Master USA Polymer Training Equipment, Black Polypropylene Blade, Martial Arts Training Gear, Rounded Tip- Practice, Cosplay

I was skeptical at first. Hard plastic swords over the internet tend to be hit or miss. Pros - Solid construction. I haven't practiced against hard surfaces or other weapons yet but it feels really good in the hand. It's not your typical toy store plastic sword. This is weighted to be as close to a real sword as possible. The balance I initially thought would be more towards the pommel, surprisingly it actually balances over a third of the way into the blade. Effectively making it sufficient for decent sword play. To that end this is not for kids. As a 190 lb 6 foot man who lifts weights regularly rapid striking and thrusts come easy but I would hazard a guess and say that for others the weight would be a lot more difficult to handle. I really admire the fantasy elements incorporated into it while still making it suitable for sword fighting. It's a mini buster sword or in some ways a mini original Zangetsu(the main weapon in the first arc of Bleach of the protagonist Ichigo) in a lot of ways. That's actually exactly what I was looking for as I'm coming up with a custom Bleach cosplay. Cons - As many have already pointed out it did come with a slight curve, likely damage in transit. It's not very noticeable and probably can be fixed with a weight over time. The box was also opened but the product was intact. No idea if that was customs or just some nosy neighbors. If the latter they better not mess with me now that I'm armed with this. =) While I appreciate that it was made in Taiwan for various sociopolitical reasons, it is emblazoned on an awkwardly prominent place right above the cross guard in noticeable font. Probably not something a good sanding can't fix. In my case I'm incorporating a tassel into that area so it will cover it up no problem. Various minor imperfections like scratches and the like. Being fully black in color covers up for a lot of them and quite honestly any artistic minded folk could find ways to cover them up or improve on them. There isn't a proper photo of the current version that is being shipped out just an angled shot. I attached a picture of the look of the new one and not the one that is the the main photo on the Amazon page. I honestly like this design more as it fits into the more modern aesthetic I needed the sword for but it is a con as its not the one that I thought I was getting. Overall there isn't a lot of negative to say here. Do you like swords? Do you like play fighting or actually learning swordsmanship? Do you wish to waste your enemies with the quick flourish of a blade they did not see coming? This is the sword for you then. I'm eagerly awaiting another blade from the same brand and if the quality stays the same I will gladly be recommending this to anyone who will listen. Also worth noting though I am but a novice to swordsmanship the shorter than average length compared to most other swords plus the weight to me suggests that this one would be quite versatile against a lot of different weapons. The pommel is long enough for me at least to utilize it similar to a hand and a half sword. It can be easily gripped at the back of the blade with the off hand to break guards and move into an opponent and the pommel is large and strong enough that it likely can be used for striking effectively as well.

I was looking for a prop sword for a RenFair costume that was size appropriate for my frame (I'm 5'9"). This ended up being the ideal length but I had a slight concern about it being all black, as I needed it to look like a real sword. I figured I might be able to paint it and make it look more legit, and the price was low enough I decided to take a chance. So glad I did!! This prop is solid polypropylene, so has quite a bit of heft to it. The blade edge is rounded so there is nothing even remotely sharp, though if you really wanted to you could file the edges to create the appearance of sharpness (again the entire thing is one solid piece of injection molded plastic). I left the edges as is, but it will still cause serious damage if you hit someone with it simply due to the weight. To paint it, I used simple rattle can primer over the entire thing (just make sure you use something that will bond to plastic), sanded, and repeated three times to get a nice base. For the blade I used a "steel" spray paint, again doing three separate coats and letting it fully dry between each coat. The pommel and guard I used an airbrush with a brass acrylic paint...also three coats...followed up with a black wash and then some additional highlights. The whole thing was then covered up with three coats of satin varnish. The picture shows what the end result looks like. I will wrap the handle with some dark maroon leather to give it a bit of flair. If you are looking for a nice LARP or RenFair sword, and you have the patience and means to paint, I can't recommend this item enough.

I'm using this to practice the (hunuyan) chen 24 sword (dao) form. The weight is good, and the polypropylene is super durable and appropriately blunt for practicing. The size is as advertised (good length). It moves well, and if you're looking for something for broadsword practice (versus lighter or straight sword practice), this is a good purchase. It is hefty/durable enough that you shouldn't whack anyone with it (it'll hurt!). The only detractor I've noticed is that the guard is circular and sufficiently wide enough that adjusting the type of grip takes some getting used to. Bottom line: it's a great practice sword.

