Royal Peony Jian, Monosteel
Jun 9, 2013 20:57:39 GMT
Post by JeanCoutu on Jun 9, 2013 20:57:39 GMT
Introduction
I bought this sword back in September 2012. Since then, I had some school work to take care of and no real time to do much beside study and the occasional cutting. Well, I just finished college and I now have that time and here is my take on my first sword, the Royal Peony Jian from Huanao, the monosteel version.
Historical overview
No idea what so ever.
Full Disclosure
First sword I own, first I cut with too.
I am not related to Sevenstartradings nor Huanao.
This is a review from a new sword addict, I will therefor try to be as objective as possible.
Statistics
The advertised specs:
POB 35cm from pommel
total length = 41"
blade length = 30"
weigth = 2lbs
aprox 90° foot recovery (Not sure of the spelling/meaning of this...)
hardness test= 58+
135° recovery deformation
Initial Impressions
What I experienced back in September was a bit of a disappointment. When I unwrapped the sword(came in a nice packaging BTW), the fitting where loose and the blade was a bit loose too. I disassembled the sword to fix the blade wobbling and to my surprise, the peg was either glued on or stuck pretty thigh.
I had no choice but to "drill on top" of it. How I did that was a bit unconventional. I took a Swiss army knife and took out the kind of pike(I think its a wire stripper of some sort) and with that I hand drilled the peg. Once it was out. I hand sanded a paintbrush handle to fit perfectly in the hole and to be safe too. after that, I cleaned the blade and everything blade/handle related was good and safe for use.
The fittings where a bit of an annoyance but I managed to stick some electrical tape under them and they are pretty much stuck now.
Overall, these were the cons/problems of the sword when I received it(take note that these were relatively easily fixed).
Now the positive part, it came with a nice mirror finish that still shines but with some scratches here and there. The scabbard is a perfect fit, even if held upside-down, the sword is secured and won't fall, even if I sort of force it(shake it up and down a little). In addition, the belt junction(I think anyway) is a nice addition and adds a lot to the overall looks of the sword. The sword is beautiful and hangs on my wall for decoration when its not in use(obviously).
Notes
I must note a few things before the cutting part:
1. The blade does scratch but I assume most of them come from myself and my laziness(I poked water bottle part on the ground so the blade did come into contact with dirt).
2. The handle webbing does move from side to side a little but it cannot do a full 180° and won't bother me while I cut.
3. The nut has been belt grinded to fit perfectly with the blade tang but it came a little loose(not quite but i could tighten it a bit so I did).
4. While it was a hassle to fix the blade wobble, it does give one hell of a satisfying feel when you fix the problem yourself!
5. There are some marks on the bottom of the tang but its not a structural problem, looks like a vise-grip gripped too hard on it.
6. It might seems like I had a lot of problems, and I probably ended up having more than I ever thought I would but it is quite worth the effort.
7.This is my first sword experience ever.
Also note that the consumer service from Sevenstartrading is great, I initially ordered the Hanwei Scott Roddel cutting Jian but it wasn't in stock so I asked for a order swap for the royal peony Jian and they did so with no problem at all, also note that they did not charge my credit card until shipping(heard that was a problem with some other online sword websites orders sometimes).
Cutting
I cut mostly water bottle and all of them have that butter feel when I swing the sword in there.
I poke a lot and all of them have that same butter feel, no matter the material(except wood for obvious reasons).
The carton bottle(orange juice for exemple) thend to leave a slight sticky line on the edge of the blade.
I oil the sword every 2 months if I don't use it, if I do, after every use.
The thicker bottle(cranberry juice bottle and nuts bottle) require more technique and force but nothing crazy.
The blade is sharp everywhere, meaning the point closest to the handle still is sharp.
I did not sharpen it. Ever. Not even planing to is still is as sharp as it was back in 2012.
I must have cut a good 200-300 bottles and every time it gives the same feeling.
Pics
Click on them for a better size/view:
Several cuts
Sword itself
Close up of the peg modification
More pics of the sword
Conclusions
The sword is, in my opinion very good. I do not regret my purchase, if I could choose again, I would still take the Royal Peony Jian over the Scott Rodell Cutting Jian.
Pros
+Nice scabbard
+The copper fittings looks better than the gold ones(in my book anyways)
+Good quality handle
+Nice mirror finish
+Nice monosteel blade
+Great initial sharpness, cuts bottle like butter
+Came in a nice packaging
+Great customer service from Severstartrading
+Nice cutting experience
+Easy to disassemble
+Nice looking(In my book, very very few Jian come close)
+Shipping to Canada
+Piece of Art
+Cost about 500$ Shipped/taxes included
+Uncommon sword
Cons
-Wobble out of the box
-The peg is no more, had to make one from a paintbrush
-Some fittings where loose
-Can't find a belt that fits the scabbard/belt junction
-Limited information on the sword and even less on the monosteel version
-Cost about 500$ Shipped/taxes included
-Uncommon sword
The Bottom Line
I can't recommend this Jian over another but know that I really enjoy it, it is beautiful and functional.
If you see any spelling mistakes, PM me and ill edit as needed(not my first language). Also, sorry for the pic heavy post but after a quick look at the rules, I could not find anything related to it(PM or post if its a problem).
External references:
Some info/Cutting:
forum.grtc.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=835
Where to buy:
www.sevenstarstrading.com/site/huanuo/peonysword/
Specifications(1st and 3rd post) + info:
forum.grtc.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=579&start=0
Huanao website + translation of the info:
translate.google.com/translate?depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhuanuo%2Bsword%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3Dflq%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official&rurl=translate.google.ca&sl=zh-CN&u=http://www.huanuosword.com/%3Fproduct-390.html
External review of 2 other version of the same sword:
forum.grtc.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1075
I bought this sword back in September 2012. Since then, I had some school work to take care of and no real time to do much beside study and the occasional cutting. Well, I just finished college and I now have that time and here is my take on my first sword, the Royal Peony Jian from Huanao, the monosteel version.
