Good quality saber, excellent box. No complaints!This Champagne saber is pretty nice, but it suffers for a few defects that keep it from being five stars. Each of the defects, by themselves, wouldn't have taken off a star, but taken together, drop the rating.First, the box. If you are going to take the time and trouble to make a presentation box, shouldn't it be presentable? This box looked like it was rushed through the painting department. Uneven strokes leave the wood showing through slightly in some areas, and various pieces of debris are embedded in the paint. When I opened the box for the first time, the saber was dirty. It has a general film of dirt and in spots were what appeared to be glue. Almost all of it cleaned up well enough, but it took a good fifteen minutes of elbow grease to do it. The fit where the blade comes though the pommel is bad, no other way to say it. On on side, where there is a gap between the pommel and the blade, it appears as if glue has come up through that hole, glue that was used to fasten the leather cover to the handle grip. Even after cleaning, there is an unsightly gap and some "stuff" in there that I can't get out. Will anyone watching it chopping off the top of a Champagne bottle notice? Probably not, but I noticed, and when making a frivolous novelty item . . . quality should be key. Speaking of quality, there was gold paint in various places on the blade, as if the person who was putting the gold inlay on the blade was also rushed. This paint bonds rather well with the metal, and I can't get it off without potentially scratching the metal, so I left it alone.Finally, the function. This Champagne saber blade is made correctly, with a blunted blade getting a bit thicker where the end will contact the bottle. Sharp blades only make tiny shards of glass, and don't really help with the task of breaking the bottle. Blunt force trauma is doing the work, and for that, you want more surface area, not less. The weight is appropriate and the swing feels good. It's too bad they made the tang so small. A slightly fatter grip would have been acceptable in exchange for a bit more steel going down into the handle. I know it's not a combat sword, but it will be making heavy contact with a dense and hard (although brittle) surface, so more strength could only be helpful.The various complaints are each a nitpick, almost unworthy of mention, but when taken together, show a lack of quality for the final product that really should be present.Four Star Champagne Saber.Is a champagne sabre one of life's necessities? Well, let's define necessities... Nah. But it sure is cool looking!This sabre is very impressive looking and I got it to give as a gift for friends who really enjoy champagne. (I've never seen them use a sabre, so I suspect this will be a new experience for them.) Since they host a lot of dinner parties, I suspect (hope) they'll really appreciate it, as it lends drama to any occasion.The blade of the sabre is very impressive and the steel is enhanced with decorative gilding. The handle is also very impressive with its roped gilding and very decorative tassel. Overall, it's a beautiful look. The blade also seems to be appropriately blunt for the purpose it serves and I suspect it will function well in experienced hands.The only reason I gave it 4 stars is that, as an item you'd give as a gift, it really should be better packaged. The delivery box it came in was not damaged, but the cardboard box inside was kind of beat up. Not horrible, but not pristine either. When we took the wooden box the sabre comes in out of that second cardboard box, the wood box in which it is presented (very nice to be in a WOOD box!) was also a bit dinged up. Again, not critical, but you'd like a gift to look a little nicer. (I'm not sure who is responsible for these small issues, but want people to be aware of the potential for them to occur.)Other than that, i think it's a really great gift (for yourself or others) and I do recommend it.This is a beautiful item, the box and finish on the sword had a couple of blemishes on it, but I am not too concerned as I am sure that the act of using the item for its intended purpose would mar it up a little.No, this isn't a 'real' sabre. And I doubt that a real champagne aficionado would ever open a bottle of good champagne this way on a regular basis. This is a prop for a very cool champagne trick which, if you have never seen it, gets lots of oohs and ahhs when performed at a party or at tableside. You hold the bottle in a safe direction with one hand and slide the sabre (or knife, or whatever) quickly and smoothly down the neck of the bottle with the bottle seam pointing UP. When you hit the collar, the bottle will break neatly and the cork and top of the bottle will go flying off in the general direction it is pointed in. Some champagne will fly and you will be left with an open bottle of champagne to pour for your guests. I have never seen this trick fail and it is far easier than it looks.Basically, you can do this trick with any heavier chef's knife. It doesn't need to be sharp either. But having this sabre handy sure makes it more special.I am resisting criticizing the sabre as if it was going to be used on Game of Thrones. Yes, it might be nice if it were finished a bit more nicely. And yes, the presentation box, could use another sanding and a better coat of paint. But for Pete's sake, this thing sells for $99--what masterpiece are you expecting?Suffice it to say this is well constructed enough and realistic enough (without being too dangerous!) to pull off this trick well. The pageantry of opening the presentation box, the tassel attached to the sword itself (as though the wielder were a member of some legion of honor) and the red velvet interior set this up nicely.Let the fun begin!