Cold Steel polypropylene Training Swords - Review

An overall look at the Cold Steel European and Japanese polypropylene training swords.

[@arcadius853]

My friend and I own the cold steel bastard sword, but we don't usually fight to be hyper-realistic, just for fun in his backyard.

[@dfcvda]

yep thats why I have them.

[@TheSteam02]

noooo! you can't just use swords for fun! Swordfighting is an art that shall never be tainted! /s

[@not_cruz3306]

The steam kid hahahah sword goes to woosh

[@RYN7025]

@@TheSteam02 bro a sword is a sword let people do what they want with it

[@aviator2117]

It was a joke, cmon. They even said /s

[@ME-hm7zm]

Back when I associated with a group that had CS PPL trainers (they were sword-tag fighters), we tended to refer to the hand-and-a-half as a "sword shaped truck".

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+Michael Eversberg II That's a fair comparison.

[@steelewalker1527]

Yeah I fucking love it, makes me feel like a goddamn man 😂

[@LifebyBrianAquatics]

One of the people I am studying HEMA with recently visited a club in Sweden where they use Cold Steel katana as sabres. He said they chop the hilt down to one-handed length, and use some kind of thick rubber to make a simple basket? guard (like one would see on a modern sports sabre/foil). My friend said that they were okay for sparring while wearing an Axel Petersson jacket, helmet padding, leg and elbow protection. We have some Chinese made synthetics that we plan on reviewing once we have time to do so. Thanks for another great video, Nick! :)

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+MMSA Dalian Yep I have seen those. They are okay, but they still hit pretty hard for what they are and are too stiff for thrust work. A few years ago there was a serious lack of sabre training swords so I can see why you would use them, but not with things like black fencer there is no need.

[@blacknode]

When we do really light sparring and binding work we use bokken, for anything sparring we simply use Shinais.

[@CompetentDolphin]

Your videos are very well done. I really like them!

[@OhMyTwitch]

If you are interested, I recommend you take a look at iaito. They are the blunt steel equivalent to the katana, handling, weighing, and balancing, for the most part, the same. Paul Chen/Hanwei has been the most recommended brand, thinking along the lines of something that doesn't cost too much but will give what is expected of it.

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+OhMyTwitch Iaito training swords are almost never tough enough for the rigours of sparring. Most are aluminium, or such as in the case of Hanwei - stainless steel. This will be fine for draw practice and light drills, but not heavy contact sparring.

[@charlesroberts9675]

Nice review, Thank You.

[@tmm-animusician978]

Do you think the quality of the bokken differs from brand to brand? For instance, Playwell martial art’s version of the polypropylene bokken.

[@Absimilliard78]

I got the one-handed sword from Cold Steel. The center of gravity is over 20cm away from the crossguard. Very strenuous for the tendons if you want to train sword&buckler. As soon as possible igot a good training sword from red dragon instead.

[@77jarim]

One thing that was not mentioned in the video is that the cs polypropylene bokkens vibrate a lot on impact. The difference between them and regular wooden ones is easily noticeable. Just pick one up with one hand and give a firm tap with the other. You will feel the vibrations going up your arm. That does not happen with a wooden one. Wouldn't be surprised if the same thing was true with their european style wasters.

[@slenpaiwashere3599]

Thanks for making this I was considering buy o e from there European range but I reconsidered

[@dfcvda]

I have the waister and another on the way, i like them tbh

[@liammcnearney3548]

Would you recommend playwell Martial Arts Black Polypropylene Bokken With Scabbard

[@higgins1812]

Have you also used their tomahawks? Are they any good for axe practice? And being modified for a pollax head maybe?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+higgins Yep we have. I will do separate videos for non-sword related CS training weapons. The tomahawk is actually quite useful and can be seen in this video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJbWaGmegshjlaM Its cheap price make it a handy training tool and it is robust. Inevitably with any axe like weapon it can hit hard, but providing you know that it can be used perfectly well. It is light, so for this type of weapon it's about as safe as it can be. Poleaxe is done by a few suppliers in rubber and that works well. I want halberds next, and I know of one supplier who has that in mind. News when I have it.

[@milliman4]

I find the synthetic tomahawk quite useful. Other than the bit awkward weight destribution and the powerful impacts on hits its an alright thing for its price

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

Yeh they are a nice bit of kit, especially being so cheap. They represent some boarding axes very well in shape, they are just a lot lighter. They do hit hard through yes, so couldn't be any heavier. I did a video of using with a dagger last year, I must do some more with it.

