I purchased 5 katana from 5 separate stores. This one had higher quality and tracking than all the others. The balance was good. The sword stays appropriately in the saya/sheath when turned upside down, and there is no rattle in the saya when you gently shake it.
The sword was able to handle tameshigiri on tatami goza without incident for a 1/4 sized, 1/2 sized, and full-sized roll. Other katana started to chip at the blade, had pulls in the tatami on their cuts, or simply couldn't properly slice.
The only downside is all others came with a bag, and this one did not, but as it is the one that will continue to be used, it is not much of a downside.