I honestly did not expect to like this sword as much as I did. I work at a theatre and I teach stage combat and choreography so I am always looking for safe and good looking weapons to use on stage in the shows. For the price of this sword you will get a very strong and durable trainer. The material has a natural shine and from stage no one would be able to tell the difference from that and a steel sword. You don't get the nice sound of steel on steel, but you also don't have actors getting rushed to the ER to get stitches mid show. I haven't had the sword long, but from the testing I put it through it seems to hold up well and looks good doing it. It is light weight and easy to use. I look forward to using this sword more often and putting it through some more rigorous testing. All in all, an excellent sword for those who don't want to spend a fortune or need a safe alternative to steel. 100% recommend.

This is an excellent choice for both fencing, and stage combat. I've been fencing for over 15 years, and this sword is revolutionize the way I can train.

It is lighter than a steel sword, but not by a huge margin. Switching back and forth I don't find that it feels awkward or imbalanced.

a lot of people seem to be complaining about the blades lack rigidity, I for one am glad that when my friends stabs me the blade bends instead of jabbing me hard. it's thick edges disperse the impact as well, so it's much less painful. It allows me to spar for much much longer then if I were using a steel sword alone.

I've seen some complaints about the blade bowing, and that's easily fixed. Lay the blade flat on the ground or a hard surface in a moderately warm area. The blade will reset itself to flat. Also store it this way, or hanging, and that will prevent it from bowing. The plastic will bend in the heat, so if you leave it in a bag, or standing on its tip or pummel it has a chance of temporarily warping.

this is also a great tool for teaching stage combat. I can give it to my actors and know that they have far less of a chance of seriously injuring each other than they would with a steel sword. It also is inexpensive, so I can afford to buy enough for an entire class. and since it requires no maintenance, it's one less worry I have to have when letting a group of inexperienced students handle them.

These words are well worth the money, and I haven't come across a better product for training and teaching yet

Good for the money I spent getting this to be honest. I was expecting a good product and I got a good product, nothing more I can say on that front. Its studiness is apparent in how well the blade can flex, I would have given this sword a five star glowing review if it didn't memorize its warping. Yeah, the problem struggles a bit with how it warps so I'd recommend laying it down on any flat surface. If you MUST rest it against a wall, atleast rest the pommel to the ground to minimize plastic warping.

I think that is all a buyer would need to know. Value is good for the quality, blade is a bit thick so it doesn't emulate a blade all too well so the weight and balance is a bit weird. Not bad, just slightly off.

If you're attending any sort of LARP event, con or would like to emulate historical longsword fencing moves I think this is a great sword. If you want it for actual 1 on 1 fencing, I think you should look for another buyer with more optimized blades for practice fencing.

For the price you pay, this sword is great for drilling, sparing, or just a prop/toy to mess around with. The sword arrives in four separate and needs to be assembled much like a real sword, including the "blade" portion with a full tang, a crossguard, grip, and screw-on pommel. All put together it feels very sturdy for light use, although the rubber grip to go over the tang is not super snug, but it isn't a major issue

I quite like this thing. It's balanced pretty well and is quite durable. However, I have a few little gripes.

The sword comes in four pieces: The blade, crossguard, pommel, and handgrip. The only issue I've noted with the blade is that it's curved backwards a little in a way it's not supposed to be. The curve isn't enough to really impact its performance, but it IS noticeable if you're taking more than a cursory look at it.

The crossguard itself is fine, though the fit isn't exactly perfect. It tends to wobble around a little. Again, not enough to impact performance, but enough to be noticed.

The pommel is fine, I have no complaints.

My biggest issues, however, stem from the handgrip. It's rubber; which immediately feels odd in the hand, especially from what is supposed to be a traditional sword. Apart from the feel, the handgrip is incorrectly sized both in terms of length and in getting a snug fit around the tang (the section of the blade which extends into the grip). When I first got it, the grip was too long - preventing the pommel from being screwed on securely - and too loose, making it shift as the blade moved, making the rubber feel even more awkward. These issues were fairly easily resolved by cutting off some of the excess material from the end of the handgrip, and setting down several layers of tape onto the tang to improve the fit; but it is still something to keep in mind.

Overall, I like this thing, but it's not perfect.