My Opinion of Hanwei (Swords and Polearms)
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
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That moment when Skal mentions the pommel and just sighs and looks at the camera like "behave you guys."
That's pretty much exactly what I thought.
Skallagrim hey I got a question that bothers me for a long time
the question is : in the point of history when guns started to pop up . how soldiers that fought in close combat like swordmans or cavalry fought against long range soldiers like musketeers and so ... because i heard that they did fight .
thanks u so much for your attention and by the way I really like your videos they thought me a lot
shallev ashush you take like 40-60 seconds to reload the IMPRECISE musket. The melee units could have walked towards the musketmen with a fast pace and engaged them with very very few losses.
thank u guys this question really interested me. i really appreciate that
thank u guys this question really interested me. i really appreciate that
I have the Hanwei Backsword. It's a lovely piece and I'm quite happy with it for my first sword. I should also mention that I took the time to sharpen it so it cuts pretty well.
It certainly turns heads at the fairs
I see people tend to lose their heads when you come up with the backsword
did you see those redguards from hammerfell, they have curved swords... CURVED... SWORDS...
You're damn right *AUUUUU* *AUUUU* STOP DAT
Seriously dude? Seriously? Penis jokes?
Loren Dragonborn you beat me to that point
Robert Marshall my apologies, the video in the link is quite funny, and I get the joke noe
*now
I have their Rhinelander sword, and would highly recommend it for the money (if you can find one), solid construction and good handling, especially for the price.
Thanks thats good to know, im German and live near the Rhein (Rhine) so its especially interesting for me.
Skall, for threaded pommels, if you are disatisfied with them, there is a product called threadlocker, made by Lokctite, and the red one will not budge unless you heat it with like a blowtorch. I used it on a stripped nut holding the fan belt of one of my cars, and that thing I'm pretty sure will hold til Ragnarok. I don't even have that car anymore, and I drove it til the differential ran out of fluid and welded itself together to the driveshaft. That's a long ass time to drive a car with one of your fan belt pulleys held on by glue.
Peened means can't be unscrewed and thrown.
Jim Fortune that's a big con you know
Yes, how can you end him rightly then?
Leonlx :P
Leonlx throw the sword pommel first
Hold my beer.
I don't like curved swords. They're coarse and rough and they get everywhere.
Harbinger how do they get everywhere?
Harbinger maybe use toe force to make them straight
Not like pommels. They're soft and smooth
Wait a second...
r/PrequelMemes bleeding over to RUclips aswell I see!
Hanwei's funder is one of my father's friend. I can send him this video..... Also glad that Skall metioned my hometown Dalian.
Early morning. It's cold and the air is damp with a light fog. The master walks out of his temple, thinking that he heard a slight noise. He was not asleep, sleep is for the rabble. Taking focused steps, peering left and right, the master searches for the source of the noise. He stands still, holding his breath. The only noise audible is the screeching of a magpie and the sound of his heartbeat. A branch snaps! The master quickly turns his head. Nothing there. He draws his sword with a distinct tug. The blade forged by the war god himself, shimmering like diamonds in crystal water. Harder than the mountain from which it spawned. Flexible like a dancer under winter moonlight, sharp enough to cut the very air in half making it hard to breathe. A reflection of a dark figure on his blade. The master turns, swinging his sword with the speed of a demon clashing the blade with the blade of his foe. The master smerks at his foe as to let him know what doom awaits him. A fast parry, a kick to the chest! The master cuts from a slight angle, a cut wich creates a vacuum around them. The blade dances in the air, cutting furiously giving the image of as though a thousand blades are dancing in the air. The blade, so sharp, creates a black hole between them. Cutting down to the very molten core of the earth. The master stops. His foe looks at him with an empty stare...then falls to the ground in a thousand pieces. The master scoffs and sheaths his sword.
Pffffffft....that's not sharp. // Skallagrim
ElDudeerino1 very true
0/10 no pommel jokes
A fencer and an idiot walk into a bar and both get drunk, they eventually get into a very heated argument, the fencer looses his temper and tries to stab the idiot but misses then walks away angrily and shouts: "you missed the point!"
why
Oh god, why?
