So, bought one of the mini Anduril daggers off eBay and it arrived today. This is a short review because there is not much to say about it...





Its 13" long and has flats on the edge (not sharpened at all). Fun little toy, but has a couple of issues.

1. Grip is too short for my size small hands. The pointy bits of the pommel and to a lesser extent the tips of the guard dig into the hand. Modifications will be made...

2. The scabbard does not have a loop or any way to attach it to a belt.

3. Blade does not center in the scabbard


Its a cheap, midsized Anduril (between the letter openers and the full sized swords). Makes an impressive letter opener...

Box art also shows a mini Strider dagger and it might fit regular sized hands better.

Tim

Curious, never seen these things before. Are they licensed?

[quote=""Valkrist""]Curious, never seen these things before. Are they licensed? [/quote]


Licensed? LOL! Of course not.

Why the bloody hell would you buy this vile thing? This is a disgrace!

Goofy looking toad-sticker......and even the toad would laugh at it.

So was the box (if there was a box) printed in paki or in chinese?

[quote=""Darlak""]Why the bloody hell would you buy this vile thing? This is a disgrace![/quote]


Because the Witchking's Dagger is too clumsy to use as a letter opener?

Well the wk dagger is practically a short sword.

But that really doesn't give you an excuse to buy a ridiculously horrible paki knock-off. I mean, buying paki knock-off REPLICA is bad enough, but thi isn't even a replica, it's nastyness given form. Why didn't you buy one of the mini swords if you wanted a lotr letter opener?

[quote=""Deimos""]Goofy looking toad-sticker......and even the toad would laugh at it.

So was the box (if there was a box) printed in paki or in chinese?[/quote]


Box is in the first photo. The piece is from China.

[quote=""Darlak""]Well the wk dagger is practically a short sword.

But that really doesn't give you an excuse to buy a ridiculously horrible paki knock-off. I mean, buying paki knock-off REPLICA is bad enough, but thi isn't even a replica, it's nastyness given form. Why didn't you buy one of the mini swords if you wanted a lotr letter opener?[/quote]


Mini swords are not that easy to find and I was curious...

Tim

This isn't a ripoff, Darlak- just a poorly made "inspired by" dagger. A ripoff would be like the other example you mentioned, a full-sized counterfeit unlicensed Anduril.

Sure, it's awful in quality, but how on earth is that a reason to tell timdp that he has no "excuse" to buy it?

Depending on one's purposes in the first place, there might be every excuse to buy it. Could be for a prop or as tim said, to work on it and improve it.

I didn't say that he shouldn't have bought it, only that it was goofy looking. ....and it's still a good toadsticker, imo.

I agree with Jamanticus. I asked opinions here when I was purchasing, and they were well given regarding a purchase of a UC product versus the rip-off ones. It proved to be the right choice, however, in your case no such item existed. So there's no reason to deride a forum member over a purchase like this, no matter how much it might be a something you yourself might not like. As the old saying goes, "If you can't say anything nice..."

Thanks for posting, Tim.

Cheers,

Guy

I'll fill that out for you Legion

"If you can't say anything nice...say something else instead."

See, this is a forum, and if someone can't accept others' opinions, that someone shouldn't be on a forum. A forum is all about discussion, and how does one discuss without opinions?



And yes Jamanticus, this isn't a fully fledged knock-off, it's way worse.



Anyways, by buying this... thing, you're supporting the ones that are making this crap. If you ask me we already have enough "fantasy daggers" with poorly designed skulls and what not.

Darlak,

I knew the rest, I was just not stating it. It is indeed a forum, but I don't feel that just because it's on the internet all decorum should go out the window. Your comments were berating to Tim, to a harsh extent. Yes, he bought that, but that was his choice. I don't think he was looking to be chastised and told there was "no excuse" to buy it. It's his money, not yours.

It's your opinion, yes, but please keep things civil and keep the emotional opinions out of it, especially if they come across as personal slights. He bought it, and was looking for comments, not approval.

With all the products out there, especially through the RPF, and considering how many personal replicas are out there, I don't feel this is a slight to Weta or anyone else. If Weta produced it, and he bought a Paki knock-off, that's different.

I might have bought a Paki rip-off sword if I had not come onto this forum and inquired and discussed it with the members. If I was Tim, and you had come across to me like that, I'd probably have left this forum and never come back. E xp ressing whatever is on your mind may be your prerogative, but there's no excuse to speak to another forum member that way.

