BladesUSA 1606PP Martial Arts Training Broad Sword, Polypropylene, Black, 34-1/2-Inch Length

These are sturdy polypropylene broadsword practice replicas. I cannot speak to any other sword form, but for traditional Chinese broadsword/"saber" practice, these rate at only 4 out of 5 stars. The thing keeping this from being a 5 star product is that the guard (cross-guard, or 'cross') is tiny. Like, so tiny that it may help _deflect_ an incoming strike, but it wouldn't BLOCK very much. The style that I study relies on the use of the guard defensively. If your style is the same, be aware of this before considering it for sparing practice. Heavier than wood for forms training.-Super sturdy-Heavier than similar wooden swords (good for practice)-Slightly flexible - in the right way-(I ordered two of these, and both were) relatively, and acceptably straight/true-Did I mention how sturdy they are?-If the guards were bigger on these, I would order more4 out of 5 stars

This training sword is made of really durable polypropylene, which is a heavy-duty plastic, and has a good weight to it that allows it to approximate the feeling of holding a real blade. The detail is absolutely beautiful; the blade has an interesting pattern and shape but the hilt is incredible. There are cool decorations on the pommel, guard, and beginning of the blade as well as an amazing twisted, rope-like grip with a faux-leather texture. Overall, it is a well-built and really cool sword!

The sword feels like what you'd expect a thick solid piece of plastic to feel like.It feels pretty solid with a slight amount of give.I bought this sword for my 8 year old son who is pretty hard on weapons and I was reading other posts saying how this sword was almost indestructible. My son loves this and some of the other polypropylene swords from BladesUSA that he got for Christmas.After a couple days of some serious lumberjack work on the tree out back he snapped the blade off towards the end. The next couple of days he has broken two more 2-3 inch sections off of the end of the blade. It's almost a dagger now, but that hasn't stopped him from trying to destroy mother nature and everything solid in the backyard.I really couldn't mark the swords down for the off-label use. Though, it would be nice for BladesUSA to contact me about replacing this one and maybe some bulk discount ordering in the near future :)

This sword is currently as pictured. The blade is a little bit short for me, and the guard is smaller than it's supposed to be for my style of kung fu, but those are not major issues for solo practice.The main thing that will take some time to get used to is the shape of the handle. In my style, a dao is supposed to have a gentle narrowing of the handle right near the guard, so you can squeeze the handle with the thumb and index finger to keep it from flying away during a fast swing. The braided-rope shape of the plastic handle serves a similar purpose, but the angle of the narrowed region makes it awkward, especially if practicing left-handed.Overall, I like it, and I think it will be much more durable than the wooden swords I've used in the past, while still being less dangerous than a metal sword.

Ordered two of them and they're quite hefty. The only swords I've ever handled were katanas you'd find at either a China town store, or one of those that sells bladed weapons ranging from swords to knives to spears, etc... They generally look like a martial arts weapons store.They hold up very well, being hard plastic. As you can see from the pictures, I decided to paint mine up using white primer, enamels of silver, red, and gold, overlaid with some pearl/ghost glitter spray, and all sealed with a polyurethane spray. You can also see they're not sharp at all.You can see some parts of the edges where they're stained from hitting tree branches. Some is also directly from hitting it with another of these swords with strong power behind it.There is a triangular opening at the top tip of the blade. I suspect if you really wanted to, you could tie a streamer/ribbon on that to accentuate the swing, especially if you're intending to use this for more artistic presentations.Will they flex? Yes, but barely unless you really want to test its ability to withstand your weight while its being held down on an edge. For its intended purposes, it won't bend.If there's one thing about these swords, they force you to apply body mechanics for power. Most lighter blades let you get away with using your arms. This one will punish you for not using good form (i.e. only your arms).

Wrong product came. False Advertising. I had ordered one of these blades before and everything had turned out alright but this time I got a different blade with a different handle. The curved handle is what is advertised and the straight handle it what I got. Ordered a replacement and the wrong item(straight twisted handle as opposed to curved handle shown) came again. The seller needs to update the image of the item if the item with the straight handle is being shown. Also the item with the straight handle has flaws; The handle is twisted and hard to grip right in the hand. The heavy weight of the blade in combination with the straight handle is very hard on the wrist which means the blade can only be sparred with comfortably with both hands. I'm going to send both items back and ask for a replacement one more time and if I get the same straight handled item again I'm going to request my money back.