At this price point, I am impressed with this katana. Straight blade, everything is tight and put together well. The saya feels really light. Possibly fragile. But it arrived in perfect condition so I can't complain. I recommend it.

Love the sword. Great quality. Shorter than the typical Katana which is 40". I'm 5'4" so training with the 40" was difficult when trying to remove it from the scarborough to start my techniques. My only complain...the tip is still VERY sharp. I had to use a metal sander to bull nose the tip then file it to smooth it out in order to use it at my dojo.

The media could not be loaded. Please do your research before you purchase this katana. It is NOT a live blade, and is NOT intended to cut anything. This is an iaito, a replica katana made to practice forms (see video for a terrible demonstration by me).

As for the actual sword itself, I'm quite satisfied with it. It is on the heavier side, but I'd like that in a training sword. I've seen some reviews saying that their sword broke after hitting something, or that the tip of the sword is fairly sharp. The sword that I received doesn't have either of those problems. I've been swinging this thing around for a while now and it's still holding up on its own. I can only assume that those who had their sword break on them were using the sword incorrectly.

Only giving it 4 stars because it doesn't really "wow" me. For the money, I got exactly what I expected, which was a decent practice sword. I would've like to seen a better sageo, as the one that it comes with is more like a shoelace with the ends cut off. That being said, there's not a lot to fault when all things are considered. For the price, this is a pretty good starter iaito. I would recommend this if you want a heavier blade to practice with, or maybe you want to see if learning iaido is for you without breaking the bank.

Here's what I like so much about it
Weight is perfect. Iaito are always a little heavier, but this is really close to real Katana weight.
Has a rounded point, no edge. Your Sensei should approve this sword for the training hall.
Saya is lacquered and very well made.
Full tang double pegged
And its a beautiful looking sword, nice details, highly polished, very cool Tsuba.

Sageo and sword bag isn't anything special, but who cares when the rest of the sword is awesome.

The package that this practice sword arrived in is very good and well thought out. I received it with no damage. The sword bag itself is good quality. The saya/ sheath fits well and is a nice and shiny black. The sword is made of stainless and is well balanced. Overall it seems to be just a little on the heavy side. The handle and guard are tight fitting with now wiggle room. The tip of the sword has been filed so there are no sharp points making this a perfect practice sword.