Cold Steel GIM Sword Review Updated Version
Nov 20, 2012 14:29:34 GMT
Post by MakChingYuen on Nov 20, 2012 14:29:34 GMT
Introduction
This Cold Steel Gim sword was always something I wanted since long time ago, but because of the price, it was on my wish list all the time. Later on in life, I got the money but forgot about this sword and somehow can't find a place to buy it, therefore, it was forgotten for a few more years. Now that I found my place for buying it, it got to be on my CHECK OUT LIST instead! So I ordered it from a store in Canada and it arrived in less than a week, beautiful piece of weapon! Finally, the wish came true, but it was not the old one anymore, this is confirmed to be the 3rd version of the Cold Steel Gim. The first version was confirmed to have a bat design on the guard, second is flower and this third one is the carp and river theme. Nice! I love it!
Historical overview
This is a production sword by Cold Steel but the theme of carp and river is from the passage in Chuang Tze's book. In Chinese, the sword should be called 鶤鵬劍 Kwun Paang Gim (Cantonese) with Kwun being a kind of fish and the Paang being a kind of big eagle. The guard is with cloud and the Paang design, and the other fittings are mostly fish and water waves design. This sword is just so poetic but practical. Not too fancy, not too plain! Enjoy a video of me explaining the philosophy behind the design of this sword!
About me
I am a martial artist and also a Taoist master. I run my own Taoist temple in Markham Ontario www.chiinnature.com and also teach Kung Fu and Chi Kung online www.kungfuonlineclass.com. I had handled MANY weapons in the past including super heavy ones as well. Therefore, this Cold Steel Gim is not even heavy for me but some people find it heavy for some reason. I don't even think a sword that is 2lb can be said to be "heavy" because I used to weld a pair of 15lb hard whip and 25lb Kwan Dao, therefore, weight is not something I would mind. In fact, I would love the Cold Steel Gim to gain abit more weight!
Initial Impressions
The sword arrived in good shape but there isn't any fancy packaging or even a cloth cover for it like the Jade Lion Sword, but it's okay, this is a cutter sword on a budget, I don't expect it to be too bling bling anyways.
Statistics
Give some hard data on the sword's specifications:
Blade Length: 30"
Handle Length: 4"
Overall Length: 37.25"
POB (Point of Balance): 4.25"
Weight: 2lb 2oz
Components
The Blade
The blade is made of 1055 carbon steel, sharpened to a flat diamond geometry and the edge is very sharp out of the box like a paper cutter. Although the sharpening job wasn't as good as expected because I can feel some roughness when I wipe a cloth through the blade, therefore I have to fine tune it abit myself with the 2000 grit sandpaper. The polish or finish on the blade is awesome, it's like a mirror! No scratches, no nicks, no damage, it's 1005 in good shape.
The Handle
The handle is made of rosewood (hard wood) and there is a wooden peg in the center of it that goes through the handle and the tang to secure the blade in place. This is a proof to the customer that it's a for sure cutter sword. It is meant to be used for cutting. There are grooves that runs down the handle from pommel to guard which is there for a better grip. The wood grain pattern of the handle is very nice and high class.
The Guard
The guard is made of solid brass and it is crafted with the Paang (big eagle) and some cloud design on it. The brass is really heavy and solid, which is not any cheap brass on most modern cheap Chinese sword like objects. It's all rounded and have no corners, which is great for handling especially if you hate squarish guards.
The Pommel
The Pommel is made of a sturdy, thick, heavy, solid brass which is secured onto the handle with a hex nut at the back. The pommel is crafted with some fish and river design, it's a piece of fine art! I never thought the pommel is that heavy until I unscrew the nut and check out the inside. Holy cow, this pommel is HEAVY!
The Scabbard
The scabbard is made of rosewood as well (hard wood) which is nice and classy. Color of the scabbard is more like natural wood color. There are a few fittings on the scabbard that are also made in high quality brass and crafted with fish and river design as well. There is a a attachment like a "sling" on the first and second fittings which is an adjustable strap that you can adjust to fit to your belt or hang it over your shoulder.
