I've handled two of the H/T swords thus far...the GSoW and the Bastard (unfullered) - in terms of handling, the Bastard's second to none. It feels lively, and transitions are smooth and near-effortless. Because of the blade geometry, there's more mass toward the hilt making for an excellent thruster with superior point control. As such, it is not as good a cutter as say, the GSoW which is a behemoth. These two swords are like knight and day; the GSoW is big (47" total length, 36" blade, 2" in blade width at the guard, fullered for most of the length of the blade, spatulate point) and exhibits a bit of blade flex, as it should since it is a dedicated cutter- preferably from on high. With the reach, weighing in at just under 4lbs with a PoB some 5.5" out - the feeling of mass toward the point makes this thing slice with authority and has excellent reach.
The Bastard's specs make it seem similar to the GSoW but one couldn't be further from the truth. At 42" OAL, 33" blade, only 1.5" thick, PoB 4" from the cross and weighing in at a scant 2lbs 6oz, this sword is the fastest I've ever handled for its size. As I said, point control is spot-on, attack and recovery is non-taxing...the only bad thing about these H/T swords is the edge nearly always, always stinks. They can sharpen the hell out of a katana but for some odd reason, Euro edges seem to stymie them.
I've also owned the Hanwei versions of the singlehand and bastard swords and the H/T ones are head and shoulders above them, believe it or not.
