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Alain D.





Joined: 04 Jan 2009
Reading list: 5 books

Posts: 82

PostPosted: Sun 13 Sep, 2009 10:35 pm    Post subject: Roman Kits         Reply with quote

Are there any good sources for quality Roman arms and armor (besides Albion gladii)? I've seen Deepeeka products mentioned, but I've also heard they have poor quality control and questionable historical accuracy. Is a $130 - $200 Deepeeka helmet really a quality piece?
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Chuck Russell




Location: WV
Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Reading list: 46 books

Posts: 936

PostPosted: Mon 14 Sep, 2009 3:12 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

the new deepeekas are as good as it gets unless you want to spend 400+ in the custom made section. Yes some have flaws etc but that is to be expected etc. The best place I've seen is Kult of Athena or soul of the warrior that sells these helms. i once got one from KOA that did not look like the photo, they promptly returned the piece and replaced my money
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Christian P.




Location: Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Joined: 20 Nov 2006
Reading list: 7 books

Posts: 6

PostPosted: Mon 14 Sep, 2009 6:15 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

there are many:

Mark Morrow for blades or complete gladius, also for pugio, shield boss, etc.

Matt Lukes for almost anything from armor to pillum.

Helmets are expensive if you go custom. Personally I'm waiting for new stuff from DSC. For the price, Deepeka is hard to beat but quality control is an issue.
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Alain D.





Joined: 04 Jan 2009
Reading list: 5 books

Posts: 82

PostPosted: Mon 14 Sep, 2009 6:37 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

What about a historically accurate pilum? How do the Deepeeka or Hanwei models compare with others?
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Matthew Amt




Location: Laurel, MD, USA
Joined: 17 Sep 2003

Posts: 1,456

PostPosted: Mon 14 Sep, 2009 7:29 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I'd have to take another look up-close at the current Deepeeka pila to give a good assessment, but I'd be careful. Their old ones were huge battering rams! The new ones are certainly an improvement, but... Custom work is probably your best bet. I wouldn't touch anything "Roman" from Hanwei, I'm afraid. DSC (Daniyal Steelcrafts) has impressed the heck out of me with several of their recent items, but I don't know if they make a pilum or not.

Also be aware that even Deepeeka still offers an enormous amount of junk! Stick to helmets with "N" at the end of the catalog number--those have been revised with close supervision from People Who Really Know. Yeah, there are still problems now and then, they aren't necessarily perfect, but you can easily spend a thousand bucks on a custom-made helmet that is a lot less accurate! It all depends on how much the armorer knows, or *thinks* he knows. I really like Deepeeka's Gallic F helmet, one of their best in my opinion. But several others are just fine, as well.

The Roman Army Talk board actually has a Deepeeka subsection in their Marketplace area,

http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/

My own humble site might help, too,

http://www.larp.com/legioxx/

Yell for more advice if you need it!

Matthew
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Emmet J. McGauran




Location: North West UK
Joined: 14 Jan 2008

Posts: 35

PostPosted: Mon 14 Sep, 2009 1:48 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Do Deepeeka still only make blunt gladii?

I've been after a good sharpened gladius for ages now, but the only thing that seems to suit what I want (and be reasonably available in the UK) is an Albion, and I can't afford any more of their range right now.
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Alain D.





Joined: 04 Jan 2009
Reading list: 5 books

Posts: 82

PostPosted: Mon 14 Sep, 2009 6:21 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Wow, thanks Matthew, that's really helpful. In your opinion, does Deepeeka make quality Roman weapons or Lorica Segmentata for the price? Is there anything else (gladii or armor) $350 or less that would be better? I'm really not looking for top of the line, necessarily, just something basic and as historically accurate as possible for the price range.

Thanks

-Alain
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Matthew Amt




Location: Laurel, MD, USA
Joined: 17 Sep 2003

Posts: 1,456

PostPosted: Tue 15 Sep, 2009 7:07 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I'd say that Deepeeka's Pompeii gladius is the best off-the-shelf gladius available (not counting Albion!). Their Mainz looks great, but the scabbard came out huge, for some reason. Their lorica is about the best you'll find for that money, the biggest problem being that it only comes in one size. Always order from a vendor with a good return policy, and don't bother ordering if the item you want is not in stock. And really be careful of places that do not clearly identify the manufacturer, since they may be selling things which look like Deepeeka products but are spinoffs by another company--those will always have more inaccuracies.

