For designs I grew to like, I must say the cross-guard sabre seemed dangerously impractical at first, but I grew to enjoy it more after they actually made use of the fact that it can hurt, and that people who actually study longsword pointed out that with proper technique, the odds of hitting yourself with the crossguard is practically nill.
And in no time the biggest threat to mankind disappeared and was never spoken of again. Seriously, do you guys remember how big of a deal some people made of this way back when?