The 2008 Shot Show has come to a close and we have some exciting news for those not able to attend. Lots of new product from Hanwei was on display especially for our European and Chinese lines. We also showcased a small sampling of GDFB items; the maille in particular was a real head-turner. Paul Chen and his son Ron were on hand to talk shop and answer questions, as well as James Williams of Bugei.
The European line of Arms and Armour has grown 10 fold with the introduction of the GDFB line and we couldn't be happier with the results. Good quality functional armor at a good price used to be hard to come by, but not any more. You can search for GDFB or click here to see a full listing of items. The first prototypes of the CAS / Tinker collaboration pieces from Hanwei were on display and are now headed Tinker's way for evaluation. If you're unfamiliar with Tinker and / or this series click here for more information.
For the Japanese line Hanwei has produced the first true functional Odachi available on the market. It features a differentially hardened forged blade and is as fully functional as any sword over 5ft 8 inches can be! On display was a recent Tamahagane blade by Ron Chen, each blade we see from Ron keeps astounding us with his talent and this one was no exception.
Our line of Chinese Swords, both straight Jian and broadsword Dao, is growing significantly. In addition to the beautiful designs by Hanwei was the prototype blade design for an upcoming cutting jian and dao designed by Scott Rodell of Great River Taoist Center. Scott has many years of martial arts and blade design knowledge and we are excited to have his help in producing this line.
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