Received this blade for Christmas after discovering the Cold Steel line last summer. We were outfitting our RV and I ordered Tantos and kitchen knives and we loved them. Decision was that this would be a great item for my office. While I don't anticipate using it like I do the other blades, this one is very well done. The leather handle and scabbard are soft and will last for a long time. I am not sure they would be great for actual battle as it would be fairly slippery when sweaty but they work great as a decorator piece. The blade is razor sharp along the entire edge and it is well balanced, albeit a bit tip heavy because the blade is so long. This is a great sword to appreciate the time period and the quality that must have gone into Viking blades 1000 years ago. Buy it and enjoy, if you can find one!