The Gladius AND the Elven King Sword

by Michael
(Indiana, USA)

I bought one of Generation 2's famous Gladii (yeah, I'm actually dorky enough to look up the plural of "gladius") and am VERY satisfied with the blade and balance, but less than impressed with the hilt construction. The wooden handle developed a long crack after less than a month--during which time I had barely used it and kept it stored in a regular, non-humid environment during all that time.

I should add that I bought the gladius from Arms of Valor and had a somewhat poor experience with them. The gladii were back-ordered so I received my gladius a few months AFTER I was told I'd receive it (that is, after already being delayed a couple months). They offered to replace the gladius, but apparently wanted me to pay for the postage to send it back; instead, I accepted a lesser refund for another Generation 2 sword, the Elven King Sword.

The Elven King Sword was also a bit of a disappointment, I'm afraid. It's beautiful but handles like a crowbar. The grip is round instead of oval, and fatter than it needs to be, making the sword pretty awkward to wield. I'm a weight-lifter and still have trouble with it. More like a wall-hanger. The gladius, on the other hand, would be my favorite sword from my collection were it not for the cracked grip.