Ben Caxton this comment right here made my day hahahahaha 😂
can u please explain
*loses
I barely dodged that strike at the end, behave yourself! Cool vid as always, Skall.
"All pommel jokes aside..." famous last words.
my favorite weapons are polearms. they just look so damn cool
5:41 "Also it takes a set, I dunno if you an see that." I thus immediately thought "I can f***ing see that!" It's worse than a curved spatula!
how much does your hanwei?
So low.
XD
that's gei
More than your dignity.
4:10 That cheeky grin when talking about the pommel
I have 4 Hanwei blades, the Edward The Third arming sword, the Taza cup-hilt rapier, the claymore and the Orius deluxe katana and they are all amazing.
Lord JS can u tell me the price of those?
I don't remember. All of them were bought before 2012.
I bought a Banshee and yes, I had to sharpen it. Comes to a razor edge now so... no complaints.
i just saw Han period spear and axe heads at a museum, unearthed from a 1C BC tomb. They looked rock solid and still sharp as the devil. Especially the spearheads, made for the upper class and with a really keen edge on the sides, shaped similarly to a greek xiphos, with a diamond cross-section that looked very rigid. The flat blades are for kung-fu movies :)
Purchased the Hanwei Banshee a few years ago.
I've had no problems with it so far. Fair price for what the sword is, but I don't do any heavy cutting with it. The blade did come decently sharp, but not as sharp as it should have been.
Satisfied with the brand overall. I'd buy from them again.
Skallagrim, could you make a video on flame bladed swords? I would like to know why they were made and if there are any significant advantages and disadvantages.
Great ending Skall! Very informative & helpful.
I have the Scott Rodell Jian and the Paul Chen Practical Gongfu Oxtail Dao. They both come nicely sharp and are great backyard cutters. The Dao in particular is pretty cheap for how much fun it is to cut with, it has a lot of power and the blade really makes kung fu movie sound effects when you cut bottles. I'm not lying, it sounds great!
I have a Hanwei practical Norman sword and I've beaten the shit out and it's still going fine. I'm quite happy with it and as its my first sword it's pretty good.
This video has one of the most badass thumbnails. I was thinking of buying a bare blade from Hanwei (the single handed sword blade) as a project sword, and this video is fairly reassuring towards that notion. If there's anything wrong with it I'll know it's me not the blade :D
My hanweii sword is still one of my favorite. I bought it for my second sword years ago. If maintained and properly resharpened will last quite some time. The weight distribution and just the way it generally feels in the hands is absolutely awesome. Even for their lower range priced swords.
A former coworker of mine has one of those Hanwei basket-hilts. It was overweight and the tang was ridiculously soft and the blade was twisted 10 degrees rightward at its base.
I have Hanwei's "Sir William Marshall Sword" and I've done a little bit of test cutting with it. My general impression is 'yeah, it's alright.' The edge is by no means dull, but could be sharper, and overall the sword is rather blade heavy. The PoB is a few inches farther out than I'd like, which puts a fair amount of strain on the wrist when I'm holding it out. The fit and finish is good and the steel hasn't suffered any rolling or chipping damage, so it's a fair deal for the price (I got it for ~250USD). Overall, it's very much you-get-what-you-pay-for. If you're just getting into collecting and aren't sure you want to invest in higher end swords it's a good place to start.
Thanks again. Keep the overviews of manufacturers coming.
LAST TIME I WAS THIS EARLY, POMMEL THROWING JOKES WERE STILL RELEVANT
So you never were early?
maistromann pfff I threw my pommel faster than that
maistromann
*_END_*
*_HIM_*
*_RIGHTLY_*
Yea, let's just throw in all the memes at once.
*click click click click click click click*
Shout out to Dark Sword Armory, just received The Dark Prince! This in my opinion simply the Greatest Forg on the Planet!
They have a high end Japanese sword brand called Bugei. We actually have a warehouse in my town. They carry a lot of stuff the local martial arts schools buy.
@Skallagrim It didn't occur to me until you started wobbling the hanwei polearm.
I do fondly remember watching wushu - or what is practiced as 'wushu' in Singapore where I am drawing this memory from; under the weapons category, the swords and weapons are very very wobbly.
