Cas Hanwei Tactical Wakizashi

I don't know how viable, or realistic a short sword is for tactical use by real-world military folks. Canadian custom maker Wally Hayes has been handcrafting tactical Japanese style swords for years, so there must be a market for them.
Spain's CAS Iberia has been working in conjunction with Paul Chen's Hanwei forge for many years, in order to create functional, and often reasonably priced swords based on historical models. Some of the highest quality swords I've ever held were manufactured by Chen's Hanwei forge, and marketed and distributed by CAS Iberia. That being said, I'm a knife guy, not a sword guy, so aside from a few practice swords like my Cold Steel O Tanto Bokken, which carry over into my Filipino stickfighting experience, I've never owned, nor have I had the desire to own, an actual sword. With pieces like this available though, I could be convinced to change my mind, if I had the money to afford a sword. I just don't know what I'd do with it, as I have so many redundant cutting tools already, and for general practical camp use, in my opinion, nothing beats the trifecta of a machete, a stout fixed blade with a 4 to 6 inch blade, and any one of a number of folders.


☼☼☼☼☼☼☼
Features:
Full Tang Contruction
5160 Steel
Fiberglass Scabbard

Specs:
Overall length: 31"
Blade length: 20"
Handle length: 8 1/2"
Weight: 1 lb 14 oz.

With specs like that, it's safe to say that this puppy would likely take lots of abuse, and probably comes quite sharp. Maintenance would likely be a bit of a bear, just based on size, and the carbon steel blade, but I suppose if you wanted a fully functional wakizashi, and didn't care about traditional trappings, this might be one to get. I can't argue with the price, retail is about $170 USD, but sites like Knifecenter will be selling them for just a hair above a hundred bucks, at about $114.95 USD when these are available in the coming months.

At any rate, I know CAS/Hanwei to make quality items, and I've handled lots of their stuff. At the very least, it's fun to know that if the zombie apocalypse hits, ownership of one of these would be a hell of a lot of fun to run around with!

See CAS/Hanwei to check out their range of functional swords based on designs from all around the globe.