"Gongfu and swords of medieval China that do the job and won't break the bank..."
There are many different types of Chinese swords you can buy online.
From the double edged straight Jian (your typical “Tai Chi” swords) to the Dao (single edged Chinese broadsword) and a whole variety of specialized blades used by a myriad of martial arts, the variety can be quite mind boggling and exotic.
Unfortunately, as with most swords being sold online, the vast majority are of the ornamental “wall hanger” variety.
Or worse still, such flimsily made "Chinese martial arts swords" that trying to actually use them to practice Chinese swordsmanship is recipe for disaster...
And the REAL ones?
Well many of the real ones used by martial artists are often extremely and prohibitively expensive.
Yet there are a couple of manufacturers in our price range making some decent quality replicas in our sub US$300 price range...
Notably Cold Steel and the Hanwei Forge.
So without any further ado, let’s take a look at some of the Chinese swords on offer.
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Super Tough Chinese Swords
Cold steel have a solid reputation for making extremely durable and razor sharp blades – that due to the extra weight of their thick blades, are a little lacking in the handling department.
While this would generally be considered to be quite a negative thing for Chinese swords, that are renowned for their speed, it has been argued that in the sub US$300 price range this is an acceptable trade off – especially if your interest in Chinese swords is more from a collector and backyard cutters point of view than a genuine Kung fu practitioner.
PAUL'S PICK OF THE LITTER
COLD STEEL GIM
Easily the most beautiful of all Chinese swords in the sub US$300 price tag (though few photos from online sword sellers do it justice) it is also a terrifying functional blade that has become one of the favorite swords in my own personal collection.
While weighing around 4-6 oz more than what a high performance Wu-Jian should, my tests of this sword left little doubt that it is a tremendously effective and durable cutter as it took on everything from tatami mats to 3” thick pine tree limbs without so much as breaking a sweat.
But as you can see from the video below, the extra weight is not enough of a problem to prevent its effective use in the hands of a skilled martial artist...
While it is an obvious promo video, it does show that the Gim has some good handling characteristics, not to mention cutting and thrusting potential that echoes my own tests with this blade...
Ultra Tough Chinese Sword Reviews
”The Gim”
Review by Paul Southren (Editor)
Manufacturer: Cold Steel
Status: AVAILABLE
Classification: Ultra Durable Cutter
Price Range: US$239 to $449
Overall Rating: 5/5 (BUY IT NOW!)
While the cold steel Chinese swords are my own personal favourites, most people in the know who are looking for a practical Chinese Kung fu blade on a budget recommend Hanwei - specifically those designed by Taiwanese Kung fu Sifu Adam Hsu.
While these swords are not perfect, considering the price is typically well under US$200, they are a reasonable choice for a beginner, though tend to be focused more for practicing forms than serious cutting.
Along these same lines, Hanwei also have a range of traditional Wushu swords. Flexible and lightweight, these swords are not cutters, but are instead designed for use in Wushu competition and practice and are also extremely affordable.
Essentially, while Cold Steel produce the best all round sword (that focuses strongly on cutting power and durability) – Hanwei’s Chinese swords are essentially better suited for martial artists, though have enough pieces and variety to satisfy the sword collector looking to add some reasonably authentic replicas to their collection.
A COLLECTION OF HANWEI CHINESE SWORDS FROM ONE OF SBG'S RECOMMENDED SELLERS...
Wushu swords have quite different requirements than those used for Kung fu or general cutting practice.
These swords have extremely flexible blades that whip around as they change direction, partially to please the viewing audience – and also to audibly demonstrate to the judges the practitioners technique and skill when executing techniques that the naked eye cannot pick up on.
Generally inexpensive, the following review is of a sword made by Shen Guang Long, a sword making company with a long history that was selected in 1996 as the sword of choice by the Chinese National Wushu Association.
But as you will see, they are also excellent training tools for the layman sword enthusiast...
This is only a temporary home until it eventually gets its own dedicated page, but here will we accumulate a few other Exotic and South East Asian Swords.
Starting with:
OTHER ASIAN SWORD REVIEWS
”Banshee”
Review by ShooterMike Harris
Manufacturer: Hanwei
Status: AVAILABLE
Classification: South East Asian Cutter
Price Range: US$119 to $179
Overall Rating: NOT RATED
The very best source for information on Chinese sword training and general information on the subject is Scott Rodell's Great River Taoist Centre Forums which includes further reviews, sword training, test cutting, maintenance and much more. High recommended and very informative.
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Well many of the real ones used by martial artists are often extremely and prohibitively expensive.