Historical overview
No idea what so ever.
Full Disclosure
First sword I own, first I cut with too.
I am not related to Sevenstartradings nor Huanao.
This is a review from a new sword addict, I will therefor try to be as objective as possible.
Statistics
The advertised specs:
POB 35cm from pommel
total length = 41"
blade length = 30"
weigth = 2lbs
aprox 90° foot recovery (Not sure of the spelling/meaning of this...)
hardness test= 58+
135° recovery deformation
Initial Impressions
What I experienced back in September was a bit of a disappointment. When I unwrapped the sword(came in a nice packaging BTW), the fitting where loose and the blade was a bit loose too. I disassembled the sword to fix the blade wobbling and to my surprise, the peg was either glued on or stuck pretty thigh.
I had no choice but to "drill on top" of it. How I did that was a bit unconventional. I took a Swiss army knife and took out the kind of pike(I think its a wire stripper of some sort) and with that I hand drilled the peg. Once it was out. I hand sanded a paintbrush handle to fit perfectly in the hole and to be safe too. after that, I cleaned the blade and everything blade/handle related was good and safe for use.
The fittings where a bit of an annoyance but I managed to stick some electrical tape under them and they are pretty much stuck now.
Overall, these were the cons/problems of the sword when I received it(take note that these were relatively easily fixed).
Now the positive part, it came with a nice mirror finish that still shines but with some scratches here and there. The scabbard is a perfect fit, even if held upside-down, the sword is secured and won't fall, even if I sort of force it(shake it up and down a little). In addition, the belt junction(I think anyway) is a nice addition and adds a lot to the overall looks of the sword. The sword is beautiful and hangs on my wall for decoration when its not in use(obviously).
Notes
I must note a few things before the cutting part:
1. The blade does scratch but I assume most of them come from myself and my laziness(I poked water bottle part on the ground so the blade did come into contact with dirt).
2. The handle webbing does move from side to side a little but it cannot do a full 180° and won't bother me while I cut.
3. The nut has been belt grinded to fit perfectly with the blade tang but it came a little loose(not quite but i could tighten it a bit so I did).
4. While it was a hassle to fix the blade wobble, it does give one hell of a satisfying feel when you fix the problem yourself!
5. There are some marks on the bottom of the tang but its not a structural problem, looks like a vise-grip gripped too hard on it.
6. It might seems like I had a lot of problems, and I probably ended up having more than I ever thought I would but it is quite worth the effort.
7.This is my first sword experience ever.
Also note that the consumer service from Sevenstartrading is great, I initially ordered the Hanwei Scott Roddel cutting Jian but it wasn't in stock so I asked for a order swap for the royal peony Jian and they did so with no problem at all, also note that they did not charge my credit card until shipping(heard that was a problem with some other online sword websites orders sometimes).
Cutting
I cut mostly water bottle and all of them have that butter feel when I swing the sword in there.
I poke a lot and all of them have that same butter feel, no matter the material(except wood for obvious reasons).
The carton bottle(orange juice for exemple) thend to leave a slight sticky line on the edge of the blade.
I oil the sword every 2 months if I don't use it, if I do, after every use.
The thicker bottle(cranberry juice bottle and nuts bottle) require more technique and force but nothing crazy.
The blade is sharp everywhere, meaning the point closest to the handle still is sharp.
I did not sharpen it. Ever. Not even planing to is still is as sharp as it was back in 2012.
I must have cut a good 200-300 bottles and every time it gives the same feeling.
Pics
Click on them for a better size/view:
Several cuts
Sword itself
Close up of the peg modification
More pics of the sword
Conclusions
The sword is, in my opinion very good. I do not regret my purchase, if I could choose again, I would still take the Royal Peony Jian over the Scott Rodell Cutting Jian.
Pros
+Nice scabbard
+The copper fittings looks better than the gold ones(in my book anyways)
+Good quality handle
+Nice mirror finish
+Nice monosteel blade
+Great initial sharpness, cuts bottle like butter
+Came in a nice packaging
+Great customer service from Severstartrading
+Nice cutting experience
+Easy to disassemble
+Nice looking(In my book, very very few Jian come close)
+Shipping to Canada
+Piece of Art
+Cost about 500$ Shipped/taxes included
+Uncommon sword
Cons
-Wobble out of the box
-The peg is no more, had to make one from a paintbrush
-Some fittings where loose
-Can't find a belt that fits the scabbard/belt junction
-Limited information on the sword and even less on the monosteel version
-Cost about 500$ Shipped/taxes included
-Uncommon sword
The Bottom Line
I can't recommend this Jian over another but know that I really enjoy it, it is beautiful and functional.
If you see any spelling mistakes, PM me and ill edit as needed(not my first language). Also, sorry for the pic heavy post but after a quick look at the rules, I could not find anything related to it(PM or post if its a problem).
External references:
Some info/Cutting:
forum.grtc.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=835
Where to buy:
www.sevenstarstrading.com/site/huanuo/peonysword/
Specifications(1st and 3rd post) + info:
forum.grtc.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=579&start=0
Huanao website + translation of the info:
translate.google.com/translate?depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhuanuo%2Bsword%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3Dflq%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official&rurl=translate.google.ca&sl=zh-CN&u=http://www.huanuosword.com/%3Fproduct-390.html
External review of 2 other version of the same sword:
forum.grtc.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1075