Purpleheart Armoury Synthetic Chang Jian V2 Review
Feb 22, 2017 11:55:03 GMT
Post by grayfog on Feb 22, 2017 11:55:03 GMT
Introduction
After a few years of searching around for a decent synthetic trainer for Chinese jian for sparring and general training for a couple of years, I was beginning to think that maybe there just isn’t an interest in one. Some were discontinued, while others, though generously priced, were lacking in their performance and variety as seen by the polypropylene ones in the pictures below. They still make for great trainers for forms practice, though when it came to sparring they tended to not behave as a sword should and would leave the wielder fighting with their own weapon rather than with their opponent.
I heard about HEMA during my searching around and saw they had some interesting synthetic sword trainers. With some more digging, I learned that they were made of nylon, and are sturdy enough for sparring while performing like a steel sword would. This lead me to begin searching for a nylon synthetic jian to use for both sparring and practice.
With that as my goal I happened upon Purpleheart Armoury and found their Synthetic Chang Jian. However, upon closer examination of their jian I found that it didn’t really resemble one aesthetically and kind just looked like one of their European Longsword trainers with the crossguard missing. I decided to set it aside for the time being but kept tabs, checking in to see if maybe they would make a new version of it eventually.
Fast forward a couple years, they got a new site, are coming out with new products, but the Chang Jian still remained the same. One of the new products they came out with was a single-handed jian, their Jian Synthetic Trainer, that was designed with fittings to make it look and function more like a jian. So I figured, if they already have the design and fittings for a single-handed jian, why can’t it then be put onto the two-handed Chang Jian.
I decided to request the modifications for the Chang Jian by contacting Christian Darce, one of the owners of Purpleheart Armoury, and he agreed to them. While messaging each other about details on the new design, he decided that he would use these modifications for the new look of the trainer, leading to the new Synthetic Chang Jian V2.
This trainer is made from nylon, comes with stainless steel fittings, and has a basic cord wrap done on the handle. I got mine for $102.50 plus shipping, and it arrived within a week after being shipped.
As a note, I have considered both wooden and steel trainers as well. I decided to not invest in either of those at the time because I was looking for a trainer that anyone from beginners to advanced practitioners can afford while requiring little to no maintenance, and still be durable enough to take abuse through sparring. All while still being relatively safe to use with minimal protective gear based on its material and design.
Historical overview
Based on the design of this trainer, with it being a two-handed jian, and having grip that tapers at both ends, it seems to resemble that of jian seen in styles such as that of mantis style Chinese martial arts. Though it is not exclusive to that style, it is popularly associated with it, and can easily be found on the market just by searching “mantis jian”.
Enlightenment Swords Two Handed Praying Mantis Jian
www.enlightenmentsword.com/twohandedforgeprayingmantisjian
As for a time frame it’s difficult to pin down exactly, but I can say with decent certainty that this style of jian, based on its fittings and measurements, was widely seen in the Qing and Ming Dynasties. It is still very possible that the design could be observed in dynasties beforehand, though it may not have been as common just yet. There aren’t too many historical sources to draw from before the Ming Dynasty, but they can be found searching around, however like anything online, the validation of it is always in question.
17th century jian
www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/25108?=&imgNo=3&tabName=online-information
Apologies for the unclear answer, feel free to add any sources in the comments as I’m just as curious to find a more definitive answer.
Full Disclosure
I’ve always had a passion for Chinese martial arts it is both part of my culture and something I find to be a very interesting style to study from it’s large diversity. Starting out with martial arts instructors in different styles as kid to being fortunate enough to study styles from other cultures while at my university, I was given a foundation for the basics. Throughout this time, relocation, education, then pursuing my career as both passion and a means of generating income took away from that. So now I pursue it as a self study through books and videos, though would like to have an instructor again some time in the future when I’ve settled a bit more.
In my self study for Chinese martial arts I found the jian to be a very fitting weapon for myself through it’s techniques and mechanics. This put me on a search to find a jian trainer that could be used to practice forms, techniques, and sparring. From this it can be said that I may have a slight biased towards Chinese weapons
As stated above, I was fortunate enough to consult with Christian Darce of Purpleheart Armoury to help modify their original Synthetic Chang Jian design to be what it is now. At the time I was only charged $102.50 plus shipping, the cost of the older version, however the trainer now goes for $110.50 plus shipping on their site. This now slight discount may contribute towards a slight biased towards the product, though I was unaware of the price change until after my purchase.
I also recently became an affiliate with Purpleheart Armoury, and am doing this review to inform others on the details of their new product. This may lead to some bias, though I will try to keep the review as transparent as possible.
