Martial Artists have known a simple truth for ages If your ultimate goal is to wield a sharp blade safely and effectively, you need to supplement your training with a tool that approximates the size, feel and heft of a blade, yet minimizes the possibility of causing grievous, permanent injury to yourself or your training partner. The only problem is that wooden training tools can rot, crack, chip or splinter and could not be used in all weather conditions. Cold Steels solution to these dilemmas was to design a line of synthetic polymer substitutes. Low in cost and unaffected by all but the most extreme temperatures, they are waterproof, weatherproof and durable.