I've had my Knight of Emerald II for almost two years now and I have to say, I love this weapon. While it was initially a little hard by my medium-contact LARP's standards, a couple hours drumming the blade against my training dummy (myself), the blade softened significantly. It's a little bottom heavy with its hefty pommel, it's held up well through snow, rain, mud, and countless battles. The blade has definitely taken on a few scratches, but I personally find that adds to the personality of the blade.