Initial Impressions
Though this is most likely not the fault of the packaging done by Purpleheart Armoury, I would just like to note that the box the trainer came in was a bit misshapen when I received it. If I had to guess, it was slightly crushed in the UPS truck, and then the individual who tried to deliver it by forcing it through the small openings in the front gate may have assisted in its new look. Despite all that, the product was thoroughly wrapped in plastic and paper, arriving intact.
Visually examining the trainer, I notice one of the metal fittings that makes up the guard were bent a little unevenly. I personally did not consider it to be major enough that it would affect the functionality and performance of the blade, just a bit of an aesthetic blemish should anyone come to notice.
Uneven Guard
Beneath the guard, I noticed that they still had the bottom of the blade drilled through. This hole functions as the housing for the crossguard used by their European longswords. Though in this case there is no crossguard going through the base of the blade, but a two-piece guard that is riveted on. With the hole present, two out of the three rivets are exposed and it can be noted that hole made the nylon surround it a bit thin. I’m hoping that this does not cause any issues with the structural integrity of the blade as the guard undergoes receives hits in sparring.
Hole Beneath Guard Image 1
Hole Beneath Guard Image 2
As for the pommel, I noticed that the bolt fastening it was slightly off center and there is some wear on the pommel itself. Though it does feel secure for now and doesn’t seem to affect the functionality of the trainer, it’s a little displeasing aesthetically as it can easily be seen. However, the pommel itself does seem to be centered, and doesn’t get in the way while handling the trainer.
Side of Pommel Image 1
Side of Pommel Image 2
Statistics
Give some hard data on the sword's specifications:
Blade Length: 38” from base of guard to tip, or 36” not considering the guard
Handle Length: 8 ⅝”
Overall Length: 48”
Guard Width: 3 ⅝”
POB (Point of Balance): ~5” from the tip of the guard
COP (Center of Percussion): ~23 ½” from the tip of the guard
Weight: 2 lbs. 1 ¼ ou. / 945 g
Metric
Imperial
Components
The Blade
The blade of the trainer is made of nylon, blunt, has a rounded tip and tapers to a point. The tapering of the blade goes from 2” at the base to 1” at the tip.
The Handle
The handle is also made of nylon, has a basic cord wrap covering it for comfort and grip, and is in an oval or elliptical shape. The length of the grip is made to allow for two-handed grips and decent maneuverability. From the the guard, it tapered to about 1 3/16”, widens to 1 ⅜” at the center, and sharply tapers back down to ¾” near the pommel. The thickness is including the cord wrap that came with the trainer. I would like to point out that the handle is not properly shaped as those seen on traditional Chinese jian and was left to be in the same design as the first version certain that was based on the design of one of their HEMA longsword trainers.
The Guard
The guard is made from stainless steel held to the base of the blade by three metal rivets. The style of the guard can be seen as one from the Ming or Qing Dynasties.
Guard Side 1
Guard Side 2
The Pommel
The pommel is also made from stainless steel, seemingly held onto the blade via a button-head bolt. It’s style is also possibly from either the Ming or Qing Dynasty.
Handling Characteristics
Upon removing it from the box, my first reaction was to give it a couple of swings and jabs to get a feel for it. Off the bat, the weight felt way better than my other two polypropylene trainers, and the fact that it held its form through the motions was great.
I did feel a bit of difficulty with gripping the handle with the lower of my two hands in the grip. This was caused by the sharp tapering of the handle towards the pommel.
Next I attempted flexing it by pressing the tip down on the floor to see if the sword would retain its shape. It did so without fail, remaining true upon returning to its neutral position.
Conclusions
This trainer as a whole is very great for the price. Even with the slight blemishes, this is still a very functional training tool for practitioners looking to use it for forms and sparring. The only revisions I would suggest would be filling of the drilled out hole at the base of the blade, and redesigning the handle to be more like those seen on a jian.
Purpleheart Armoury, especially Christian, has been very helpful with making this trainer a reality. They were both open to suggestions and very transparent with me in informing me of any complications that may arise in making modifications to their product.
I highly recommend Synthetic Chang Jian V2 trainer along with the manufacturer Purpleheart Armoury. I would definitely buy from them again.
Pros
- great blade design
- durable and low maintenance material
- nice fittings accurate to a jian design
- good weight for handling
- price
Cons
- some minor aesthetic blemishes on the fittings
- handle design
- hole at the base of the blade
The Bottom Line
Though the design isn't completely accurate just yet, I would still recommend this product to a friend. The new design has a lot of potential for those looking for a jian to practice with. On top of that, the material is low maintenance as a synthetic, along with the design it allows for safe but effective sparring with the proper gear.
Thank you for reading my review, and I hope to see more practitioners using these types of trainers soon.
-grayfog
*Sidenote* - While posting about this product on Facebook this past December (2016), I caught the attention of Scott M. Rodell and received his critique on these types of synthetic practice tools. If anyone is interested I saved a copy his comment along with my response, and am willing to post it to not pain people with the trouble of digging through months of posts to find it. Thanks again.
