung you can feel the blade flop every which way. If it was half as floppy as it is now it would still be too floppy for my taste, but honestly to make a sword as massive as this NOT floppy it would have to weigh 10 Pounds, this is probably just me and my brother, because ive seen plenty of favorable reviews not complain about the floppyness, but its really bad IMO. My brother was instantly turned off by the flop as soon as he picked it up stating that he wouldnt feel confident fighting an armored foe with it for fear the floppiness would completely absorb any shock from the blow. I disagree with him on that, however it is aweful floppy for my tastes, but i still found so much i LIKED about this sword the floppyness wasnt that big of a turn off. I honestly wish i had 2 or 3 more of these to use as project blades.
OVERALL
BLADE- 4/5 i give it a 4 because of the not so great edge, however i knew this when i purchased it
Hilt- 3/5 the hilt was pretty lacking in its construction, while it looked and felt good, as it was it shoulda been caught by QC right away.
HANDLING- 4/5 Floppyness is a pain in the ass, but it still handles great
OVERALL 11/15 a great sword (no pun intended) for the money, and a great project blade, but its not without its flaws. At the current increased price i wouldn't even consider buying a H/T sword with the level of QC they have thus far, but at the old price this was fairly priced IMO
CUTTING
being a Hanwei Tinker sword, cutting is pretty much a waste of time out of box, but i cut a couple bottles anyway for shitts and giggles, all 3 bottles exploded and in some cases, not even the paper label was cut. the bottle simply exploded from impact, ive had better results with a couple unsharpened blade blanks i made recently, however this is how my Longsword was, and my viking sword, and i expected it of the GSOW as well. A few minutes on my belt sander and it will be ready for war, and some cutting videos if the weather allows it :mrgreen: My brother also attempted a few cuts, but the result was the same.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The hanwei great sword of war is a very badass blade, and you scream masculinity just by holding it over your shoulder. Its not without its minor flaws..but you all know me, i dont own a sword i havent customized in some way, and i have ALOT of ideas for this sword. Its still my brothers sword, but hes given me free reign to do whatever i want to it :mrgreen:
PROS
its a GIGANTIC sword, whats not to like?
Nice polish, and excellent overall look and feel
Great Balance, Nice scabbard fit
CONS
QC wasnt too good on this one
Poorly fitted pommel, handle, and tang lead to an unsafe sword until fixed
Blade is very very floppy, this may not be a con for some of you, i havent heard many complaints about it being floppy. but it is for my taste.
Overall Length: 47 3/8'' Blade: 35 7/8'
Weight: 3 lb 9.5 oz
Edge: Sharp
P.O.B.: 4 5/8''
Thickness: 5 mm - 3 mm
Width: 56.6 mm
Grip Length: 9 1/4''
Pommel: Nut
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The package was very very nicely done as always, Compliments of Sean (shadowhowler). I recieved the sword from him in new condition, and the shipping was extremely fast, i just sent him my address like 3 days ago :shock:
Upon First inspection, the sword felt very heavy and beastly, truely a GREAT sword of War. Dry handling it felt very substantial with alot of blade presence, but far from unwieldy, just as id expect from a sword Tinker designed.
THE BLADE
The edge felt very sharp, although in paper cut test one side passed and the other side failed miserably. The edge is pretty rough, appears to have been done by like a 60 grit belt at best. but it was even most of the way, its nothing 5 minutes on my belt sander cant fix. The polish is smooth and even all along. the fuller is nicely executed and even. The profile taper is pretty nice, and the spatulate tip is very nicely executed, much more attractive in person than some pics ive seen.
