length: 43 1/4"
blade: 34"
blade width: 1 3/4" at base
blade width: 5/8" at 2" from the tip
grip and pommel: 8 3/4"
guard: 7 1/4"
balance point: 3 3/4" from guard
weight (sword): 2 lb 12.5 oz
weight (sword & scabbard): 3 lb 5.5 oz

Without any fanfare or notice, Hanwei presented their fifth generation of the Practical series longsword in May of 2010. (Despite our efforts to educate, Hanwei still call this the "Practical hand-and-a-half sword", but at least that's an accurately descriptive term).

(And yeah, it was completely without notice - I handle *a lot* of practical longswords, but one day I opened a fresh shipment for inspection, pulled the first one out, and had a serious "whoa, cool!" moment when I realized the swords had changed - and for the better!)

The triple-fullered blade still features rounded edges and a more rounded tip than in the first three generations, making the swords much more responsive and safer for the full-contact use for which they was designed (I said safer, not safe - it's still a sword, dummy, don't do anything stupid with one).

The fifth generation longsword features a smaller pommel than the earlier generations, making the sword much more comfortable to handle and bringing the weight down. These swords handle like a dream, there's a reason they are the de facto standard longsword in the Western Martial Arts and stage combat worlds!

This Austrian longsword (commonly called a hand-and-a-half or bastard sword) is replicated from an original attributed to King Albrecht II of Austria. Classically simple in design with a flattened diamond-section blade and cruciform hilt, the original dates from the early part of the 15th century.

The Paul Chen/Hanwei 'practical' Austrian longsword is tailored to the needs of the re-enactor. Featuring authentic hilt styling with fully tempered rebated and non-pointed blades, these swords are made to withstand rugged use while providing the level of safety required by many of today's re-enactment societies. The blade is fullered for balance and has a rebated edge and a rounded tip. Included is a wood-grained fiberglass resin scabbard with suspension hangers and steel fittings.

You can compare the fifth generation sword with the older third generation and fourth generation practical series longswords.