Review: Martial Arts Mart Kung Fu Broadsword

I recently purchased the "Kung Fu Broadsword" from Martial Arts Mart ( store.martialartsmart.net/index.html. The exact item can be found here: store.martialartsmart.net/40-04.html. The sword comes in two sizes: 33" and 28". I chose the 28" as it is closer in size to my venerable machete that I use both as a tool and as a weapon. Since many machete fighting techniques are based on Silat which is too hard on injured knees and joints, I train using Taiji Saber/broadsword/Falchion techniques - mostly the Yang style.

I ordered the broadsword priced at $15.19 along with a pair of Feiyue martial arts shoes and the total shipping cost was only $8.50. Within 48 hours both these items were in my grubby little hands, so the shipping was extremely fast, and according to my wife the customer service was quite polite and cooperative - PRO. The sword arrived via UPS in a standard triangular "tube" box. Upon opening the box I found the sword loose CON, but wrapped in protective plastic with some silica gel to prevent moisture damage.

I'm not certain what type of wood was used, but the sword does have a definite grain pattern along the lines of the "false" grain found on much of modern furniture. The construction appears the separate pieces for the blade, handle, and hilt were glued together and there is no apparent tang. However, because of the glued construction I am unable to take the weapon apart to verify this. The point of balance is bit farther away from the guard than I prefer but may be good for another swords-person. On the whole I am satisfied with my purchase mostly because of the fast shipping and more than reasonable price I paid for the sword.

The Technicals on the sword follow:

Overall Length: 28"
Blade Length: 21.5"
Handle Length: 6.5"
Width @ Guard: 1.75"
Width @ Widest: 2.75"
Spine Thickness: app 3/8"
Point of Balance: app 6"

Following are various images showing the sword detail for folks to look at and make there own judgments with.

Point of Balance:

Handle Detail:

Edge Detail:

Double Fuller Detail:

Point Detail:

Spine Detail:

Comparison to 28" Blade Wooden Jian:


So in conclusion here is the final pro's and con's list:

Pro's:
Fast Shipping
Good Customer Service
Reasonable Price

Con's
Uncertain Wood of Manufacture
No Apparent Tang
Point of Balance is too far from guard (for me)
Blade lacks "Live" feel of a real sword which can be felt in some training weapons.

As for that last con, I did go through several sword drills with this weapon and found that for me, this training sword lacked the "live" feel that a real weapon has. It is said, that the waist moves the sword and then the sword moves the body. I have felt this with weapons of various weights and balances and this tendency of the sword to move the body is what I refer to as "live feel" - the sword tells you where it wants to go. This particular training weapon is noticeably lacking in this quality to me. However, this weapon does perform as the tool I purchased it as, so it is a functional training piece.

Next time I'll put the post over there. Surprisingly enough, I've handled a few training weapons that did act like the real thing but those were all custom made pieces. However my $9.99 Knife Co (via Amazon.com) Jian actually does pretty well. Thanks for taking a look at the review.