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.
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 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.
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!"
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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 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 :)
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.
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.
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.
@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: th-cam.com/video/Wcpk0QHACIQ/w-d-xo.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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Skal, apologies if I've asked this somewhere else, but I have a question regarding sword maintenance. Obviously the specific answer will vary between swords, and depend heavily on what you're specifically doing with it, but broadly speaking about how long would you think it would take, of proper combat use, for a bladed weapon (say sword, axe or knife) to become so dull as to be functionally useless? Minutes of sustained combat (unlikely)? Hours? Days before you have to sit down and re-sharpen the thing in order to have it properly do the job it was meant for.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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...
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.
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
Was that polearm from the new forge or the old one? I have a padao from the old forge, and I tested mine on a stand of 3/4"-1" thick willow. It would cut 2-3 of them clean off with every swing. Stayed solid straight and sharp. Probably cut 25 stalks. Mine has some flex but does feel solid, never unsafe.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
I have a question for you, you may have already answered it and if you have just ignore this and I'll most likely find it eventually, but what is your opinion on (if you have even watched any) the Cold Steel weaponry showcase videos? do they have the correct form when showcasing their blades, or are they just swinging aggressively at whatever is placed in front of them?
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.
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.
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 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.
Have you even done a cutting test (water bottles, tatami...) with the Basket-Hilt Backsword? I have an almost identical model (brown leather with a blackened metal finish) but I haven't tried it yet. (Just got it sharpened, BTW. Yeah... Hanwei... Good blade profile... not much of an edge. Lol) Curious as to what I should expect from it.
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.
Skall do you have an opinion of cold steel as a manufacturer? i was looking at their hand and a half sword with interest (it would be my first piece, so I'm wanting to be very sure I'm getting a quality product)
I have a question if you would indulge me. What weapons would you say work best for short people for combat. The reason I'm asking is because I'm 4'9" and would like your opinion
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.
About that basket hilt, I considered to purchase it as my first real sword, would that be a (relatively) safe buy for around 300 euros? I don't too many reviews on it but what I could find seemed positive
![일상 속 기분 좋음 [Proto disco meme]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DwmEIaZ7XGQ/mqdefault.jpg)
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 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 TH-cam aswell I see!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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!
"All pommel jokes aside..." famous last words.
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
Thanks again. Keep the overviews of manufacturers coming.
my favorite weapons are polearms. they just look so damn cool
Great ending Skall! Very informative & helpful.
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.
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
Hanwei's funder is one of my father's friend. I can send him this video..... Also glad that Skall metioned my hometown Dalian.
You cut ME as well at the end, im not forgeting this.
The ending was pure gold.
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.
Shout out to Dark Sword Armory, just received The Dark Prince! This in my opinion simply the Greatest Forg on the Planet!
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*
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.
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.
I bought a Banshee and yes, I had to sharpen it. Comes to a razor edge now so... no complaints.
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!
TH-camr that does not ask for a subscription, wow...
I subscribed
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 :)
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.
Just ordered a shirt familia. Love your videos.
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.
That "I'm going to cut the video" was really cool and unexpected.
So skall is pommelist. Doesn't like the threaded kinds.
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?
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.
The Hanwei Francisca is awesome, throws perfectly
@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:
th-cam.com/video/Wcpk0QHACIQ/w-d-xo.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).
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 really like these manufacturer videos.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Skal, apologies if I've asked this somewhere else, but I have a question regarding sword maintenance. Obviously the specific answer will vary between swords, and depend heavily on what you're specifically doing with it, but broadly speaking about how long would you think it would take, of proper combat use, for a bladed weapon (say sword, axe or knife) to become so dull as to be functionally useless? Minutes of sustained combat (unlikely)? Hours? Days before you have to sit down and re-sharpen the thing in order to have it properly do the job it was meant for.
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.
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.
No actual videos were harmed in the making of this content.
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...
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.
Happy BunBun day to ya, Skall!
I love the end and how rightly it went😎
When Skall does a manufacturer vid on Albion it'll be 11 minutes of him kissing their "sword" and I'll love it lol
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.
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. :)
That video cut tho...that was awesome! Hope it didn't vibrate too much.
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.
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.
Some original Scots Broad swords had detachable hilts, for example in the Dress Regulations 1883.
Yaaaaaaaay! More Skallagrim! XD
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.
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
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...
A HEMA sparring weapon producers like this would be great
I have the antiqued version of the Hanwei Scottish Claymore, it's a pretty nice looking affordable piece, definitely came butter knife sharp though.
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.
Ha! CUT the video! With the weapon! lol Great work, Skal.
Odin's Golden Beard, Skal!! I forgot how you looked 3 years ago! Lol
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
Was that polearm from the new forge or the old one? I have a padao from the old forge, and I tested mine on a stand of 3/4"-1" thick willow. It would cut 2-3 of them clean off with every swing. Stayed solid straight and sharp. Probably cut 25 stalks. Mine has some flex but does feel solid, never unsafe.
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
Funny thing about my Hanwei Taichi sword, it's not designed for cutting, but it does cut...
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.
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.
hey skall id like to buy some German style railed should I buy one off the shelf or should I order one forged ?
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.
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.
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.
that outro was awesome
I have a question for you, you may have already answered it and if you have just ignore this and I'll most likely find it eventually, but what is your opinion on (if you have even watched any) the Cold Steel weaponry showcase videos? do they have the correct form when showcasing their blades, or are they just swinging aggressively at whatever is placed in front of them?
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
you can always add a thinner nut to the threaded pommels
Have you even done a cutting test (water bottles, tatami...) with the Basket-Hilt Backsword? I have an almost identical model (brown leather with a blackened metal finish) but I haven't tried it yet. (Just got it sharpened, BTW. Yeah... Hanwei... Good blade profile... not much of an edge. Lol) Curious as to what I should expect from it.
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.
I've seen a couple of Hanwei snap, they're good about replacing but it's a big inconvenience having to wait.
Skall do you have an opinion of cold steel as a manufacturer? i was looking at their hand and a half sword with interest (it would be my first piece, so I'm wanting to be very sure I'm getting a quality product)
I have a question if you would indulge me. What weapons would you say work best for short people for combat. The reason I'm asking is because I'm 4'9" and would like your opinion
Unrelated to this video but I saw that the Fulcrum from The Weirdest Knives episodes was back in production
i always like your vids, but... i love that shirt. where'd you get it?
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.
About that basket hilt, I considered to purchase it as my first real sword, would that be a (relatively) safe buy for around 300 euros? I don't too many reviews on it but what I could find seemed positive