Emmet, as far as I know Deepeeka's regular swords are blunt, though I don't know about their "Damascus" blades. It shouldn't be too hard to sharpen them up, though, they aren't all THAT blunt! But you might ask David Hare about sharp blades, he's done a few gorgeous gladii for my troops. He's listed on my Suppliers page,

http://www.larp.com/legioxx/supplrs.html

Valete!

Matthew
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Emmet J. McGauran




Location: North West UK
Joined: 14 Jan 2008

Posts: 35

PostPosted: Tue 15 Sep, 2009 1:25 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks for that Matthew.

This may be a silly question given that his address is 'Pompeiiswords' (and I should probably just email and ask him myself) but do you know if he makes Mainz or Fulham type gladii as well as Pompeii?
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Matthew Amt




Location: Laurel, MD, USA
Joined: 17 Sep 2003

Posts: 1,456

PostPosted: Wed 16 Sep, 2009 9:29 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

You're welcome! I have a vague recollection of seeing a photo of a Mainz or Fullham that David Hare made, but I may be thinking of someone else. Best to ask him! And let us know, please!

Vale,

Matthew
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Philip Melhop




Location: Wokingham, Berkshire, UK
Joined: 24 May 2008

Posts: 132

PostPosted: Sat 19 Sep, 2009 9:15 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hi Matthew
i'm an occasional roman re-enactor and general sword fan, many thanks for your excellent website it answers roman related questions I hadn't even thought of Eek!
Anyhow, in a fit of financial extravagance I purchased an Albion Mainz pattern gladius. Cool I'm very pleased with it but would like a critique of the weapon from a well informed source, namely you Big Grin
I did search extensively before buying and could only find positive comments. Shame there isn't a decent pugio to go with it
Thanks
Phil
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Matthew Amt




Location: Laurel, MD, USA
Joined: 17 Sep 2003

Posts: 1,456

PostPosted: Sat 19 Sep, 2009 10:25 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Philip Melhop wrote:
Hi Matthew
i'm an occasional roman re-enactor and general sword fan, many thanks for your excellent website it answers roman related questions I hadn't even thought of


You're very welcome! It helped when I figured out that if I got the same question several times, I should just flesh out that part of the site with the answer. Cuts down my email pile right off the bat.

Quote:
Anyhow, in a fit of financial extravagance I purchased an Albion Mainz pattern gladius. Cool I'm very pleased with it but would like a critique of the weapon from a well informed source, namely you Big Grin
I did search extensively before buying and could only find positive comments.


Well, if you're looking for negative comments, there really aren't many! I have said that Albion's swords are generally *too* good, much better made and more perfectly finished than most originals (which tend to be lopsided, crooked, and generally cranked-out junk!). But there were certainly a few outstanding pieces, so I would not call Albion's swords "wrong", by any stretch! If I got one in my hands, I might nitpick about how I'd do the hilt differently, or something, but a lot of that is subjective. Oh! Bone grips, for instance--bone was by far the most common material for grips, but wood is known and I fully understand why Albion went that route. No objections. I have their Fulham, and it's gorgeous. It stays on my wall because it's sharp and I don't have a scabbard for it!

Quote:
Shame there isn't a decent pugio to go with it


Oh, no kidding! I still yearn for a decent pugio that doesn't cost a thousand bucks. A couple of the Indian-made ones are usable, but they just don't light me up, shall we say. And I really hate making pugio scabbards...

Vale,

Matthew
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Philip Melhop




Location: Wokingham, Berkshire, UK
Joined: 24 May 2008

Posts: 132

PostPosted: Sun 20 Sep, 2009 3:20 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hi Matthew
many thanks for that, my gladius is off to Tod for a scabbard, the cardboard sheath just doesn't do it justice Big Grin When I can accumulate some more "free" cash the Fulham gladius will be coming home too.
Thanks
Phil
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