Valient Armory Praetorian Gladius
Jan 7, 2013 15:52:37 GMT
Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Jan 7, 2013 15:52:37 GMT
Hello guys, been a while since ive had the chance to do a review so sorry if i'm a bit rusty Today we'll be reviewing the Valient Armory Praetorian Gladius, I purchased this sword second hand from a fellow forumite.
Heres some basic stats from Kult of Athena
Overall Length: 27 3/4''
Blade: 19 7/8''
Weight: 2 lb 5 oz
Edge: Sharp
P.O.B.: 2 3/4''
Thickness: 5.8 mm - 3.6 mm
Width: 66.4 mm
Grip Length: 3 7/8''
Pommel: Nut
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
WOW! This thing has alot more blade presence and weight than i would have expected, not a bad thing at all, I just always imagined Gladius to be feather weight, over-sized knives.
HANDLING: The Gladius handles very well, the grip is very comfortable, and is long enough that the large pommel doesn't dig into the wrist like viking swords do, i'm glad because that was a worry of mine prior to receiving it. Point control is very good, and the hefty blade presence makes for a nice slashing swing. I had no trouble getting the blade up to speed for a slash, and the sword is very maneuverable with quick recovery.
THE BLADE: The blade has a very nice leaf shape, one of the nicest i've seen on a gladius, and the blade is very stiff yet flexible under stress, i have no doubt that i could ram this thing through a car door if i had to without functionally damaging it. The blade does have a kind of ugly polish though, it appears as if it was polished by a belt sander, but the problem is they went the wrong direction, the grinding marks run perpendicular rather than parallel to the blade, making them very obvious and unappealing to the eye. If id bought the sword solely for display i might have been pissed. Luckily for me i use my swords, and by the time im done with this thing some belt sander marks will be the least of the battle scars :lol: The blade is not all that sharp, i can run my finger up and down the blade without cutting myself, something ill have to remedy, yet something EVERY euro sword ive ever seen has had in common regardless of maker.
THE HANDLE: The handle on this sword, while not entirely historically accurate is very beautiful, The handle is alternating brass and macassar ebony hardwood, and its kind of 2 toned with a mix between light chocolate brown, and dark black ebony. It is very beautifully matched with the Brass rings, and lends to a very nice looking and feeling grip. The guard to blade fit is 100% flawless, there is no gap whatsoever between the blade and the brass plate of the guard, something rarely seen. Everything is locked up good and tight and there is no rattle. I haven't tried disassembling it yet, most likely wont unless i have a problem that needs addressed.
CUTTING: I didn't get the chance to do alot of cutting with it yet, but i blame its performance about 60% bad technique, 40% sempriniesque blunt edge, however in the thrust this sword excels, point control is extremely accurate and this thing penetrates like a lightsaber, no resistance whatsoever.
THE SCABBARD: ehhh Deff the biggest con, the scabbard is just 2 big thick hunks of leather stitched together with a belt loop and some felt in between, nothing fancy, far from historical. It holds the blade securely and you can wear it on a belt. That's really all i can say about it, ill probably make a new one in the future as a summer project.
FINAL THOUGHTS:With a better edge this sword will probably be my choice as a bug out bag/zombie apocalypse sort of weapon, It's compact, practical, no bullsemprini to the point, just like Roman warfare.
PROS:
Very nice overall design
Beautiful leaf shaped blade
Exceptional handling
Good attention to detail
Beautiful hard wood handle
CONS:
Should definitely be sharper
Blatantly ignored grind marks on blade
Not necessarily historically accurate
Scabbard leaves some to be desired
I would recommend this sword to anybody looking for a nice representation of a Gladius who is not necessarily stuck on perfect historical accuracy, and someone who is not afraid to sharpen a sword by them-self. The Pros vastly outweigh the cons on this one for me, and a t a low price of 199.99 brand new it's a gem in the rough.
Heres some basic stats from Kult of Athena
Overall Length: 27 3/4''
Blade: 19 7/8''
Weight: 2 lb 5 oz
Edge: Sharp
P.O.B.: 2 3/4''
Thickness: 5.8 mm - 3.6 mm
Width: 66.4 mm
Grip Length: 3 7/8''
Pommel: Nut
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
WOW! This thing has alot more blade presence and weight than i would have expected, not a bad thing at all, I just always imagined Gladius to be feather weight, over-sized knives.
HANDLING: The Gladius handles very well, the grip is very comfortable, and is long enough that the large pommel doesn't dig into the wrist like viking swords do, i'm glad because that was a worry of mine prior to receiving it. Point control is very good, and the hefty blade presence makes for a nice slashing swing. I had no trouble getting the blade up to speed for a slash, and the sword is very maneuverable with quick recovery.
THE BLADE: The blade has a very nice leaf shape, one of the nicest i've seen on a gladius, and the blade is very stiff yet flexible under stress, i have no doubt that i could ram this thing through a car door if i had to without functionally damaging it. The blade does have a kind of ugly polish though, it appears as if it was polished by a belt sander, but the problem is they went the wrong direction, the grinding marks run perpendicular rather than parallel to the blade, making them very obvious and unappealing to the eye. If id bought the sword solely for display i might have been pissed. Luckily for me i use my swords, and by the time im done with this thing some belt sander marks will be the least of the battle scars :lol: The blade is not all that sharp, i can run my finger up and down the blade without cutting myself, something ill have to remedy, yet something EVERY euro sword ive ever seen has had in common regardless of maker.
THE HANDLE: The handle on this sword, while not entirely historically accurate is very beautiful, The handle is alternating brass and macassar ebony hardwood, and its kind of 2 toned with a mix between light chocolate brown, and dark black ebony. It is very beautifully matched with the Brass rings, and lends to a very nice looking and feeling grip. The guard to blade fit is 100% flawless, there is no gap whatsoever between the blade and the brass plate of the guard, something rarely seen. Everything is locked up good and tight and there is no rattle. I haven't tried disassembling it yet, most likely wont unless i have a problem that needs addressed.
CUTTING: I didn't get the chance to do alot of cutting with it yet, but i blame its performance about 60% bad technique, 40% sempriniesque blunt edge, however in the thrust this sword excels, point control is extremely accurate and this thing penetrates like a lightsaber, no resistance whatsoever.
THE SCABBARD: ehhh Deff the biggest con, the scabbard is just 2 big thick hunks of leather stitched together with a belt loop and some felt in between, nothing fancy, far from historical. It holds the blade securely and you can wear it on a belt. That's really all i can say about it, ill probably make a new one in the future as a summer project.
FINAL THOUGHTS:With a better edge this sword will probably be my choice as a bug out bag/zombie apocalypse sort of weapon, It's compact, practical, no bullsemprini to the point, just like Roman warfare.
PROS:
Very nice overall design
Beautiful leaf shaped blade
Exceptional handling
Good attention to detail
Beautiful hard wood handle
CONS:
Should definitely be sharper
Blatantly ignored grind marks on blade
Not necessarily historically accurate
Scabbard leaves some to be desired
I would recommend this sword to anybody looking for a nice representation of a Gladius who is not necessarily stuck on perfect historical accuracy, and someone who is not afraid to sharpen a sword by them-self. The Pros vastly outweigh the cons on this one for me, and a t a low price of 199.99 brand new it's a gem in the rough.