Overall it feels really solid, need to find a gentle oil remover as they obviously put on more than is necessary to prevent any damage/rusting, but otherwise I'm very impressed especially with the cost and quality. Has a good sharpness to it, sure I can take a few hours making it even better but it's not bad by any means as I managed to cut myself a bit unpacking the blade and didn't realize it till later. Not deep enough to draw blood but pretty close and that was through the wrapping plastic. I'd highly recommend this blade whether it be a mantle piece or something you'd actively use.

I've been wanting a sword for a long time. Most of the boutique American made stuff is $500+ going up past $1000 for the extra-extra craftsmanship/materials. I didn't really want to drop that kind of money on an item that's ideally meant to get banged up. I wasn't looking for an art piece. I saw that the Cold Steels were made in China, and that put me off at first so I held off for a year or so. I noticed after some searching that when it comes to budget "battle-ready" swords, there's a lot of vagueness about origin and construction. It seemed Cold Steel and Windlass were the only two to at least have a large enough presence for my taste. What sealed the deal for me on this MMA hand and a half was that it just looked right, with a no-BS design, and I was able to snag it for $202+tax with free shipping from one of the Amazon sellers.Mine came packed in a black box with broken seals, which whatever, maybe the store did its own QC check to avoid return hassles. It was slathered with I'm guessing cosmoline thick grease, like guns and such come with. The sword itself looks great, no damage or scuffs to report. Pommel and guard are tight. SHARP, sharper than my KA-BAR knife, and Gerber machete out of the box. Probably about as sharp as my uber-nice Miyabi kitchen knife set. It's either 1055 or 1060 steel (one of the clarity issues from Cold Steel) which between either, isn't super high carbon and supposedly more flexible/resilient to impact and that's A-OK for me.I've had mine for a few days now and I can't say I have any regrets about it.The shape of it, like I said, no bull, straight-forward. Not a whimsical or gaudy show sword. It's like a duty sword. I love it. Especially with the black coating. I'm not tenured in swords so I can't speak to the handling verse other swords as I'm beginning to learn. I've seen/read people say it's heavier than others, but it honestly just feels rugged and manageable to me. My philosophy is that if I'm practicing with a heavier sword, I should be just that much quicker when I use a lighter sword.The scabbard matches up nice, looks good, draws/sheaths well. Doesn't come with a frog, but there are a bunch of those for sale around the web.I'd say my only initial concern is how the leather hilt wrap stitching will hold up. I could see that wearing away from the friction of use down the road. I guess replacing it will just make it more personalized at that point. Otherwise I may apply some type of grip tape.I'd buy again at that price.

Not sharp enough for my taste. ButIt's nothing i can't fix with my waterstone. The tang and blade looks solid so it's pretty good overall.

Blade was beyond blunt on arrival. not a big deal the blade can be sharpened with time and effort, did my research before hand and expected it would be dull. Only issue i have is that the blade is uneven. Im not a sword expert so i dont know the term. but to simplify it, think of the 2 edges of the blade going up to the tip at same angle, except with mine 1 is going up at a proper angle and the other side of the blade is closer to being 90 degrees perpendicular to the guard. otherwise the blade is great. And personally i think the black blade looks cooler anyways.

looks great