Sword Review: New LK Chen Majestic HuangTaiji Yaodao imperial sabre

[@the.wandering.warrior]

I have found he has a bias and tendency to lower the POB to his own liking (or whatever other reason) rather than sticking to historical norms - do you think this is the case with this dao? The woyaodao by LK Chen seems fine to me but other swords I have been a bit hesitant to purchase because of this...

[@dlatrexswords]

So I think there are two things at play: 1. Sword selection: LK Chen has a huge number of swords to choose from, and if we look at for example, the Han swords he selects to reproduce, they represent more nimble swords that balance closer to the grip from the distribution of total antiques we have available to study. This is acceptable (they're still historical) but it is a very apparent preference he has. 2. Deviations from specs, based on the study. When looking at the original source, and then comparing a product line, there are always going to be concessions. Short of doing high end custom swords it is unrealistic in most cases to make literal 1:1 replicas. They question is how far do the deviate, and does it impact handling. For most makers the deviation that occurs is due to improper study and poor replication of the complex geometry of the original blades. A blade is a very nuanced piece of engineering with even fractions of a millimeter making a difference when it comes to how it performs depending on where that mass is carried. Compared with other makers, LK Chen generally makes very very good blades, that are quite close to originals. In many cases they are astoundingly good for their price. This allows the sword to behave VERY close to how antique originals would behave. However, as I mentioned in the video, the inability to replica the same type of furniture for certain types of sword (Especially the hammered brass and iron fittings of the Ming and Qing) will change the polar moment of the sword, and shift where the PoB is. By having 'too much metal' in the hilt, and too thick of a grip, the PoB will naturally come backwards. This is not an easy thing to fix, as these swords are not built with large blocky european style furniture with thick pommels and cross guards that allow for a lot of fine tunening to get correct. A sword like the Tai Yan Yangling dao might be able to make a thinner disk, but on the MHTJYD or the new Liuyedao which require intricate casting, I do not know how he will avoid the problem. Is it the end of the world? I don't think so. Because the blades are properly made, this is the equivalent to having them put in different types of furniture, which is something we see historically. And there are examples of swords that handle at both ends of the spectrum (we have historical peidao that have PoB below 10cm, and over 24cm). So my recommendation to him is to continue to try to improve the process, see if he can stay close to the originals (since that should always be the goal), and for us as consumers understand that he is likely picking swords that are going to be 'fun' in the hand, with maybe the occasional Song Dao thrown in.

[@Blindy_Sama]

That is a very cool sword. I also very much appreciate the history lesson when you do reviews. There's so much more to Chinese history than I could even fathom and even though it's not my most favorite historical subject I love learning things attached to weapons and warfare etc and part of that is the history of the time so thanks for putting in so much hard work in your videos :-)

[@qeter129]

cinnabar is fine to use as long as you don't stick it in an oven or a fire. 350F I think is the smoke point.

[@bobocacco]

I concur with your POB comments. I amvery concerned with some of LK Chen's new sabers having POB of 4" or less!! Even their jian might have the POB a bit too close to guard, compared to antique examples. In contrast I have found Art of Fire and Iron creates replicas with POB more accurate to antiques but LK Chen is much more accessible and responds to inquiries very quickly.

[@dlatrexswords]

No maker is perfect. I have friends with swords from AoFaI, and their swords can drift from specs listed quite a bit. In general their swords do tend to have 'further' PoB than LK Chen, but that doesn't always translate into 'more historically accurate'. They are just using a different cluster that their smiths balance around, which in experience tends to be between 15-18cm from the guard. Historical Liuyedao often fall in that range, but Yanlingdao can be from 11 - 23cm PoB.

[@JCOwens-zq6fd]

A very nice sword for sure & the red paint in the fuller is quite interesting. Though I do wonder why they did it on the original & whether or not it has symbolic meaning.

[@dlatrexswords]

This has been easier to study on Japanese swords than on Chinese sword; although I frequently end up with several different explanations (protection against rust, simulation of blood running down the blade, means to hide poorly done fullering) there seems to be an association with swords that are intended for dedication to shrines. As such, I suspect there is a heavy religious component in the end, and religion and magic are very poorly studied across all aspects of sword development and design.