Cold steel Hand and a Half sword.
by Ryan
(Langley, BC, Canada)
This blade was a beast of a cutter. no resistance on my strikes, cutting light to medium targets, but then I noticed the pommel wobbling.
I stopped to cast a puzzled gaze at my friend and it fell off. Cold steel replaced the sword but I had to pay shipping both ways. The new one does not handle like the old one (the new one has poor balance) and the pommel looks slightly off line with the handle. It also makes a 'clink' noise when you tap the pommel with your hand.
In my experience cold steel blades maintain their edge really well, they are razor sharp and they (depending on the model) have a well done mirror polish. But, I would recommend staying away from their 'problem swords' until or unless they make a design change.
Also of note, their swords are definitely modernised versions of ancient weapons. Eg. mine looks like the 2007 version of a long sword, not a reproduction of a 16th century long sword.