I've heard some decent things about the Cold Steel smallsword (albiet it seems a bit heavier than most others in the reviews) and mixed reviews on it's Grosse Messer. I was curious if anyone knew anything on or had handled the Cold Steel Gim or its relatively newer (and lighter) "Jade Lion" Wen Jian.

Hey there, the older Cold Steel Jian is made by Huanuo forge in China, and is a good piece. It is a bit heavy and not very historically accurate, but it is still a good piece. I believe all of cold steel swords are made by Huanuo, and you can probably find better deals on their swords from sellers who sell directly from Huanuo instead of going through cold steel. Not to mention Huanuo does make a lot of Jians more historically accurate that Cold Steel does not offer. I am pretty sure that Huanuo makes the new Jian as well, but not 100% certain.