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Post by Aeliascent on Aug 3, 2020 3:29:06 GMT
 I don't know much about swords, but I've always been fascinated with the periods of history up until the end of the Han Dynasty. Something about that era is oddly magical and mysterious. Being part of the Chinese diaspora in the United States, I try to find ways to maintain some pieces of Chinese tradition that call out to me. One of those ways is to learn Chinese Archery, specifically Gao Ying's Inchworm Form devised during the Ming Dynasty as interpreted by Jie Tian and Justin Ma. I started with short glass-laminated bows with tiny aggressive forward angled static ears, but I gradually shifted more and more to all-natural bows and to the gentler designs of earlier periods. I decided that for my first proper sword, I should go with an older design that fits my archery kit rather than your typical Qing design (and the Qing designs forges like to pass off as Ming designs) that are so common today. Perhaps I could feel how it was like to handle a sword like my distant ancestors before me. After I came out to my mother, I decided to commemorate the achievement by pulling the trigger on the LK Chen Magnificent Chu Sword. KK, who's based in New Jersey, was a joy to work with and I ordered the sword through him after asking loads of questions. I arrived at my doorstep after approximately a month and a half. Let's start with the fit and finish. I don't have too many swords to compare it to, but my first impression is that it is a solid unit. I notice some epoxy that oozed out of guard during fitting, but I was able to get rid of it with a (few) toothpicks. The scabbard is beautiful. The black plant lacquer (similar to urushi), combined with the patterns and motifs on the bronze fittings reminds me of a line from "The Last Kingdom," "I have given her some beauty, but she is a tool, no more, no less." This sword is simultaneously ornate and stoic. I notice a very tiny gap between the guard and the opening of the scabbard that you can stick a piece of cardstock through, but really, how much can you complain for a sword at this price point? The disk pommel has an angled edge that may preclude "hand-and-a-half" use unless you have gloves. Either way, my hands are small enough such that I can fit both hands onto the handle if I chose to do so. This isn't a complaint, but more of an observation. As many before have pointed out, it is a single handed sword. It feels instinctive to put our non-dominant palm onto the pommel to facilitate the thrust, perhaps originally used as an armor-piercing technique. Youtubers such as Scholagladiatoria, Swordsage, and Skallagrim have characterized this sword as "light," but for a complete novice like me, it is the heftiest sword I've handled (the only other sword I've handled is my rehilted Hanwei Practical Taichi Jian). Mine is on the lighter side for this model, approximately 745 grams. Its point of balance is at 6.75". This makes for a manageable blade with some serious gravitas. Also, that subtle "carp's tongue" shape is to die for. With some concentration, I was able to perform a butterfly and a reverse butterfly. And practice some clean thrusts. This sword's edge astonished me... and it's not even sharpened! As a complete beginner, I opted for an unsharpened version because safety is paramount. This decision already paid off when I hit myself edge first on the left shoulder (the first time). I ran my fingers along the unsharpened edge under a tissue and found it round and smooth. Despite that, I could not help but see what it was like to swing it at some targets. Light swings will cut cardboard boxes. If you get the edge alignment just right and give it sufficient power, it will cleave cleanly through a box. My friend, who practices jian will show me a few things this Tuesday. In the mean time, I'll see what I can learn on Youtube, and see if I can pick up some tips from other sword disciplines.  I hope folks found something useful in my beginner's review! |
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Post by legacyofthesword on Aug 5, 2020 6:01:38 GMT
I have one, and I absolutely love it. Thanks for the review.
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Post by naue on Aug 6, 2020 3:25:51 GMT
Thanks for the review!
A question for those who have one: does the hilt feel too large to grip or too wide? In the pictures I've seen the hilt at the top is just about as wide as the blade, which according to the website is 3.5cm wide at the base.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Aug 6, 2020 12:10:37 GMT
Thanks for the report.
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Post by legacyofthesword on Aug 8, 2020 17:56:47 GMT
Thanks for the review! A question for those who have one: does the hilt feel too large to grip or too wide? In the pictures I've seen the hilt at the top is just about as wide as the blade, which according to the website is 3.5cm wide at the base. Absolutely not. The hilt is simply amazing, it's one of the most comfortable and well made sword grips I've ever handled. The oval shape is perfect for maintaining edge alignment. |
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Post by Aeliascent on Dec 24, 2020 15:13:34 GMT
UPDATE: The handle wrappings unwound itself after some practice and random swings. I checked the rayskin on the sword and found that it's not real rayskin. I replaced the vegan stuff with some genuine rayskin. Just a simple mod for anyone who wants to do it.
