Over hundreds of years, the fame of the Heng family has come from the quality and uniqueness of their swords. This quality is derived from many factors including the type of spring steel chosen for the blade and the use of innovative manufacturing techniques. These techniques include combining stainless steel with manganese to prevent rusting and the use of oils as part of the tempering process. All of these techniques make the blade firm, flexible and rust resistant; the softer swords can even be bent around the waist and will instantly regain their shape.

An essential characteristic for a sword is a hard and durable edge with a resilient body which absorbs shock without breaking. To achieve this a combination of different steels are required. Heng swords are famous for being carefully hand crafted. After the raw materials have been selected from different types of steel, either carbon steel, high-carbon steel, pattern-welded steel or Damascus pattern-welded steel, it can take up to several months to manufacture a single sword, the length of the manufacturing period gives an indication of the quality of the sword. For example the blade of a Heng sword will be forged from 30kg steel this will be honed down to 0.5 kg by the end of the process. Only through using this type of manufacturing process makes swords of the highest quality of density, rigidity and brightness.

An important part of the manufacturing process is the tempering process where the blade is rapidly cooled in oil after heating it to a certain temperature. During this process, the sword needs to be maintained in its vertical position and to be hung in the heating groove, this procedure is what makes Heng swords different from any other craftsman. This means of tempering strengthens the rigidity of the sword, during heating the carbon atoms permeate to the surface of sword under the effect of the temperature, when the body of sword is quenched the carbon atom are constrained between iron atoms which greatly improves the rigidity of the steel. Comparing a Heng sword with an ordinary machine manufactured sword which does not undergo the same process will show that after impact, the ordinary sword can be easily damaged, but a Heng sword will always remain unblemished.

In addition the Heng family also use processes including engraving, stone grinding, water levigation, polishing and waxing to turn a weapon into a work of art.

One of the other characteristics of a Heng sword that needs to be pointed out is that all sword made nowadays have not been given an edge, Heng swords are only made for the purpose of practice and collection.