"High Quality Folded Jian" Review from TCKRUAN88
Aug 10, 2014 21:48:35 GMT
Post by Arthur Dayne on Aug 10, 2014 21:48:35 GMT
Introduction:
Hello, I am Arthur Dayne, a user and collector of various blades and I plan on doing a series of reviews on swords from Vendors such as Huawei, Hanwei, Tckruan/Lyuesword (Same overall Vendor, the Shipping Slip says Lyuesword when you buy an item from either of them) and Valiant Armory. But to start with, I will fill an empty void on this Chinese Sword section because it appears there are barely any recent Chinese Sword reviews touching on higher priced offerings. I will start with a review on this Jian www.ebay.com/itm/HIGH-QUALITY-FO ... 27daf627df That I bought from TCKRUAN88 for $444.54. In the future, I will do a review on Huawei's excellent $399 Top Quality Han Jian and Hanwei's Cutting Jian but this should be an interesting start...
Historic Overview: This is a Jian, it is double edged and has a wood handle and small guard. The Chinese use it like a good single handed Westerosi sword or double handed depending on handle length and balance. They appear rather colorful and with plenty of ornamental details here and there depending on the time period, I personally enjoy the solid, subtle proud fittings of the Han Dynasty Style Jians, but Tang, Ming and Qing would suit me too. Anyway, this fellow named John from TCKRUAN88 convinced me to buy this sword because I asked him if the tang of the sword and handle fit are tight no gaps and he said this would be "the best fit ever" and I assume that at $444-470 price range for a Jian direct from China that the tang and handle fit should at least be perfect such as with my $270 Hanwei Cutting Jian and $399 Huawei Top Quality Han Jian (Really perfect fit by the way)... I was in for a big sad shock
Initial Impressions:
Well, it looks dark and unique... that was how I felt and that is exactly what it looks like in the picture. Attached are a bunch of pics first before this forum ruins my posting and forces me to retype and resubmit pics again!
Measurements:
Blade Thickness near Guard: 9 MM
Blade Thickness at Middle: 6 MM
Blade Thickness near Tip: 3.5 MM
Blade Weight: about 1.13 KG or 2.5 Pounds
Point of balance: 14 CM from Guard
Components:
Fittings: Detailed and Unique. They are made of copper and glued to the scabbard. The Fittings on the Handle hold the assembly together decently enough so the sword shouldn't fly apart... more on that in a moment :cry:
Wood Handle: I am intrigued by this sausage like oval handle since Westerosi swords aren't made like this and I'm not use to such unique designs but it is usable and doesn't present many problems. With a good pair of leather gloves friction isn't a concern and the copper pattern on the fittings won't be scratching my index fingers through it. However... after 30 minutes of testing this sword the pommel started loosening and can do 360 degree spinning action. Now I'm just an ignorant Westerosi trying to learn more about the East... but spinning Pommel action seems rather dangerous and unusual
Scabbard: I must say the Scabbard is well put together with lots of copper reinforcement. The wood is thick, dense and heavy and the copper fittings at the bottom of the scabbard makes this a decent clubbing weapon on its own for bashing heads and smashing groins. I whole heartily support this design idea and think it should be implemented on all Westerosi swords. Though it doesn't replace a dedicated mace or warhammer, this heavy scabbard with its heavy copper ornaments works well as a club. The copper at the mouth of the scabbard is carved in such a way as to not scratch the blade during sheathing and unsheathing. \ Blade / angles, nice touch.
Blade: Now I asked TCKRUAN88 and John to make this blade's edge thicker and more Appleseed like, they did a good job forging the blade geometry and applying excellent heat treatment. The edge is thick and curved like an axe edge and is so durable that I can chop through steel sheets, hardened oak and teak. The blade is 1095 core with 1060 fold steel on both sides and completely through hardened to 53-55 HRC and from flex tests I did, they returned to straight with no issues whatsoever. It also makes a nice ringing sound when I bash it against steel beams and the copper fittings on the scabbard, Ring RING RING melody.
Hollow Handle and Thin Rat Tail Tang:
Unfortunately after about 30 minutes of testing... the Pommel and fittings started to get loose and the Handle started to do a left and right motion like a steering wheel. I thought.... How can the Handle Move like this? The tang of this sword can't be that thin can it? The pictures above should tell the story of taking the sword apart to reveal the truths.
1. The Threaded Portion of the tang has a black weld spot that is really dirty and crummy where it meets the rest of the thin sword tang.