Aside from it being made of a very cheap flimsy metal (like aluminium I think) that is drastically meant for safety (well you can cut skin given the right amount of force), I noted that they also tend to actually use the wobbliness as maybe an artistic value in their performances.
Maybe there is a reason behind the wobbliness like a technique or something, instead of it just being made of lower quality material - just like how swords in the European world shifted from a cutting sword to a stabby sword.
Of course, the wushu that I am referring to is not the kind that is strictly used in combat training, but more of -to some extend; an art and entertainment purpose.
Then again, it could just be an art form that stemmed after swords less commonly used and then influenced the manufacturing process of Chinese weapons.
For example of what kind of wushu I am referring to, this is a wushu competition taking place in the SEA games in 2015:
ruclips.net/video/Wcpk0QHACIQ/видео.html
Of course, this is just a speculation from someone who doesn't have any experience in any historical combat related fields.
You are referring to contemporary Wu Shu. The weapons are that flimsy for 2 reasons. 1; so that they cannot really be used as a weapon. 2; to increase the speed they are used by the performers so as to seem more impressive. However, as someone that has practiced sword... fighting(including Chinese style fencing) for decades, it is less impressive. Once you understand how blades are really to be used effectively, it just seems like playing with kids toys. The communist Chinese government synthesized Wu Shu from many forms of Chinese Kung Fu during the 60's when they realized they couldn't eliminate it entirely. They wanted some of the character of Kung Fu(traditional WuShu), along with making it more acrobatic and dynamic looking for both exercise and performance value while taking much of the martial value out of Kung Fu that had already been watered down over the previous few centuries(mostly, some arts became more combat oriented briefly in the late Republic period due to some fighters and intellectuals wanting to reverse their decline, even mixing with western boxing,Muay Thai...but it didn't last long due to Japan invading). China has a long history(millenia) of suppressing individual martial arts because of their fear of a trained peasantry rebelling/causing problems for the various empires(often they were correct). Even the early Republican officials tried to suppress Kung Fu, until they realized they could gain more support from military officers(many of whom were Kung Fu masters or teachers) and intellectuals(again many practitioners of Kung Fu-China is one of few countries in history that often had fairly broad support from the intellectual classes for fighting arts/skills). Eventually Chiang Kai Shek supported having national fighting tournaments and opening national schools for Kung Fu to broaden exposure to the arts and try to develop a somewhat standardized curriculum. It is this model that the communists used/perverted to create contemporary WuShu. It is only later, in the 70's after a Kung Fu/martial arts explosion took place(largely bypassing martial arts outside Asia, by the way), that China realized they were wasting a huge natural resource and then started recruiting old Kung Fu masters(and sometimes just mid level students,to be honest), to start teaching traditional WuShu/Kung Fu again instead of persecuting them(my instructor's teacher was actually executed by the Maoists). Now China has a thriving tourist industry for their "shaolin temple" and other Kung Fu schools(some people just want to see them, but others pay to live and train there, sometimes for years).
I have a hanwei bamboo mat katana, it is by far the best sword I have ever owned. In my toyama ryu class it blazes through targets, like a flaming lawnmower.
I own a Norman sword and a basket-hilt rapier, both by Hanwei. I've been using them for sparring pretty much every week (even though the Norman sword has no flex at all), and I really have no complaints given that their combined price was under $400.
Their High end Katana are really good. I have the Tori XL and it is fantastic, the blade hamon and the polish bringing out the hada are really well done. The hilt construction is very solid. As for sharpness, it is a razor.
I love Hanwei. I know you don't much take to katanas; but that's my jam. As far as their sharpening, I took a stone to mine; but it was definitely sharp enough to be useful, in a pinch, out of the box.
Your review on the Hanwei Tinker Longsword was enough to get me to order one. I can't complain so far. I did not opt for the Kult of Athena sharpening service though, and I can vouch for the lack of a decent edge.
This video basically mirrors my opinion: Good for the price, but not high-end. I've handled/owned a few hanwei products myself, and compared to other items in the price range, they're pretty good.
