rschuch
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Sharp blades are good to have, if Shire-folk go walking, east, south, far away into dark and danger.
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Post by rschuch on Jun 25, 2022 19:28:29 GMT
I have some xiphos and Celtic short swords, but nothing technically a "gladius", not that I'm a stickler for historical accuracy, but I find I do like short swords and adding a gladius would make me happy. For a short time anyway! Waiting for a used one is a possibility, especially since most seem to be backordered, but I like leaf shaped better than the simple straight edged blades, so I've kind of narrowed it down to these: www.kultofathena.com/product/legacy-arms-roman-maintz-gladius/www.kultofathena.com/product/centurions-gladius/www.kultofathena.com/product/condor-mainz-gladius/There's a couple Deepeeka I'd consider, but if I'm going to blow $200 might as well spend an extra $50 and get something with a better fit and finish. Anyone familiar with any of these and want to render a comparison or opinion? |
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Jun 25, 2022 20:59:39 GMT
I have the Maintz and the Centurion, both are good short swords but far away from Roman gladii.
I like them as weapons but I'm always tempted to buy a Deepeeka to have a more historical correct looking gladius.
The Maintz has a hand and a half grip an a slight fuller.
The Centurion has hollow metal hilt components and a blackened blade.
The Centurion is light ang agile, the Maintz feels bigger than it is and has a mean blade presence.
The Condor looks wrong to me.
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rschuch
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Sharp blades are good to have, if Shire-folk go walking, east, south, far away into dark and danger.
Posts: 579
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Post by rschuch on Jun 25, 2022 21:27:38 GMT
I have the Maintz and the Centurion, both are good short swords but far away from Roman gladii. I like them as weapons but I'm always tempted to buy a Deepeeka to have a more historical correct looking gladius. The Maintz has a hand and a half grip an a slight fuller. The Centurion has hollow metal hilt components and a blackened blade. The Centurion is light ang agile, the Maintz feels bigger than it is and has a mean blade presence. The Condor looks wrong to me. Thanks man! That helps a lot! Hollow metal hilt doesn't sound promising. I guess it makes it lighter to swing around, but I think I'll go with the LA Maintz if it ever gets reissued. |
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rschuch
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Sharp blades are good to have, if Shire-folk go walking, east, south, far away into dark and danger.
Posts: 579
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Post by rschuch on Jun 25, 2022 21:51:50 GMT
I have the Maintz and the Centurion, both are good short swords but far away from Roman gladii. I like them as weapons but I'm always tempted to buy a Deepeeka to have a more historical correct looking gladius. The Maintz has a hand and a half grip an a slight fuller. The Centurion has hollow metal hilt components and a blackened blade. The Centurion is light ang agile, the Maintz feels bigger than it is and has a mean blade presence. The Condor looks wrong to me. OK, trying to figure this out...are there different versions of the same sword? You said yours has a fuller but the description specifically states its flat and doesn't have a fuller. Also on some pics the pommel and crossguard (such as it is) is black and in some just a slightly darker colored wood. Any ideas? swordsofhonor.com/product/roman-maintz-gladius-sword-by-legacy-arms/atlanticknife.com/products/legacy-arms-maintz-gladius-carbon-steel-sword-023 |
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Jun 25, 2022 21:57:42 GMT
It's a very flat fuller or a real hexagonal cross section, hard to say.
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rschuch
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Sharp blades are good to have, if Shire-folk go walking, east, south, far away into dark and danger.
Posts: 579
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Post by rschuch on Jun 25, 2022 22:27:48 GMT
It's a very flat fuller or a real hexagonal cross section, hard to say. Another question....I found it on sale for $200 but there's no mention of a sharpening service. Do you know if they ship sharp from the factory or do I need to buy it from someone that offers that? |
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Jun 25, 2022 22:31:55 GMT
Mine was (is) sharp as hell from the forge, but I bought it 2012.
LA was not bought by Cas Iberia then, dunno if they changed things.
Cas Iberia swords come sharp usually.
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rschuch
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Sharp blades are good to have, if Shire-folk go walking, east, south, far away into dark and danger.
Posts: 579
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Post by rschuch on Jun 26, 2022 0:04:48 GMT
Yeah, looks like there are several versions of this. There a KoA review on YouTube that had koa wood pommel and a diamond cross section and no nut on the pommel that looks very different from the one on the CAS site with the black pommel and guard and hexagonal blade. And the review on SBG says it's a crappy stitched leather scabbard, but everywhere I look says it's wood core with a leather wrap outer.
