Sinosword/JKOO Oxtail Saber - Initial Thoughts
Jun 22, 2018 21:25:52 GMT
Post by pellius on Jun 22, 2018 21:25:52 GMT
I bought an Oxtail Samer/Niuweidao from JKOO:
www.sinosword.com/Niuwei-Dao-oxtail-sword.html
I will eventually do a full review (including pics), but my tight summer schedule means it will probably be a while. So I'll just share my early impressions and observations for the common good.
The communications, financial transaction and shipping with Sinosword were all perfectly fine. The Dao I ordered was the same as the standard version in the link, except I requested TH "twisted" T-10 rather than DH "Damascus." It was shipped within about a week of when expected, and it positively zoomed thru Chinese and US customs. The sword I got looks just like the one in the link, but with my requested customizations.
Overall, I think it is a nice sword with very good handling characteristics. I strongly recommend it.
It has solid uniform construction and a good spring temper. Though the website does not mention it, the sword has a strong linear distal taper, making it very nimble and fast to recover. I haven't had a chance to measure it out or weigh it yet, but the claimed length of about 36" and weight of about 2.2pounds (1kg) seems about right.
I own the Hanwei oxtail dao with brass fittings. In my opinion, it is a very good sword that is still priced like it's 1998. I am always quick to recommend the Hanwei. However, it is of more traditional/historical dimensions, intended for folks of an historical smaller stature than "average" modern Westerners such as myself. I wanted an oxtail that was better proportioned to me.
I bought a TFW Dan Dao for this purpose, and it is a fine sword. I like it quite a lot. However, it can't really pass as a niuweidao, even if you squint. It's really more of an Elmslie Type F4c+ with a recurved hilt. Also, the TFW is kinda built to survive the zombie apocalypse. To me, it is somewhat overbuilt to easily tolerate modern abusive use. It has only a little distal taper. Overall it's a nice budget sword, but not really great for Kung Fu use.
In physical size and overall weight, the Sinosword oxtail is very similar to the TFW Dan Dao (which is about 36 1/2" and 2.3 pounds). However, the Sinosword Dao is much livelier in the hand and far more manageable than the TFW. In fact, it feels more similar to the (smaller) Hanwei than the TFW.
If they ever come back in stock, I may pick up the Huanuo/Dynasty Forge oxtail to compare also. It would've been my first choice, but KoA has had them backordered for a while.
Anyway, if you are looking for a "modern size" functional oxtail saber, I recommend the Sinosword version.
Cheers.
*Edit*
Er, 2.3 pounds. Not 22.3 pounds. 😮
www.sinosword.com/Niuwei-Dao-oxtail-sword.html
I will eventually do a full review (including pics), but my tight summer schedule means it will probably be a while. So I'll just share my early impressions and observations for the common good.
The communications, financial transaction and shipping with Sinosword were all perfectly fine. The Dao I ordered was the same as the standard version in the link, except I requested TH "twisted" T-10 rather than DH "Damascus." It was shipped within about a week of when expected, and it positively zoomed thru Chinese and US customs. The sword I got looks just like the one in the link, but with my requested customizations.
Overall, I think it is a nice sword with very good handling characteristics. I strongly recommend it.
It has solid uniform construction and a good spring temper. Though the website does not mention it, the sword has a strong linear distal taper, making it very nimble and fast to recover. I haven't had a chance to measure it out or weigh it yet, but the claimed length of about 36" and weight of about 2.2pounds (1kg) seems about right.
I own the Hanwei oxtail dao with brass fittings. In my opinion, it is a very good sword that is still priced like it's 1998. I am always quick to recommend the Hanwei. However, it is of more traditional/historical dimensions, intended for folks of an historical smaller stature than "average" modern Westerners such as myself. I wanted an oxtail that was better proportioned to me.
I bought a TFW Dan Dao for this purpose, and it is a fine sword. I like it quite a lot. However, it can't really pass as a niuweidao, even if you squint. It's really more of an Elmslie Type F4c+ with a recurved hilt. Also, the TFW is kinda built to survive the zombie apocalypse. To me, it is somewhat overbuilt to easily tolerate modern abusive use. It has only a little distal taper. Overall it's a nice budget sword, but not really great for Kung Fu use.
In physical size and overall weight, the Sinosword oxtail is very similar to the TFW Dan Dao (which is about 36 1/2" and 2.3 pounds). However, the Sinosword Dao is much livelier in the hand and far more manageable than the TFW. In fact, it feels more similar to the (smaller) Hanwei than the TFW.
If they ever come back in stock, I may pick up the Huanuo/Dynasty Forge oxtail to compare also. It would've been my first choice, but KoA has had them backordered for a while.
Anyway, if you are looking for a "modern size" functional oxtail saber, I recommend the Sinosword version.
Cheers.
*Edit*
Er, 2.3 pounds. Not 22.3 pounds. 😮