2. The Sword Tang is so thin and the handle is so hollow that I Can Fit Two Chopsticks In the Empty Space.
3. The Copper Rivet appears to be the only thing keeping the blade tang align with the hollow handle but the fit is still very poor because the rivet is smaller than the hole so the tang can still move left and right, even with chopsticks filling the empty space.
Seriously, if I had to use this sword back at the Tower of Joy, I would be dead the first 10 seconds like Oswell Whent and The White Bull, I'm sure as hell those two couldn't take on the other 5 Northmen which I had the honor of doing.
Terrible Tang and Handle fit, after TCKRUAN88/John told me it would be tight, solid, no gap and "best fit ever" I am completely let down by that claim. I bought this sword from them because they told me it would have a fit equal to the Hanwei Cutting Jian (perfect tang and handle fit) and Huawei Top Quality Han Jian (Really Perfect Fit) and represent great Chinese Jian Quality... but no, it was a big disappointment.
I gave TCKRUAN88/Lyuesword (same name shipping labels) a chance on good faith because of their good customer service and John's word... I didn't buy a $200 budget sword or a random $100 really budget sword, but a $444.54 Jian that I was told was going to be really premium and represents how a Chinese Jian should be made. Keep in mind, this is more expensive than Huawei's Top Quality $399 Han Jian (Which is really Top Quality with it's extremely thick and substantial 1 piece sword tang and squarish/rectangle handle hole, deadly dark grey satin finished edge contrasted with mirror folded steel spine 10 MM thick, Rounded Shoulders) and $270 Hanwei Cutting Jian which has rounded shoulders and perfect tang to handle fit.
I absolutely cannot fit any chopsticks or rolled up parchment between the tang and handles of the Huawei and Hanwei Jians I own, but this TCKRUAN88/LYUESWORD "HIgh Quality FOLDED STEEL ANCIENT SWORD JIAN" Hollow Handle can FIT TWO CHOPSTICKS and as I just found out 2 mins ago... can fit a small piece of parchment in as well. Oh my... Smiling Knight, I know I killed you back in the Kingswood but you did want my sword right? I can't give you Dawn, but I can give you this HIGH QUALITY Jian and will bury it next to your grave. And TCKRUAN88/LYUESWORD, I will never buy any Chinese Jian from you ever again, if your $400+ Jian are this bad with all the rattle noises and spinning handle/pommel action, I fear that your cheaper offerings would be even worse.
Hello, I am Arthur Dayne, a user and collector of various blades and I plan on doing a series of reviews on swords from Vendors such as Huawei, Hanwei, Tckruan/Lyuesword (Same overall Vendor, the Shipping Slip says Lyuesword when you buy an item from either of them) and Valiant Armory. But to start with, I will fill an empty void on this Chinese Sword section because it appears there are barely any recent Chinese Sword reviews touching on higher priced offerings. I will start with a review on this Jian www.ebay.com/itm/HIGH-QUALITY-FO ... 27daf627df That I bought from TCKRUAN88 for $444.54. In the future, I will do a review on Huawei's excellent $399 Top Quality Han Jian and Hanwei's Cutting Jian but this should be an interesting start...
Historic Overview: This is a Jian, it is double edged and has a wood handle and small guard. The Chinese use it like a good single handed Westerosi sword or double handed depending on handle length and balance. They appear rather colorful and with plenty of ornamental details here and there depending on the time period, I personally enjoy the solid, subtle proud fittings of the Han Dynasty Style Jians, but Tang, Ming and Qing would suit me too. Anyway, this fellow named John from TCKRUAN88 convinced me to buy this sword because I asked him if the tang of the sword and handle fit are tight no gaps and he said this would be "the best fit ever" and I assume that at $444-470 price range for a Jian direct from China that the tang and handle fit should at least be perfect such as with my $270 Hanwei Cutting Jian and $399 Huawei Top Quality Han Jian (Really perfect fit by the way)... I was in for a big sad shock
Initial Impressions:
Well, it looks dark and unique... that was how I felt and that is exactly what it looks like in the picture. Attached are a bunch of pics first before this forum ruins my posting and forces me to retype and resubmit pics again!