[@LUCIFER-M0RN1NGSTAR]

I’m tryna decide wether to go for one of these (£44-£70) or a carbon steel Yamato replica from devil may cry (£78) I want the Yamato but I’d have to get a cleaning/maintenance kit which brings it up to (£107)so kinda a hard choice since it was the Yamato that got me interested in katanas

[@ArthurHerbst]

Some years bevore i bought the hand and a half sword (i was about getting into HEMA and had no experience at all...). He is right, it handels realy awful. I finally took a drawknife, made the blade tapering and screwed some metal wights to the pommel. Now it handels a lot better, though it hitts relatively hard and being stabed with it is still rather unpleasant. Just in case someone bought this sword accidently, this is a way to handel it (better).

[@woodyrascel]

can you give a list of recommendations for the European stuff?

[@Clark_808]

None none at all

[@NfamousShirley1]

I have a question, are these hollow on the inside of fully filled with plastic? I'm actually using this sword for a project and wanted to shave the blade a little thinner.

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

Hollow, or atleast the European range definitely at as I have seen a few cut open for experiments. Not ever cut open one from their Japanese range, but I would expect it to be the same.

[@allenzero1]

Man of Much Culture yep got a lot of them an they are solid

[@Raishikaku]

Just curious how does the cold steel bokken match up against other companies European synthetics, just wondering if it would damage other synthetics?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

It doesn't damage other synthetics, they are just stiff on the thrust and a bit basic, but also very cheap.

[@chaos_omega]

I own a CS polypropylene hand-an-a-half sword. I'm wondering if they could be modified for the better by cutting the sides off of the blade and shaping it like a federschwert?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+Chaos Omega No because they are hollow. Best thing you could do would be to sell it on and use the money towards a better one, ideally Black Fencer or Purpleheart. A couple of people in our club tried to modify and improve the CS hand and a half sword a few years ago and quickly found there is nothing that really helps.

[@chaos_omega]

Academy of Historical Fencing Thanks, I appreciate the reply!

[@ArthurHerbst]

+Academy of Historical Fencing I dont think they are hollow, at least my one was not.

[@thehollowlingwin]

I'm curious: Does anyone you know have one of the newer Purpleheart Synthetic Katanas? If so how are they in comparison to CS?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+thehollowlingwin Sorry they don't. Purpleheart products are really rare in the UK because they work out very expensive compared to European made products, due to both price, shipping and customs/import charges. From what I know of those that do have them though is they seem to like them, and they do flex a little better in the thrust. It is a shame they are so ugly though.

[@ignisglasses3080]

i have the coldsteel bokken but mine doesnt have a smooth handle and hurts to hold. Is there any way to remove the fake painful texture?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

That must be the newer 2016 model. I doubt there is any way to make it particularly comfortable no. I think that was a bad design decision.

[@rl2862]

Ignis Glasses Buy sports tape dip shit 🤝 best of luck brother

[@0rang.utan.bananaman199]

Wrap it over or sand it down, but not too much. Or you could just deal with it and get calloused hands.

[@maxkaspersson2584]

I remember you mentioning John Barnett swords being bad but couldn't find any video where you talked about it or gave any particular reason why, I think it was in the sword breaker video. Could you explain your distaste for them?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+Max Kaspersson I don't own any besides that sword breaker, but I have handled a number of different swords from him, and seen them used. They are dire for a number of reasons. They are almost always extremely heavy. One of our fencers bought an arming sword that weighed 2.1kg! They are very soft metal that burrs really nastily. They do not return true after flexing (the models that are thin enough to flex). They are badly designed so they handle very poorly, the hilts rattle loose with the smallest of use. Overall they are just junk. The only thing you can say in their favour is that they are very cheap, meaning they can make okay wallhangers, or to salvage parts from. Some of the hilts for example can be useful if you source better blades.

[@EnhancedNightmare]

I have their longsword, had it for years back then when it was impossible to get anything better. It is sturdy like a tank, which is nice considering wooden ones would last a week. The biggest pain is the weight distribution. I even tried to fix it somehow but failed. I think about drilling holes in the blade to reduce weight.

[@ArthurHerbst]

+EnhancedNightmare You could take a drawknife and make the blade thiner and add some wight to the pommel by drilling a hole in it and screw a threaded bar into it (on witch you can further screw wahsers or so...)

