[Jean Thibodeau]

I've been using mine for a few weeks and apart from the design issues already mentioned like the handle could be a bit longer as well as the blade and the pommel issue ( minor ) I really like it ( or them as I have 2 as previously mentioned ).

I have a pair so that I can lend one to an opponent as they do slide better against each other, but after many weeks of use against wooden wasters I think they can be used against wood and they don't feel odd doing so.

The main difference is that they flex on the flats like a steel blunt but are rigid when used edgewise to parry or wind: This has tactical advantages in the bind and escaping from a bind that the stiffness of a wooden waster doesn't have.

Bottom line is that I really like them and I used a knife and a file to just round the slightly too pointy tip: Got a scratch from that but it took 2 seconds to fix.

[Steven H]

[Timo Nieminen]

I see that Cold Steel has a single-handed version scheduled for 2010, their "MEDIEVAL TRAINING SWORD (WAISTER)". 29.3 oz, 32 1/4" blade, 39 1/2" overall.

This might be of interest to some.

(As for new steel swords, I see a rapier, a colichmarde, and a longsword. Hopefully the longsword might lead to a poly longsword as well, but apparently not for 2010.)

[Bill Love]

So I finally decided to defang my Cold Steel waster, and it wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be (although it was a lot messier). I used 100 grit sandpaper in a sanding block to flatten the edges and point and a small square of hand held 100 to smooth them into the flats, followed by a CAREFUL session on the wire wheel to clean everything up. The trick to a good finish is to draw the blade lightly and smoothly across the wheel from tip to hilt without stopping or slowing down and rotate it slightly before each pass. It doesn't really matter which way you turn it (with the rotation of the wheel vs. against it) as long as you pay attention and don't let it bounce. You'll find the right speed with practice-I finally did after putting a few scars in the finish that I left as a reminder of the learning curve. Didn't take much weight off, unfortunately, but I'm working on that from the other end.

PS I know the cross is on upside down-personal preference

[Wesley Nilsen]