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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2015 17:37:51 GMT
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Oct 6, 2015 20:02:23 GMT
That's one of the best Han jian I've seen at that price range. Nice guard, looks like an excellent blade. Brass scabbard slide looks funny, but that's easy to replace if one wants authentic style.
The grip cover is pretty fugly, but that's also easy to replace.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2015 20:18:44 GMT
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Post by Upasaka on Oct 7, 2015 11:44:37 GMT
Holg, What a great find! Thanks for sharing this info as I just went for one myself! Will also report back when it arrives.
Timo, the seller offers to customize the sword at no cost. What would you suggest for the grip? Just plain wood? I looked it up in the book (Iron and Steel Swords of China), but as to be expected, swords of this age are pictured with the grip long gone. What would you ask the seller to do to the scabbard?
Thanks,
Kamil |
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Post by Upasaka on Oct 15, 2015 16:21:51 GMT
Holg, did you get your sword yet? Curious about your thoughts. I did yesterday, so here's my first impression:
The Good -- Blade. I am (by own admission!) no expert on steel and can't tell whether the blade is indeed 9260. However, it looks and feels pretty solid. Quite sharp. I like the tapering, which comes to a very narrow point. One unexpected bonus was that the one they sent me came to 31 1/2" (rather than 30"), which is close to my preferred length of 32". Very happy about this!
The (almost) Bad -- Balance. The sword weighs 2lb 2oz and balances at 6". While 6" falls within the expected range of 35-40% of overall length, personally I would prefer closer to 3-4". I guess it's just a personal preference.
The (very, VERY!) Ugly -- Scabbard. I have seen better scabbards on swords sold at Toys-R-Us! Seriously... It feels like a feather-weight, cheap piece of plastic. Makes you wonder... I have no clue why the producer would undermine an otherwise decent sword by choosing such a cheap piece of crap scabbard!
I don't know about the tang and the (hopefully wooden?) handle. I'm afraid to take it apart, as I may not be able to replace the cord properly. Holg, if you do, please let us know your findings.
Kamil
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Oct 15, 2015 20:52:37 GMT
About 6" is where it should be, given the construction. IMO, where the POB lies is secondary - the things that affect how the sword moves matter more. Location of the pivot point affects how the sword moves, POB affects how the sword feels static in the hand. Since the POB affects where the pivot points are, the POB should be where it needs to been to have the pivot points where you want them.
Static feel in hand matters a lot if doing forms slowly, so if that's what you'll be doing with it, then POB matters more. A sword optimised for forms rather than fighting seems a bit odd to me, but it's common.
Featherweight scabbards are good. The sword weighs what the sword weighs, and that weight is functional. For many types of sword, you don't want a featherweight sword. But you don't want to wear a great heavy lump all day, so light scabbards are good. In my experience, antique wooden scabbards are much lighter than wooden scabbards on repros. Of course, it's possible to make a bad lightweight scabbard, so weight alone doesn't indicate quality.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2015 6:24:13 GMT
Sword just arrived, posted it under "new accquis"...
sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/post/637395
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Oct 24, 2015 6:44:40 GMT
Sword just arrived, posted it under "new accquis"... sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/post/637395 Will be interested in a review, have been looking for a plain Jian for some time |
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Oct 24, 2015 8:25:57 GMT
If I was you, I'd take that cord off right now. Not only would I get to see what's under it, but I'd get to replace it with something better.
How is the scabbard?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2015 11:06:31 GMT
Scabbard fits really good and quite tight; minor gaps at the brass throat.
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Post by Upasaka on Oct 28, 2015 14:32:08 GMT
I have a question that has made me wonder since buying this sword. It seems that the blade tapering on this model is quite different from other Hon3 swords. For example, I measured the width of another sword’s blade (1” from the guard, same from tip) and it came out as 37-27 mm (I am using the metric scale to be more precise). This particular Shinken-Katana gim3 measures 31-20 mm. To the naked eye, the blade is not only narrower, but features a more radical taper that comes to a much more sharply pronounced point. I checked the Bible (Iron and Steel Swords of China) and found both variations.
To the best of my understanding, weapons developed as a result of their utility on the battlefield. Perhaps it is my total misperception of the Hon3 Dynasty, but I think of their weapons as “heavy and thick” (blades, scabbards, armor, fighting concepts etc.) contrasted, for example, to the Cing1 Dynasty or Republican era. Sort of like Roman gladiators compared to 19th Century Europe. Am I wrong? Which particular martial aspects could have most likely produced this quite significant difference? Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Kamil
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Oct 28, 2015 21:34:51 GMT
I think this perception comes from looking at weapons which didn't develop as a result of battlefield utility. Smallsword, delicate jian, ceremonial military swords, etc. But comparing what was meant for use on the battlefield, I don't think Han stands out as "heavy and thick", nor gladiators.
If anything, the more modern battlefield weapons might be thicker and heavier. Prominence of the gun, lower standards of swordsmanship, and larger armies might all be partly to blame.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2015 22:03:05 GMT
By the way: scabbard is DEFINITELY wood, not plastic...
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