Cold Steel 1852 Prussian Saber Sword, Silver/Grey

Christmas present for my son who is into that era military history. He loves it. Good attention to detail and quality of build. Very sharp.

Four stars because it is a cold steel product, either wise I don't know if would rate this high.The reason I bought 1852 CS saber was for the pipe back spine. I was not impressed by the pipeback spine and all the promises it could do. This was to be the best of both cutting and thrusting.This sword has more bark than bite. Let me elaborate.The bark:This weapon is very lively, and feel great in hand. It was love at first grip.It is light and agile for a saber, while delivering precussive blows.The point of balance (PoB) is approximately 5" to 5.5" from the hilt.Awesome basket guard can both protect and deliver powerful blows.Very aggressive and pretty.The bite:It is a neither a great cutter nor a great thrust weapon.I put on my safety goggles and did a few cut test with moist newspapers rolled into6" thick rolls on a tameshigiri stand. Sadly I was meet with some resistance,which came from the pipe back and my amateur technique. The sword could hack an inch or twoin to the paper and only four inches with correctly executed cuts. You may be ableto disarticulate a finger but not a hand, and certainly not be able to sever an arm.It delivers thrusts to gallon jugs and tires nicely (quite gruesome). However thisis a saber after all, with a PoB at least 5" from the hilt, not the most dedicatedthrusting weapon.I am no expert and my opinion is based on only two real swords and the handful of junksword like objects (SLOs) that I own. This is my third real sword and I have everyintention of keeping it. Also I needed retire my 1860ish schnitzler n kirschbaum (S&K)dragoon saber which turned out to be not junk, but priceless antique that I devaluedsimply by giving it a battle ready edge. My second sword is the Cold Steel 1917 saber.For my purposes (i.e. backyard cutting) the 1852 CS Prussian saber is my least favoriteamong my real sword, but superior to all the junk swords.My old "rusty" S&K saber (1860ish?) can cut through 6" thick rolls of paper easy,and deliver a nasty thrust. But the 1852 has the better thrust, and better handling.Compared to the beastly 1917 CS saber, the 1852 is a weakling. The 1917 is superiorat cutting and thrusting, but is much heavier and "clumsy". The 1917 feels likeit should be used on horse back due to its PoB 8" from the hilt. However, On footI think I would do better with the 1852 than the 1917.The 1852 CS Prussian saber is a good sword and a powerful weapon; most likely dueto the fact that Cold Steel makes bad ass weapons. If you are looking for a lightningfast gentleman's cleaver, or sword that can preform impressive cuts, this is not it.

I found a few nicks in the handle but the overall craftsmanship is great. It is light and fast and perfect for home decoration that has a practical application to it.

quality seems very good for this price point

Excellent.