After a few years of searching around for a decent synthetic trainer for Chinese jian for sparring and general training for a couple of years, I was beginning to think that maybe there just isn’t an interest in one. Some were discontinued, while others, though generously priced, were lacking in their performance and variety as seen by the polypropylene ones in the pictures below. They still make for great trainers for forms practice, though when it came to sparring they tended to not behave as a sword should and would leave the wielder fighting with their own weapon rather than with their opponent.
I heard about HEMA during my searching around and saw they had some interesting synthetic sword trainers. With some more digging, I learned that they were made of nylon, and are sturdy enough for sparring while performing like a steel sword would. This lead me to begin searching for a nylon synthetic jian to use for both sparring and practice.
With that as my goal I happened upon Purpleheart Armoury and found their Synthetic Chang Jian. However, upon closer examination of their jian I found that it didn’t really resemble one aesthetically and kind just looked like one of their European Longsword trainers with the crossguard missing. I decided to set it aside for the time being but kept tabs, checking in to see if maybe they would make a new version of it eventually.
Fast forward a couple years, they got a new site, are coming out with new products, but the Chang Jian still remained the same. One of the new products they came out with was a single-handed jian, their Jian Synthetic Trainer, that was designed with fittings to make it look and function more like a jian. So I figured, if they already have the design and fittings for a single-handed jian, why can’t it then be put onto the two-handed Chang Jian.
I decided to request the modifications for the Chang Jian by contacting Christian Darce, one of the owners of Purpleheart Armoury, and he agreed to them. While messaging each other about details on the new design, he decided that he would use these modifications for the new look of the trainer, leading to the new Synthetic Chang Jian V2.
This trainer is made from nylon, comes with stainless steel fittings, and has a basic cord wrap done on the handle. I got mine for $102.50 plus shipping, and it arrived within a week after being shipped.
As a note, I have considered both wooden and steel trainers as well. I decided to not invest in either of those at the time because I was looking for a trainer that anyone from beginners to advanced practitioners can afford while requiring little to no maintenance, and still be durable enough to take abuse through sparring. All while still being relatively safe to use with minimal protective gear based on its material and design.
Historical overview
Based on the design of this trainer, with it being a two-handed jian, and having grip that tapers at both ends, it seems to resemble that of jian seen in styles such as that of mantis style Chinese martial arts. Though it is not exclusive to that style, it is popularly associated with it, and can easily be found on the market just by searching “mantis jian”.
Enlightenment Swords Two Handed Praying Mantis Jian
www.enlightenmentsword.com/twohandedforgeprayingmantisjian
As for a time frame it’s difficult to pin down exactly, but I can say with decent certainty that this style of jian, based on its fittings and measurements, was widely seen in the Qing and Ming Dynasties. It is still very possible that the design could be observed in dynasties beforehand, though it may not have been as common just yet. There aren’t too many historical sources to draw from before the Ming Dynasty, but they can be found searching around, however like anything online, the validation of it is always in question.
17th century jian
www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/25108?=&imgNo=3&tabName=online-information
Apologies for the unclear answer, feel free to add any sources in the comments as I’m just as curious to find a more definitive answer.
Full Disclosure
I’ve always had a passion for Chinese martial arts it is both part of my culture and something I find to be a very interesting style to study from it’s large diversity. Starting out with martial arts instructors in different styles as kid to being fortunate enough to study styles from other cultures while at my university, I was given a foundation for the basics. Throughout this time, relocation, education, then pursuing my career as both passion and a means of generating income took away from that. So now I pursue it as a self study through books and videos, though would like to have an instructor again some time in the future when I’ve settled a bit more.
In my self study for Chinese martial arts I found the jian to be a very fitting weapon for myself through it’s techniques and mechanics. This put me on a search to find a jian trainer that could be used to practice forms, techniques, and sparring. From this it can be said that I may have a slight biased towards Chinese weapons
As stated above, I was fortunate enough to consult with Christian Darce of Purpleheart Armoury to help modify their original Synthetic Chang Jian design to be what it is now. At the time I was only charged $102.50 plus shipping, the cost of the older version, however the trainer now goes for $110.50 plus shipping on their site. This now slight discount may contribute towards a slight biased towards the product, though I was unaware of the price change until after my purchase.
I also recently became an affiliate with Purpleheart Armoury, and am doing this review to inform others on the details of their new product. This may lead to some bias, though I will try to keep the review as transparent as possible.
Initial Impressions
Though this is most likely not the fault of the packaging done by Purpleheart Armoury, I would just like to note that the box the trainer came in was a bit misshapen when I received it. If I had to guess, it was slightly crushed in the UPS truck, and then the individual who tried to deliver it by forcing it through the small openings in the front gate may have assisted in its new look. Despite all that, the product was thoroughly wrapped in plastic and paper, arriving intact.