Handling Characteristics
The handling of the sword is quite good, but not heavy enough to fit my taste. I think this is a good sword for most people though if you are into Chinese sword. It's a fast and durable sword. The rounded guard make your movement very agile and fast but not taking away your sense of the blade's direct, not bad! I think this is a good sword for forms and cutting, no matter what style of kung fu you are doing. It's a good beginner sword too because of the price tag. For that kind of price range, you can't expect a fancy sword but this one is just good with the look and ability to cut.
Test Cutting (if applicable)
Here is a video showing my test cut and review:
Going in action, performing a form for you!
Conclusions
I think this is a great buy for me and anybody in the future who are looking for a less-costy but practical and functional Chinese sword. Many cheap swords out there cost like $30 or something with a thin and semi-flexible blade can't give you a feeling of what a real sword is like. Trust me, those are not swords, those are really not even qualified to be a battle weapon! This is a sword! The blade don't flex and the weight is just good enough. But then, I think Cold Steel stated this is supposed to be a battle vibe sword (Wu Jian) is abit off. The sword is not even as heavy (feeling) as the Jade Lion Sword which they claim to be a (Wen Jian) scholar sword for civil defense. Well, if they put abit more weight on this sword , maybe it make more sense. Right now I think this is more like a poet's sword because of the weight.
Next, to sum up you can list the:
Pros
Give a brief list of the aspects of the sword that you believed were the most positive, for example:
- simple but not plain
- not fancy but with good fine craftsmanship
- durable and sharp blade you can use for cutting
- nice balance and weight for all
- peg in the handle for a real cutting sword
- easy to disassemble (hex nut)
- mirror polish carbon steel (1055) blade!
Cons
Give a brief list of the aspects of the sword that you believed were the most negative, for example:
- nothing much except should be abit heavier to fit a "Wu Jian" vibe.
After that, you can move on to:
The Bottom Line
I would recommend this to a friend, the sword is a quality build sword and it's a REAL sword that you can use for practicing forms or actual cutting. This is not a cheap sword like object, it's a real functional sword just like those in the old days, it's meant for use!
If you wish to see more photos, please feel free to visit:
www.taoistmasterblog.com/cold-steel-gim-sword-review-great-photos-video/
This Cold Steel Gim sword was always something I wanted since long time ago, but because of the price, it was on my wish list all the time. Later on in life, I got the money but forgot about this sword and somehow can't find a place to buy it, therefore, it was forgotten for a few more years. Now that I found my place for buying it, it got to be on my CHECK OUT LIST instead! So I ordered it from a store in Canada and it arrived in less than a week, beautiful piece of weapon! Finally, the wish came true, but it was not the old one anymore, this is confirmed to be the 3rd version of the Cold Steel Gim. The first version was confirmed to have a bat design on the guard, second is flower and this third one is the carp and river theme. Nice! I love it!
Historical overview
This is a production sword by Cold Steel but the theme of carp and river is from the passage in Chuang Tze's book. In Chinese, the sword should be called 鶤鵬劍 Kwun Paang Gim (Cantonese) with Kwun being a kind of fish and the Paang being a kind of big eagle. The guard is with cloud and the Paang design, and the other fittings are mostly fish and water waves design. This sword is just so poetic but practical. Not too fancy, not too plain! Enjoy a video of me explaining the philosophy behind the design of this sword!
About me
I am a martial artist and also a Taoist master. I run my own Taoist temple in Markham Ontario www.chiinnature.com and also teach Kung Fu and Chi Kung online www.kungfuonlineclass.com. I had handled MANY weapons in the past including super heavy ones as well. Therefore, this Cold Steel Gim is not even heavy for me but some people find it heavy for some reason. I don't even think a sword that is 2lb can be said to be "heavy" because I used to weld a pair of 15lb hard whip and 25lb Kwan Dao, therefore, weight is not something I would mind. In fact, I would love the Cold Steel Gim to gain abit more weight!
Initial Impressions
The sword arrived in good shape but there isn't any fancy packaging or even a cloth cover for it like the Jade Lion Sword, but it's okay, this is a cutter sword on a budget, I don't expect it to be too bling bling anyways.
