I haven't watched the video, so I'm not sure what his review says. I'll probably watch it later.
My impression is this (I do own one): For starting out, they're fine. But they're not ideal for learning the art, compared to other options, for two main reasons:
1. They run a little light, which feels great when you're starting out, and make you nice and quick when free-fencing with them. But it doesn't teach you to use a more properly weighted sword, and lack the mass for good parries and deflections.
2. More importantly, IMHO, they're too flexible. This sounds like a great safety feature, and it is. However, someone HAS DIED taking a thrust through the eye with one of these, so it's not a guarantee of being safe by itself. But the main reason to dislike the flexibility is that it will also impact your training, because these swords tend to bend around each other in the bind, making windings very difficult to do, and they're an important part of the art. This also throws off parries and deflections.
Something I also wasn't thrilled with, is that they keep some bend if you leave it in a hot car for a while.
For a better synthetic trainer, I would go with Purple Heart:
http://www.woodenswords.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1513These have a more realistic weight, and are built tough. The blades are stiff, but have enough flex. The flex is more on-par with a steel trainer, rather than being flimsy like the Rawlings swords, or completely inflexible like the aluminum trainers.