My scabbard also got too tight and cracked/delaminated due to the changes in the weather. I had to reinforce it with thread and rattan, and file down the interior of the scabbard. I decided I'm going to do a full mod. I'll post photos in a separate thread when it's done!
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Post by naue on Dec 25, 2020 22:41:39 GMT
UPDATE: The handle wrappings unwound itself after some practice and random swings. I checked the rayskin on the sword and found that it's not real rayskin. I replaced the vegan stuff with some genuine rayskin. Just a simple mod for anyone who wants to do it. My scabbard also got too tight and cracked/delaminated due to the changes in the weather. I had to reinforce it with thread and rattan, and file down the interior of the scabbard. I decided I'm going to do a full mod. I'll post photos in a separate thread when it's done!
Looking forward to the results of the full mod!
Any chance you could post a picture of the sword's hilt under the wrap?
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Post by Aeliascent on Jan 2, 2021 19:59:53 GMT
UPDATE: The handle wrappings unwound itself after some practice and random swings. I checked the rayskin on the sword and found that it's not real rayskin. I replaced the vegan stuff with some genuine rayskin. Just a simple mod for anyone who wants to do it. My scabbard also got too tight and cracked/delaminated due to the changes in the weather. I had to reinforce it with thread and rattan, and file down the interior of the scabbard. I decided I'm going to do a full mod. I'll post photos in a separate thread when it's done!
Looking forward to the results of the full mod!
Any chance you could post a picture of the sword's hilt under the wrap?
Ahh dang it!! Too late. I already wrapped it back up without taking any photos. Basically, there's a peg that goes through the handle and the tang, and there's a peg that goes through the handle, pommel, and tang. Two pegs basically. To be honest, I don't really like how the handle was done. It looks a bit too rough, almost as if they got the basic shape down to where it's comfortable, and then wrapped it up. It is very functional though. I might end up carving a new handle for it one day, and removing the rayskin. Showing a peek of wooden handle is... tasteful. Like uhh.... lol Besides, it's more historically accurate that way. This is how it currently looks like:  |
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Post by naue on Jan 2, 2021 22:30:12 GMT
Looking forward to the results of the full mod!
Any chance you could post a picture of the sword's hilt under the wrap?
Ahh dang it!! Too late. I already wrapped it back up without taking any photos. Basically, there's a peg that goes through the handle and the tang, and there's a peg that goes through the handle, pommel, and tang. Two pegs basically. To be honest, I don't really like how the handle was done. It looks a bit too rough, almost as if they got the basic shape down to where it's comfortable, and then wrapped it up. It is very functional though. I might end up carving a new handle for it one day, and removing the rayskin. Showing a peek of wooden handle is... tasteful. Like uhh.... lol Besides, it's more historically accurate that way. This is how it currently looks like:
Nice wrapping job! No worries, your description is pretty good. LKChen's website has some pictures of the hilt construction too.
I go my Magnificent Chu a few weeks ago, and so far the wrap has held up well but somehow...in practicing the blade just KILLS my hand muslces.
So I was thinking about doing a customization job where the hilt fittings would be modular, in the sense that I can switch out the hilt and pommel to match other style swords (eg. sword fittings from later dynasties, or even putting a European crossguard) but I wonder if the wooden handle is glued onto the tang or not.
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Post by Aeliascent on Jan 3, 2021 7:02:56 GMT
Yeah, while the sword is light, the blade has quite a bit of presence because the pob is pretty high up.
I got acquainted with my Hanwei Practical Taichi Jian for a bit but when I moved back to the MCJ, the MCJ suddenly felt a lot more familiar in my hand. It's odd haha
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Post by FLScott on Jan 23, 2021 11:33:24 GMT
Aeliascent You may have cost me some money. I have been looking to add Chinese swords to my collection. I had not found LK Chen before and I love their selection. Not the hard part is selecting which to buy!
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 23, 2021 13:52:48 GMT
Thanks Aeliascent and Naue for the reports. Most reports I’ve read on LK Chen swords are glowing syndrome things usually made shortly after one received the sword. Skall did bring out some characteristics to be careful of. Rarely do I see how well the swords hold up.
