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Hanwei Swords
Hanwei swords were the brainchild of Mr. Chen Chao-Po (Paul Chen – pictured right), originally of Taiwan, in the early 90’s. As such, they are often colloquially referred to as ‘Paul Chen swords’.
Distributed in the USA by Cas Iberia (which was recently purchased by Hanwei), the novice can sometimes be confused by these three apparent company names for the same products.
Hanwei were among the earliest to produce attractive, battle-ready katanas at affordable prices for martial artists and collectors. They have since grown into a mainstay of the Sword buying community, and expanded their products to include European designs.
They are also one of (if not THE) the biggest sword maker in the industry, with over 350 employees at their Dalian facility alone... Their warranty policy is stated on their site - “we warranty our products against all manufacturer’s defects (workmanship and or materials) for a period of one year from the date of customer purchase (we extend this guarantee to the original invoiced customer only). This warranty also applies only when the product is used under normal conditions for which the product is designed, and does not apply to damage related to accident, misuse, improper care, negligence, and normal and/or excessive wear and tear.”
As in most cases the ‘original invoiced customer only’ is the retailer who sold you the sword, any problems with their product must be followed up by the vendor, which may lead to lengthy delays.
Prices for Hanwei swords range from around to $100 to upwards of $3200 for their high end models.
MAIN PRODUCT LINES
KNOWN ISSUES For the lower priced Paul Chen Hanwei Swords, the most common complaint was quality control. Due to the sheer volume of swords being produced, it was not uncommon to find a few lemons in every batch (many of which, ended up being sold on ebay). Occasionally, the bad ones in each batch can be quite dangerous - especially with Hanwei's extremely sharp Japanese swords. Due to the relative hardness and thinness of some of the blades, there are many anecdotal stories aboud of them literally snapping in half (and then flying through the air) after a poorly executed strike against relatively light targets such as Tatami Omote and Water Filled Bottles. For this reason it is especially important when buying Paul Chen Hanwei swords online to avoid shopping based on price alone, as many of the sellers who stock them at close to wholesale prices are selling seconds or defective blades that should have been inspected and sent back to the factory as per Hanwei's usual policy with their wholesalers. Current issues mostly revolve around the sharpness of the blades. Their Japanese swords tend to be just a little too sharp, meaning that the edges are so fine and hard that while they cut like a laser, hitting harder targets (whether accidently or on purpose) is a sure fire way to chip or break them. On the other hand, most people complain that their medieval swords are a little too dull, and need additional sharpening out of the box to cut effectively (though once sharpened - due to the excellent temper of the steel - they hold their edges exceptionally well). Their medieval replicas have been the subject of many problems in the past, notably weak tangs, hollow "fall apart" pommels and structural issues in the steel. While these problems are obviously distressing – Hanwei takes them seriously, and they ARE being addressed and refined, such as the most recent batch (November 2007) of swords now being made with solid pommels and a thicker, more durable blade.
Ausblade Interview with Paul Chen, September 2007
Prices for Paul Chen Hanwei Swords tend to vary quite wildly online. Most good sellers tend to stick closely to the (somewhat inflated) recommended retail prices. However, there are quite a few that sell them at prices much lower than the MSRP, but still maintain a high level of quality control and customer service.
My personal recommendation for safely buying pre-inspected, good quality Paul Chen Hanwei Swords is to shop at Kult of Athena
With the best prices online, a 45 day return policy, clear in stock designations and at cost shipping prices worldwide - there is really no better place to safely buy Paul Chen Hanwei Swords.
OTHER HANWEI SWORDS STOCKISTS The following list of additional retailers also stock Hanwei Swords:
Eblades.com
SBG Sword Store
Shumi Swords (Australia)
Swords of Might
Replica Weaponry.com
Swords of Honor
What's YOUR experience with this brand?Do you own one of the swords made by this company? Or know any good stories or information not covered here? Share it! What Other Visitors Have SaidClick below to see contributions from other visitors to this page... Peter C. I ordered the Hanwei Practical Shinobi Ninja-to(PC1071)and have to admit that of all the swords I own, this is the sharpest and nicest one. There are no ... Hanwei Chinese Swords On the SBG forums I find that there are a lot of misconceptions about the Hanwei Chinese swords. Many people buy them expecting them to compare favorably ... Practical katana(PK) Well, I do not own this particular blade, but as a sword enthusiast, I have gathered together many stories so I can contribute something. Shall we begin?... some people are stupid One time my friend mike bought a Hanwei chinese sword. Well that idiot was acting like he knew how to use it like a master. So he was messing around and ... Excercise care when cleaning! I purchased a Paul Chen Practical Katana as my first functional sword. After alot of research I chose this sword for its reputation and the reviews on ... Hanwei practical european style screw on pommel swords We haven't had one that did not break or become too loose to use. The group im in has owned every european styled sword of Hanwei's practical series, and ... Hanwei practical european style peened pommel swords Great value for the money! In my group we have owned and/or used every practical european style sword hanwei makes. We have put them through rigorous ... name confusion Actually, I don't have any sword from this brand or any other brand. Yet I really like their production line, each of their asian sword gives me a great ... zatoichi sword. I bought my zatoichi sword not long ago, I'm very disapointed about the sharpness of the blade, its as dull as a butter knife. But all over its a nice ... Hanwei Albrecht Sword, ..... Another Beauty! This is my second European type Hanwei Sword, .... the Albrecht. My first was the Hanwei William Marshal, and I was amazed at the quality of fit and finish ...
Hanwei Practical Ninjato - Review by Splinter
Bought a Hanwei practical ninjato after thoroughly checking it out from numerous places all over the internet. Pratical XL Light Katana This is a beautiful sword and is very nicely made. They are also very helpful and a pleasure to do business with. I will be back.
William Marshal,,,,,, a beauty!
Received the William Marshal sword a few days ago.
Hanwei - Quality and razor sharp
I currently own two CASHanwei Paul Chen swords I hope this information on Hanwei Swords has been helpful. To return to the Sword Manufacturers Guide Homepage from Hanwei Swords, click here
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