Measurements:
Blade Thickness near Guard: 9 MM
Blade Thickness at Middle: 6 MM
Blade Thickness near Tip: 3.5 MM
Blade Weight: about 1.13 KG or 2.5 Pounds
Point of balance: 14 CM from Guard
Components:
Fittings: Detailed and Unique. They are made of copper and glued to the scabbard. The Fittings on the Handle hold the assembly together decently enough so the sword shouldn't fly apart... more on that in a moment :cry:
Wood Handle: I am intrigued by this sausage like oval handle since Westerosi swords aren't made like this and I'm not use to such unique designs but it is usable and doesn't present many problems. With a good pair of leather gloves friction isn't a concern and the copper pattern on the fittings won't be scratching my index fingers through it. However... after 30 minutes of testing this sword the pommel started loosening and can do 360 degree spinning action. Now I'm just an ignorant Westerosi trying to learn more about the East... but spinning Pommel action seems rather dangerous and unusual
Scabbard: I must say the Scabbard is well put together with lots of copper reinforcement. The wood is thick, dense and heavy and the copper fittings at the bottom of the scabbard makes this a decent clubbing weapon on its own for bashing heads and smashing groins. I whole heartily support this design idea and think it should be implemented on all Westerosi swords. Though it doesn't replace a dedicated mace or warhammer, this heavy scabbard with its heavy copper ornaments works well as a club. The copper at the mouth of the scabbard is carved in such a way as to not scratch the blade during sheathing and unsheathing. \ Blade / angles, nice touch.
Blade: Now I asked TCKRUAN88 and John to make this blade's edge thicker and more Appleseed like, they did a good job forging the blade geometry and applying excellent heat treatment. The edge is thick and curved like an axe edge and is so durable that I can chop through steel sheets, hardened oak and teak. The blade is 1095 core with 1060 fold steel on both sides and completely through hardened to 53-55 HRC and from flex tests I did, they returned to straight with no issues whatsoever. It also makes a nice ringing sound when I bash it against steel beams and the copper fittings on the scabbard, Ring RING RING melody.
Hollow Handle and Thin Rat Tail Tang:
Unfortunately after about 30 minutes of testing... the Pommel and fittings started to get loose and the Handle started to do a left and right motion like a steering wheel. I thought.... How can the Handle Move like this? The tang of this sword can't be that thin can it? The pictures above should tell the story of taking the sword apart to reveal the truths.
1. The Threaded Portion of the tang has a black weld spot that is really dirty and crummy where it meets the rest of the thin sword tang.
2. The Sword Tang is so thin and the handle is so hollow that I Can Fit Two Chopsticks In the Empty Space.
3. The Copper Rivet appears to be the only thing keeping the blade tang align with the hollow handle but the fit is still very poor because the rivet is smaller than the hole so the tang can still move left and right, even with chopsticks filling the empty space.
Seriously, if I had to use this sword back at the Tower of Joy, I would be dead the first 10 seconds like Oswell Whent and The White Bull, I'm sure as hell those two couldn't take on the other 5 Northmen which I had the honor of doing.
Terrible Tang and Handle fit, after TCKRUAN88/John told me it would be tight, solid, no gap and "best fit ever" I am completely let down by that claim. I bought this sword from them because they told me it would have a fit equal to the Hanwei Cutting Jian (perfect tang and handle fit) and Huawei Top Quality Han Jian (Really Perfect Fit) and represent great Chinese Jian Quality... but no, it was a big disappointment.
I gave TCKRUAN88/Lyuesword (same name shipping labels) a chance on good faith because of their good customer service and John's word... I didn't buy a $200 budget sword or a random $100 really budget sword, but a $444.54 Jian that I was told was going to be really premium and represents how a Chinese Jian should be made. Keep in mind, this is more expensive than Huawei's Top Quality $399 Han Jian (Which is really Top Quality with it's extremely thick and substantial 1 piece sword tang and squarish/rectangle handle hole, deadly dark grey satin finished edge contrasted with mirror folded steel spine 10 MM thick, Rounded Shoulders) and $270 Hanwei Cutting Jian which has rounded shoulders and perfect tang to handle fit.
I absolutely cannot fit any chopsticks or rolled up parchment between the tang and handles of the Huawei and Hanwei Jians I own, but this TCKRUAN88/LYUESWORD "HIgh Quality FOLDED STEEL ANCIENT SWORD JIAN" Hollow Handle can FIT TWO CHOPSTICKS and as I just found out 2 mins ago... can fit a small piece of parchment in as well. Oh my... Smiling Knight, I know I killed you back in the Kingswood but you did want my sword right? I can't give you Dawn, but I can give you this HIGH QUALITY Jian and will bury it next to your grave. And TCKRUAN88/LYUESWORD, I will never buy any Chinese Jian from you ever again, if your $400+ Jian are this bad with all the rattle noises and spinning handle/pommel action, I fear that your cheaper offerings would be even worse.