[@EnhancedNightmare]

Arthur Herbst I wanted to add lead balls inside the pommel but I was worried would it would handle hits. I'm not so happy about making the blade thinner, I still think that drilling holes would remove more material without compromising strength as much. I will try this soon and maybe report how it worked.

[@phobos1826]

@@EnhancedNightmare How did it work?

[@crazyscotsman9327]

I started with steel swords and again any sword (non sharp) is safe as long as the people training with it go into the match with a serious mind set. My preferred place to get a sword from however is Castille Armory sword, and they are really well priced. I love their stuff. :D However while a good amount of gear is really advised I still think it is the control and the mindset of those training that is more important then the weapon they are training with.

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+Josh Campbell Yep we started entirely with steel too. But over time we realised that using steel is not always the most realistic training method. It is vital sure, but other training tools can provide realism to a fight in other ways. Control and mindset are of course always important. We don't use Castille simply because of the shipping and import duties which make them cost as much as Danelli Armouries that we have here. I have heard lots of good things about them though, and if you do live the US they do look like a real bargain.

[@crazyscotsman9327]

Academy of Historical Fencing I do live in the US, and I prefer them to the other swords I have handled with the exception of the Albion swords which are outstanding.

[@ilove8788]

I wanna buy this...what is the name of it?

[@davidwerts74]

this bokken is nice. I have a collection of Bokkens from different martial arts school I attended when I was a kid💪🏿💪🏿

[@ar4m803]

Where is this sword from

[@nickbutler9831]

The European one I have isn't to heavy. The only grievance I have is that its slightly to top heavy and the pommel slightly digs into my hand

[@9daywonda]

What sort of fencing styles do you teach on?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

At the AHF we teach a broad selection of European styles, primarily sabre, longsword, rapier and various paired weapons. We also dabble in a lot of different weapons and run teaching blocks on various other weapons.

[@EmilyChuu]

I trained with the bastard sword for a good while. I am a fairly muscular/bulky guy and never had much issue with it I may do the “rod in handle” modification to bring the weight backwards though

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

It's nothing to do with the ability to use it. It's not that heavy, any sword practitioner should be able to manage it. The issue is lack of realism in representing a sword, and heavy hitting power for its weight because of that poor mass distribution. It just doesn't handle like most swords ever did.

[@bleachmaniac18]

I actually had a thought about the Cold Steel Bokken recently. If you cut off a good portion of the handle, attach a metal handguard, and attach a pommel, you could have a fairly cheap training saber. Obviously it wouldn't be highly recommended for sparring, but it would be good for doing saber solo forms. That's one of my biggest complaints with the European synthetic swords is that there really isn't a cheap, as in under $100, training saber. What are your thoughts?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

I'd rather make a single stick really. Just need a length of rattan and a self made basket, from anything from leather to wicker or plastic. Also consider the fact that pricing is very different here. Cold Steel is a lot more expensive, but high quality synthetic training swords from Black Fencer are much cheaper. To put it in dollar terms, we pay $48 for a CS bokken, and $74 for a Black Fencer sabre, so it's a no brainer, go straight for a BF.

[@bleachmaniac18]

That definitely makes more sense. I forgot to consider how much the BF blades were over there. Sorry. Over here, I can get a CS bokken for like $20, so that's why I thought it would work better than a singlestick. On that note, would a Rawlings basket hilt sword be good for learning saber techniques for a beginner blade option?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

Yeh the rawlings basket hilt is absolutely fine as a basic sabre trainer. In fact it handles more like a sabre than a basket hilt, because the hilt is so light. We used them for many years.

[@anotakudetective1546]

My only question is this... Can I use it in LARP without seriously damaging someone.

[@xiii9154]

They're probably safer than the traditional oak bokken, just be careful as it's still harder than say, a foam sword. Also based Shiro poster.

[@anotakudetective1546]

@@xiii9154 Thank you.

[@lanewild1807]

@@xiii9154 so is it hard enough to where its not flimsy or not sturdy when i swing it cause i plan on training with it then working up to a real sword

[@xiii9154]

@@lanewild1807 I don't own one personally but I would imagine it's safer than a bokken if you're wacking people with it, but still probably hard enough to hurt someone. So it depends on what your doing with it, drills where you aren't hitting people/sparring, sure. Actual sparring? if you aren't using protective gear probably unsafe if you are hitting full force.

