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Without any fanfare or notice, Hanwei presented their fifth generation of the Practical series longsword in May of 2010. (Despite efforts to educate them, Hanwei still call this the "Practical hand-and-a-half sword", but at least that's an accurately descriptive term).
(And yeah, it was completely without notice - I handle *a lot* of practical longswords, but one day I opened a fresh shipment for inspection, pulled the first one out, and had a serious "whoa, cool!" moment when I realized the swords had changed - and for the better!)
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The fifth generation longsword features a smaller pommel than the earlier generations, making the sword much more comfortable to handle and bringing the weight down.
length: 43 1/4"
blade: 34"
blade width: 1 3/4" at base
blade width: 5/8" at 2" from the tip
grip and pommel: 8 3/4"
guard: 7 1/4"
balance point: 3 3/4" from guard
weight (sword): 2 lb 12.5 oz
weight (sword & scabbard): 3 lb 5.5 oz
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More pics and details and ordering - http://www.therionarms.com/reenact/therionarms_c389.html
Permission granted to spread the word :)
That looks very very nice! I think that that would be one heck of a buy. Their stuff has really improved. I wonder if they are going to do a 5th gen one-handed sword?
Wow, nice price on that! Thank you Sir Therion!
I just bought Tobler's "Fighting with the German Longsword" a couple of weeks ago with a mind towards getting a safe, er "safer" sword than the one sharp longsword I own and beginning my "quest for competency." Order hopefully forthcoming after consulting with the Missus and her mystic oracle "Quicken." For some reason she's less impressed than I am with a good sword deal, but she might be swayed if I tell her I'd be much less likely to cut one of my ears off.
Question: Do you know if the grip is wood on these 5th Gens?
I just bought Tobler's "Fighting with the German Longsword" a couple of weeks ago with a mind towards getting a safe, er "safer" sword than the one sharp longsword I own and beginning my "quest for competency." Order hopefully forthcoming after consulting with the Missus and her mystic oracle "Quicken." For some reason she's less impressed than I am with a good sword deal, but she might be swayed if I tell her I'd be much less likely to cut one of my ears off.
Question: Do you know if the grip is wood on these 5th Gens?
Yes, the grips are wood, covered in leather.
(and thanks for the honorific, but as the saying goes: "Don't call me Sir, I work for a living! :) )
(and thanks for the honorific, but as the saying goes: "Don't call me Sir, I work for a living! :) )
| Scott S. wrote: |
| Wow, nice price on that! Thank you Sir Therion!
I just bought Tobler's "Fighting with the German Longsword" a couple of weeks ago with a mind towards getting a safe, er "safer" sword than the one sharp longsword I own and beginning my "quest for competency." Order hopefully forthcoming after consulting with the Missus and her mystic oracle "Quicken." For some reason she's less impressed than I am with a good sword deal, but she might be swayed if I tell her I'd be much less likely to cut one of my ears off. |
My wife bought me a wall hanger for Christmas and now she tells everyone, "Look what I started!"
I studied longsword with The Chicago Swordplay Guild, an awesome group and a great class. If you can find someone to study with I highly recommend it.
I just recently purchased this hand and a half as I find my practice time better, and well to be honest, a whole lot cooler with something other than a waster. Not knowing much about swords I was apprehensive about the purchase. It is a relief to see others giving the sword good reviews.
| Richard Schneider wrote: |
| I just recently purchased this hand and a half as I find my practice time better, and well to be honest, a whole lot cooler with something other than a waster. Not knowing much about swords I was apprehensive about the purchase. It is a relief to see others giving the sword good reviews. |
The consensus amongst a lot of groups is that this is a good entry-level blunt. You can't get anything better without spending quite a bit more cash. Obviously something like an Albion or A&A is better, but this is a pretty good workhorse :)
Definitely a good buy for the price.
How are the wood cores on these new ones? One of the biggest issues I have with hanwei euro swords is the quality of their wood cores. The wood cores I have seen on the fourth gen was pure crap...I mean borderline unsafe bad. The wood core on my hanwei tinker sword was also very poor...albeit not as bad as the practicals.
| P. Cha wrote: |
| How are the wood cores on these new ones? One of the biggest issues I have with hanwei euro swords is the quality of their wood cores. The wood cores I have seen on the fourth gen was pure crap...I mean borderline unsafe bad. The wood core on my hanwei tinker sword was also very poor...albeit not as bad as the practicals. |
From the photos it seems they are not using wood at all - it is rather a fiberglass "faux wood" so if you intend to wear the sword on some sort of reenactment events or want something that looks the least bit historical, at least cover the scabbard core with leather. If it is only for storing purposes, this one is not too bad - on my "practical viking sword" it fitts the blade snugly and seems sturdy enough to protect it during the normal storage or travel.
| Artis Aboltins wrote: | ||
From the photos it seems they are not using wood at all - it is rather a fiberglass "faux wood" so if you intend to wear the sword on some sort of reenactment events or want something that looks the least bit historical, at least cover the scabbard core with leather. If it is only for storing purposes, this one is not too bad - on my "practical viking sword" it fitts the blade snugly and seems sturdy enough to protect it during the normal storage or travel. |
The core is, as you mention, suspect. It is fine for storage as it is a good fit but it looks to me actually that it is plastic covered with a faux wood grain.
I had thought it would be a good practice project to make a new wood core and cover with leather. That way when I get me a real sword I will know what I am doing to make a scabbard after the beautiful ones I have seen on this site. Awesome how-tos posted here.
| Artis Aboltins wrote: | ||
From the photos it seems they are not using wood at all - it is rather a fiberglass "faux wood" so if you intend to wear the sword on some sort of reenactment events or want something that looks the least bit historical, at least cover the scabbard core with leather. If it is only for storing purposes, this one is not too bad - on my "practical viking sword" it fitts the blade snugly and seems sturdy enough to protect it during the normal storage or travel. |
I meant the handle core...not scabbard. I actually don't mind the fiberglass ones as they are pretty easy to just cover in leather. They are however not very good for storage use if you live near sources of salt water...just saying from personal expierence ;) .
Also, kinda curious if the steel got harder in this gen. One of the issues I have had with the earlier ones is that the steel was on the soft side so unless it was matched up against another hanwei practical, the edge would get chewed up pretty quickly...especially against the hanwei tinkerline blunts.
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