I have a student who wants to buy himself a Hanwei Bastard sword for practicing WMA. I have concerns as to its suitability and durability for this purpose. I've advised him to wait and pick up one of the new Tinker models, but he's all gung-ho, so I'd like to solicit opinions here. Has anybody handled it/used it for WMA? The following link takes you to the item in question:

http://www.kuttersknives.com/scrItem.asp?prod...ypes_id=38

Thanks in advance.

For WMA work, I'd advise against it. For starters, the sword is a sharp, so he'd have to completely blunt it down. Even after that, it won't work as well as a purpose-built blunt (which I realize you probably already know). For that price, he can afford the practical hand and a half that Hanwei sells, if not the Tinker blunt.

Aside from that, the piece has a very strong blade presence. Not out of the realm of historical pieces, mind you, but far more than the typical modern practitioner is used to. I also have heard of quality control issues with the tang, but I don't have any first hand experience with that, as I only handled one once briefly.

Thanks Bill, I wasn't aware it was sharpened. It's definitely a no-go in that regard. I have some lingering doubts as to the suitability of any of the current line of Hanwei swords for WMA. The hand and a half is a bit short, IMO, but still serviceable I suppose.

I've advised him to wait and get something more appropriate, but he's "highly motivated." :)

Regards,

Not to highjack the thread, but have the other Hanwei pieces like the Marshall also had the pommel issues fixed yet?

We discussed this sword a bit in another thread a while back: http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t...ei+bastard

To summarize my thoughts-- The one I have has a balance point 9" away from the guard, and feels horribly blade heavy. From what I understand, the pommel was hollow and could break loose easily as well. Since then, Hanwei redesigned the pommel, which also drew the balance back by several inches. I would guess that it's still a weighty feel, though much better than before.

The blade is technically a sharp, but it's not really sharpened either. A very dull "sharp" sword. It still manages to cut through pumpkins like butter.

I wonder if he meant this Hand and a Half (otherwise known as Bastard sword). I have one and it's strong - no worries. 1.8mm edge.
http://www.kuttersknives.com/scrItem.asp?prod...ypes_id=38