Visually examining the trainer, I notice one of the metal fittings that makes up the guard were bent a little unevenly. I personally did not consider it to be major enough that it would affect the functionality and performance of the blade, just a bit of an aesthetic blemish should anyone come to notice.
Uneven Guard
Beneath the guard, I noticed that they still had the bottom of the blade drilled through. This hole functions as the housing for the crossguard used by their European longswords. Though in this case there is no crossguard going through the base of the blade, but a two-piece guard that is riveted on. With the hole present, two out of the three rivets are exposed and it can be noted that hole made the nylon surround it a bit thin. I’m hoping that this does not cause any issues with the structural integrity of the blade as the guard undergoes receives hits in sparring.
Hole Beneath Guard Image 1
Hole Beneath Guard Image 2
As for the pommel, I noticed that the bolt fastening it was slightly off center and there is some wear on the pommel itself. Though it does feel secure for now and doesn’t seem to affect the functionality of the trainer, it’s a little displeasing aesthetically as it can easily be seen. However, the pommel itself does seem to be centered, and doesn’t get in the way while handling the trainer.
Side of Pommel Image 1
Side of Pommel Image 2
Statistics
Give some hard data on the sword's specifications:
Blade Length: 38” from base of guard to tip, or 36” not considering the guard
Handle Length: 8 ⅝”
Overall Length: 48”
Guard Width: 3 ⅝”
POB (Point of Balance): ~5” from the tip of the guard
COP (Center of Percussion): ~23 ½” from the tip of the guard
Weight: 2 lbs. 1 ¼ ou. / 945 g
Metric
Imperial
Components
The Blade
The blade of the trainer is made of nylon, blunt, has a rounded tip and tapers to a point. The tapering of the blade goes from 2” at the base to 1” at the tip.
The Handle
The handle is also made of nylon, has a basic cord wrap covering it for comfort and grip, and is in an oval or elliptical shape. The length of the grip is made to allow for two-handed grips and decent maneuverability. From the the guard, it tapered to about 1 3/16”, widens to 1 ⅜” at the center, and sharply tapers back down to ¾” near the pommel. The thickness is including the cord wrap that came with the trainer. I would like to point out that the handle is not properly shaped as those seen on traditional Chinese jian and was left to be in the same design as the first version certain that was based on the design of one of their HEMA longsword trainers.
The Guard
The guard is made from stainless steel held to the base of the blade by three metal rivets. The style of the guard can be seen as one from the Ming or Qing Dynasties.
Guard Side 1
Guard Side 2
The Pommel
The pommel is also made from stainless steel, seemingly held onto the blade via a button-head bolt. It’s style is also possibly from either the Ming or Qing Dynasty.
Handling Characteristics
Upon removing it from the box, my first reaction was to give it a couple of swings and jabs to get a feel for it. Off the bat, the weight felt way better than my other two polypropylene trainers, and the fact that it held its form through the motions was great.
I did feel a bit of difficulty with gripping the handle with the lower of my two hands in the grip. This was caused by the sharp tapering of the handle towards the pommel.
Next I attempted flexing it by pressing the tip down on the floor to see if the sword would retain its shape. It did so without fail, remaining true upon returning to its neutral position.
Conclusions
This trainer as a whole is very great for the price. Even with the slight blemishes, this is still a very functional training tool for practitioners looking to use it for forms and sparring. The only revisions I would suggest would be filling of the drilled out hole at the base of the blade, and redesigning the handle to be more like those seen on a jian.
Purpleheart Armoury, especially Christian, has been very helpful with making this trainer a reality. They were both open to suggestions and very transparent with me in informing me of any complications that may arise in making modifications to their product.
I highly recommend Synthetic Chang Jian V2 trainer along with the manufacturer Purpleheart Armoury. I would definitely buy from them again.
Pros
- great blade design
- durable and low maintenance material
- nice fittings accurate to a jian design
- good weight for handling
- price
Cons
- some minor aesthetic blemishes on the fittings
- handle design
- hole at the base of the blade
The Bottom Line
Though the design isn't completely accurate just yet, I would still recommend this product to a friend. The new design has a lot of potential for those looking for a jian to practice with. On top of that, the material is low maintenance as a synthetic, along with the design it allows for safe but effective sparring with the proper gear.
Thank you for reading my review, and I hope to see more practitioners using these types of trainers soon.
-grayfog
*Sidenote* - While posting about this product on Facebook this past December (2016), I caught the attention of Scott M. Rodell and received his critique on these types of synthetic practice tools. If anyone is interested I saved a copy his comment along with my response, and am willing to post it to not pain people with the trouble of digging through months of posts to find it. Thanks again.