Review - YuWang "Fish King" Sparring Jian

The Specs

• Overall length: 97cm
• Blade Length: 81cmcm (From rear of guard)
• PoB: 12.5cm (From rear of guard)
• Weight: 605g
• Flex weight: 7.15kg
• Tipping: Rolled

Tl;dr Too light and poorly constructed to be a viable sparring jian.

Overall Rating: 1.75/5

Balance and Handling:

The first thin you notice when picking this jian up is how light it is and how narrow the blade profile is. There’s not a lot of sword here. This sword has a very minimal blade presence, but with a fast tip. It does feel like the types of swords used in Wushu, so some people will find it familiar, however the downsides really become noticable when you’re wanting to work around another sword. Blade presence isn’t just about being able to cut (which is important) but it’s also about how the sword interacts with you and other swords. Without the inertia, you don’t have to use your waist, or body. And without the inertia, other swords can push yours around in binds and parries.

The fit and finish on the handle has a distinct step between the wood and the the metal fittings (ferrule), along with the wood being slippery made the whole handle unpleasant to hold onto. In general, this jian doesn’t really behave like a jian, nor feel like one.

B&H: 2/5

Construction:

This is not the best jian I’ve reviewed, not by a long shot. It’s constructed with off the shelf parts, and without extra care in ruggardising them for the added stress of sparring. I’ve heard the manufacturer tested them for six months, but I would assume that was against another made with the same structure. Testing against any of the other offerings on the market would have quickly shown the issues.

The issues first identified before use was that none of the pieces really fit together well. There’s substantial steps between the wooden grip and the ferrules, the metal fittings are all thin brass that can be bought off Taobao as replacement parts for Wushu blades. And the blade itself is very thin, and roughly cut to shape, being very square/rectangular in its blade profile, without rounding on the edges to lessen injury risk (although being so light there’s admittedly not much risk of that). The pommel and grip section is affixed to the blade with a typical nut and bolt construction, holding the sword together.

When used in sparring, it took less than five minutes to substantially deform the guard, bending one side in with a single hit. The fittings also came loose and rattled very quickly. Retightening the nut only partially worked to reduce the rattling. Generally, this sword can only be used against another like itself without quickly becoming loose.

Construction: 2/5

Aesthetics:

The Fish King jian is using standard jian fittings from cheap Wushu blades, so will appeal to the market that wants something familiar, and the brass gives a pop of colour to it. It’s a popular design and will definitely have people interested in it, however, the fittings are very cheap and give off that feeling when looking at them. And the feel in hand is generally not super pleasant.

Sparring Performance:

The sparring performance of this jian was terrible, the lack of mass in the blade means that parries don’t hold up against even other jian, let alone heavier weapons. Binding, touching and controlling the other person’s blade is virtually impossible with it. Additionally, the blade quickly becomes loose and needs to re-tightened frequently between bouts. Overall, sparring with it was an unsatisfying experience, and didn’t really reflect how using a jian in sparring should be.

Sparring Rating: 1/5

Price:

This jian is available from Taobao, and comes in at around 650 RMB (~135AUD/95USD) plus shipping and taxes. At that price, it’s competing against the Yaoyao, and Celeste sparring jians, and it really doesn’t hold up against them.

Price: 2/5

Overall Thoughts:

Overall, this is a pretty poor jian with all the other options available on the market these days, but luckily it’s relatively safe for sparring (it will rattle, but not break dangerously, and has enough flex to be safe). It’s generally only viable if you want to get something immediately off Taobao, and will only be doing slight sparring against someone also using the same Fish King jian. As an option for joining an existing group, or for use against other weapons in sparring (Dao, heavier weapons, HEMA weapons) it really falls short. It does tend to get use in my class as a loaner sword for new joiners who aren’t used to handling full weight weapons and need something lighter to get started for drills, before they get their gear and begin sparring.