Ah...the swords of HI. It was HI's swords that got me interested in swords in the first place, ironically enough. Pardon my lousy photography, these actually look pretty nice in person.
From top to bottom:
Carved handle Tibetan Sword. (33 ounces, 32", POB 5")
30" Sirupate. (44 ounces, 30", POB 8")
Bob White Bolo. (25 ounces, 20.5", POB 3.5")
From top to bottom:
Carved horn handle "Monster" Napoleon Sword. (33 ounces, 36.5", POB 5.5")
Antler handle Napoleon Sword. (27 ounces, 36", POB 4.5")
Wood handle Napoleon Sword. (19 ounces, 31", POB 6")
Everest Katana w/ dressy scabbard. (42 ounces, 36.5", POB 5") Hey, if it's going to be spending 99% of the time hanging on a wall, it might as well look good while it's there.
To be completely honest, I like every HI sword that I have. Really. I like some better than others, and all for different reasons, but while I'm kicking the idea of selling a khuk or two around I've never considered selling one of the swords. For that reason, I can't pick a single favorite. I like them all.
Yes, they are real swords. They feature good steel, a good heat treat appropriate to the task at hand, and good to excellent geometry - at least, all of mine do. Aside from the Monster Napoleon, they all feel very good in the hand, particularly the wood handled Napoleon and the Dukti. (The Manjushree is right behind it, but as these two were some of the first and the weight has dropped considerably since then, it's anyone's guess; they ought to be nearly perfect now.) The Tibetan is
excellent but I continually get the feeling that I'm not using it correctly.
I have not gone overboard with beating on mine but I've chopped wood, done flex tests, cut God knows how many soft targets, and in the case of the Napoleons, stabbed them through interior doors. I've dropped trees with the Tarwar. If anything, they're a little overbuilt. And the warranty can't be beat, no?
As far as the edge-on-edge deal, search any forum on the Internet dealing with swords and you will read more opinions, facts, theories, and downright arguing and name calling than you'll find in any other single location.
The short of it is that (usually) it wasn't taught or condoned, but it was sometimes done anyway. Look at it like this: if I've got to trash my edge to stay alive, that's not a bad deal, is it? The boss might get mad but hey, I'm still around to pay for a new one.
Better a boot in the @ss than a sword in the guts, right?