What this sword lacks in function it makes up for in looks. The attention to artistic detail in the design is really impressive. The double fullers have a faux engraved foliated design, as does the guard, the grip and the girdle of the pommel. Compared to this the Cold Steel one handed wasters look like shaved down 2x4's. I've noticed having these around for a few days that the appearance inspires me to pick it up and do solo drills with it, much more so than the 2' iron bar I usually use indoors. They are 34" long. The blade is 24.75", the hilt 9.25" and the grip is 7.25". It weighs 1.21 pounds, around 19 oz. The guard is small but functional. The grip is long, I can wield it two handed which makes it good for doing longsword drills in low ceiling areas. That's just a bonus though. When holding it one handed I find it better to hold it down by the pommel. If you hold it up near the guard the pommel bangs into your wrist area when doing overhanded thrusts. The balance is not great. It is 15" from the pommel end. That leaves 19" to the blade tip, so it is near the middle and thus balanced more like a stick or club than a lively sword. It is light enough though that it is still fairly fast. In fact the just over a pound weight seems to be good for a one handed sparring weapon. Its fast and not overly fatiguing but still challenges the arm muscles. So they're more fun than the CS one hander, which is so heavy it quickly tires the arm and is unwieldy to swing. It also provides enough of a blow to prevent your opponent from just rushing through it unlike a lighter padded stick. The blade is flat like the Rawlings nylon wasters, so it is more flexible for thrusting than the CS wasters. Its a little pointy but we sparred with it as is last night, though I'll probably shave it down some. For full contact sparring HEMA protective gear or SCA armor is needed. One of my fellow HEMA students sparred a round with me last night with these and Cold Steel bucklers. I started off with AF HEMA gauntlets but couldn't get a good grip with them (the fault of the gauntlets not the sword), so took my chances with lacrosse gloves. I never received a hard hit to the hand but I suspect for the most part you could get by with lacrosse gloves, since the one handers don't have the force of the two handers. An unlucky hit could still probably seriously crunch or break a finger though. In addition to hand protection you need a fencing mask, jacket and throat, groin, elbow and knee protection, or SCA equivalent. The CS bucklers leave tiny nicks on the edges of the sword. Steel bucklers probably wouldn't leave any marks. Really fun short swords for practicing close in fencing and doing drills. Playing with these toys from time to time keeps me from taking the whole HEMA thing too seriously, since its just an excuse for vigorous play anyways.

It's just what I wanted its tough and had weight to it

After spending too much on flimsy swords that broke after a sword fight or two, I bought this for my boys. One of my sons has a high quality martial arts sword and this sword is even better made than that one, though a bit heavier. They don't mind the extra heft because this thing is super sturdy and strong, but light enough that a 5 year old can wield it in sword fight battles. We made a cardboard/black duct tape sheath since there isn't one that comes with the set. Definitely an outside toy!!! My older son jabbed it at a cardboard box and put a hole right through it like nothing, so beware of your walls and light fixtures if playing indoors because this thing is a solid beast of a training blade

I've had one of these, an earlier version, for the past 2 years. Great sword and can easily withstand faster sword forms like Sen Cye Sword. I use it now for my practice and was even allowed to use in in one seniors competition and no one could tell the difference until they looked closely. The reason mine looked so real is that I went to the store and got some brass and silver metallic silver spray paint and painted it up nicely. Paint adheres well unless you want to do some sword fighting, then you have to repaint a bit. Sword looks real with the paint job and has nice detailing. It has the weight of a light sword and handles well. Takes a little getting used to at first if all you are using is a wooden sword. Balance is good. The thing I really like about this is you don't have to worry if someone steals it due to its low cost and there is no worry about using it in the rain, rust, or it falling apart (as it consists of only two parts the guard that slides over the sword blade and handle and snugs in place). Only complaint is that if you leave it leaning on the wall the blade gets a bit curved and you have to bend it back the other way a little to straighten it out, not a real problem. Blade is thick enough to withstand mock sword drills with another person having a wooden or polypropylene sword. Great buy if you are starting out. I don't use my wood sword any more since I started using this one for form practice. If I needed another practice sword this in my opinion is the way to go instead of a wooden sword.

WOW! Maybe I’ve been reading too much game of thrones or imbibing too much medieval history but from the unboxing I’ve had zero issues with the accurately described weapon boasting zero flaws or bends, and have gone straight to swinging and practicing with this thing… I am the watcher on the wall.