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Zen_Hydra
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Post by Zen_Hydra on Jan 24, 2021 3:35:24 GMT
I have taken a couple LK Chen jian apart now, and I'm not a huge fan of the handle construction. The blades seem to be of a significantly better quality than the rest of the production. The wood has all been of a low quality, with some degree of dry rot and fragility. The wood claimed to be an ebony in the descriptions is quite obviously a light colored wood which has been stained dark. The handle wraps and scabbard chapes cover wood that is clearly split along the grain in multiple places. The textiles used in the cord wrapping in all cheap feeling, and the variety of adhesives used seem to all be poorly chosen, and applied in a haphazard fashion. I had high expectations for these swords, and it seems like my hopes might have been misplaced. There are a lot of the disappointing cut corners I've found with other Longchuan sword makers. LK Chen Sword set out to establish itself as the Albion of historically accurate Chinese swords, and that is a fantastic goal, but from what I have seen in the three swords I've purchased from them, they have a lot of work ahead of them to achieve this goal.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 24, 2021 4:36:58 GMT
After many initial glowing reports I am beginning to hear less than flattering reports now. Thanks.
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Post by naue on Jan 26, 2021 6:41:50 GMT
I have taken a couple LK Chen jian apart now, and I'm not a huge fan of the handle construction. The blades seem to be of a significantly better quality than the rest of the production. The wood has all been of a low quality, with some degree of dry rot and fragility. The wood claimed to be an ebony in the descriptions is quite obviously a light colored wood which has been stained dark. The handle wraps and scabbard chapes cover wood that is clearly split along the grain in multiple places. The textiles used in the cord wrapping in all cheap feeling, and the variety of adhesives used seem to all be poorly chosen, and applied in a haphazard fashion. I had high expectations for these swords, and it seems like my hopes might have been misplaced. There are a lot of the disappointing cut corners I've found with other Longchuan sword makers. LK Chen Sword set out to establish itself as the Albion of historically accurate Chinese swords, and that is a fantastic goal, but from what I have seen in the three swords I've purchased from them, they have a lot of work ahead of them to achieve this goal.
I guess that's why the pricepoint is as low as it is. I imagine the hilts are at least sturdy enough to not be dangerous (the Mag Chu has two pegs...can't imagine the blade on that ever flying off), even if rather crudely put together.
On the plus side, the lower quality hilts at least make me less hesitant to do my own customizations on them.
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Post by wlewisiii on Jan 27, 2021 6:11:22 GMT
So far I'm somewhere in between. My flying phoenix jian's scabbard split at the top along where the two halves are glued together fairly early. My repair hasn't held up well and frankly I may just get out some serious black duct tape and deal with it that way. On the frontier dao, the copper decorative pieces have needed gluing - the middle and the bottom each once. When the bottom piece was off, it was clear that the wood is not of the highest quality; OTOH, I have seen worse from some other low cost vendors. I have also added a cane tip to the bottom to use it as a walking/sword stick (legal here since I possess a CCW permit) so that has an impact as well. Those repairs have held up fine and I feel no qualms taking it out with me.
For me the handles are holding up. I find the one on the dao more sturdy and comfortable than the jian's but that's a different issue.
Wood and adhesives? Yeah, Like Zen Hydra says, those are their weaknesses.
The blades themselves have held up well and I am able to cut better with both than with any other sword I own.
Frankly, based on the histories I've read, these are probably equal in quality to the average swords carried by soldiers of their times. They are not the heirlooms that were saved in Japanese temples or handed down generation to generation. In war, swords break and bend or get stuck in shields and bodies.
For the price point, I am very happy with my pair. I'd like to see LK Chen make the jump to Albion quality all the way around but that would double their prices and I'd no longer be able to afford them. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other...
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Post by Aeliascent on Feb 2, 2021 17:04:11 GMT
Yup, the blades are great, but the assembly leaves more to be desired. I suppose this means that the LK Chen swords are worthy of customization.
I wouldn't be surprised if the blades are better quality than the average soldier's swords. But then we have modern metallurgy. That's to be expected.
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Post by FLScott on Feb 17, 2021 0:15:44 GMT
I just received my Magnificent Chu Jian a few days ago. I really enjoy the balance. The grip is not the best of the swords I own but still feels good. I allows alot of control and cuts very well
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Feb 17, 2021 0:39:56 GMT
I liked those cuts. 😊
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Post by naue on Jul 1, 2021 20:43:45 GMT
Sorry for the thread necromancy but this seems to be the only thread talking about this sword in a review-sense.
One thing I noticed with OP's Magnificent Chu is that the scabbard is plain glossy black while mine has the red and gold pattern on it. OP, was this a choice or did you remove the pattern?
I only noticed just now because recently I found that the red and gold pattern flakes off the scabbard really easily, so I may just use a fingernail and leave my scabbard entirely glossy black like OP's (still looks great!)
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