Are there any REAL gladius(es?) on the market?

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Squashfan

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Jun 6, 2012
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I happen to really like the shape of a gladius or Roman short sword. But finding a real gladius is really hard. I know Cold Steel and Condor both make machete "versions" but I would like something closer to the real thing. Does such a thing actually exist? I ain't worried about budget until I know what is out there. I may find that I can't afford the ones I like. :p
 
I don't know if you can go any more authentic in terms of modern day makers than Patrick Barta, at least by the reputation i've heard, but those will cost you a pretty penny. Companies like Windlass and Del Tin might fit the bill in a more reasonable budget.

Valiant Armory's Actium might also be worth checking out.
 
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As mentioned Barta does amazing work, but with a multiyear wait list and prices ever increasing he is out of reach of most people. For the best production gladii in the business there's really only one place to go and that's Albion Armorers:

http://albion-swords.com/

tiberius-1.jpg
 
Well, those certainly fit the bill buuut not the price. Thanks for the suggestions though! There are some good budget options made by Windlass that I am looking into. One of which is the Cobra Steel Kindjal. I know, I know. A kindjal is not the same as a gladius but it sure looks like a gladius. There is another unique sword style that is full tang and also bears a resemblance to a gladius called a Lakonia. Still, thanks for putting me on the scent!
 
Squashfan said:
Well, those certainly fit the bill buuut not the price. Thanks for the suggestions though! There are some good budget options made by Windlass that I am looking into. One of which is the Cobra Steel Kindjal. I know, I know. A kindjal is not the same as a gladius but it sure looks like a gladius. There is another unique sword style that is full tang and also bears a resemblance to a gladius called a Lakonia. Still, thanks for putting me on the scent!
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A lot of your purchase decision depends upon you. How into gladii are you? If a kinjal is a suitable substitute then it would appear that you aren't a hard core gladii guy. Nothing wrong with that. In that case the kinjal or the MRL items are great. If you were a pretty serious reenactor or what have you then the MRL items or the kinjal might well be unacceptable and it would be worth putting off the purchase until you could afford the Albion swords.

Understand, the offerings from Albion are pricey no doubt about it. I will say that with swords as with most things you do get what you pay for. The MRL offerings are good for their price point, but don't expect them to be the same as the Albion items they aren't. On the other hand most of us mere mortals also have to eat and pay the rent.
 
Under a grand for a custom gladius doesn't seem that bad IMHO, not to mention the low number of swords produced in each style. It takes skill to grind a double edge waisted (or straight) blade... Plus, the weight of these seems a lot more legit as they're just over a pound.
 
Czechmate said:
Under a grand for a custom gladius doesn't seem that bad IMHO, not to mention the low number of swords produced in each style. It takes skill to grind a double edge waisted (or straight) blade... Plus, the weight of these seems a lot more legit as they're just over a pound.
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Agreed, is there a good maker doing custom gladii for under a grand?
 
The Deepeeka are true to form and actually accepted well in serious re-enactment. The blades do not have distal taper and the tangs not as strong as they might be but as far as looks, overall very good. Some Albion buyers then buy a Deepeeka for the scabbard.

Other examples are from Legacy Arms and Darksword.

When I first met John Lundemo (2001ish), he was selling a basic gladius from about $400 and up. Odin Blades had worked with Longship and there had been stuff at the Albion range. Unfortunately, there is no Albion Squire Line gladius.

KOA had/has a spatha on blowout.

Cheers

GC
 
horseclover said:
The Deepeeka are true to form and actually accepted well in serious re-enactment.
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I know that some of the Legio XX guys do use them but... Darn, turns out I'm a sword snob!

horseclover said:
The blades do not have distal taper and the tangs not as strong as they might be but as far as looks, overall very good. Some Albion buyers then buy a Deepeeka for the scabbard.
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Grumble... :)
 
Triton said:
A lot of your purchase decision depends upon you. How into gladii are you? If a kinjal is a suitable substitute then it would appear that you aren't a hard core gladii guy. Nothing wrong with that. In that case the kinjal or the MRL items are great. If you were a pretty serious reenactor or what have you then the MRL items or the kinjal might well be unacceptable and it would be worth putting off the purchase until you could afford the Albion swords.

Understand, the offerings from Albion are pricey no doubt about it. I will say that with swords as with most things you do get what you pay for. The MRL offerings are good for their price point, but don't expect them to be the same as the Albion items they aren't. On the other hand most of us mere mortals also have to eat and pay the rent.
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Oh, if I had a spare grand I would get an Albion... But like you say, we mortals have to eat.

I guess that I mistitled the thread, I should have asked for a funtional gladius or gladius like sword. I have several machetes but I would like to get a real sword. I value utility over form, which is why the Windlass offering caught my eye. The Windlass Qama also looks nice. The way I look at it is if a sword can't be used for fear of breaking, it isn't much of a sword. But a sword is not a machete either and should be treated with some care.
 
Czechmate said:
John Gage also makes some modern versions of the gladius & pugio... :thumbup:
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Yep, and I like John's stuff but it isn't really what I would consider a "REAL" gladius more like gladius inspired I guess...
 
Squashfan said:
Oh, if I had a spare grand I would get an Albion... But like you say, we mortals have to eat.

I guess that I mistitled the thread, I should have asked for a funtional gladius or gladius like sword. I have several machetes but I would like to get a real sword. I value utility over form, which is why the Windlass offering caught my eye. The Windlass Qama also looks nice. The way I look at it is if a sword can't be used for fear of breaking, it isn't much of a sword. But a sword is not a machete either and should be treated with some care.
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No worries, we've got a better idea where you are coming from now. I'd say go with the MRL items they should do a good job meeting your needs. (Or the Gage pieces are fun too) Sorry, I'm more into the history and collecting end of things myself and am obviously biased that way.
 
Squashfan said:
Oh, if I had a spare grand I would get an Albion... But like you say, we mortals have to eat.

I guess that I mistitled the thread, I should have asked for a funtional gladius or gladius like sword. I have several machetes but I would like to get a real sword. I value utility over form, which is why the Windlass offering caught my eye. The Windlass Qama also looks nice. The way I look at it is if a sword can't be used for fear of breaking, it isn't much of a sword. But a sword is not a machete either and should be treated with some care.
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I have a Windlass Quama, personally i like it, but u better have small hands, the handle could have been bigger...
 
Traditional Filipino Weapons makes a gladius that looks quite nice. I do not own any of their products, but I have heard good things about them.
 
Rostislav said:
Traditional Filipino Weapons makes a gladius that looks quite nice. I do not own any of their products, but I have heard good things about them.
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If I was going to spend a pretty penny, I would get the TFW Gladius. But I think I could settle for either the Qama, Kindjal or Lakonia. My favorite for looks is the Qama. I don't know about the grip though. I am a 5'9" guy and I feel like I have medium size hands for my build. Would someone be so kind as to post a pic of the Qama's grip over a ruler or measuring tape?
 
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