Martial Arts Mart

[kristcaldwell]

hey guys,

since i'm a pretty big fan (translation: customer) of martial arts mart, i thought, i'd start a thread dedicated to said merchant. if you have any reviews, questions or suggestions about such equipment this can be the place for it.

one of my favorite modifications is to fill the handle/hand-guard of my competition weapons with epoxy. this prevents the blade from rattling and keeps me from having to tighten the dang handle after every performance.

i've just ordered one of the new traditional competition straight swords, and am looking forward to it. i plan on writing a review once i've had time to break it in.

[SPJ]

1. I like wushu sword

wushu taichi sword.

They come with a carrying bag and approved by PR China wushu committee.

2. I also like

PCV poles medium and long.

They are covered with foam.

kind of extra light weight for me. But good with beginner classes.

3. I like to get the broad sword

and the wax wood long pole or bai lan gan from China.

[Lucas]

Shop smart, shop martialartsmart.com

Hail to the king baby!

[kristcaldwell]

hello to my boom stick!

[kristcaldwell]

okay, so i’ve finally had time to break in my sword, and i must say that i am pleased with this product. i am writing this review from the perspective of someone who will be using the sword for the purposes of training and competition…if you want a fancy collectible piece, then this sword is probably not for you.

the most prominent feature that stood out to me about this jian is that the hand-guard is bonded to the handle. as someone who is continually tired of tightening the bottom nut of the sword knows, this is a very good thing. this feature eliminates me having to do the usual modification of filling the hand-guard with epoxy to gain stability (however, i may consider still filling the guard to adjust the weapons balance). Additionally, the hand-guard has a smooth finish to it so as to make it comfortable for an over-lapping thumb and forefinger grip (the grip i prefer to use for straight swords). the handle is wrapped with a generic ribbon like wrap – at some point, i anticipate replacing with tennis-wrap. i also wish a sword manufacturer would come-up with a method for attaching a tassel that doesn’t involve tape…this is just ghetto, but a common practice for wushu practitioners everywhere.

the balance of the sword is a couple inches beyond the guard, and this more than acceptable. however, if you really want fast spinning maneuvers, then you need to have the balance be at the guard – and this is easily accomplished (as stated earlier) by filling the guard with epoxy or an appropriately weighted material. the blade is chromed which does away with the need to worry about cleaning the weapon after training sessions (however, a little cleaning with windex every couple of months will keep it nice and shiny).

the scabbard seems to be of better quality than most jians on the market. the fittings seemed stable and the carvings were more conservative than those found on most jian scabbards.

my only complaint when it comes to the sword is that the last 3rd of the blade is too flexible. while I principally practice wushu, I prefer a heavier and stiff blade, so i ordered the “traditional” competition straight sword. the description stated that the blade would support the weapon. however, when i attempted to balance the jian on its tip, the blade bent to about a 45 degree angle. while this isn’t as drastic as a super-light wushu blade would bend, i did expect the blade to maintain its form when placed at such an angle.

if this sword were stolen or lost, i would definitely buy a new one. the quality exceeds the amount paid, and i find myself favoring the over-all aspects of this jian over those of the guiding jian promoted for international wushu competition. for the price of 40-ish dollars, this is a value that really can’t be beat.

[GeneChing]

We're always telling our Chinese swordmakers to deliver stiffer blades for our traditional swords. That issue is getting worse and worse, sad to report. Even many of the Dragon Well traditional jians are soft on the foible.
We're working really hard to improve this, but the demand in China is for blades with more whippy tips, so it's quite a battle with our vendors.

Glad you liked the sword otherwise.

[kristcaldwell]

at the end of the day it's personal preference...ultimately, i think the lighter tip probably makes the product more versatile; as, both, modern athletes and traditionalists can use it.

[YouKnowWho]

Onetime I came back from China, I was stopped by Chinese police at Beijing airport. I had 8 daggers in my luggage. They took out my daggers one by one and tested the blade against the wall. Since all the brade were bendable, they let me go. After that day I know that if a blade is bendable, it's not considered as killing weapon in China.