Red Dragon Armoury Synthetic Sparring Longsword - Black Blade & Hilt

For synthetic plastic trainer, this has got to be the best one available, especially at the price. The 38" blade and 10" handle (including pommel) provide a realistic feeling weapon for drilling and practicing historical maneuvers. The blade is somewhat floppy, but nowhere near as floppy as it seems from reviews I saw on youtube, which left me apprehensive about my purchase. For a plastic piece, it feels surprising sword-like in hand. The grip is rubber, and soft to the touch. Maybe a bit too soft, but wont hinder form practice, more just a personal preference and a nitpick of sorts. The weight/presence of the sword, out of box - is a bit light, but not toyish, like some of the other "practice swords" you'll see on amazon. Point of balance is about 6 to 7 inches out from the cross guard, which is a bit too far. I had read this prior to purchase, so at the same time, I also purchased a steel pommel from purpleheart armory, which arrived the day after my sword did. The steel pommel adds significant presence to the sword, which now really feels like a sword, and not a toy. But it does change the point of balance to just a couple inches in front of the cross guard, which make the sword feel "blade - light". However, this to me is a worthy trade off to make the sword feel more substantial. There is also a steel cross guard available for this, while that would make the sword feel about authentic as it could, I'm guessing it would make the point of balance too unrealistic and I'm going to hold off on it. I would feel comfortable doing light sparring and drills against another sword of the same type, and this is probably decent for pell practice too (finding out now). However, I would not use this against other, higher quality synthetics such as the Meyer Federschwert or the Type III Pentti's available on purpleheart - they have solid blades and are much closer to true longsword analogs than this one is. In fact, if you plan getting a sword specifically for HEMA sparring and training, you may do better to spend a little more out of the gate and go with one of those to begin with. This is not a criticism of the Red Dragon sword - it's just not designed for that type of training and "abuse". IF you are looking for a plastic solo trainer, something to get your feet wet before diving full on in to hema though - this is exactly the sword you are looking for. I tried the Blades USA 42" plastic bastard swords and was extremely underwhelmed by it, it was way too light and short and no real presence in hand; it really felt like a toy. This Red Dragon will be perfect for my backyard form practice, and with the addition of the steel pommel, it does feel like I'm practicing with the appropriate tool.

This is a greater starter sword for beggining HEMA fencers. Less than half the cost of the next step up in training swords. Still best to wear a jacket with these but they pack less of a punch than pentis or cold steel swords. The grip can get a little irritating on barehands but is great with gloves on. The pommel can unscrew and get a little loose if you are changing guards quickly so look out for that.

I’ll say that my experience has been similar to many other reviews in which the grip moves around quite a bit, feels tacky on the hands, and is too long for the tang. Appearance wise, the sword looks nice other than the grip and is of a durable quality. I don’t believe the sword to be balanced well as it seems further towards the tip than it should, but all in all, I think this is a good value for training and light sparring. If you’re looking to practice at home and have fun with others who have a synthetic sword, this is a great purchase.

I received mine yesterday. I am VERY HAPPY that I chose this one over other training swords. The grip is good and everything fit together snuggly with no wiggling. The main reason I got it is because it's a bit lighter than other HEMA blades I've used, which is easier on my wrists. Aesthetically, I LOVE the black blade. Over all I'm very satisfied. Will update once I've used it in practices more. :)

It’s honestly not bad but it definitely wasn’t worth the price. Kinda disappointed but at the same time it was the only one I could find so I’m happy to have it. I just wish it didn’t cost so much. My only issues with it are that it is extremely light, the grip is very odd (it seems to be too long so when you screw on the pommel the grip gets bunched up a little) and over all it definitely doesn’t seem to be worth the price.

This sword provides a great baseline for any new HEMA practioners. It has a pretty solid build quality and can take lots of hard hits. It also is very safe for sparring usage, but you should still wear protection as the blade does come to a narrow point, and the blade still hurts if you get whalloped by it.

Durable, safe, pretty good balance. As far as I know, to get anything better you’ll spend 8-10 times as much. Great for practicing the forms, light sparring, and adjusting the volume on your TV when you can’t find the remote.

Bought this for my husbands birthday and he loves it! He's been going around wacking stuff hard with it and it's holding up very well. I plan on buying one for myself aswell for Renfair/LARP. Photo is after I painted it. It comes in 3 pieces that screws together.

Its a very sturdy sword with high quality materials.

No issues or defects, though the pommel can get loose when swinging it around. Length is great, and the weight is surprisingly light and balanced. The metal rod inside the plastic blade gives it a good sturdiness which I enjoy (but I would abstain from whacking things too much). Overall good product.

3.5 stars. Great for light sparing and training. But after 5 months the ‘blade’ is starting to warp.

Got it for my son and he loves it.