im not sure if anyone has seen this vid but ithink its a good reason not to get a cheap sword.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWsQQX_QyPU&mode=related&search=paul%20chen%20katana

That video is rapidly becoming a legend. It's a couple years old now, but it emphasizes the problems and danger of cheap wallhangers.

This computer I'm using has a really dark screen(and it's on the lightest setting) and I couldn't see. Did the blade fall off and hit him?

yeah and it stabbed him

if it's a practice katana... that means it isn't sharp.

So did he get nailed by the tip of the blade (the only remotely sharp part)

Or the dull edge? Anyway it did look like there was a bit of acting on his part.

An even better question would be if anyone bought these swords after watching this commercial

That was not a practice katana. It was a cheap wallhanger. And yes it broke near the handle, the tip coming back around to stab him in the gut.

was he bleeding?

Nobody seems to no for sure. Pretty sure he was not seriously injured.

It wasn't a paul chen katana either despite what the title of the video was. Just goes to show wallhangers should cut nothing but pool noodles and air.

How do you know it wasn't a paul chen?

Because we know what the Paul Chen swords look like. That's not one of them.

After that video started floating around on the net I emailed the shopping channel that came from and asked them about it. They said he was not hurt, it didnt even pierce his shirt. He was pretty much just acting it up for the camera. But what freakin moron would smack the spine of a sword on the table anyways?!

The swords are stainless, but I would hardly even call them wallhangers since they are so cheap it's hard to believe anyone would even hang them on the wall. They have a thin cord wrapped handle around wood. very ugly looking.

I can't believe I just saw that. Paul Chen? I'm not that familiar with what their swords look like but I know that they DON'T look like that. What's with the little tassles? The blade's almost shapeless with no bohi or defined kissaki. $44 seems like a rip-off since someone I know managed to get a VERY genuine-looking iato for $60, you could swear it was a live Paul Chen.

But anyway, what exactly does banging the edge against a table prove? Nothing but that you are a complete moron.

hi guys, where can i download that video. i'd love to see it.
thanks in advance for any help

i really doubt that anyone with any knowledge of Katana's would buy a wallhanger, i got given a set of 3 japanese swords, and i stuck them away out of site, for a start you can actually see where the metal has been shaped to give it the curve, secondly its made of spring steel, in case anyone doesnt know what spring steel is, its the steel from car or Tank springs, either that or they are made from stainless steel, good for kitchen knives, bad for katana's, i personally think that the wallhangers are ugly, all those tassles and crap they put on them, a friend of mine in the UK bought a genuine Katana from Japan, and its the plainest thing you've ever seen, cost him a small fortune, but inspite of being plain to look at, you draw the sword and its breathtaking, anyway my advise DON'T buy wallhangers

HAHA! I've been looking for that video for ages. Thank you so much for putting that up. That's basically been a running joke between me and some friends for a while now as we know a guy who picked one of those up for the sake of being able to say "I'm cool I have a sword". So great...

Classic. Thats why I only own two swords can't afford good ones often and I will NEVER buy a wall hanger unless I need scrap.

Anyone who even considers buying a katana off of QVC should be smacked.


I found a hilarious remix of the sword break mishap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybXe4khkLP0&mode=related&search=

there's another vid floating around somewhere from QVC where their super sturdy multi-position step ladder collapsed under the guy. That one's funny too.

I was talking for a guy who used to direct for those shows - seems the salesmen are all really bored so they make crap up all the time just to see how bizarre they can get in the product descriptions. Doesn't really matter because the kind of person who buys stuff off of QVC won't generally know quality from lousy anyway

I'd guess he probably was hamming it up because he'd just claimed the sword was "razor sharp." On the other hand, the point got him, so it probably didn't feel too good.

i agree, it wasn't paul chen, i know all his swords.
but about paul chen, is it any good?
for example, the practical katana...?

I know of a guy who bought a wall hanger, then smacked it against a railroad tie (the wood blocks) and it snapped. He then went back to complain that it broke. What do you expect from a wall hanger.

Paul Chen makes decent stuff. Though, if you're going to do alot of tameshigiri or suburi with it, you may need to have the tsuka re wrapped and/or lenghthened. The cheaper ones for sure and maybe all don't have a full same wrap; it's wood with 2 cut pieces of ray skin on either side. So, it will slip eventually.

Just to put some rumours to rest. I used to work with him at the Shop at Home television channel, where I started as a production assistant and eventually produced two shows. SATH is where he relocated after being "let go". He now shows electronics. He was not seriously hurt. He did have a small cut and even has a half inch scar to prove it. Mostly he was incredibly embarassed and had quite a sizable bruise. Also, rest assured he gets more crap about this incident than you can imagine.

-insert voracious laughter here- oh my god, I knew that stainless steel and most cheap swords had a tendency to break but, seriously, on a market channel? XD.
now if you were an expert, you could hit it off a wall behind you, duck. And take the weapon of those you just killed.

I used to swing around a $300 dollar stainless in a class full of people and some even had cheaper stuff, gives me the willies.

I broke a cheap sword trying to cut a branch from a tree. Now I will only buy good quality swords. even added a hand forged to my collection

never scrimp on a sword

OH-OH TH.
UPS =)
I will not envy the guy!