CAS Hanwei Tinker Pearce Inquiry

[Dana DeMore]

Hello fellow Swordsman! Does anyone have experience with CAS Hanwei's Tinker Pearce Sharp or Blunt Trainer Swords? Do they hold up in sparring? They retail for $359 and $329 respectively. Are they a good value compared to other makers swords in the same price range? I appreciate your feedback! Dana

[CalebChow]

I have not had experience with steel blunts due to financial issues, but from what I've gathered from this forum, I'd say that if you could save up maybe another $100, a sword made by Albion would be an ideal choice.

I think all the steel blunt sparring videos on the video page of ARMA use Albion blunts. I've heard nothing but excellent reviews on their products.

Hanwei swords, I've heard, hold up very well and are very durable. However, the drawback is that their weight proportions are not as accurate which may influence technique. I could be very wrong as I don't have one, but that's what I've gathered so far.

I don't know anything about Blunt Trainer swords--sorry.

But again, as most people here would probably agree, Albion is the way to go.

[Benjamin Smith]

Hanwei's have traditionally had problems, particularly with hilt construction, weight and balance, and historical accuracy. I've never handled the Tinker Pearce materials specifically, but I would say that while they've made improvement over the last 10 years or so, they would probably be a far cry from the top vendors.

[Joshua Hintzen]

I don't know about your model, but I have a Hanwei blunt that I got (can't remember the model name) for around $200. It has held up well, but the only things I use it for are solo drill and pell work. The blade is sound, the hilt furnishings are secure, I have not felt a single shift or rattle. I have not handled any other swords of know quality really, so I can't attest to balance though it certainly feels balanced in comparison to my SLOs I have hanging around.
I got mine long before I began to train, so it was the most expediant tool while I study and train until I get a waster and save for an Albion.
You can try a website I found some time back:
http://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/
They focus on swords around and under $300 usually, and often have reveiws for Hanwei, Windlass, Gen. 2, and others. Give it a shot, They may have a listing for your model.

[Sal Bertucci]

Be careful with the Hanwei/CAS Iberia Mercenary sword.

[Benjamin Smith]

My Hanwei's grip wasn't stabilized and it expanded, cracked, broke the leather on the grip and revealed an insufficient tang underneath. There is so much about a sword that one should know before buying it and an online vendor is just not usually prepared to give you all the info. For example, how do they construct the tang and hilt? Are they welded, pressed, peened, etc...? Is the wood in the grip stabilized? Is it based on a historical sword? If it is what kind of research did they do to replicate it? If it isn't, what kind of research was used to create it and set its CoG, pivot points, weight, pommel size and shape, hilt shape, distal taper, and cross-sectional variation. Interestingly Albion is the only online vendor that even attempts to answer all those questions. Although they don't list the pivot points on their sword specs they do mention that they include these in their research (I've never seen anyone else who does), and there is a video about their tang construction from a Discovery channel show on their website, so you can get an idea about that, as well as articles that detail most of the process.