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. 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 astonishingly durable.