[@SteveOLive88]

I have the hand and a half longsword by cold steel and I love it

[@renatebloemhof1503]

I gonna buy that one, next week. It would be my first (Training) sword.. 😊

[@SteveOLive88]

@@renatebloemhof1503 you will enjoy it

[@cleansealrestore]

Is this the one on amazon like one of them

[@supremesx9334]

I thinm

[@qwertydoddles2222]

Hopefully

[@takeriskandprosper6766]

What does it feel like

[@freman007]

I like their folding knives, and some of their walking sticks, and their machetes are pretty decent, but yes, some of their polypro equipment is built like a very tough club rather than to replicate the handling of a steel blade. Even some of their steel swords feel clumsy in the hand.

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+Jason Clark Indeed. Some of their stuff is decent, the training knives are good for example, and their bucklers. But they have so many different ranges that I will have to cover them in separate videos.

[@isaiahmcghee7540]

I have purchased a hand-a-half and yeah, it is very bulky and the pummel is very uncomfortable. It's also extremely blade heavy, but is easy to use when half-swording. I'll try to steer clear of using Cold Steel's European weaponry.

[@Clockdrive]

Well damn, got the hand and a half a month ago. Not too hurt since it was only 20$ and it was only meant to be a toy anyways but right off the bat yeah it feels more like.. well, a bat, and is about as balanced as one though a baseball bat might have a more comfortable pommel. Knew I should have gotten the buckler instead.

[@shortywooley6354]

How are they compared to the wooden ones?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

similar, they are not quite as dense and so don't hit quite as hard, but are much more durabale and don't splinter. We have long stopped using them as we have better synthetic and steel options, but they are a great budget starter.

[@shepherd2148]

Hmm, this video is really old but the bokken are actually really good, especially for 30 bucks or less. Bought mine brand new for 28. I shortened it a few inches and made a cool chisel tip. Cant speak for euro ones though.

[@maelamrani]

hello where can i buy like this one with saya

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

I don't think they ever made one sorry. Though I think I have seen other similar brands that do.

[@Dominator046]

I had gotten the Polypropoline longsword when I was younger for the purposes of practicing when I was a young teenager. It's a club. It's a literal club. It's hilarious. It honestly handles better if you hold it upside-down, as if you're fencing with murder-strikes. It's absolutely ridiculous. Also, you get a lot of energy transfer to the hand, and the pommel (angular scent stopper?) is very pointy and uncomfortable to hold / have against skin. Also, I've thrusted cinderblock wall. No flex.

[@carlosdms4850]

What about the purple hearth armory synthetic katana?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

Not tried it. We don't buy much in the way of US products simply because we get screwed on shipping, import duties and taxes, which can put as much as 50-60% on the price of the item. Aside from that, they look a little ugly. Black Fencer have just released one that should be better and cheaper.

[@carlosdms4850]

+Academy of Historical Fencing I forgot that you live in Europe lol. Last time I ordered from Purple Hearth Armory I had to pay 150 dollars for a 80 dollars bokken. And I live literary next to the them (Canada).

[@KXRTT---]

Anybody know a good place i can go sparring with a cold steel bokken?

[@senseless_lemur3829]

How do u file the swords down

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

a grinding wheel, and sand paper to finish. A file and sand paper would also work.

[@Josh-rs6bj]

Purpleheart actually offers synthetic Katanas in the style of their longsword wasters

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+Joshua G. Yeh I have considered that one a few times. However now I have seen photos and specs I am not so convinced. It is too straight. Also the blade length is too long on the V2, and grip length too long on V3. The guard is also a little too small for the blades it is to be used against. Overall it just doesn't look right.I am talking to Black Fencer to try and get them to make one though.

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+Decay I appreciate those facts. But it still doesn't fit into the sort of typical range I would want it to if buying it myself. Actually even a few degrees of curvature can make a difference. This can be seen when going from straight spadroons and broadswords to the very light curve of 19th century sabres and the extreme curve of the late 18th and very early 19th. Yes that 31" is in a historical range, but it is still rather long for the period of weapons we compare it to such as rapiers and sabres. When I say I don't like the way it looks, I mean more than the just is it visually appealing. It just doesn't look right in proportion. The Cold Steel looks far better, and I am not yet convinced that the Purpleheart ones are good enough to warrant a purchase over the CS one.

[@nelbraudo-441]

If I close my Eyes I can Really imagine Krem from Dragon Age Inquisition Doing this Review and that's Super cool!

