I've bought three, all have been heavier than most tai chi practice swords, they've varied from 15 to 16.5 ounces. Usually you see them around 11-12. Also, all three were balanced toward the tip more than is generally recommended. On mine the balance point varied from 5-6 inches from the hilt, 4" is generally recommended. I like the extra weight and actually add lead in the handle to balance them to the 4" point and add more weight.

PS Don't sand the edges, get tougher.  

Very pleased with the quality and overall workmanship. After all it's for practice. The price is right and believe me, I've surfed until the sky turned green and there was nothing comparable.

Only one complaint: corners and edges need to be sanded to remove sharpness.  

As other people stated it'd be great for practicing forms or really low impact strikes and blocks to get use to them, but anything hard looks like it will break the sword. After seeing the reviews i before mine i expected a sturdy (and of course) straight sword but just roughness issue. Unfortunately i got it today and first thing i noticed was that (either gauging from the hilt) the blade is crooked or (gauging from the blade) the hilt is croocked.   

The first thing I noticed out of the box was its heavy construction (in red oak). It's very nice other than having a few rough edges (the tip, the edges of the handguard and pommel). The only thing bad about the sword is that under the handguard, where the handle is attached, it's a bit wobbly. Overall, I was pleased with the product right down to the engravings on the handguard and pommel. A little sanding and some extra glue will make this sword just about right.  

The sword should serve just fine for practicing forms, but there is no way it would hold up to sparring or work as a nice display piece. The reason being that the sword was worm-ridden! There was one squiggly groove about an eighth of an inch deep in the middle of the blade, and multiple other small patches on the surface where the finish appears to have been worn away.  

This wood sword is perfect for form practice, especially for beginners. It is well-balanced and has the proper handle to give the impression of training with a real sword. The engravings add a nice touch, perfect buy for a perfect price, everyone should own one.  

First, this IS a nice wooden jian. It is well-balanced, made of reasonably high quality wood, and the dimensions are about right. The only dings against it in my book are that it is not in fact made of a single piece of wood. There is a joint at the handguard that is well-fitted with glue and could present a compromise in strength. Second, the corners on the bottom of the handguard where it occassionally rubs against the hand are a bit sharp and left a little sore spot on the top of my hand after spending some time practicing a few movements. I'll just sand those out though, so not a major issue.

Overall.. Much better than the other (obviously two-piece) versions everyone seems to be carrying nowdays. Just a bit bummed it's not one piece like older models I've seen.
  

Not only does the sword look good, but it is solid. I can't see anything happening to it through standard practice. I would not strike another weapon with it, due to its thin blade, but that isn't an issue since its a tai chi sword. It should never more than glance another weapon anyway. This is a graceful weapon, not a basher.  

This wooden sword is ideal for the practice of sword form. It's lighter then a steel sword and also being wooden, a non-threatening abstraction of a weapon, nicely finished! I am even getting another sword to shorten for my daughter.  

When I first received this sword, I immediately gave it the once over. I have had wooden practice swords before, and even crafted some myself, and I must say that this hardwood Tai Chi sword is much better than those which are crafted from two pieces. This one piece construction, along with excellent shaping and carving to represent the classic Tai Chi sword, makes this an excellent alternative to steel practice, and incredibly affordable. The weight is very decent, and carving of the pictographs and Yin-Yang, a nice touch.