This toy is great.  It's plastic, shiny, just the right size for little hands.  My son is a pirate for halloween and this goes great with the costume.  He's already running around the house with it.  It's bendy, so he can't stab himself with it.  It's plastic and durable (hasn't broken yet), but isn't so hard that it hurts to get swung at.  Not an educational toy, so low star on that, but otherwise great product.