Gladius: Point me in the right direction

Justification should be the last thing we have to do HERE of all places! C'mon, guys! :D:D:D
 
I just started wondering why it had to be a Gladius. Most of the time when suggestions are asked for the end user is asked for criterea, as in what will they be using the knife/tool/sword for. If you take this as justification so be it, but I was just curious as to why the sword has to be a Gladius design when other available products out there can do the same exact things a Gladius can do.
 
Tony8179 said:
I was just curious as to why the sword has to be a Gladius design when other available products out there can do the same exact things a Gladius can do.
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I don't think so. The gladius is a wide thrusting one-handed blade that also doubles as an effective chopper if made right. There are very few swords that are historically similar.
 
res1cue said:
I don't think so. The gladius is a wide thrusting one-handed blade that also doubles as an effective chopper if made right. There are very few swords that are historically similar.
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*ahem* I'll just leave these here. :D

Cinquedea1.jpg


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Sweizerdolch-Baselard-1030_LRG.jpg


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Many of these like the qama, and the spatha have a common lineage.

So I shall clarify in saying that the gladius has a distinctive counterweight system, and depending on the time period we are talking about, have a double recurve that terminates in a tanto-like secondary point

Also I'd like to argue that the post I was responding to specifically referred to products... and as these pictures are from wikipedia, I assume they are not for sale :p
 
Only the first one is from Wikipedia. All the others were for sale. :D

And all of those patterns represent historical one-handed swords or large daggers that excel at the thrust but can cut nicely as well. They are, respectively, an Italian cinquedea, a middle eastern kindjal, a Swiss baselard, and then two African swords. The second one is Tuareg, though I forget who the first was attributed to. So no qama or spatha here!

A lot of bronze swords fall under a similar classification as well. I mainly posted them all as evidence of swords that existed historically that matched the criteria you described.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Only the first one is from Wikipedia. All the others were for sale. :D

And all of those patterns represent historical one-handed swords or large daggers that excel at the thrust but can cut nicely as well. They are, respectively, an Italian cinquedea, a middle eastern kindjal, a Swiss baselard, and then two African swords. The second one is Tuareg, though I forget who the first was attributed to. So no qama or spatha here!

A lot of bronze swords fall under a similar classification as well. I mainly posted them all as evidence of swords that existed historically that matched the criteria you described.
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You obviously know more about swords than I do, so I shall gracefully bow out at this point :p

But I would contend that none of them should chop as well as the gladius, except for the spatha-looking one. This is not from personal experience, but from my experience in blade geometry
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Only the first one is from Wikipedia. All the others were for sale. :D

And all of those patterns represent historical one-handed swords or large daggers that excel at the thrust but can cut nicely as well. They are, respectively, an Italian cinquedea, a middle eastern kindjal, a Swiss baselard, and then two African swords. The second one is Tuareg, though I forget who the first was attributed to. So no qama or spatha here!

A lot of bronze swords fall under a similar classification as well. I mainly posted them all as evidence of swords that existed historically that matched the criteria you described.
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It's a given I know nothing about nothing, but i thought ancient sword strength made hacking next to impossible and they were all primarily thrusting weapons?
 
BePrepared said:
Is there one out there under $100 that isn't thin cheap crap?
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OK.

BePrepared said:
Now you're just being silly.......................................................................................................................I don't give a flip about...............I care about function
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BePrepared said:
lol... i was wondering if that question would come up.........................I want a gladius, because i don't HAVE a gladius. I have katanas, i have a 5160 Wakizashi, i have a couple of really good 12-14" choppers, i have tomahawks... but no gladius

so I want one ;)
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Great. In your quest for all the other blades in your possession, did you need this much help shopping? Cost is your primary factor, and function is the most important thing to you . Surly you get that the two are in fact on opposite ends of the market.

Maybe you meant to inquire about the "best bang for your buck Gladius?"
 
I guess these African swords come from the Baule tribe.
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Congolese sword (grip missing)
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Sword of the Tetela people
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Broad, short cut-and-thrust blades are pretty common in Africa as a whole--one would almost thing that the infamous Smatchet had its birth there given pieces like this one!
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Regarding ancient sword strength, cutting was very possible even during the bronze age. Naturally the now very popular khopesh-styled blades would make quite poor thrusting weapons!
Middle_Bronze_Age_Canaanite_sickle_sword.jpg

Some European bronze cutting swords:
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Rorby_bronze_age_sword,_Nationalmuseet_Copenhagen.jpg
 
ron_m80 said:
OK.





