CAS Hanwei SH2454 Rhinelander Bastard Sword, Multi

For the price it is a great sword for beginner collectors. There are some imperfections but the sword is still functional. Not sharp for not dull either. A great sword for the price!

I just bought one of these from a friend's adult son for fifty bucks as a cheap alternative to a medium quality federschwert for backyard pell practice. The hand guard's a little loose and the edge has nicks in a couple of places from having been, probably, abused doing Ginsu stuff. The sword's balance point is, for me, literally a hand and a half down the blade from the hand guard. Did I mention the hand guard's a little loose? Some pitting down near the tip, some light surface rust in spots. The weapon's a little over 3 pounds and its weird balance point will force me to exercise control when using it for Meyer's Square and other drills.I really hate the stupid ring on the hand guard.My two cents and I hope you find my remarks worth at least that.UPDATE 12-3-23: I bought a pommel and crossguard - heavier than the Hanwei hardware - from Medieval Fight Club, an Australian online retailer and a cutler in the study group fit it all together. I sanded off the riser, used three rings of lead tape on the grip to improve the already improved balance, and twine-wrapped the grip. See the photos.

Strong, lighter than expected, and pleasing to the eye. The only thing that kept it from 5 stars was the glued on leather on the handle (would have preferred stitched on) so i dont know how long that will last and it came dull. But it only took about 10 minutes to sharpen. I did light cutting saplings and flexed the blade on a log to check the resilience and everything checks out fine. You get what you paid for.

Purchased this after extensive research into bastard swords. Intitially was impressed, sword looked fine and came surprisingly sharp. Scabbard is nothing fancy but does its job. However, after using it for some light test cutting in my yard (1/4" PVC and 1/4" pine dowels), after less than 20 cuts the hilt became loose and there is now approximately a millimeter of blade movement at the hilt along with a rattle upon almost any type of movement or use of the sword.The blade steel is also remarkably thin for such a long sword. While the spring steel is intentionally flexible the blade has far too much wobble for my taste, especially if it were to take a blow from another weapon- it may shake enough to bounce right out of your hand(s).Overall it looks nice and would make an exceptional wall hanger, maybe you could even use it to slice up a goblin or two as long as they don't have armor on. But "battle ready" ? For a medieval sword that should be ready to pierce plate armor with a good thrust? Absolutely not, that is a joke and a scam. For what it is, this sword should be not even half the price. I wouldn't pay more than $150 for it.I had initially heard good things about CAS Hanwei swords- that they were on par with Cold Steel, Windlass, and other economical yet effective cut & thrusters. Perhaps their Eastern styles of swords are better constructed. However I will not be buying one of their products again and will shortly be returning this sword in search of a bastard sword that might be able to take a hit in a fight, or at least be able to cut some PVC without developing a rattle after a few swings. Can't wait to get something better.

Love Hanwei swords, but trust me buy from Kult of Athena, best prices in the states.