I would like to put in a good word for Raven Studios and to show off my new toy. I enjoy playing around with pell work and I purchased jian and dao wasters from Raven Studios several years ago. I've recently become more interested in Greek and Roman warfare so I contacted Carina about making me a Mainz Gladius waster. I wanted it to be as historically accurate as possible in size and handling characteristics so I used Albion's Mainz Gladius for the specs. The shape of the blade is a bit different, I suspect to get the balance point correct and to reinforce the tip, since the Gladius was primarily a thrusting sword.

The blade length and width at the base match the Albion Mainz Gladius, the PoB is 4" in front of the guard and it weighs 1 lbs, 5 oz (about 1/2 lb lighter than a steel version....not too bad!). My first impression was how massive the sword is! When I think of a Gladius I think of a much smaller sword. Now I would really like to get one in steel!

Overall, I couldn't be more pleased. This thing is solid as a rock and I expect to get many years of use out of it.

Wow indeed looks very cool!

Im wondering, is it possible to make a shamshir or kilij waster? I really need one for safe sparring and most guys dont want me to use a steele one. Does someone know who could make one? What kind of price are we talking about? I have no idea if its duable or what its lifespan would be. Its mainly a slashing weapon. Can someone help me?

I would suggest that you contact Raven Studios and see if they can make what you want. From looking at their website, I'm guessing it wouldn't be a problem. I will say that their wasters are built to last and although they are lighter than steel swords, they still have some mass to them. I have two chinese style wasters with 29" blades and they feel relatively light but my gladius would be a formidable weapon as is. It's quite heavy for it's size and only a few ounces lighter than a steel one.

Their wasters are not cheap but I believe in the saying "you get what you pay for". They are extremely high quality and I believe well worth the money.

http://www.little-raven.com/RS/MA/

Thanx for the website! I ordered a Kilij waster, now ill need to wait. Really looking forward to it only I have no idea how it will go with shipping from the US to the Netherlands. Because its technically a weapon. Has someone done this before?

Regards