Test cutting and review of the Song Hand Dao by LK Chen Swords
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2024
- This weekend, I did some cutting with a reproduction of a Dao from the Song Dynasty that has recently been added to the line of historically accurate Chinese swords produced by LK Chen Swords. As can be seen in the video, this Song Dao cuts amazingly well through thick, multiple mat targets and many layers of cloth. I found that it cuts as well as any falchion or messer that I have used. Enjoy the video!
Great review!
Thanks, Matt!
When are you going to review it to give us context?
So, when are you gonna review yours Matt?
Glad to see you give a review and to see what the sword can do in capable hands.
Thanks, Matthew!
Great video and excellent cutting! I have ordered one of these and plan to make a video about some of the history behind these weapons upon arrival. You comparing the blades to medieval falchions and messers confirms a hunch that I have had about these swords myself. Although, very heavy lamellar was used during the Liao, Song, and Jin dynasties, not all troops would be armored, and the depictions of this blade in period art frequently show it as a sidearm for a heavily armored soldier which does not necessarily mean that it is meant to be used against armor.
I think the blades development was a product of the times, where a Chinese soldier was likely to encounter light or heavy armored opponents and sword design had caught up to a point where you could have a good slicing/chopping weapon that could deal crushing blows on an opponent with heavier armor and silk tunics/undershirts, which made it harder for a weapon like the jian to combat. Good weapon for dealing with well or poorly equipped Chinese troops or more well organized steppe warriors of the period, which had light and heavy cavalry.
Which was why the Main weapons for Song Soldiers during the Liao/Jin/Mongol-Song Wars was the Crossbow, fire-lances, mace/sword-mace, flails & axe.
In fact, the axe became the favoured sidearm during that those wars due to all that heavy armour
Those were the weapons most feared by the Jin Iron Pagodas, who were armoured from head-to-toe, along with their horse.
The Jin-Song wars was really when heavy armour in China reached its zenith and gunpowder became weaponised.
Swords were still kept as sidearms because it is more effective against less armoured troops and weak points in lamellar
Great review. My interest in Chinese swords is slowly growing watching these LK Chen reviews.
Something very charming about that sword.
Ohh the Chinese on the box for those who care: China, Long Quan. Official Chinese non-historical valued item (Aka, not an antique or an item from ancient times) artifact. A very official and long winded term for an item that’s a reproduction of a historical item.
Wow. What a beast of a chopper! Very cool dude. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome review, respectful recommendations, and great technique in cutting as always !! Well done Phillip 👍🏻👍🏻🙏🏼
They have updated the Song Hand Dao and introduced a two-handed variant the Song-era Zhanmadao.
Curious to see how that stacks up against the recently-introduced LK Twin Peaks Liao Dao & Modern Dadao
Add in LK's newly released Tang Zhan Ma Dao
Been seeing these swords on every sword review channel I know of. Some are pretty nice!
Nice cutting. Especially the double cut. That is a seriously scary weapon.
That's a brutal chopper.
Another guess on why the hand guard comes down on a point (point pointing down towards the edge). Simply, if an enemy gets too close and you can’t get a swing down, you certainly can turn that point down and thwack an enemy on the helmet or the neck, or turn the blade horizon and try to jam it into an eye or nose! Pretty useful in a pinch.
I think it's a quick reminder to the user which side is the edge.
@@Finnv893 u are right. Its a gentle reminder on which side is the edge. Esp for sword tat are straight with double edge tip and single edge blade
awesome sword and great cutting
I assume the spine was left soft to make the sword flex and prevent it from breaking on strikes against harder materials.
Kinda acts as a shock absorber
Definite thumbs up. Sat here and watched the whole video. Amazing sword. Great review
Very cool, thank u
Wow, the packaging is basically night and day from the shrink and bubble wrapped affair seen on Swordsage's older unboxings.
That is just phenomenal. I wonder what the blunt edge could do against a watermelon wearing a helmet? Perhaps as an alternative use mode for armored opponents like half swording was in Europe.
This sword looks brutish but cuts clean!
If I have to venture a guess, the black extender barb on the edge just in front of the hand guard could be used to intercept and block an incoming attack from the enemy. Unlike movies or anime, you do NOT want to block an attack with your weapon, especially on the edge, not unless you wanna suffer severe edge damage. The extender is solid steel. So can take the punishment. The reason why it’s close to the hand is that it allows the hands to absorb the impact easier and not get the Dao slapped out of your hands too, which, if the impact happens further away, will do. Hence why this Dao has such large hand guard. For that and also, after blocked your enemy’s weapon on that riser, you can use the hand guard to try and trap and push or even twist you enemy’s weapon out of the way or slap it off of him. Same reason why some weapons, the bottom quarter or third are not sharp, to block incoming attacks.
Professor Ben Judkins also brought up a good explanation for that extended section of the collar. He thinks it may have been added to minimize the chance of accidentally cutting through the scabbard. I hadn't really considered that, but with a blade this sharp and effective, that could be a real concern. That design, where the collar covers the bottom part of the edge, is apparently pretty standard on nice Sabers from the Ming and Qing dynasties
Looks like a triad meat cleaver made 5 times longer
Yeah, the beginning of Chinese Da Dao cleavers basically!
Did you sharpen the blade at all before cutting?
Nevermind
can it thrust?
Phwoah! Nasty!
have you studied Chinese at school?
What do you do with all the cut up tatami?
this sword evokes a kampilan in a handful of ways :O