Great. In your quest for all the other blades in your possession, did you need this much help shopping? Cost is your primary factor, and function is the most important thing to you . Surly you get that the two are in fact on opposite ends of the market.

Maybe you meant to inquire about the "best bang for your buck Gladius?"
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Nope, i meant under $100... It looks like there are a few options that'll do what i have in mind under 50, so i don't see ANY reason why i'd consider going over 100

If i was going to be using it in combat on a daily basis, i'd get a Busse, but since i'm not, i think the Windlass will work
 
res1cue said:
I don't think so. The gladius is a wide thrusting one-handed blade that also doubles as an effective chopper if made right. There are very few swords that are historically similar.
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So you want a chopper in the shape of a Gladius? I thought you wanted a combat sword?
 
About the original topic of this thread: the man wants a gladius-like sword: let him have it. For what is worth: I have both a Gen 2 Mainz gladius and the CS Gladius machete. Both can be used as chopping tools, provided you don´t want to cut down a big tree. Both come rather dull from the factory and both can take a very sharp edge, specially the Mainz gladius. With regard to the gladius being only a stabbing weapon, I think that this was more related to the military tactics of the roman manipular legions that to the designs of the sword itsel. Remember that the gladiators used it both as a stabbing AND slashing weapon (and no, I don´t mean the Spartacus movies). Just my 0.02
 
Alvaro Candanedo said:
About the original topic of this thread: the man wants a gladius-like sword: let him have it. For what is worth: I have both a Gen 2 Mainz gladius and the CS Gladius machete. Both can be used as chopping tools, provided you don´t want to cut down a big tree. Both come rather dull from the factory and both can take a very sharp edge, specially the Mainz gladius. With regard to the gladius being only a stabbing weapon, I think that this was more related to the military tactics of the roman manipular legions that to the designs of the sword itsel. Remember that the gladiators used it both as a stabbing AND slashing weapon (and no, I don´t mean the Spartacus movies). Just my 0.02
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The CS Gladius machete is a tough sword/machete.
That thing won't break easily.I would say that a Roman legionair would be having no problem using it.

Or else a gladiator ,yes.The gladiators were also using a Gladius as they used also several other types of swords daggers and spears.And these guys were agile(think Spartacus ).Former legionairs turning into gladiators tend to choose the weaponry they were familiar with.The Gladius.

The Gladius was used for stabbing first place.But make no mistake.They used it for hacking into ankles/achiles of opponents who were large or well protected/armoured also.As all roads are leading to Rome so are there many was to kill an opponent.

Stabbing is a fast(fastest deadly wound) way to connect with your opponent.
They tend to push with the large shield,get the other off balance, and then follow up with a stab into the stomach.

The Busse Gladius..
I don't know.But there isn't much "Gladius"about that design I think.
It has double edges.But so have many other swords and large daggers.

The CS Gladius is good.
It has a light weight ,good balance.And very sharp tip.
And when doing a little sharping of the edges this thing can get razor sharp.
 
Alvaro Candanedo said:
What are the requirements to move to Maine? It's the same for guns?;)
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The requirements to move to Maine consist of being able to tolerate wildly vacillating weather, dead cold winters, and tourists who think they own the place. Other than that, it's a pretty darn easy place to live! The state catchphrase is "the way life should be" for good reason. :D And yeah firearms are similarly very easy to obtain and carry so long as you're tactful. :):thumbup:
 
RemyKaze said:
I call them wallhangers not based on functionality, but rather the fact that they're gonna be stuck in the general vicinity of your house. It's illegal to carry a sword in public, or even in your car. If you get pulled over, you can be called into account for that thing, thus it would probably be sitting in your trunk.
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You are working on the assumption that you know what your talking about, which you don't. It is legal in some places to carry a sword. California for example.
 
I'm not sure about the double edged knives in California. But yes, you can open carry a sword or any fixed blade knife in California. Assuming that City or County laws don't forbid it. (the state has no anti knife laws)
 
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