[@kittokittokoshiki8978]

i wanna get it saw video man its not bad pice and says on google cold steel are one of the best materials for swords

[@martinforde8605]

Nice page🤘🤙🤺

[@Darcy83]

If trained well good for home defence all stuff made from polypropylene If your fire arm fails you easily to use in the dark unlike a knife or sword or knife cold steel makes a lot of stuff like that

[@jimgoldstein786]

I see that cold steel has now made a suburito. Cheaper than a wood one but I am undecided at this point.

[@jimgoldstein786]

@Shield n Axe gaming Thanks for replying and providing your perspective. I think I will give it a shot. Price is reasonable and I am a pure beginner. Thanks again and be safe.

[@jakewolf079]

not gonna lie, I want one

[@floridferret4585]

+Beast 比斯特 but why buy one when you can get two for twice the price?

[@dfcvda]

I got one and another on the way, I like them but then I`m just a back garden basher, my daughter is the Fencing fan.

[@VCBird6]

Have you ever tried the wooden trainers from Hollow Earth Swordworks? www.etsy.com/shop/HollowEarthSwords Really knowledgeable about the wood they use, pretty darn durable, and ultra friendly folks to boot; been big supporters of their work for years. They even do customs (made a really wild one-off cross-guard glaive for me last year and it's REALLY fun to use while sparring). Check em out!

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+V - Pony I haven't no. They do look nice, but since the introduction of very high quality synthetics such as Black Fencer, I don't see that wood has a place anymore. Unless you are doing some type or re-enactment of fencing practice.

[@dragonlancer1909]

the poly knives and short swords are also okay.

[@willnonya9438]

I have a student who has done SCA rapier for 30ish years. Recently some one gave her the CS hand and a half synthetic sword. She thinks it's great, and better balanced then our BF synthetics..... I don't know what to actually say to that... It feels like a base ball bat. I keep telling her that she needs to grind down that tip before the next practice.

[@floridferret4585]

+Will nonya Having ground one of those tips off with a file, I recommend just cutting it off with a saw. Way faster.

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+Will nonya The concept of 'better balance' is a really difficult subject, as it is largely contextual and also subjective. The CS hand and a half balances at 9", which is way out of the typical range found in originals. The BF models balance at around 3-4", which is quite typical of that type of sword. The CS as a result is very tip heavy and feels like a club. If people like swords to handle like a club, then yes it will feel great. It certainly doesn't feel like a sword. As for the tip, yes definitely, I put them on a grinding wheel.

[@justsomeguy3931]

Good review! I like that they are pointy and hit hard. One of the points of these IMO is to be a real weapon as much as possible, that can be used as sparring tool. I'd rather have that, than a sparring tool that can be used as a weapon. One can obtain, bring, and carry these in places one could never carry a real sword. They're also much cheaper, and a lot more effective than a bat My understanding is that Musashi was like 13 when he beat a real samurai to death with a bokken. I think he would rather have had a Cold Steel one lolz That's the reason for all those edges! I like your points about how to make these safer for sparring tho, safety first after all. I might have to get 2; one safe, and one not safe - maybe even danger it up a bit (evil laugh) I do hope someone invents something better for katana sparring tho, I'd love to be the weirdo trying to use one of them at a HEMA club - for Science!

[@jwells1972]

mines for self defence, feel better with it by my bed, the heaviness is good to cleave intruders heads in lol

[@ImNotDreamYtOfficial]

Bruh

[@blacknode]

Looking at the comments, you pissed off so many nerds hahaha. Love your work man!

[@generalerica4123]

That's half-swording in the upper left corner isn't it?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+Eric taggeselle Yep!

[@GeorgeDocherty5]

I like your review but I disagree about the euro cold steel weapons. I think if the cold steel European weapons met the dimensions you wanted the would snap in a heartbeat. Steel and wood are great but you really cant be as rough as I am with those materials and they require upkeep. For an amateur and non HEMA member like me they are great. I own them all and they function very well for me.

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

Black fencer swords match the dimensions we want and they are the most robust training swords we have ever owned, and they flex, and handle and feel like swords, which the Cold Steel Euro models don't. The only good thing about CS Euro models is how cheap they are, particularly in the USA. However, the BF products are still very affordable, and I'd say it is a false economy long term to buy CS when you can get BF.

[@nuckingfuts3204]

Or you're paid to advertise, and you're fat. Nobody should take advice in sword fighting from a fat guy with no discipline.

[@beardedwolf628]

Dude what the fuck no-one told me there's synthetics available in Europe for the same price as Cold Steel. Now I wasted money on the Cold Steel hand and a half.

