Object of the review: http://histfenc.com/productcart/training-sabre-heavy
Usage and testing of item: We have been using them for 8h worth of class and light sparring.
Things I like with the Sabre:
The ballance is nice. It's soft on the cut up to a point -there is mass, so if you cut like crazy it might hurt someone. But it allows for doing low intensity sparring with mask only or even using only eye protection.
They look like toys, making them excelent for public areas and calming any notion from the public that we are doing annything dangerous that should be notified to the police.
They are priseworthy, readily available with about 5 workdays deliverytime.
It is well suited for beginners practice. The light weight of 540g allows for most to swing it about for most of the class lenght.
The basket is ambidexterous, catering equaly to left and right handed.
Things I don't like: The rubber on the handle rubbs of to the hand, so gloves are advicable. The gripps is of the straight kind, and don't have a pistol/sabre feel to it -this would increase the price I'm sure.
The padding of some of the sabres feel out of place, so the feeling of the sabre is that of a sligthly bent blade.
Conclusion: I would recomend the heawy SPES sabre for groups looking to start up sabreclasses and want a decent beginners tool that is cheap and readily available. As an instructor, it's a good tool for easing in new students who are hessitant about hitting someone, also, those students who have a tendency to flail about won't bring as much alarm to the class.
Get gripp tape for the handles - pimp them with your own collor to tell them apart in class.
Padded weapons bounce, it is not a replacement for steel weapons, but it is a start.
Note on SPES conduct:
In the batch of ten we bought -the basket of one sabre craked up, apparently material failure.
I took a photo of the basket and sent it to SPES customer service, I got a reply and a tracking number for the replacing shippment the next day. Adding to my sentiment that I will be a returning customer.
Will be back in a coupple of more months to see how they hold up ower time.