I first want to say, that I purchased two of these bokkens, one for a friend and I. These bokkens were actually a lot nicer than I was expecting. One problem though was one hand guard was much harder to place on the sword than the other, but that was remedied with a little time shaving the guard down a little bit. The swords balance was great, and they took a good beating, however, one sword broke after two fearsome sessions. I am still quite happy with its performance, as the other sword has only minor dents to show for its wear. In conclusion, I am convinced the swords are all unique, and were of nice value. The only reason this is a 4 and not a 5, was the fact that the one sword broke only after the 2nd session. We will be doing business again, I assure you. By the way, shipping one these was amazing!