LK Chen Niuweidao

can people who got that gray painted fittings they didnt know they would get trade it in for the new version that doesnt look quite as sht?

KoA currently shows having these in stock.
Purportedly the ones with blackened fittings.
You can still order them from LKC with the discount, which is around $35 less than KoA.
Shipping from KoA is way less, but KoA collects sales tax.
Price comes out roughly the same, but KoA is in stock and already in the US.

fwiw

Welcome to the forum.

Imho, the LKC oxtail is superior to the JKOO oxtail in every way.

The JKOO is very nice. It looks fancy and well put together in person, especially for the price. The blade has a nice profile and significant distal taper. The folded steel with hamon is subtle and sophisticated. It has a good spring temper, and is fairly nimble in the hand. It’s also sized for a modern westerner.

The LKC is better in every respect, including price and reliable availability. Maybe not as fancy as the JKOO, but far more traditional, especially for a civilian sword.

If you want an oxtail to impress friends and neighbors or to swing about and admire, the JKOO is a great choice for the money. For form sets, cutting practice, zombie wasteland adventuring, and pretty much anything else, LK Chen is the only way to go.

Both are budget swords, though not super cheap. Neither comes close to, say, the functionally similar Albion Vassal falchion (which clocks in at three times the price). But alas, Albion doesn’t make an oxtail.

Besides, best I can tell, historical oxtails were kinda dodgy for the most part, and not held in high regard at the time. So maybe the LKC, being superb in the hand but a little rough in the details, is actually a perfect historical reproduction.