Hanwei Practical Cup Hilt Rapier - HEMA Review

Review Criteria

Before we dive in I wanted to make it clear that Kult of Athena provided this sword for the purpose of reviewing and if you like what you see there will be an affiliate link above.

Now let's go over the key factors I'll be considering in this review:

Fit and Finish: What materials are used, and how well is it put together?

Handling: Balance, weight, and overall feel in the hand.

Durability: How well will this sword hold up to regular HEMA training?

Safety: Does the sword have proper blunt edges and a safe tip for sparring?

Value: Is the price point reasonable for the quality and features offered?

Fit and Finish - 9

The Hanwei Practical Cup Hilt Rapier; Starting with the handle, it has a faux leather wrap, really nice decorative elements on the guard and rings, as well as a sleeve to cover the section of the blade under the cup. Speaking of the cup you can see it has a nice rough natural leather type material on the inside and a robust edge along the outside.

The pommel acts as a large nut rather than having a separate one on top. It also has a really nice scabbard, with a strong friction fitting. I believe it is made out of bamboo, with a plastic covering and steel caps to either end. It is a really nice touch that I wish more makers thought about even offering, let alone having it come with the sword.

Moving on to the blade, it features a 37 inch length (94cm), and all together is about 2lbs 2oz (964 grams). The fort is strong with a nice fullered section here, and moving down the body to the tip you can see it transitions to a subtle diamond cross section and terminates with a fat button tip. I believe the blade is replaceable and Kult of Athena has them on their store.

Overall, I am really impressed with the fit and finish of this rapier and while I wish the sleeve under the cup was a little more robust and the finger rings a tad wider, I really can’t fault this sword too much. 9 out of 10. 

Handling and Performance - 8

The Hanwei Practical Cup Hilt Rapier handles well. It has great tip speed and control. The undercup wrap makes it much more comfortable than some others I have used. The blade is strong enough and it has enough cut oomf where I would feel confident competing in a cut centric rapier tournament or even a side sword event.

Overall, it is a rapier, it feels like one, it performs like one, but it does not stand out as exceptional. I give it an 8 out of 10

Durability  - 7

Remember the part about using it against a side sword? What about a longsword? Well this took the beating and I am really impressed with how well this held up. There are some reasonable dings from the few passes I had against a longsword, but it held.

The crossguard has deformed a little bit as I do not think it is tempered, which is a shame because I would hate for this beautiful twist to be bent or broken. Granted if you are only going against rapiers I can’t see how they would be damaged with regular use.

The durability could be improved with a tempered cross guard but the blade is impressive, at least from my uses thus far. I give it a 7 out of 10

Safety - 8

It is a bit stiff, but that is really a personal preference. It bends enough if you have a hard thrust and the button tip means it is really going to widen the impact. You could almost get away with no rubber cap. In fact I have been sparring without a cap for the past few sessions to see how it feels and my students did not have any complaints about the impact. Granted I used a pretty light touch.

Long story short, I do not have major issues.

On a scale of 1 to 10, would I trust a newbie to hit me? 8, would be a 10 with if it has a little bit more flex

Value - 10

This sword is $260, 

This sword comes with this beautiful cross guard, a replaceable blade, and even a scabbard for $260. This is a deal. Flat out. 10 out of 10 for value. You might prefer a different feel or a different look but this is a great jack of all trades and it will be a rapier that won’t hurt your wallet.

And if you do want to pick one up for yourself check out my affiliate link in the description.

Overall Impression - 8.5

With an aggregate score of 8.5 this rapier is a great starter and it will last you a while, I certainly recommend it for anyone, who is looking for a new rapier or a long time rapier fighter who is looking to add one more to the collection.