Del Tin Mainz Roman Gladius...opinions

Topic moved to proper section for further discussion.

Del Tin makes a great sword, however, they have seemed to have crept up in price to where they are no longer the value they were. Years ago, Del Tin was the only game in town for a decent sword. Now, there are so many other vendors selling good swords, they don't compete so well.

My suggestion would be to get your hands on a few differnt gladii by a few different makers and feel them in your hand. Next, I'd look at reviews by members who are critical of swords (not reviews where people are like "WOW! This is my first review and this sword is AWESOME because it's my first one!")

Now, different folks feel differently about gladii - and pretty strongly as well. I like the Gen 2 gladii for the money, especially when compared to a Windlass or Hanwei. Others speak highly of the Kriss Cutlery version. However, I also think that a $100 gladius bare blade made by Albion would turn into a nice gladius as well with a minumal investment in some decent wood and some brass sheeting. Stay away from anything Deepeeka, unless you just want to buy one to scrap the fittings.

As for the Del Tin, I just think there are better and less expensive options out there for you.

I'll start off with the problems with the DT:
1. Grip: Mine is a bit loose. Now, it's not coming off (peened construction and all), but it is annoying. It might be tightened up by hammering the peen a bit, though.
2. Grip part 2: Grip is restrictive by modern standards. However, I think the dimensions are historically accurate -- it's not necessarily that the ancients had smaller hands, they just used swords differently than we understand. And although it's restrictive, which can hamper cutting if you have larger hands, it's just dandy for a lethal thrust, which is what gladii do best.
3. Grip part 3: The grip itself has a painted or lacquered finish. This is not historically accurate. Wood is okay, odd finishes are not.
4. Steel Guard Plate: Big steel guard plate sitting on top of the guard. This too is inaccurate (Windlass has this same difficulty). Guard plate should be copper or bronze, and inset in the guard (although I've heard some opine that there is some evidence that on a few gladii, the guard plate was large enough to cover the guard, and wasn't inset. Also, there are a couple gladius guards found that don't have an inset, so a plate could not have been inset. This requires more research.). In any event -- no steel guards have been found.
5. Vestigial ricasso -- it's quite small, and thankfully hard to notice, but if you look close, it's there. It's not the sore thumb that it is on Windlass gladii, at least. This is also inaccurate.
6. Typical Del Tin problem -- it doesn't come edged (due to Italian law). Although KoA can do that for you.

Now, that said, the DT Mainz is very light and pleasurable to wield. The steel DT uses is good, and the temper is fine. If the inaccuracies don't bother you, it's a decent sword, probably better than most in the lower price ranges.