The Hanwei Francisca is awesome, throws perfectly
It may just be different words with the same definition but I believe peened pamol (my English isn't very good) and upset Pomols are the same thing. Also the process for mushrooming the tang is called upsetting.
I got a sword by hanwei and it's light and came to me very sharp. Pulling it a few centimeters on the skin will cause a mid deep cut. I'm completely pro hanwei. But indeed it has a pommel that's screwed. But after a lot of time using it, it never has losen up or broke or sth like that.
The vibrations in the pudao etc are there for Chinese martial arts practice, especially for demonstrations. A skilled practitioner does interact with the vibrational modes of their weapon and this leads to the manufacture of ahistorical floppy weapons for Wushu demonstrations since they are much easier to get to vibrate.
The links below are to two of Hanwei's Jians (Chinese straight swords) from a local dealer. The first is the cheap (~$200) version of the sword (they have more expensive ones). The second is the Wushu "ultra-flexible" version.
www.warriorsandwonders.com/Paul_Chen_Hanwei/Hanwei_Practical_Tai-Chi_28_Blade_SH2008B?cPath=128
www.warriorsandwonders.com/Hanwei_Paul_Chen/Hanwei_SH2062_Practical_Wushu_Sword?cPath=128
That Pudao does not seem to be designed as a Wushu weapon. And the European swords most certainly aren't. :)
I respectfully disagree with most of this. I bought I three Hanwei swords 15-20 years ago, all described as battle ready; a bastard sword and two 15th century longswords. They looked great and were lightweight, but for swords described as Skallagrim says 'battle ready' they really aren't practical. I think my hand and half sword last less 2 hours before the hilt collapsed and the pomel fell off- and I was trying to use it lightly because I could feel the tang loosening with each hit or block. The blades also burr up like crazy because they are so soft. The grip is just bolser wood with thin leather wrapped around it so it's a very weak point. I got a few sessions use out of one of the longswords before the hilt on that fell apart too, I had little intention to use the other one so we decided to see how long I could use it in full-on combat with hard strikes before it broke, this was against an old-style Roger Lankford sword, the Hanwei broke in two after I think it was something like three or four very hard strikes. I have three other Hanwei weapons which are designed as wall decorations and I've never used them, but strangely they seem more robust than the 'practical' 'battle ready' swords. Hanwei's are good at looking nice-and they do look really nice, but they aren't really for any kind of real use.
You cut ME as well at the end, im not forgeting this.
The ending was pure gold.
Cut the video... I bow to you, pun master. Anyway, thanks for the series, I'm thinking of starting a collection and your channel is helping A LOT.
Did you start that collection?
Can you make a video going over all the types of steel modem sword makers use? Suggestion would be to go over the advantages and disadvantages, along with the ideal uses for them.
I picked up a mint "Blind Samurai" walking stick/sword for $40 years ago. I sharpened it up. It's held up well against shrubbery and mulberry volunteers outside in the yard. No complaints except for one....No pommel. :(
Thanks for the review, I thought them better than that... As for the rapier, it happens my family owned an antique one, and I can confirm, it was not flexible at all, VERY rigid. Can't talk about weight or balance because I'm very small, and was even more so back then...
Flimsiness is exactly the feeling I get with their swords. Owned their Raptor katana, Shasqua, Kingston Arms Side Sword. Always ended up sending them back. Just felt really cheap out of the box.
If I'm not mistaken, I believe the two-hander you have was made by Hanwei as well, I believe you mentioned it suffered from vibrational issues that led to the hilt loosening
I really like these manufacturer videos.
I have the antiqued version of the Hanwei Scottish Claymore, it's a pretty nice looking affordable piece, definitely came butter knife sharp though.
That "I'm going to cut the video" was really cool and unexpected.
RUclipsr that does not ask for a subscription, wow...
I subscribed
Just ordered a shirt familia. Love your videos.
Funny thing about my Hanwei Taichi sword, it's not designed for cutting, but it does cut...
Worse than a threaded pommel is one that is not only threaded. But the bolt end has been peened. Even when it's just a slight flare. It makes disassembly almost impossible without breaking something or stripping it. Unfortunately that is present on a lot of the blades where taking it apart as some point is necessary. For instance it's the case with a lot of stacked leather grip knives.
