Pompei Gladius - Deepeeka

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 Purchased a Pompei Gladius from Reliks as a gift to myself and as an addition to the existing Roman panoply in the armory. Years ago my son had bought a legionary kit and while most of the pieces were historically accurate (in a modern reproduction sense) the gladius was a stainless steel wall hanger.


 I figured it was time to upgrade the kit with an appropriate blade for an enlisted Roman legionary. I opted for the Deepeeka gladius as it fitted the criteria perfectly - a simple but functional sword that was historically accurate. Made of EN45 carbon steel with a full tang diamond cross section, a guard, grip and hilt made of wood and a wood lined leather scabbard with simple bronzed accents. Nothing special but rather a working soldier's blade.


The price was right as well listed at $153.99 CDN. That said the fit and finish is surprisingly good for such a budget gladius. The gladius is straight with some ripples upon the blade which denotes a hand forging. It possesses a point of balance of 4.5 inches from the hilt with a blade length of 19.5 inches. The 4 inch grip with finger wells is comfortable with no movement in the guard or pommel. It is a perfect fit with the hand firmly locked between guard and pommel and not over long as is often seen in modern reproductions. The scabbard is well done with decent stitching upon the leather. Retention is perfect as the sword fits snug even when inverted.





My only issue is on the guard, specifically with the brass plate where the sword tang enters the hilt. I'm happy to see the plate which is historically accurate but the blade slot was roughly done with excessive width and a jagged cut.

 Sidebar - I did select the sharpening service from Reliks as Deepeeka swords are unsharpened but have not done any test cutting with the sword so cannot speak to the heat treatment at this time nor the durability of the construction.



Overall for my intentions a nice display and reenactment piece. This Pompei gladius should complement the legionary panoply nicely.


Update - Decided to stain the hit furniture a dark brown. Big improvement in my opinion.





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