I'm going to ask these things straight out since Ronin Katana is charging $800 for this Han style 8 sided Jian and judging from the pictures so far...
1. The long threaded tang portion is not just long... it's really long and looks really lazy for $800. The Pommel is obviously not keyed or anything, but screwed on which is secure but you know what,
SINOSWORD offers a really nice $400 Han style 8 sided Jian which, after their Hilt to Tang fit Redesign some years ago, I haven't heard anything negative about and from emails/messages appears to be one beast of a Chinese Longsword with its tight fitting Hilt to Tang construction, the threaded portion from emails/messages in addition to public pics does not appear to be as long as Ronin Katana's version.
www.sinosword.com/Chinese-sword-Han-Jian.htmlHUAWEI offers a really beautiful and nice $400 ($399 really) Han style 8 sided Jian which I happen to own and is very well balanced and finished, with excellent Hilt to tang fit and clean construction. It too is well pinned and has some threading but minimal compared to the Ronin Katana version.
www.ebay.com/itm/Top-Quality-Han ... 1524633165
2. The Hilt wrap and construction looks very similar to the $400 range Han style Jians... as in, offering nothing more for the price being charged. There is no metal spacer, no unique tapered shape or any sort of advantage or superior materials/design. It's just black waxed cotton thread it seems... not even sure if it's cotton.
3. The fittings look ok but some may interpret this as gaudy since this is starting to go into Artsfeng territory that the Katana section of this forum often bashes.
4. The scabbard looks fine but again, doesn't seem like I'm getting all that much more in terms of Uniqueness or Construction quality compared to the good Han Jian products that Sinosword and Huawei sells at the $400 range. Same black threading again.
5. The blade I suppose looks good but personally that Differential Hardening/Hamon on this straight double edge sword doesn't appeal to me and confers no quality/structural advantages, but I can see that some folks may love the hamon so much they would buy it to stare at, poke and stroke it/to.
I do like the folding patterns and the spine being polished to show the lovely folds, that's what I will give my thumbs up to. Excellent spine focus with the edge being shined to a clean lethal look.
Final comments: With respect to jian beauty and historical accuracy reasons... i
f they are charging $800 for this sword, we are approaching Huanuo very high quality Jian territory,
sevenstarstrading.com/site/huanuo/They are one of the best forges in China producing excellent quality Jian/Dao that you can be assured is not only historically accurate but some are traditional 3 steel plate construction.
sevenstarstrading.com/site/longquanjian/Just like the one in the Hebei Province museum and $599, less than the $800.
Basically what I'm saying is, I don't see enough valid reasons to pay $800 for this Ronin Katana Han Jian while there are two obvious $400 contenders and you're not getting any tangible benefits by paying twice as much except for that hamon.
In addition... if you want beautiful and historical you can also buy from Huanuo who has a reputation for excellent heat treatment and Hilt construction/fittings too, guaranteed quality.
Edited: Dynasty Forge Jian are also high quality alternatives, KOA has some between $400 to $600, a little too golden and flashy for my taste but they do look great and the stats aren't bad either.
Overall, this sword doesn't offer any increased safety, quality, vanity or historical accuracy. Balance, point of percussion, blade tapering I can't comment on because no data has come out on those just yet... but so far, the alternatives are much better.
