APOC Wasteland Gladius Review

The APOC Wasteland Gladius is one of the most popular swords in the series, second perhaps only to their Survival Katana and Longsword. From its wasp waisted blade perfect for deadly thrusts and viscous chopping blows, it is the re-imagining of an ancient design for a world that has collapsed back into the dark ages..

In this hands on review we take a close look at this sword to see if it really is 'Apocalypse ready' (and if it is, whether or not it is worthwhile buying while the lights, and the interwebz, remains on)..

Original Atrim the APOC Wasteland Gladius was based uponThe original Angus Trim design the APOC Wasteland Gladius is based upon

APOC Wasteland Gladius Review

Review by SBG member, Kristie


I bought this sword because the design just grabbed me since before it was even available to purchase. I was also hoping it would fill the missing gladius spot in my collection, although maybe this is really too big to be a true gladius. I’ve had a couple, but the round grip was always a feature I hated and this solves that. Another thing is I do have a Zombie Tools Diphos (bottom sword in pic below), which I really enjoy, and the similarities almost stopped me from getting this one, but once it went on sale for 20% off this past week, I couldn’t resist. I ordered it from the SBG Store and it arrived on my doorstep a day before they even e-mailed me to tell me it had shipped – talk about a nice surprise!

APOC and Zombietools side by sideThe APOC Wasteland Gladius (Top) compared to the Zombietools Diphos (bottom)

Historical Overview

It’s safe to say there’s nothing historical here. Well, maybe the mainz gladius type blade, but that is surely it. This is designed as a tactical type blade. CAS’s catalog describes the sword’s use in situations such as: “plague, natural disaster, mass hysteria, nuclear fallout, zombies, alien invasion or mankind’s inevitable war with A.I.”

APOC GladiusReady for whatever the future may bring..

Full Disclosure

I have no connection with the manufacturer and paid for the sword.

Initial Impressions

It arrived packed in the box-within-a-box method, safe and sound, and covered in lots of “Danger, this is sharp!” warnings. And it looked wicked sharp, but I think part of that is the shiny edge standing out from the blackened blade. Said blade was covered in lots of grease, some of which had turned brown on the sharpened edges, which I hoped was not already rust. Turns out it wasn’t, but when I wiped off the grease after cutting, there was definitely a lot of rust on the rag. However, I don’t find this unusual for this type of coating. My Cold Steel Man at Arms Messer has the exact same thing happen each time I clean and reoil it so I think this is normal for coated blades.

When considering getting this sword, I always was worried it would be too light. Because it’s technically a machete, right? It promised to be heavier, according to the stats, but I wasn’t sure. And it turns out it IS much heavier – it feels like a proper sword. I was surprised by this at first, but yet the more times I pick it up, the lighter and more nimble it feels. You really feel most of the weight in the handle. Just look at the thickness of the bar stock they used when compared with Cold Steel’s kukri machete. So while you may be confused whether to classify it either way, I think it's definitely more or a sword than a machete. 

APOC and Zombietools side by sideSide view of the APOC Wasteland Gladius (top) with the Zombietools Diphos (bottom)

Ordering at the SBG Store was easy. I was got an order confirmation right away and was a little unsure how long shipping and handling would take so I decided just to be patient and see what happened. And as I said above it arrived before I even knew it was on its way!

Statistics

These are from the store, not measured by me:

  • Overall: 33"
  • Blade Length: 21 3/8"
  • Handle Length: 9"
  • Weight: 2 lbs 8 oz
  • Point of Balance: 3"
  • Thickness at Guard: 5.9mm

Monotempered 9260 Spring Steel sharpened blade with black oxide coating. Full tang, triple riveted G10 handle. Light fiberglass scabbard.

Components

APOC Wasteland Gladius Review

The pommel, if you can call it that, has a hole to attach a lanyard. Its edges are crisp, and maybe a little sharp, but not worrying.

The G10 handle is nice and smooth and the scales have that slightly imperfect, hand-finished look. The grip is slightly waisted, and is thick enough to fill your hand for a secure hold. There’s not much texture to feel but there is a slight pattern to be seen. The matte black looks really nice. And at the fore-end is a round depression where the scabbard fits into the guard for a secure fit. 

APOC Wasteland Gladius Review

The guard is much like the pommel – all straight edges and clean-looking. It already has some slight wear from sheathing and unsheathing.

The blade’s central ridge isn’t perfectly straight, but you have to look for the variances. The edges and tip are nearly perfect. But one thing I will mention is that after only one cutting session there is a scuff or two and a scratch in the finish, so I’m not sure how that will hold up.

APOC Wasteland Gladius Review

The scabbard is “black textured fiberglass…fitted to a Molle compatible kydex platform [which] has four slots.” (from the catalog description) I think it’s well-thought-out and looks great, too. The texture reminds me of that of a Hanwei Raptor Katana.

APOC scabbard

Handling Characteristics

Handling this sword is relatively easy. I’m thin and not that muscular but I have no feeling of the sword being unwieldy, in either one hand or two. I think the weight distribution is perfect and the sword feels very solid when moving it around.

Test Cutting

Want to make it razor sharp? The APOC wasteland gladius has a basic factory edge out of the box, but because it is cheap and inexpensive, never has there been a better candidate for accusharp sharpening - a hand held, easy to use sharpening tool we recommend for putting a quick and easy edge on low cost swords and blades..

I decided to test it out with gallon and half-gallon milk jugs, and a few water bottles. It performed pretty well, but not as well as a sword with a better edge. With something sharper, you can let the blade do most of the cutting, but with this, you have to put a little more power and concentration behind your cuts in order to get the results you want. If not, you may only get one cut out of the target and send it sailing off the stand. But with a little more effort, you can get a few clean cuts out of a jug and have it stay in place. The slices in the plastic of the water bottles were more jagged than usual, but the blade still made it through easily. I’m mostly satisfied with the way the blade performs and I think it’ s what I expected. On the other hand, I think those shiny edges make it look sharper than perhaps it is.

Conclusion

I am overall pleased with what I got. I think it’s very well designed and executed. CAS seems to have done Angus Trim’s design justice. There’s really nothing I would improve and I think I may buy some of the other APOC offerings in the future.

PROS

  • Beautiful blade profile
  • Weight and grip design make for great handling
  • All black finish looks amazing

CONS

  • A little Sharper would be better
  • Unsure durability of finish if used in a real apocalypse..

The Bottom Line

I would recommend this sword for the reasonable price, beauty of its features, and practicality of its design.

4 Star Rating

WHERE TO BUY

The entire APOC series is available right HERE at the SBG Sword Store for the lowest price on the internet. While not perfect, they are very affordable for a 9260 spring steel blade and a great base to customize and refine for a DIY project or just keep one ready behind glass in case of Zombie Apocalpse..


I hope this review of the APOC Wasteland Gladius has been helpful. To return to Tactical and Zombie Swords from APOC Wasteland Gladius Review, click here

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