In the interest of being upfront. I don’t recall if I purchased this item from Kult of Athena or directly from Cold Steel. Nothing in this should be considered as a comment on Kult of Athena, whom I have only had good experiences with. I’ve noticed in the past that they have been open to reviews of products from people that did not purchase from them. My hope is that my review helps others to make an informed decision. (1) The handle is too short and compared to the blade it is rather wimpy. (2) The weight distribution is atrocious. It is far too blade heavy. Being heavy by itself can be useful in a training tool. Being an inherently clumsy tool cannot be forgiven. (3) The quillon has far too little mass. In my opinion the only advantage to practicing with this item rather than a stick is that a stick is round and has no quillons. An axe hand is not round and would be better balanced, if short. I ordered one of these. Because of a backlog the company (whichever one) generously sent me three of them. I am thinking about using them for a Halloween display. I would offer them to a former sparring partner who founded a HEMA club were they not in my opinion entirely unsuitable. There is one practical use I can think of: attaching it to a pell. Then again, I’m trying to figure out what to do with three of these monstrosities.
