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Post by dong on Jan 10, 2022 9:33:39 GMT
I’ve heard that Hanbon has decent quality katana for the price, but I don’t know anything about their jian. Has anyone ever bought one from them before, and if so, how was the quality? I’m particularly interested in hearing about their Han style jian.
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Post by pellius on Jan 10, 2022 17:15:13 GMT
Welcome to the forum.
Years ago I bought a jian from Hanbon.
It had a folded/pattern welded blade and lower end fittings.
Imho, the quality of the sword was good for its price (which was on their low end).
I disassembled it.
The tang was quite robust, and was threaded rather than having a threaded rod welded to it.
The blade shoulders were rounded, and fit the blade collar snugly.
The blade was symmetrical and straight. There were no visible welding flaws in the steel. The temper was springy, and it would take a sharp edge.
The fittings were as advertised, and typical fancy lower end but decent stuff.
The wood grip was very pretty on the outside but hollow on the inside, so there was some space between the tang and grip. Rather than filling it with epoxy or the like, I pinned the grip.
Fit and finish were good. The assembled sword was nice and tight, and quite attractive.
Overall balance was okay, though the sword was maybe a couple hundred grams overweight.
My overall impression of Hanbon, a few years old now, is that they made safe to handle pretty swords that are nice to look at and probably functional. They always delivered what was advertised, but nothing more or extra.
Dunno if that helps, so fwiw.
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Post by dong on Jan 10, 2022 23:50:13 GMT
Hey thanks pellius, your insight is actually quite helpful. I’ve been looking for some decent Han style jian and am trying to avoid wall hangers with rat tails and the like. So far Hanbon seems to have the most variety when it comes to fittings and styles.
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Post by vidar on Jan 11, 2022 18:55:56 GMT
I would suggest to look at LK Chen first and see if there’s anything you like. Very good value for money.
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Post by pellius on Jan 11, 2022 19:23:43 GMT
Hey thanks pellius, your insight is actually quite helpful. I’ve been looking for some decent Han style jian and am trying to avoid wall hangers with rat tails and the like. So far Hanbon seems to have the most variety when it comes to fittings and styles. Back when I was looking, they had quite the list of options. On that note, let me add this. Over the years I bought several of their products as my budget would allow. On (only) one occasion, they sent me a katana with a similar but different tsuba than I ordered. It wasn’t that big a deal for me at the time. Still, if the fittings are of particular importance to you, it may be worth making an extra big deal about it when ordering, and requesting *clear* photos prior to shipping. Just in case you were unaware, returning a katana to China is virtually impossible, regardless of what the seller says. |
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Post by goldenfox on Jan 11, 2022 21:52:20 GMT
Yah, I had that same issue with a sword I tried to order last year. Seller sent me pictures of the finished thing and I was like "ehhhh that's not what I ordered the fittings are WAY different". Ended up refunding me no questions asked. Still sucks to waste all that time waiting for nothing in the end.
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Post by dong on Jan 12, 2022 8:06:22 GMT
I would suggest to look at LK Chen first and see if there’s anything you like. Very good value for money. Yeah I know about LK Chen but their fittings are a bit too plain for me. It’s a shame because the flying Phoenix has a nice long 34” blade, and I’m a tall guy so the usual 30” blades you find on these swords are a bit too short for me. |
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Post by Arlequin on Jan 12, 2022 10:13:25 GMT
Art of fire and iron makes some nice blades, I think right now they make by order so it will probably be a few month wait. Unfortunatly their design aethetic for jian is similar to LK, but they take commisions so if theirs a specific set of fittings you llke they can probably make it.
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