Have any of you purchased any of the Paul Chen tai chi swords for your personal use or collection? I am interested in the blade flexibility, fit and finish of the furniture and balance and grip of these swords.

Thanks for any or all input.

Paul Chen is a good craftsman.

However, I did not know Tai Chi had any swords....

At least two kinds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvd0IkXZ4lk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWhr9x5X7cM

What is the difference between the two swords?

One is long and thin, whereas the other is a broadsword, (a bit like a scimitar kind of thing)

Actually, these are NOT "Tai Chi Swords"

How not? I've seen both used by TC practitioners and the vids say they are TC sword patterns.

I assume you mean they are not solely used by TC practitioners, hence they are "Chinese swords". Agreed.

They were never intended to be Tai Ji Swords. This type of sword was made long before someone out there misnamed them. This incorrect wording is 20th century terminology

I suppose you could also say it is a western terminology too. I imagine in Chinese they are simply known by a single name rather than Tai Chi broadsword/sabre etc. It probably also comes from the idea of a TC sword pattern, where the term TC morphs into an adjective rather than a noun (sword pattern of TC), therefore giving the impression that there is a specific sword belonging to TC.

However, I do qonder if this is a case of Black sash in pedanticism ;-)

Chinese jian

A lighter version of the traditional sword and theatrical versions of traditional sword forms are also used in the "taijiquan" routines of wushu curriculum. The wushu sword is a narrow, double-edged Chinese jian with a thin blade designed to make noise when it is shaken by the competitor during competition and a tassel is always attached to the pommel. The jian variants used for taijijian wushu display or as training tools in modern day martial arts schools often have properties that render them unsuitable for historically accurate combat. These properties, such as extreme blade thinness or a high degree of flexibility compared to historical battlefield quality jian, are intended to add auditory and visual appeal to a wushu performance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taijijian