Hm I love Katannas, something about them is just dope, and I love the flexibility the blunt side gives, not the hugest fan of most European swords, but I do like some idk everybody has preferences I guess, but nice vid as always man
That video cut tho...that was awesome! Hope it didn't vibrate too much.
Some original Scots Broad swords had detachable hilts, for example in the Dress Regulations 1883.
So skall is pommelist. Doesn't like the threaded kinds.
In what experience I have on the sword reproduction market, Hanwei makes a lot of good stuff for not a lot of money, but they also make super high end stuff too.
I love the end and how rightly it went😎
Skall, can you do a video on various ways of displaying arms and armor based on varying budgets from no budgets, to near unlimited budget?
Different methods of display, such as wall pins, plaques, display cases, or custom designs?
If you're waiting for your new house, that's fine too. Let me/us know. :D
Have you heard of Longquan swords? They do chinese swords and some other weapons. I am currently eyeing their reproduction of chinese segmented truncheon (also known as hard whip (Bian)). They're kinda pricey but some of their swords are (at least to me) rather pretty. But then again I do like chinese swords and historical weapons.
KLousyfolds Longquan is the name of the Chinese town that produces blades, not a specific brand or maker.
My collection is primarily comprised of Hanwei. Their katana are top of the line in terms of quality assurance, consistency, and just overall variety/price range. Their European style blades tend to be a bit lacking in the cosmetic department, and as you've pointed out, the blades are quite dull, the construction is sturdy and all of my Hanwei swords have held up to some pretty dramatic abuse.
Hanwei makes a practical blade for their Gustav Rapier, it would probably solve your issues with the blade construction. I have the same sword, but I didn't get mine for it's practicality though.
Unrelated to this video but I saw that the Fulcrum from The Weirdest Knives episodes was back in production
Based on my experience with windlass swords the "flimsy" feeling I believe is due to the way they handle distal taper. Windlass swords have some degree of distal taper, which is good, but it isn't enough. On beaters like Darksword and Cold Steel which also have too little taper, that means the tip is too thick and heavy. Windlass swords are lighter and handier, but they achieve that by starting with thinner stock. Swords that feel solid normally have a very stiff strong and a lot of taper in the first third or so of the blade, with most of the flex occurring in the foible. A lot of European Hanwei swords are the right weight, balance and even the right amount of flex, but that flex is spread more evenly over the entire length of the blade instead of being concentrated near the tip. That means you feel it more and gives that distinctive sensation of flimsiness, even though they they are the best handling swords at their price point, and are absolutely fine for durability. If you fish it's like the difference between a fast action rod and a slow action one.
As an example, an antique backsword I own is 8.6mm thick at the guard, the Hanwei version is 6mm, even though they are both the same thickness from about 1/3 of the way down.
When Skall does a manufacturer vid on Albion it'll be 11 minutes of him kissing their "sword" and I'll love it lol
you can always add a thinner nut to the threaded pommels
They make a great Dao Dao of the type used in WW2 against Japan. Mine is balanced well and keeps a good edge. It was well worth the price.
No actual videos were harmed in the making of this content.
If its a Hanwei, its really forged. Haha. That was on the paperwork included with the sword. It also came with a quality control tag that had 5 people sign off on it. Far exceeded my expectations. Great price and high quality...
So it has finally been revealed what tool Skall uses to cut his videos.
I always assumed, he'd use toe dane axe, but I guess I was wrong.
I went ahead and bought a $300 Paul Chen practical (plus?) Katana about 15 years ago when I was 12 and into the whole Japanese sword design stuff but it was the best decision I ever made really and I explain in detail why at the end of that "little" story down there if anyone reading this is interested you can skip to the end. BUT FIRST, I'd just like to say to Skallagrim if he see's this that this Channel is amazing and has been providing me with some of the best use of my time here on RUclips without a doubt, I subscribed the second I found it as I never realized there was a whole community of people out there who share the same passion as me and love historical weapons and warfare, and Skallagrim I really do enjoy the content you provide and appreciate time and money you put into what you do, Oh and also with the taking of time reviewing and testing my potential future purchases.
