I purchased one of these swords a few years ago. It is fast, has proven a good cutter, and carries easily. However, recently, the forward curved piece of the guard snapped off in my hand, revealing a very course grain structure in the steel making me believe it was either poorly made, or cast. Either way I was disappointed

This thing is an excellent short bladed sword, it’s probably my favorite blade of my collection to use, it has cut through pig legs, clean through the bones, cut the bamboo in the hose, cut branches of trees etc, I don’t recommend using it like a machete because it will mar and ding the blade, but that’s what I have been using it for basically. It’s surprisingly durable, and even through my torture tests has not bent or had any major issues, it has been a blast to use, and is always the closest blade for defense or just going out to the river to cut small river willow for practice. I only cut green trees and bushes, up to an inch or so, to prevent excessive wear and tear. This has cut water bottles, Pringle cans, water hose with Bamboo in the center, pig bones, cardboard boxes and anything I could find that I thought would not it damage it to much! Warning, usage like I have will result n mating the blade and require frequent honing during use.