Cold Steel 88ITS Italian Long Sword, Black

I just got this sword and it is absolutely wonderful. Any procurer of sharp and pointy things will know what I mean when I say this sword "just feels right." This sword is solid. You can tell just by holding it that it's a durable, quality piece of work. Having been collecting swords for quite a while I can say that I've never seen a sword in this price range that has this high level of quality. It is absolutely superb.The grip is firm with no looseness in the wrap, though the leather does feel like coat material rather than what I am accustomed to in a sword handle. This is actually a good thing. Sweaty hands (lets face it, if you're using a sword for any length of time, your hands are going to become sweaty) are absolutely not an issue. Your grip is always sure and I have experienced no dangerous slippage as I have in other swords.The sharpness is pretty much as advertised. I haven't tried to slice a pig in half, but I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't have much of a problem with it. That cardboard box was certainly sad that it was ever corrugated. :) I experienced no crush as one would with a dull sword, just a plain and satisfying "ZIP!" as it sliced neatly through.This sword is, as it says in the title, LONG. It's somewhat hard to visualize it just from reading off the measurements. This sword is very impressive the first time you unsheathe it. The balance is phenomenal, resulting in no ungainliness whatsoever. I'm only 5'6" and I can handle it with absolutely no problem.Overall, I would say that this sword is worth every penny. It is imbued with the quality that I am coming to expect and love from Cold Steel.

I love this sword. Its high quality, style, balance and weight make this a solid effective sword at a great price. As noted by another reviewer: it is long with a 35.5" blade and 9" handle (including the pommel). However, the total weight is only 2.63 lbs which makes it one of the lighter swords in this class and price range. It handles very well and I totally agree with the reviewer who said: this sword "just feels right".This sword has the characteristics of a practical effective fighting weapon. This opinion is based on the fact that its weight, balance and dimensions are similar to my current training sword. For example the balance point is 5 inches down the blade from the cross guard, whereas my current training sword has a balance point 4 inches from the cross guard. While this is a long sword my current training sword is actually 1.5" longer with a blade length of 37" vs. 35.5" for this sword. The 9" handle on this sword is fairly common and I have used the 9" hilt on my training sword for one and two handed grips, blocking with the hilt and other martial techniques.The diamond shape of the blade has a fairly flat profile so I believe this sword is effective against not only light and heavily armored opponents but also unarmored adversaries.I train with two Western European sword groups and four of my instructors and five experienced students liked the balance, construction, quality and the general feel of this sword. For over a year I've been looking for my first combat sword. This excellent sword was worth the wait.

The sword arrived today and while I was happy to finally see it on sale, I now see the reason for that. The 4 star review is for the blemished product. (See attached photos) The grooves in the pommel weren't cut deep enough and still show marks from the raw casting that had not been removed by follow on finishing processes. I can fix this however so I won't go on about it. The leather wrap on the handle also had a nick in it as depicted in the photos. My initial reaction was to return it for the same product, however this choice was not available. I've decided to keep it vice exchanging it for a different sword as the extra cost of the ( hand and half ) sword offered in exchange would be passed on to me. Upselling?Despite these defects, the overall construction of the sword seems acceptable. The pommel and guard feel solid and don't rattle. The blade has a nice polish to it; guessing 1000grit finish. You can see your eyes reflect in the blade, but not what color they are. The polished blade as a nice distal taper and arrived relatively sharp. There were micro burrs on the edge which will require a light touch from a strop. The blade fits snugly in the scabbard although the blade does rattle a bit when sheathed. As the scabbard has no means of attachment to a belt, an additional piece will be required to do so.The sword feels great in my hands and makes a pretty sweet "air slicing woosh" with little effort. As this is my first sword I feel that is an important quality. 😉 I have not cut anything with it and I am not a sword expert so I can't attest to it's function compared to other swords. I hope this review has helped someone!

this sword is very well constructed, all elements tight, balanced well (just under 4 inches from the hilt), and feels very light and nimble in the hand. the blade is very sturdy and was delivered sharp enough to easily slice through paper and cardboard with little to no effort.where this sword really shines however is in its aesthetic appeal: clean, simple lines pair with a relatively historically accurate design combine to make, in my opinion, once of the best budget longswords on the market.I highly recommend this item for anyone looking into getting a real sword -- but keep in mind, this is no wall hanger or simple display piece, this is an honest to goodness blade designed for cutting and combat drills.