But ever since I bought that sword and felt what a functional sword really feels like I've been interested in all things related to historical weapons, battles and just the way we lived in the past period really, been planning on purchasing an Albion Armory hand and a half sword for a while now just waiting for the right time to throw away $2000-$3000 on something with little to no practical use in these modern times except for to solidify a personal lifelong goal so I can die at peace knowing I own a accurate and extremely well made historical replica of a sword actually used in a Medieval/Historical battle that my ancestors may have wielded.... Yeah... but.. unfortunately I would actually be homeless if I made that purchase, at the moment at least.
That Paul Chen Katana Though, by the way, at least the way they use to be made 15 years ago, it is a really well made sword and I put it through some "rigorous tests" when I was young I still have it till this day and the thing doesn't rattle, have rust or scratches but I kept the blade oiled with clove oil twice a year and polished it with stone powder after use, if you can find one today that was made back when then I would Highly recommend purchasing it immediately, the best quality for that price you will ever find, and they are incredibly durable, if you wanna hear an interesting story about how damn powerful and durable they really are and what it actually took to put only a slight bend/twist in it than i'll leave this long but interesting story than it will be in the end paragraph it is from when I was 20 young and dumb from an interesting camping incident starting with a bear and then involving some shrooms and a survival miracle (I guess..) if anyone is interested.)))
The bear tore into one of our ice chests in the campsite the night before so I drove back to my home 45min away (living in Nevada,US at the time and was camping with my cousin and our girlfriends at Lake Tahoe in California which is where I live now actually near San Francisco... Aaaannd I am typing my whole life story.. Why... Ok well anyway whoever is still reading this might get a little entertainment I guess) So I grabbed my katana figuring "IF" it was severely needed I would just poke or cut the front paw of the bear when it swiped at me and it would run away in pain. (oh how naive I was then...) Though really this thing is really razor sharp as I have tested it out before this on branches 6+ inches in width cutting them cleanly in two, if I really needed to and had the same amount of adrenaline pumping through me as I did beating pans together to confuse the bear while running around the bear from our tent to the car the night before then I could easily chop a bears head off if it is attacking me or my girlfriend...... ok, now I am sure whoever is still reading this is going to think Im gonna say "I bent the katana fighting the bear", but unfortunately the truth is not that awesome. Well when night came around when I got back to the campsite with my sword my Native American friend was there and brought some shrooms for everyone thinking we could all go on a spiritual journey as he was really into his native American liniage (as he should be considering early American settelers took it away from his people) and bring us closer to nature (((I figured it would be an interesting experience and make for a good story in the future so why the hell not besides I am like 5% or so Blackfoot tribe from my moms side and on my fathers side I am supposedly related to the actual Pocahontas's lol, I always thought my great grandpa meant john smith from the story but no related to actual Pocahontas, my grandma was born in Britain during WWII but my grandpas line has been in the Americas since the beginning apparently, so spiritual journey it shall be then, lol))) so we all took a varying assortment of stems and caps equaling a half 8th each just enough to have a nice not to crazy experience some euphoria, almost non existent hallucination just the tree's and grass in the darkness moving slightly like they were underwater, colors more vibrant, all in all a pretty mild trip.... Up until we realized we were almost out of firewood, so we decided to go into the dark forest (without a flashlight might I add but because the moon was fool and so were our pupils (O_O) we will do what our ancestors did, they would take psilocybin mushrooms "shrooms" to heighten their senses and receive better night vision before special night hunts) unfortunately as it turns out having pupils the size of saucers "IS" really good for letting in more light if there is enough light in the first place... When we were about a couple hundred or so meters into the forest clouds suddenly covered the moon and we decided to start going back as we could barely see as we only had the light from our phone screens while we were spread out still trying to find dry wood on the way back I heard a heavy footed rustling of a bush close by so I decided to roar as loud and deep as I could to scare off whatever it was, unfortunately I didn't have time to warn my two friends... needless to say they thought the roar sounded so freaky that they didn't know what did it but didn't want to find out so they ran like their lives depended on it I followed thinking they were running from the noise I heard in the bushes too (didn't really dawn on me at the time till after when they told me that they were running from a evil sounding roar...lol) my