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

Should have got on this channel sooner! We've been using Black Fencer products for over three years now. They are excellent.

[@beardedwolf628]

Academy of Historical Fencing Yeah I put an order in, shame they're on a ten week backlog. Guess my Cold Steel one wasn't a complete waste because at least those are directly available.

[@saam752]

lmao i just want to buy some swords to have fun with my niece

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

Then there are much better options. The Go-now padded range or Black Fencer synthetics. The Go-now are especially good for what you describe. They handle more like real swords than these Cold Steel ones, and won't do serious damage.

[@saam752]

@@AcademyofHistoricalFencing alright thanks

[@TimL1980]

After listening to your review you strike me as the type of bloke that might want to practice fencing with the rolled up sunday Times.... maybe getting rid of the marketing material it comes with - as they incur a higher risk of some nasty paper cuts!

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

Then you obviously haven't watched our hundreds of sparring videos.

[@TimL1980]

Academy of Historical Fencing Yes sorry .... I remedied that flaw now and realized that you are fierce warriors that would make any shieldwall shake... just security minded in training which is a good thing of course and doesn't come with any downside whatsoever!

[@lewisbenzie845]

Weeabo detected. The Cold Steel European have a slight advantage to the average person ..... They are a third of the price of your recommendations.

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

+Lewis Benzie Not in Europe they aren't. For example- CS longsword is £40.80, plus shipping. Red Dragon are 47 plus shipping, dropping to 35 for anyone affiliated with a fencing group. Black Fencer works out at £51 plus shipping. So the difference is very little. I am sure they are cheaper in the US. But even if they are, it is such a false economy to buy them.

[@Lono5885]

+Lewis Benzie Not sure how you qualify a guy who runs an English fencing club as a weeaboo ... At any rate, I bought a CS arming sword waster in my pre-HEMA days. If you just want to bash stuff in your backyard with a club that looks a bit like a sword, CS wasters are fine. If you want to do HEMA, you need to invest in one of the proper synthetics. Most HEMA practitioners will not train with CS wasters because they don't want to break their hands. Consider that, if you were to train with CS wasters, you would need to invest in even more protective gear, which could easily outweigh the cost savings. Good synthetics will also feel much more nimble, will better emulate real swords, hurt less with full contact (meaning you can go harder), and are a lot more fun to handle. So, it's not really an either/or if you're looking to do HEMA. If you buy the CS gear, you will eventually need to replace it with Purpleheart or Blackfencer (Rawlings being the cheaper option, but still much better than CS). Ultimately, it ends up costing you more, unless you're buying the CS wasters just for fun and don't plan on taking it further than that. Just be wary that the CS wasters are weighted like clubs (I once held the arming sword in one hand a Louisville Slugger in the other, and they felt comparable in weight and mass), so whatever you hit with it, you're hitting that thing/person with a club. Also, if the price points for some of these nicer synthetic blades turn you off, full-on HEMA may be more of a financial commitment than you're looking for anyway. Those blades run around $75-$120, are baseline equipment, and are some of the cheapest HEMA items available. At least until some large-batch manufacturers can match the CS assembly line.

[@lewisbenzie845]

Some assumptions there I have more than a few steel blades, plastic ones I dont wanna waste money on.

[@fisadev]

weeabo? He runs a HEMA club, he even has some videos debunking common katana myths.

[@Lono5885]

+Lewis Benzie If you're a collector or specifically into solo drills and cutting, etc., I can't argue with that. But for HEMA, unless you have a lot of money, trying out a new weapon system has a lower cost of entry if you start with a synthetic (even more so if you don't have adequate protective gear for steel yet). If this thread is morphing into a discussion about steel vs. synthetic, I'm with you on steel all the way. But if it's about cost of entry for anyone who wants to work on technique and handling, or some sparring, the CS wasters just aren't an option. They don't meet the criteria for balance and feel, so they won't get you used to "realistic" handling, and they're too dangerous for low-level free play. I'd rather take a hit from a steel feder than a plastic CS arming sword waster. If I come off as a CS waster hater, it's only because I'm trying to save people from getting their hands all smashed up. People who like messing with swords should keep their hands functional so they can get better at HEMA.

[@bigbangattack97]

like and sub just cause you name dropped warhammer

[@slmcesar2700]

haha, i bought the Cold Steel O Bokken just to play with my friends that have Nerf swords, i actually cut the nerf sword in halve and made my friend bleed a bit

[@greekgodsbody6779]

Great I can use dis to bun the man dem