post re-profiling comments
"I have started to abuse the sword. Before sharpening to a smaller bevel angle, I delivered some pretty full powered hits onto fairly hard targets. The sword does not feel like it will break the way I've seen videos show heavier blades break at the tang (spartan and conqueror), because it has more flex to absorb shock. I was a little surprised to successfully bend the sword ever so slightly, it's not possible to fix it because it's not bent enough to fix, but there is a perceivable warble near the end of the fuller. Then I spent my morning now sharpening first filing to a more aggressive bevel angle, then honing with up to 1000 grit stones, and firstly I don't fear the edge will be compromised, it feels strong, it's not crumbling away like some blades do, it feels like a good sword. It cuts much better, less power and more relaxed technique, but still not like a katana. Straight blades are inherently more difficult to cut with, however, and it is outperforming others of my swords, with the only better performers likely being a result of their lighter weight (one handed cutting, I didn't do any two handed cutting), which allows me more control and less "swing and pray". The double-edged sword IS a bit heavy for one handed use. ,,,, It does feel like the handle will develop a rattle at the handguard one day, but feels like it will not affect performance. Overall I would rank it highly value for money, if you don't know about swords, this is a good place to know what a good one is like. A lot of recreation swords do not perform well in the cut until they are significantly more expensive."