I ordered it so i guess thats that I'm getting. The review also says it's a pound heavier than the website says (3 instead of 2) so really curious what shows up my doorstep.
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Jun 26, 2022 5:21:59 GMT
It's heavy compared to a historic gladius. But it's also a relative big short sword. It was my first real sword and when I got it my first thought was: "Dear god, this ought to be a short sword???". It feels rather like a short arming sword (Conan Atlantean's little brother) and it is definitely a cut and thrust sword. And the weight helps cutting while it doesn't feel heavy. I assume you can cut through an arm with it. The complete round grip isn't good for blade alignment so I made it oval with tape.  I think it's a very good tactical home defense sword. I sometimes wish it would have a cutlass-like bowl guard!  The scabbard is hard, functional and ugly. |
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rschuch
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Sharp blades are good to have, if Shire-folk go walking, east, south, far away into dark and danger.
Posts: 579
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Post by rschuch on Jun 26, 2022 10:40:47 GMT
That sounds like what I wanted! I saw the Windlass Centurion review on YouTube and it just looked small and a few others commented on it being very light and toy-like. I wanted a weapon, solid with good blade presence (though not imbalanced of course). My xiphos and Celtics are Devils Edge so they're the 420 steel that warps when you heat treat it, so this be a nice addition with better steel.
As far as edge alignment...just brainstorming. I have access to frets for a guitar. I wonder if a small slot could be put that's aligned with the edge and a fret glued in place?
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rschuch
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Sharp blades are good to have, if Shire-folk go walking, east, south, far away into dark and danger.
Posts: 579
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Post by rschuch on Jul 7, 2022 15:19:05 GMT
Gladius came today. Took about 1/2 hour to unpack it from the plastic and wipe off the grease. The guard and pommel were supposed to be black or a much darker wood, but the figured wood looks nice, so I'm not unhappy, just wish there was more contrast. The blade is super thick and kinda heavy, but it's solid as hell. Fairly sharp, though not shaving and maybe not even paper cutting sharp. But I love the fuller and how it flares out before narrowing to a point. Looks and feels pretty bad ass. Some minor scratches on the blade I can buff out if necessary. I'll probably take an Accusharp to it to touch it up, even though it'll create a secondary bevel, which there isn't much of right now. Not sure if it'll even work because of how quickly the blade thickens at the edge. The scabbard is also solid and heavy. The wood isn't "wood" per se, more like cheap particle board, chewed up and glued and shaped and wrapped with leather. The sword fits tight, a little too tight at the chape and the blade scrapes as it goes in. Its got enough scratches on it, so I'll leave out on a stand for now until I have an opportunity to sand it down. Still, it doesn't rattle and better than anything Windlass ever sent me. |
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Post by paulmuaddib on Jul 7, 2022 15:37:37 GMT
Me likey. Except that scabbard of course. Just bought a tactical type katana off eBay and the saya is particle board wrapped in a kind of plastic wrapped in a kind of rubber. Looks nice but particle board?! Read back through this thread and am not sure which one you ordered. Really like the blade shape and that fuller. I mean really like.
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rschuch
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Sharp blades are good to have, if Shire-folk go walking, east, south, far away into dark and danger.
Posts: 579
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Post by rschuch on Jul 7, 2022 16:24:45 GMT
Me likey. Except that scabbard of course. Just bought a tactical type katana off eBay and the saya is particle board wrapped in a kind of plastic wrapped in a kind of rubber. Looks nice but particle board?! Read back through this thread and am not sure which one you ordered. Really like the blade shape and that fuller. I mean really like. This is the Legacy Arms Maintz gladius. The one pictured on their site had the black accents on the hilt. They said it was the last one they had in inventory, so I guess I can't exchange it for another one. The first one I ordered from another vendor was out of stock, but listed as in stock on their site. Just got my refund today, so I made sure to call first this time. Got a discount on it, too, so it all worked out for the best! For reference, this was the photo on the site I ordered from, which matches the pic on the Legacy Arms site:
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Post by paulmuaddib on Jul 7, 2022 21:22:14 GMT
Thanks for answering. Yeah I like the black accents better but still like yours too. Will look into them.
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