Honshu Training Broadsword

This is a very hard plastic. It’s not a toy so I wouldn’t recommend just getting it to beat up some trees or your friends, at least not without proper protection. It is balance around 10” which is great for a practice weapon. The balance being further from the hilt than a sharp makes it less taxing on the wrists and forearms so a beginner can practice forms and grips without over straining themselves until they get it down. Just like when you workout you don’t squat the 300lbs first you start small until your form is great and you are conditioned to move up. It is solidly made and could withstand some controlled sparring, but it will need a safety cap on the tip since it is not rounded at all. It is sharp enough to pierce a watermelon will very little effort considering this is a “plastic” (polyurethane) sword. The weight is good to get used to the feel of a weapon as the extension of the hand. Big complaint I see about these and the Cold Steel is that the balance is historically wrong, please note there is not right balance. Expect if it’s all in the hilt. Military swords had the balance half way down the blade. It comes down to use and style. Further down the blade makes cutting motions easier, stronger against defection and easier on the forearm. As a first practice weapon this is a great option. Especially since wooden long swords can be hard to find and just as pricey. This is last a long time but it is NOT made to swing wildly at a material harder than it. Last comments, I sanded the edges down so the plastic seam won’t cut and I ran the sand paper around the handle to soften up the seams there too. Handle isn’t hard on the hands like I’ve seen. Either the sanding helped or grip needs to be correct. If this sword tears up your hands check your grip or sand it down to simulate hours of wear in seconds. Also if you have soft hands you’ll need to earn those calluses with conditioning. For any bending try warming up the peak of the bend and slowly working it to straighten it, blow dryer or electric heating pad could do the trick. For hard sparring it could be wrapping in padding and the core is strong enough to take the hits and the padding prevents denting the sword or your sparring partner.

Great first product, I’m trying to get into HEMA and I’m just fascinated with the art of swordsmanship and wanted to at least own something and I love it. Great weight and balance for a training sword, it feels really good in the hands, definitely would recommend it for anyone getting into it 👍

Great quality. Solid construction. Good details on the pommel, cross guard, and hilt. First one came bent. The return and exchange process was so fast. They were polite and courteous through the entire process. The second one I got is a little bent still but I’m pretty sure this is because I’m in Minnesota and it’s negative temps right now and it has been moving through that for a week. All around very happy.

A perfectly functional practice weapon, but not the safest sparring sword. I wouldn't recommend swinging this at a friend unless they're wearing protective gear. I was able to put 10 inch gashes in cardboard by slashing with the tip. It's also heavy and sturdy, and could be used as an impromptu club. The balance point is about 8 1/2 inches from the hilt, a little far up the blade but not uncommon in historical weapons. A modern combat ready long sword is more like 2-4 inches up, but this is a "broadsword" and doesn't have the distal taper of a true long sword. It's good for training the forearms and wrists. Worth buying if you want a good waster that can function as a weapon in a pinch.

This thing is made well. I can tell it was created with an injection mold but you have to really look for those little circles to find them. The plastic quality is great and when you hit things with it, it feels sturdy. I will hit my brothers wooden sword with this, and it does get marked up and warped, but only as much as any wooden sword does. Great plastic sword.

I purchased this as a toy for my son without any real expectations of quality and was blown away by how nice this sword is. It's not really a toy at all. It's very heavy, made of solid HDPE (HDPP?) and virtually indestructible. As a toy for a young kid into roleplaying and weapons it's friggin' awesome though. One of the best "toys" I've found. We'll definitely be looking into other items by Honshu. Really great stuff!

This thing has been smacked against trees, thrown, cross guard slammed in a hatchback, sparred with on several occasions against both actual trainers and just sticks, and by God it is still standing strong with the battle marks to prove it. I wrapped the handle in electrical tape at one point because it's a little rough on a bare hand, tape came off pretty quickly and the adhesive didn't want to stick to it.

Good grip, much better to hold compared to the Coldsteel hand and half practice sword. Better feel could be due to the weight which is significantly lighter and easier to control. The balance point on the sword is about at the third of the blade which isn't great but it is light enough to still feel live in hand. Blade looks realistic compared to Coldsteel but has edge of sort that may need to be sanded away. One criticism is that the blade is slightly bent, it bends back to point well enough but may cause slight annoyance nonetheless. Price was also about 33% higher than the Coldsteel hand and half sword, which can be used as a clubbing weapon unlike this one. Shipping for this order was delayed by a week which can be a concern if due to supply issue. Overall satified with purchase, very fun practice sword with grip that is suitable for 1 hand use but 1 star off due to concern of quality control(i.e. slight bent blade).