THE HILT
Ahhh yes...the Hilt, the sword kind of fell short here IMO, the pommel is not properly keyed to the tang, so it has play in it side to side, the tang slot was carved too wide and the tang can noticeably be felt rattling in the handle when the sword is swung, the hex nut works itself loose with each swing, and after some dry handling i decided as it was the sword was unsafe for further use without some work...well get back to that in a moment, i wanna talk about the handle and wrap itself. The wrap is very nicely done, high quality soft leather, barely any visable seam, and the guard/pommel are simple yet attractive. if not for the handle to tang issues, the handle would be perfect as is. Its not overly thin like the viking or Long Sword handles were, and feels very good in hand. Now back to the hilt assembly issues, the hex nut appears to have been poorly cut off or something, it was really jagged at the bottom, and the hex part itself appears nearly stripped like it was forced on or something.The tang is also poorly executed and isnt strait, it has chunks missing where it looks like they slipped with a grinder and bored too much off but decided to ship it anyway, this probably has something to do with the poor handle fit... These are minor issues, and issues that can and will be easily fixed, however hanwei coulda had better QC on this one IMHO.
THE SCABBARD
really like the scabbard on this one, the fit is tight, and the wobble is minimal, my viking sword flops allover the place in the scabbard, but this one is spot on. The leatherwork is clean and nicely done, and the chape and throat are secure. The throat doesn't scrape the blade, and all in all the scabbard is exactly what id expect. Not much more to say about it.
HANDLING
as i said already, this thing is a beast, and i can tell im gonna enjoy swinging this thing around, the POB seems kind of far out and it has alot of blade presence, but IMHO this is not a bad thing, it is a great sword after-all. The one and biggest issue with the sword however...this thing is FLOPPY. even when being held still the blade bends under its own weight, and when swung you can feel the blade flop every which way. If it was half as floppy as it is now it would still be too floppy for my taste, but honestly to make a sword as massive as this NOT floppy it would have to weigh 10 Pounds, this is probably just me and my brother, because ive seen plenty of favorable reviews not complain about the floppyness, but its really bad IMO. My brother was instantly turned off by the flop as soon as he picked it up stating that he wouldnt feel confident fighting an armored foe with it for fear the floppiness would completely absorb any shock from the blow. I disagree with him on that, however it is aweful floppy for my tastes, but i still found so much i LIKED about this sword the floppyness wasnt that big of a turn off. I honestly wish i had 2 or 3 more of these to use as project blades.
OVERALL
BLADE- 4/5 i give it a 4 because of the not so great edge, however i knew this when i purchased it
Hilt- 3/5 the hilt was pretty lacking in its construction, while it looked and felt good, as it was it shoulda been caught by QC right away.
HANDLING- 4/5 Floppyness is a pain in the ass, but it still handles great
OVERALL 11/15 a great sword (no pun intended) for the money, and a great project blade, but its not without its flaws. At the current increased price i wouldn't even consider buying a H/T sword with the level of QC they have thus far, but at the old price this was fairly priced IMO
CUTTING
being a Hanwei Tinker sword, cutting is pretty much a waste of time out of box, but i cut a couple bottles anyway for shitts and giggles, all 3 bottles exploded and in some cases, not even the paper label was cut. the bottle simply exploded from impact, ive had better results with a couple unsharpened blade blanks i made recently, however this is how my Longsword was, and my viking sword, and i expected it of the GSOW as well. A few minutes on my belt sander and it will be ready for war, and some cutting videos if the weather allows it :mrgreen: My brother also attempted a few cuts, but the result was the same.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The hanwei great sword of war is a very badass blade, and you scream masculinity just by holding it over your shoulder. Its not without its minor flaws..but you all know me, i dont own a sword i havent customized in some way, and i have ALOT of ideas for this sword. Its still my brothers sword, but hes given me free reign to do whatever i want to it :mrgreen:
PROS
its a GIGANTIC sword, whats not to like?
Nice polish, and excellent overall look and feel
Great Balance, Nice scabbard fit
CONS
QC wasnt too good on this one
Poorly fitted pommel, handle, and tang lead to an unsafe sword until fixed
Blade is very very floppy, this may not be a con for some of you, i havent heard many complaints about it being floppy. but it is for my taste.