Cheers,

Guy

Umm, what? You're acting as if I made a thread dedicated to nothing but talking trash about timdp...

Allright then. I did in no way attack his person, or, attack anything else for that matter. I e xp ressed my opinion, in a more or less civil manner. There are no "emotional opinions" btw, at least not from my side.

I'm not trying disapprove of anything, he could buy a pink tricycle with flowers on for his collection if he wanted to, but if he posted it here, I'd e xp ress my opinion. Again, this is a forum, a place where you are supposed to e xp ress opinions. If you post something, and can't handle when people's opinions does not match yours, then you shouldn't be on a forum.

If you would have left yourself Legion, if I said these things to you, then honestly, I feel very sorry for you.

I admit that I was somewhat rude in the first post, but then again, buying this horrible thing and posting it here for all to see is more so if you ask me.

If I have to step into this, I will. It is my job after all.

Both parties in this argument are right: this is a forum for discussion, and yes, opinions will often differ and that is no reason for them not to be e xp ressed. However, do be somewhat mindful of your words and how you say them.

I think it is clear that Tim didn't think he was buying a work of art. The fact that he laughed while telling me that they are not licensed products tells me how serious he is about what he bought. Keeping that in mind, there's no need to ridicule or belittle someone for their choice. I never would have bought those myself, but I can e xp ress my distaste for the product without going after the person.

Lastly, if this is a forum for people to freely e xp ress their opinions about collectibles, then it is also a forum for people to freely post pictures of whatever they bought. Unlike what you imply, Darlak, there is nothing rude about that. It's his right, as much as it is yours to vomit all you want because of what he bought. Make sense?

Hey guys, its not worth getting worked up over a sub $20 (shipped) item. I posted it so other people could see it and make a decision on whether they were interesting it it or not.

Darlack's comment was a bit rude, but I don't really care. I'm also assuming that English is his second language and I will cut a lot of slack for that. His English is a lot better than my German, much less Norwegian.


Darlak, on most forums your post would be considered a personal attack since it is directed directly at me, not the piece. The second sentence is ambiguous; could be aimed at the sword (sword is a disgrace) or me (my buying the sword is a disgrace), there is no way to tell from the sentence. If its aimed at me then its a personal attack which are generally not allowed on polite forums. But as I said, the comment does not bother me...

Thus endeth our English language/net etiquette lesson for the day

[quote=""Darlak""]Why the bloody hell would you buy this vile thing? This is a disgrace![/quote]




I'm more interested in the knives than I am in the large swords. I'm 5'-5" (165 cm), so the idea of me carrying or swinging a 48" sword is quite absurd. In the house or in other close quarters, the short sword would work far better for me and and probably most other people.

I'm intrigued by the 22" Arwen knife and the 22" Witchking sword/dagger thing. Was looking at the HSE, but was not impressed with the four piece metal grip after seeing Thranduil's deconstruction, so might get one of the fakes on the theory that the grip could not be any worse...

Tim

Edit: Valkrist, had not seen your post when I posted this...


PS Just won UC Ringwraith and Witchking mini swords on ebay for $22 shipped. Wheeeeee....

I'm 100% with Darlak here.

I sincerely have no problem if someone is buying crap for themselves, or has
limited (or zero) artistic taste, or has extra $20 to waste. We're all different,
and it would be horrible if we weren't.

But Paki knock-offs just like these destroyed -- and are still destroying --
legally-established companies (UC 2006 anyone?) on daily basis. One dollar or
twenty dollars -- or a million -- it's a direct encouragement for these thieves,
and a direct damage that ultimately leaves people without jobs and serious
fans without small things in life like Guthwine.

Thumb down.

Glad to see some light shed on the bigger picture, ed.

I too, see both sides of the discussion here, but many people on these forums, not just in this thread have berated numerous particular issues with United Cutlery's LOTR replicas, whether it be aesthetics such as colors of LFK handles, gold inlay in the runes of LE Anduril, the making of the LE and UL anduril or construction issues, such as tangs, pommels coming off, grip materials, etc. So just because something is licensed doesnt make it without faults and I could probably find some posts from members berating UC replicas as if they were nothing but "paki" rip-offs. Heck, even a lot of people on these forums have taken their UC replicas and done extensive modifications to them rendering them, in my opinion, no longer licensed, but you don't here me berated anyone for doing what they want to with their collections.

