CAS Hanwei Practical Single Hand Sword - Initial Review

So I broke down and bought myself a dedicated cut and thrust sword. Like most of my purchases, my choice was guided by my budget and bought myself one of Hanwei's practical single hand sword. It arrived today, and while I haven't had a chance to practice with it yet, I do have some initial thoughts on the sword.

The stats:

• Weight: 2.4 lbs
• Overall Length: 36.5 inches
• Blade Length: 30 inches
• Balance Point: 4.5 inches in front of the guard (30% of total length)
• Vendor: Amazon
• Price: $148.50 + shipping

First Impressions:

This sword is tip heavy. Ideally, a sword of this size should balance between 2 and 3 inches in front of the guard, not the 4.5 inches of this one. And with the guard peened onto the tang, it is not a simple process to change it out. On the up-side, the blade flows very nice. It takes next to nothing to get a cut started and you just follow it through. On the down side, it stops like a freight train.

The blade is very stiff, requiring the entire length of the blade to make the flex requirement for cut & thrust, so be very careful when thrusting.

While the sword weighs less than a lot of rapiers, its balance point makes the blade feel heavy in your hand. The edges of the pommel weight are knocked down, but not rounded, and have a tendency to dig into your hand when swinging.

Given its price, this sword may be appealing to new fighters, but its balance and stiffness make it more suited to advanced fighters. And its simple crossguard makes the use of full gauntlets mandatory.

Technically, it is legal for heavy rapier (just barely), but I wouldn't. This is strictly a cut and thrust sword that will show you all the weaknesses in your form.

All in all, if you have gauntlets and if you are willing to put in the time training to ensure your safety, this makes a completely serviceable cut and thrust sword for those on a budget. If, however, your budget can handle it, you would probably be better served with something like Fabri Armorum's Flexible Gothic Single-Handed Sword (if you have gauntlets) or Hanwei's Practical Mortuary Hilt Sword (if you don't).