I recently purchased this sword , and am very pleased with the sword. I have seen quite a few different great weapons and have made a few as well, but none come close to the quality of this sword. The sword is well balanced as well as very little to no whip in the blade. The handle is very firm which helps with the control of the sword. The design and work that went into the sword is well thought out. I had many people at the Bristol Renn Faire ask me if it was a live blade i was carrying. I ended up making a tooled leather baldric for it so I can hang it on my back comfortably. All in all, this is a fantastic sword that I highly recommend for anyone looking for a great weapon. (Posted on 8/10/10)