I ordered mine last summer. They work pretty excellently for what they are, and they're pretty good for practicing, but they're still no substitute for the real thing. Buying these without buying real ones is like buying a fighting fan without a practice sword.

These spikes are awesome. They don't dull easily (unless you use hardwood targets, or you hit cement) All the people who wrote bad reviews obviously have no prior experience with throwing weapons. At about 10 ft away, I can get them within two inches of the point I'm aiming for and they work perfectly: I've had mine for almost a year, and I haven't had to sharpen them yet! (And I do use them regularly: at least once a week)