cousin tripped over a big chunk of fallen tree and sure enough it was dry and right next to the campsite of course.... well we brought it to the fire which is all but embers now and our girlfriends were huddled around it freezing their asses off, the log was too thick and wide to catch and bent in a way we couldn't split it with an axe.. if.. we.. even had one... of course we forgot to bring an axe and we are all now freezing... but, oh yeah, I brought my sword, Me at the time- "oh this sword is extremely sharp, I cut through branches like nothing before I'm sure it can cut through this".... well that fallen tree took all three of us 20 year old man-boys to carry it a rock throw away, it was somewhere between 1ft and 2ft thick... so after looking at everyone freezing their asses off I decided to attempt chopping it with my sword so I held it to the point where I would soon strike with my legs spread right foot slightly forward I raised my sword to go for a very slight right to left angled cut and just went for it with everything I had in me and sure enough about 4/5th of the way through the blades stopped at a bad angle and the weight of the tree compressed the blade causing it to actually bend permanently as I tried pulling it back out it was just a few degrees of a bend with a almost unnoticeable slight twist as well... not only was it a sentimental sword almost 10 years old at that time but it was a well made one to boot, I almost cried that night because of my stupidity (and maybe the shrooms as well), I just couldn't get it to bend back no matter what I did till I had the bright idea to heat it a tiny bit in the fire from the log that produced this and... it actually worked.. somehow it is almost unnoticeable now, the slight twist is still there though.... looking back on it though only now do I really know just how amazing and unbelievable that cut was because a sword of any design going through a tree that thick is just crazy, and I am not by any means endorsing Japanese Katana's like the people saying that "Katana's are the greatest sword and can cut through anything" LOL...NO, But I do have to admit that at least in my case for whatever reason this sword , I have watched many a sword hack into tree's on this channel and others, but I have never seen one go through wood this deep before... But.. maybe not though, maybe I was granted some supernatural power to cut through it that deep from my ancestors for succeeding in my spiritual journey or something, lol... I'm not too sure but what I am sure of is no one is going to still be reading this, this far anyway, but if so than do not hesitate in life and do what you have to, to survive, and be happy while doing so, live your life to its fullest, you are capable of achieving anything you put your mind too and sometimes risks can bring reward... or maybe just an interesting story at least, well that and maybe a little damage as well, haha
Dude... 140 characters or less!
So many fucking words...
A HEMA sparring weapon producers like this would be great
Odin's Golden Beard, Skal!! I forgot how you looked 3 years ago! Lol
Threaded pommels are superior to peened in modern sword making. If the handle or cross guard gets damaged you can remove the pommel and replace or repair the handle or cross guard without special tools to do it. If you have an issue with them loosening then go to your local auto parts store and get a tube of loc-tite then unscrew the pommel enough that you can see threads, add a drop of loc-tite then tighten it back up and it wont loosen up on it's own ever again. Just don't coat the whole thread from top to bottom unless you want it to be nearly permanent.
I am thinking about buying the scottish claymore by Hanwei, I have seen good reviews for the antiqued version, but I saw a video about how it isn't that sharp and doesn't slice through water bottles. Sharpening it would take away the antiqued look of the blade. The other version has mixed reviews, but favorable. For that one I see reviews about it snapping in half or cracking during test cutting and other reviews that say the sword is super strong and can cut into wood and nails. I am torn between which to buy.
hanwei has a pretty good quality, but there was a brief period where they used a different steel supplier, and for about two years, anytime i saw a hanwei sword review it said the blade snapped and the steel itself just wasn't up to task.
now i bought my first hanwei practical series katana when i was maybe 17-18, and it was a nice blade, but i eventually grew tired of it and decided to try and destroy it so i had an excuse to get a new katana.
i spent a week straight in my yard tossing that sword as high into the air as possible and letting it impact the ground. i slammed the flat and spine of the blade against a lightpole. i polished and sharpened against the grain, ruining the finish. the sword is still here, in my closet. it's ugly as sin, but still has it's tip, still holds a razor edge, and i still keep it for a beater sword for test cutting.
my experience with hanwei is, aside from that 2 year period with the bad steel(likely around the same time as the factory was getting reopened after the fire), the budget blades on the japanese side are damn good. as for the european blades, i've found the same shortcomings skallagrim mentioned. rapiers are too flexy and don't completely return, and the edges on EU swords are dull. never used one of the chinese ones.