I've seen some quality "inspired by" swords that made some improvements to the UC replicas, but those were okay apparently because they weren't "paki" knock-offs, but they could have potentially took business away from UC.

If someone wants to buy a 20 dollars blade off of ebay to fiddle around with it and make some improvements to, or to practice their modifications skills, who is anyone to tell them that they are wrong?

[quote=""BladeCollector""](...) many people on these forums, not just in this thread have berated numerous particular issues with United Cutlery's LOTR replicas (...) So just because something is licensed doesnt make it without faults[/quote]

(Even without my words being quoted, I'll take this as a direct reply to my
latest post here. And, by quoting you, I'll try to be precise and clear as
possible.)

I never said that license necessarily equals flawlessness. I never said UC's
replicas are without fault. In fact, for an average $100-200 UC LOTR piece,
I'm ready to accept occasional imperfections (even though I may not ever be
completely satisfied). But it's not that majority of collectors has much choice;
like many others, I couldn't afford all of those Weta originals that leave
absolutely no room for custom modifications or upgrades. Even when it comes
down to numbers, there's a HUGE difference between $20 vs. $150, and $150
vs. $6.300.

"Licensed" doesn't mean "perfect".

But what does it mean to you?

I'd say it includes at least some degree of quality control. I don't think that
an utter garbage (see post #1 of this thread for guidance) could easily get
New Line's approval stamp.

Furthermore, when you pay for an item that has some sort of valid certificate
of authenticity, I'd say that certain percentage of your money goes straight
into that wonderful fund that finances legions of hard-working, skilled and
incredibly talented people whose names are listed in 10-15 minutes worth of
end credit roll at movies' end. That fund is based on fair-play consumers'
cash, and suffers from cheaters.

[I'm not going into personal details, and I'm not trying to sound impolite -- in
fact, I'm sincerely, and without a grain of sarcasm very respectful -- but it's
quite astonishing and ironic that a member with diploma in his pocket (I've
read it somewhere, shoot me if I could remember the exact thread) hasn't
already claimed exactly what the other -- one who was never capable of
finishing college and who ended up working in a storage, struggling with
tendinitis and English -- just wrote.]

[quote=""BladeCollector""]I've seen some quality "inspired by" swords that made some improvements to the UC replicas, but those were okay apparently because they weren't "paki" knock-offs[/quote]

Who said that these higher-quality "inspired by" swords were "okay
apparently"? Could you please quote him/her? I'm genuinely interested,
because I can't imagine how an obvious theft of intellectual property could
even remotely be "okay" by anyone's standards. Not to mention that the
worst thing about them is that their smiths are able to make them look
dozens of times uglier by even the slightest design modification.

They're still (usually) not as hideous as "paki" (if only I knew how much this
single word could amuse) knock-offs, but it always amazes me how a perfect
design can be completely ruined only for sake of avoiding persecution.

[quote=""BladeCollector""]If someone wants to buy a 20 dollars blade off of ebay to fiddle around with it and make some improvements to, or to practice their modifications skills, who is anyone to tell them that they are wrong?[/quote]

There's absolutely no problem in that. eBay is literally filled with junk of all
sorts and people can stock their homes with it if that makes them happy.

But even among those mountains of artistic filth there's difference: junk with
no background in common sense and junk that slowly chinks The Fund which
brings our nerd dreams to life.

Actually ed, I wasn't referring to you specifically... I was more replying to the overall tone of the thread.

I want everyone to feel welcome here and whatever intentions were, its all about perception and that is super difficult on a text only medium... there is not tone or inflection that you get when you are talking to someone in person.

If someone has the perception of being disrespected, it doesnt matter the intentions of the other party, at least that is how it is from where I am from and places of I have worked. Post #4 came off to me as disrespectful and rude, but that again, is my perceptions.


I agree with you Ed on the part of intellectual property and theft of design, etc, people that work hard on these designs and products should get what is theirs. I would not like it, or tolerate it, if someone plagiarized my research, etc, but I personally wouldnt buy an unlicensed piece.

Clearly in post #3, Tim knows it isnt licensed, but things could have been said is "hey tim, it really isnt a good idea to buy unlicensed products, it actually hurts the sword industry."

As far as the actual post/sword which I am referring, I would love to find it and I will quote it if I can, but finding a specific post on the forums is difficult especially from a long time ago, the search function isnt that reliable.

