Reputable Dealers for Hanwei
Apr 23, 2012 3:18:06 GMT
Post by stickem on Apr 23, 2012 3:18:06 GMT
Hi all! Anyone have experience buying a Hanwei sword through with this dealer, PCHS?
paulchenhanweiswords.com/about-us.aspx
They call themselves "Paul Chen Hanwei Swords," yet somehow they are not the same entity as the sword maker CAS-Hanwei... :?
The reason I ask is this:
My birthday is tomorrow. So this week I got 2 Hanwei swords (a tanto and an iaito) in the mail through Amazon. The plan was to celebrate by taking the day off from work, fooling around in the yard with some new hardware, and hopefully not showing up at the ER because I accidentally pulled a VanGogh on my ear or something stoopid. Now I'm going to the UPS store tomorrow to ship the defects back instead :cry:
As many of you know since y'all helped me sort through the process, I bought my 1st katana a couple weeks ago.
So I thought I'd balance things out by getting a non-sharpened wakizashi blade to practice with, and a live blade tanto of about the same size as the dagger I am used to using when practicing the FMA so I can play around with some double sword work and get used to handling live Japanese blades, starting with the small ones and working my way up to the katana.
Anyway, Amazon was offering the cheapest prices I could find for these 2 specific models of swords. They have a pretty easy return policy, free shipping, and I have an account set up with them for books so it's easy to order, etc...
And then when the swords get here from Amazon, I am understandably doing my little "You got swords!" dance on the front porch because they arrived in time for a 3-day weekend of playing samurai piñata party on lots of ordinary household items out in the backyard bamboo... so I take 'em inside, unpack 'em...
And then recognize the iaito blade deviates pretty significantly to the right. It just ain't straight, which is a pretty big problem considering I am a virgin to this iaido/iaijitsu stuff and need to practice the basics the right way, and this requires a straight sword.
And then recognize the kashira on the tanto has these major chips in it. It's supposed to be a nice one with some silver and gold inlay on the kashira, right? and it looks like someone hammered d@mned 10-penny nails with the butt of the tsuka... gotta send it back too.
So if I - being right of the turnip truck as far as Japanese blades go - can spot these problems, how in the world did they get through QC at both Hanwei and Amazon? I have this mental image of Laverne & Shirley standing on the factory line watching beer bottles go by...
So does Amazon deal Hanwei's factory 2nds and returned items?
And does Paul Chen Hanwei Swords (the dealer, not the manufacturer) also act as an outlet for Hanwei, distributing its clearance and scratch'n'dent items for a lower price than other dealers can sell them for? Indeed, the prices PCHS lists are very good, just as they advertise.
While I have bought scratch'n'dent swords like my 1st katana, I have a problem with not knowing this is what they are before they arrive on my doorstep.
Expecting the best and then getting junk from Amazon was a complete waste of time for me. There's no problem returning stuff to Amazon as far as cost, but why go through the trouble if they're 2nds?
How has you all's experiences with getting swords through Amazon.com gone?
And how has your experience been with Paul Chen Hanwei Swords (PCHS)?
Basically I am planning to re-order the two swords through another vendor, but don't want to waste my time if PCHS is dealing the factory 2nds, and this is why they are cheaper through PCHS than most places.
Thanks ahead of time for any wisdom you can share...
~ Stick'em
paulchenhanweiswords.com/about-us.aspx
They call themselves "Paul Chen Hanwei Swords," yet somehow they are not the same entity as the sword maker CAS-Hanwei... :?
Their website says, "We have been dealing in Paul Chen Hanwei swords for a little over 7 years now and have developed a close relationship with the manufacturer giving us great knowledge of their products and buying power with them...
About our pricing: If you have ever shopped around for Hanwei swords, you will instantly notice our pricing on Hanwei products is the lowest anywhere. Over the years, we have developed a close relationship with Hanwei. Because of our close dealings with them, we are able to offer our customers amazing deals on Paul Chen Hanwei swords. We will not only beat, but destroy any competitors price for the same item. We do not sell seconds or used merchandise, all of our products come brand new in the box straight from Hanwei to your doorstep."
About our pricing: If you have ever shopped around for Hanwei swords, you will instantly notice our pricing on Hanwei products is the lowest anywhere. Over the years, we have developed a close relationship with Hanwei. Because of our close dealings with them, we are able to offer our customers amazing deals on Paul Chen Hanwei swords. We will not only beat, but destroy any competitors price for the same item. We do not sell seconds or used merchandise, all of our products come brand new in the box straight from Hanwei to your doorstep."
The reason I ask is this:
My birthday is tomorrow. So this week I got 2 Hanwei swords (a tanto and an iaito) in the mail through Amazon. The plan was to celebrate by taking the day off from work, fooling around in the yard with some new hardware, and hopefully not showing up at the ER because I accidentally pulled a VanGogh on my ear or something stoopid. Now I'm going to the UPS store tomorrow to ship the defects back instead :cry:
As many of you know since y'all helped me sort through the process, I bought my 1st katana a couple weeks ago.
So I thought I'd balance things out by getting a non-sharpened wakizashi blade to practice with, and a live blade tanto of about the same size as the dagger I am used to using when practicing the FMA so I can play around with some double sword work and get used to handling live Japanese blades, starting with the small ones and working my way up to the katana.
Anyway, Amazon was offering the cheapest prices I could find for these 2 specific models of swords. They have a pretty easy return policy, free shipping, and I have an account set up with them for books so it's easy to order, etc...
And then when the swords get here from Amazon, I am understandably doing my little "You got swords!" dance on the front porch because they arrived in time for a 3-day weekend of playing samurai piñata party on lots of ordinary household items out in the backyard bamboo... so I take 'em inside, unpack 'em...
And then recognize the iaito blade deviates pretty significantly to the right. It just ain't straight, which is a pretty big problem considering I am a virgin to this iaido/iaijitsu stuff and need to practice the basics the right way, and this requires a straight sword.
And then recognize the kashira on the tanto has these major chips in it. It's supposed to be a nice one with some silver and gold inlay on the kashira, right? and it looks like someone hammered d@mned 10-penny nails with the butt of the tsuka... gotta send it back too.
So if I - being right of the turnip truck as far as Japanese blades go - can spot these problems, how in the world did they get through QC at both Hanwei and Amazon? I have this mental image of Laverne & Shirley standing on the factory line watching beer bottles go by...
So does Amazon deal Hanwei's factory 2nds and returned items?
And does Paul Chen Hanwei Swords (the dealer, not the manufacturer) also act as an outlet for Hanwei, distributing its clearance and scratch'n'dent items for a lower price than other dealers can sell them for? Indeed, the prices PCHS lists are very good, just as they advertise.
While I have bought scratch'n'dent swords like my 1st katana, I have a problem with not knowing this is what they are before they arrive on my doorstep.
Expecting the best and then getting junk from Amazon was a complete waste of time for me. There's no problem returning stuff to Amazon as far as cost, but why go through the trouble if they're 2nds?
How has you all's experiences with getting swords through Amazon.com gone?
And how has your experience been with Paul Chen Hanwei Swords (PCHS)?
Basically I am planning to re-order the two swords through another vendor, but don't want to waste my time if PCHS is dealing the factory 2nds, and this is why they are cheaper through PCHS than most places.
Thanks ahead of time for any wisdom you can share...
~ Stick'em