I saw a documentary about shaolin monks and their swords appeared to be very thin and floppy as well they may have just been practice swords but they were exactly the same as yours a curved sword with an almost spear like point and it was flopping as they swung it around at each other but they did make actual contact with each others weapons so I am not sure if this is how it is or has some other reasons.
Thinking of getting a Practical Plus Elite Katana, noticed it available on some websites for £345, and on Blades UK for £170 (though it says "**some minor but extensive surface rust on blade, brand new in box **"). Bit suspicious, since I don't think they'd lower the price that much for some rust, and for comparison on their website, the Practical Plus (not the Elite version) is £249.
The only sword I've seen break was the hanwei.. Snapped right at the crossguard after being parried a bit more aggressively. The "practice longsword" or something like that.
Also, the guy had to re-tighten the pommel about every hour during drills and about every 15-30 min in sparring.
You should be part of Man at Arms. You could test out some of the weapons they made.
Overall Hanwei is better build quality than Windlass. I've never had a Hanwei that had a serious defect but Windlass, yes. Indeed they handle well and feel authentic. Use red Loctite for threaded pommels. BTW I hate the Scottish basket hilt, even though I'm of Scottish descent. Your choice, however of a backblade is IMO better than the broadsword
To me, threaded pommels are like bolt on necks of guitars. I'm more of a fan of thru necks but I do know and have seen bolt on necks done right. It's just that they aren't exactly the best and especially when not something higher end
greens my favorites color!
Skallagrim, make a video about Hero's Axe from Paul Chen, please. It seems to me an excellent weapon to review.
Hanweis dull training blades are really good. I use the bastard sword daily.
Will you do any videos on native Australian weapons (if you know anything about them)?
So what exactly constitutes native Australian weapons? Genuinely curious.
Spears (obv)
Throwing sticks (aka boomerang)
What else?
Australian designs ect
What constitutes a native australian weapon?
That it comes from australia...?
or are you asking what *unique* weapons originated from australia? if so, there are names like
Woomera, karli and others a mere google away
He might have also been talking about Australian manufacturers, designers, or weapons of a more recent vintage.
I was trying to find out.
+Jozef Doyle apparently not just a google away. Type 'karli' in and all you get are pictures of teenage girls
I've seen a couple of Hanwei snap, they're good about replacing but it's a big inconvenience having to wait.
Dont know about their Euro swords or Chinese swords, but their Japanese swords are some of the toughest and sharpest right out of the box out there.. But their fit and finish on the blade polish and ito wrapping is often lacking. The casting on their fittings is usually pretty good though..
I have their claymore and it definitely isn't flimsy. It came really dull, though.
How realistic are the swords in pirates of the Caribbean? Several of the swords are described as a mix between a rapier and a broadsword/cutlass and I was wondering if historically any swords were forged like that and whether they have a specific name.
I have the Hanwei cup hilt practice rapier, and I kind of see the same thing.
Basically the blade is good but the guard is shit.
The crossguard is constantly bent out of shape, and this makes the whole cup assembly loose as well. I've had to insert shims and spacers a couple times to keep it vaguely intact.
It's a bit heavy compared to Danelli or Casteel or Darkwood rapiers, but not too bad. I do also like the fact that it has actually pretty good cutting power; I find I can match military sabre fencers moulinet for moulinet unless they're in the upper skill range (i.e., instructors or ex-olympic sabrists who adapted to HEMA well).
So the sword works OK. I don't really have a problem fighting people with better rapiers, and it's lasted me two years with a fairly low amount of maintenance. It was also pretty cheap and I actually found one in a store near my house, which is practically unheard of.
But the main effect of buying it was to make me wish I'd bought a better one and be jealous of people who did.
that outro was awesome
I don't get the hate for threaded pommels. If they have a problem with loosening up, add some locktite.