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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2007 1:40:25 GMT
That is the question. I have followed the dismal failures in the past, but their swords look so darn good that I am sorely tempted. They have an absolutely huge range of products! The Hand and a half looks to be a good buy. I think the reason for it's durability is something Tsafa noticed in his pell testing, that is, shorter tang=less likely to break. I really like their basket hilt broad- and backswords, but I'm just not confidant in their products. Help, anyone?
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Post by randomnobody on Aug 19, 2007 2:06:21 GMT
From what I've seen across the vastness of the Internet, Hanwei has a fairly solid reputation for their Japanese and Chinese line of swords, but not so much the Europeans. The Hand and a Half aka Albrecht...uh...was it 2 or 3, I can never remember...anyway, seems to be fairly sturdy in all the cases I've heard of (I don't own one...yet...), whereas, let's say, the Godfred (which I own) had some bad press at first, but then some improvements were apparently made, and the one I have seems okay, though I don't do much with it other than swing it around on occasion. I also have the William Marshall, and while a bit heavy in the hand, mine feels pretty okay, though ShooterMike managed to destroy his on a water bottle. I also have the older-generation Practical Katana, which has withstood much abuse and is still going strong, the only problem being a loosening ito.
It seems Hanwei's made some pretty smart moves recently, for starters we've heard from ShooterMike that the Bastard sword, if no others, will be given a solid pommel, or so I seem to recall him saying. This is good news, the hollow pommels have sealed the doom of many of Hanwei's Euro line, alongside poor heat treat as problem number two.
At the end of the day, if you can find a good deal on a Hanwei/Paul Chen sword (Kult of Athena, anyone?), if all it does is hang on your wall and look oh-so-pretty, then you've done well. Just know that if you feel like cutting, be gentle, they aren't made to fell trees.
Such is my own understanding of their products at this time.
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Post by Brendan Olszowy on Aug 19, 2007 10:33:07 GMT
I have found my two practicals (hand and half / viking) to be mega durable and very well heat tempered. See here : (check the flex test) /index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=1183463660 The Edward III has a peened tang and different pommel and would be worth consideration.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2007 4:30:38 GMT
I have the Paul Chen Knightly and I am very happy with it. So far it has held up well on my tirepell. I'm going to keep testing it longer before I write it up on my webpage. But I have confidence in it from what I have seen so far.
However, not all Paul Chens are the same. I was fencing someone this past Friday who was using a Hanwei practical rapier. This is designed to flex. He stepped in with a lunge and hit me when the blade burst in three pieces. The person who broke it had borrowed it from a girl I know just to fight me case, so I know this blade has not been abused. A close inspection of the break area showed that the blade had been casted rather then forged. The break area looked like the mettle you see on matchbox cars.
I would only buy from their new lines of products. Not the old stuff. They are phasing a lot of that out and you will see it deep discounted.
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Post by ShooterMike on Aug 24, 2007 13:26:20 GMT
That is the question. I have followed the dismal failures in the past, but their swords look so darn good that I am sorely tempted. They have an absolutely huge range of products! The Hand and a half looks to be a good buy. I think the reason for it's durability is something Tsafa noticed in his pell testing, that is, shorter tang=less likely to break. I really like their basket hilt broad- and backswords, but I'm just not confidant in their products. Help, anyone? I would say...give them a try. The Practical models seem to be more of a sure bet. But if you want a sharp sword, then select by carefully noting the edge and fuller relationships so you get one that you can sharpen. I have one of each of the sharp Hanwei European Medieval models. Here's a list with my experiences with each:
- Bastard Sword (really a longsword) - This one has a wonderful blade and hilt with the exception of the hollow pommel. The blade is well enough designed that I plan on investing the time to move the tang forward two inches and re-hilt it...at some point...when I can get hold of a bushel basket of "ROUND TOITs".
- William Marshal - This one's nice, but the hollow pommel completely screws up the balance and handling. But there's probably not enough meat in the tang area to rework it.
- Cut-n-Thrust - Suffers from a blade that is too light and a welded-on threaded rod tang and screw-on pommel that is rather heavy. And the grip is hollow plastic (not a bad thing in itself) which is poorly fitted.
- Edward III - Easily the best medieval European sword Hanwei makes. The hilt is elaborate and beautifully executed. The pommel is solid and attached in the historically correct peened method. Only drawback is...the pommel is historically accurate. That means the center has a hole about 3/4" in diameter that passes all the way through from side to side. This opening is covered on one side by the coat of arms and on the other side by a crystal, just like the original sword it's based on. This makes the PoB a bit too far forward for my tastes. But that's really just a personal preference of mine. And the scabbard is AWESOMELY well made. The best deal on this sword and scabbard is $230. At that price, the scabbard's probably worth more than the cost of the whole package. It is IMO "the one to buy" for sure.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2007 1:40:57 GMT
I have the 2 handed claymore, and one of their main gauches, and have been very pleased with both. I wouldn't hesitate to try another of their pieces.
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Post by YlliwCir on Oct 8, 2007 2:57:56 GMT
Hmmm, the Edward III you say?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2007 19:23:17 GMT
Sadly, they are still failing. Take a look at this thread:
/index.cgi?board=europeansword&action=display&thread=1192319019&page=1
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2007 18:01:43 GMT
Shootermike ,, hmm .. have you handle the lowlander sword??? or anyone???
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Post by ShooterMike on Oct 22, 2007 18:36:09 GMT
Shootermike ,, hmm .. have you handle the lowlander sword??? or anyone??? I haven't handled any of their Scottish swords. In fact, I've never even seen one.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2007 23:19:25 GMT
personally, i would stay away from the hanwei lowlander sword. i read a review once, and the sword was said to have a pencil like tang, that broke whn struck against a tire pell. unfortunatley, i dont' have the URL address, so i cannot verify the credebility, but i would still be wary....
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2007 8:55:12 GMT
I think it was on myarmoury.com forum. Just go to the forum and write "Hanwei lowlander sword" in "search". Maybe it isn't that case but there is definitely a man who broke the lowlander. But I think he broke it on wood and it wasn't tang that broke but the blade at the crossguard...
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2007 11:15:32 GMT
ah, sorry for the misinformation then.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2007 13:02:01 GMT
Probably there are more cases like that... That sword is a wallhanger, but people buy them as functional swords and soon they have a nasty surprise...
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2007 7:06:48 GMT
Yeah, the lowlander just screams "weak tang." I may just go wit ha Cold Steel basket hilt sword and be done with it... Clyde, any Gen2 basket hilts in the mix? Anyone else know of a decent sword for a scotsman?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2007 7:34:55 GMT
![:-/](//storage.forums.net/forum/images/smiley/undecided.png) Guess it's a good thing I'm getting a one year warranty and rounded edges...
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2007 1:35:09 GMT
I've been very happy with the Paul Chen pieces I have used-- I've also been attentive to the improvements they have made over the past couple of years. Good stuff happening for the most part. I would buy more of their work in the future. Just my 2 cents.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2007 4:59:02 GMT
Paul Chen/Hanwei makes some amazing Asian blades (I own several), but I've never handled any of their European swords. I've heard mixed reviews on those. I keep pretty up-to-date with Hanwei and it seems like they're making a lot of great changes and improvements with their European/Medieval lines.
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