Roman Gladius Sword

This sword is a thing of beauty, especially for the price. The sword itself is beautiful and well built. The scabbard is as beautiful as the sword. The scabbard is plastic, but looks like polished walnut. All the intricate metal work is very well done. This was a very good purchase, well worth the price, and it will be a welcome addition to my collection.

I purchased this as a ren fair gift for a friend in 2013. Back then, I purchased it for $37.86 which was frankly an absolutely amazing price, and well worth the quality. Now in 2023 it looks like it's about $20 more. Based on inflation alone, I would have expected only a $10 increase, through since I considered it worth the price back then, it might still be worth the price now.The blade itself is fantastic for recreation and prop value - I wouldn't say it's a functional sword, but I'm not an expert on sword quality in the first place. I also can't say how "historically accurate" it may or may not be, but it looks cool enough and feels solid enough to me!The worst part, which has been mentioned in other reviews, is definitely the scabbard, which was cheap hard plastic. I was forewarned and expected it, so I wasn't that disappointed. If you can, I'd replace it with something else. Overall, I can't complain too much about the scabbard since the blade makes up for it.Overall, the gift went over well and my friend still takes it to the ren fair every now and then to this day!

First, if you're looking for a "battle ready" sword, then this is not it. I would never dare take this into a sword fight. But then again, why would I get into a sword fight? I live in the 21st century. But if you've watched the TV show "Rome" or the movie "Gladiator" a little too much and you want a sword that will cut through stuff...then look elsewhere.However, if you're looking for a very beautiful gladius, then this is it. One of the previous reviews said the "wood" color was not as pictured. Mine is...it looks exactly like the picture. Also, the eagle that is at the bottom of the handle is gold on mine; which is pretty cool.Like I said, this is not a "battle ready" sword...but it is good. The thing is not heavy at all; it MAYBE weighs about 2.5 lbs. So, that is pretty realistic and its pretty well balanced. Anyway, for what it is, it is pretty darn cool.

I ordered this sword anticipating a basic, run-of-the-mill mass produced piece of steel. When I got it, it was more weighty than I thought it would be, but at the same time, it is everything you ordered.The wood grain is deceptive when not under scrutiny, so don't believe that it will stand up when asked about being authentic. The metal caps and etchings are wonderfully worked and you can see both a detailed eagle and she-wolf on the reverse sides of the upper grip. The handle itself is *slightly* small, but unless someone has large hands it wouldn't be a problem.The blade itself is not sharp, but I wasn't expecting it to be. It has the brand name on it, in small lettering. It also has the steel type and "Handcrafted in China". I guess that's a small step up from just "Made in China"...The only irk someone could find is that the etching (albeit very nice) is closer to Celtic knots and designs than anything Roman. It's not a big issue since it is hard to see unless in the light. (Also, I'm of Celtic descent, so it's actually a strange plus for me.)

I received the sword and scabbard today to go along with a Halloween costume. I also purchased a belt through Amazon for it. The only problem is the chain attached to the scabbard. It is cheaply made and wont support the weight of the sword. It has broken in 3 different places and each time I attempted to repair it another link broke. I have contacted the seller and am waiting for a reply. I expect that I will have to go to Lowes to get a better quality chain that won't brake each time I try to attach it to the sword belt. Other than that it is a very nice product.

The ads image looks attractive, the actual produce however looks very lousy and is very heavy and unbalanced. So you cannot really play with it or even have it for display. I have returned it.

Great display sword, intricate designs and the scabbard is really nice and even has holes in each of the metal parts that I used to hang the piece on the wall. The durability of it is nice for a display piece, it seems somewhat solid. I wouldn't ride into battle with it but if someone busts down my door and I am close to this sword, I wouldn't have any objections to wielding it.Might be worth noting that it did not come sharpened and my scabbard tint came slightly darker than the picture, which is actually to my preference.

This sword was gotten for me by my wife as a Christmas present. Though the colors of the hilt and scabbard are way off, being that in the picture they are a deep maroon and in person they are bright orange, otherwise this blade for the price was well beyond what I imagined it being. It is a beautiful piece and actually decently sharp as well as authentically heavy. It's not perfect, but as a wall piece or just a practice sword it's perfect. With 25 years of martial arts and weapons experience I know that typically you get what you pay for and for a 40-50 dollar sword I've seen much worse. If you are looking for an authentic sword and are willing to spend the money for it check the reviews on sword-buyers-guide.com. But if you are looking for a great looking cheap Roman sword, look no further, you will definitely get your moneys worth with this one. Plus as far as historical swords go, this one would beat out the mass produced Roman Gladius of the BC era in metal quality and overall production value. For functionality or the hard pressed sword critic, you get a lot more than what you pay for with this one.