Statistics
Give some hard data on the sword's specifications:
Blade Length: 30"
Handle Length: 4"
Overall Length: 37.25"
POB (Point of Balance): 4.25"
Weight: 2lb 2oz
Components
The Blade
The blade is made of 1055 carbon steel, sharpened to a flat diamond geometry and the edge is very sharp out of the box like a paper cutter. Although the sharpening job wasn't as good as expected because I can feel some roughness when I wipe a cloth through the blade, therefore I have to fine tune it abit myself with the 2000 grit sandpaper. The polish or finish on the blade is awesome, it's like a mirror! No scratches, no nicks, no damage, it's 1005 in good shape.
The Handle
The handle is made of rosewood (hard wood) and there is a wooden peg in the center of it that goes through the handle and the tang to secure the blade in place. This is a proof to the customer that it's a for sure cutter sword. It is meant to be used for cutting. There are grooves that runs down the handle from pommel to guard which is there for a better grip. The wood grain pattern of the handle is very nice and high class.
The Guard
The guard is made of solid brass and it is crafted with the Paang (big eagle) and some cloud design on it. The brass is really heavy and solid, which is not any cheap brass on most modern cheap Chinese sword like objects. It's all rounded and have no corners, which is great for handling especially if you hate squarish guards.
The Pommel
The Pommel is made of a sturdy, thick, heavy, solid brass which is secured onto the handle with a hex nut at the back. The pommel is crafted with some fish and river design, it's a piece of fine art! I never thought the pommel is that heavy until I unscrew the nut and check out the inside. Holy cow, this pommel is HEAVY!
The Scabbard
The scabbard is made of rosewood as well (hard wood) which is nice and classy. Color of the scabbard is more like natural wood color. There are a few fittings on the scabbard that are also made in high quality brass and crafted with fish and river design as well. There is a a attachment like a "sling" on the first and second fittings which is an adjustable strap that you can adjust to fit to your belt or hang it over your shoulder.
Handling Characteristics
The handling of the sword is quite good, but not heavy enough to fit my taste. I think this is a good sword for most people though if you are into Chinese sword. It's a fast and durable sword. The rounded guard make your movement very agile and fast but not taking away your sense of the blade's direct, not bad! I think this is a good sword for forms and cutting, no matter what style of kung fu you are doing. It's a good beginner sword too because of the price tag. For that kind of price range, you can't expect a fancy sword but this one is just good with the look and ability to cut.
Test Cutting (if applicable)
Here is a video showing my test cut and review:
Going in action, performing a form for you!
Conclusions
I think this is a great buy for me and anybody in the future who are looking for a less-costy but practical and functional Chinese sword. Many cheap swords out there cost like $30 or something with a thin and semi-flexible blade can't give you a feeling of what a real sword is like. Trust me, those are not swords, those are really not even qualified to be a battle weapon! This is a sword! The blade don't flex and the weight is just good enough. But then, I think Cold Steel stated this is supposed to be a battle vibe sword (Wu Jian) is abit off. The sword is not even as heavy (feeling) as the Jade Lion Sword which they claim to be a (Wen Jian) scholar sword for civil defense. Well, if they put abit more weight on this sword , maybe it make more sense. Right now I think this is more like a poet's sword because of the weight.
Next, to sum up you can list the:
Pros
Give a brief list of the aspects of the sword that you believed were the most positive, for example:
- simple but not plain
- not fancy but with good fine craftsmanship
- durable and sharp blade you can use for cutting
- nice balance and weight for all
- peg in the handle for a real cutting sword
- easy to disassemble (hex nut)
- mirror polish carbon steel (1055) blade!
Cons
Give a brief list of the aspects of the sword that you believed were the most negative, for example:
- nothing much except should be abit heavier to fit a "Wu Jian" vibe.
After that, you can move on to:
The Bottom Line
I would recommend this to a friend, the sword is a quality build sword and it's a REAL sword that you can use for practicing forms or actual cutting. This is not a cheap sword like object, it's a real functional sword just like those in the old days, it's meant for use!
If you wish to see more photos, please feel free to visit:
www.taoistmasterblog.com/cold-steel-gim-sword-review-great-photos-video/