The concept of the guardian lion emerged in China over 1800 years ago during the Han Dynasty. The lion, fierce, courageous, loyal and swift, was the perfect symbol to guard home and hearth. Both decorative and symbolic, it was common to see elegant sculptures of these lions guarding the homes of the wealthy and aristocratic or even the gates of the Imperial Palace and the tombs of the Chinese emperors. Our Jade Lion series draws upon the same protective reputation, combining ceremonial, “dress” styling with “battle ready” performance. This makes them appropriate for collectors specifically as well as martial artists in general. The watchful Chinese lion motif is cast in nickel-sliver with almost sculptural detail on the heavy guard and pommels. This provides a compelling contrast to the elegant jade green color of the cord wrapped handles and matching rosewood scabbards that are covered in highly polished samé (ray skin) that’s dyed to match the handles. The most attention grabbing feature, however, are the blades themselves. Forged by hand and expertly tempered from our finest Damascus steel, their distinctively subtle swirl pattern bespeaks the elegant beauty of fine craftsmanship combined with the incomparable strength of Damascus steel. JADE LION GIM The Lion Gim is a civilian self-defense Wen Jian (Scholar’s Sword), with a little more panache than the practical versions(like the 88G)that were made for the battlefield. In our tests it severed and pierced 4″ bamboo poles with a single cut or thrust. Weight: 31.7 oz. Blade Thickness: 1/4″ Blade Length: 30″ Steel: Damascus Handle: 6 1/4″ Overall: 36 1/4″ Polished Sameé (Ray Skin) Scabbard w/ Nickle-Silver Fittings.
Cold Steel, Incorporated was founded in 1980, a company dedicated to making the strongest, sharpest knives in the world. Superblades has been a retailer of Cold steel’s for over 15 years now and we are convinced they are among the best knives and swords in the world.
Over the last three decades, Cold Steel has been at the forefront of the many innovations that have helped to define the knife industry as a whole. Progressive accomplishment, including the introduction of the checked Kraton® handles, and the tanto point blade styles have gone from curiously interesting features to industry-wide hallmarks of quality and sophistication. New ground was also broken with the introduction of unique new blade steels like San Mai III® and Tri-Ad™ Lock & locking mechanism for folding knives. Tri-Ad™ Lock for example, has never been equaled by any of Cold Steel's competitors and nothing they have produced yet has been proven to outperform it.
We have tested the Tri-Ad lock here as well and found it to be second to none in strength and durability.
Of course, Cold Steel will always look to the future, constantly striving to make the world's strongest, sharpest knives. That goal as elusive and difficult to achieve as it is, has been the same for the past thirty years. We here at Superblades will always continue to support and represent Cold Steel as a premium brand.
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