I ordered this sword with the intent of sparring with my younger brother who had already purchased a Cold Steel Gladius trainer and have yet to be disappointed with the quality and strength of the sword. Firstly this sword is much larger than expected which, while not a bad thing, means that it swings much slower and harder than a short sword style trainer, encouraging the user to change tactics when sparring with someone using a short sword or axe. The sword is large enough to be used with one hand on the grip and another on the pommel or can be used, albeit with less control, with single hand, a method that works marginally better in conjunction with a shield. Secondly this sword is built out of what can only be described as a plastic like iron and is solid throughout including the detachable hand stop.. It will leave small cuts if it strikes a relatively sharp edge (Metal shield edge) and when smashing a cinder block the edge tends to get a bit roughed up, however I would hardly call that “Common use”. Lastly the weight of these swords is a bit heavier than any wood or plastic training swords I have sparred with. Unfortunately both swords are not balanced with the point of balance a good 6 in. from the hilt.Be warned the tip is actually sharp enough to do some real damage but is fairly easy to dull.In shortPros:Built like a rockGood weight for a trainerModeled off of classic Arming Sword and works well for strength trainingCons:UnbalancedPoint is sharp enough to actually hurt someoneIf you are looking for a solidly built sword for sparring or for strength training you would be hard pressed to find a better sword!SargeSon