After all of this, the one thing I am still trying to figure out what is going on with the packaging art from that box.

[quote=""BladeCollector""]I would not like it, or tolerate it, if someone plagiarized my research, etc[/quote]

I think at last we understand one another, BladeCollector.

[quote=""BladeCollector""]As far as the actual post/sword which I am referring, I would love to find it and I will quote it if I can, but finding a specific post on the forums is difficult especially from a long time ago, the search function isnt that reliable.[/quote]

Nah, don't sweat over it. You'd probably link me to that thread with Australian
abominations, and it's the last place I'd like to visit. I'll take your word for it.

[quote=""timdp""]

Darlak;73779 wrote:I mean, buying paki knock-off REPLICA is bad enough, but thi isn't even a replica, it's nastyness given form. Why didn't you buy one of the mini swords if you wanted a lotr letter opener?

Mini swords are not that easy to find (...)[/QUOTE]

Actually, that's not entirely true. If you get even distantly interested in
buying mini swords Darlak mentioned, you can simply contact our dealer (his
banner is at the top of every page here), and if HE's not able to offer a few,
I'd be forced to agree with your (rushed, seems to me) statement.

That would, of course, be the case if I haven't been able to find some myself
in the same place where you got your new acquisition.

Type this code in eBay's search engine:

230537804125

There. It's UC's mini Ringwraith Sword, display base included.

Why would this be a better choice than Andúril paki-midget?

(1) It looks better. Even though stuff like this is a matter of taste, let's be
honest: we can't even begin to compare these two in terms of aesthetics or
craftsmanship.

(2) Next to "pointy bits of the pommel and to a lesser extent the tips of the
guard dig into the hand", I believe that Ringwraith mini may prove to be a bit
more practical for letter opening.

(3) It's official replica (have I said enough about this or what?).

(4) It's cheaper: $0.99 plus $14.00 shipping (seller seems reliable with 5.000+
transactions and 99+% positive feedback).

Hope this helps!

[quote=""ed209""]

Actually, that's not entirely true. If you get even distantly interested in
buying mini swords Darlak mentioned, you can simply contact our dealer (his
banner is at the top of every page here), and if HE's not able to offer a few,
[/quote]


Derek's website is down although he is selling on ebay:
SMITHBLADES.COM
We will be back up soon!
Email us!



[quote=""ed209""]
(4) It's cheaper: $0.99 plus $14.00 shipping (seller seems reliable with 5.000+
transactions and 99+% positive feedback).

Hope this helps! [/quote]

Bought the Witchking Dagger and Gondor Shield from this seller and I am not impressed with his shipping prices. $14 is much too high and his $.99 price is bogus advertising. He is trying to get someone to hit the "Buy it Now" button without looking at the grossly overpriced shipping charge. A more honest approach would be to list the item for $9 and charge $6 shipping.



In any case I guess you missed this in post number 17:

timdp; wrote:PS Just won UC Ringwraith and Witchking mini swords on ebay for $22 shipped. Wheeeeee....

BTW the letter opener comment was a joke...

Tim

[quote=""timdp""]In any case I guess you missed this in post number 17[/quote]

I did, obviously. I apologize for that.

[quote=""ed209""]I did, obviously. I apologize for that.[/quote]

That's weird, I missed that too. Weirder still, post #17 has been edited.


If using the "anduril dagger" as a letter opener was a joke, then the only reason for why you bought it must have been because you genuinely liked it, and nothing else. I find that mildly disturbing. But oh well.


What you said about that ebay seller makes absolutely no sense at all. If you bothered reading the actual info ont he auction, you'd notice that it's the closeout price. They're having a sale, because they're closing up shop. That's also why the shipping cost is higher than normal, and why he won't combine shipping. Still, 15 bucks, which is the grand total one would pay for that sword, is nothing at all. Those mini swords are amazing, and usually higher priced. In fact, I'm gonna buy one right now.






On the topic of swordmakers making unlicensed variations of lotr swords, I may have been one of the guys approving of one such sword maker. There's a thread around here somewhere, about fable blades. He's made lots of swords, among them his own visions of swords from the books, unlicensed variations of swords from the movies, and his own original designs.

I myself liked some of the stuff he'd made, like the elven swords, for instance. And so I said so in the thread, as did others. However, I cannot remember a single person approving of his movie knock-offs, only the opposite.

Hey, Tim. Thanks for sharing!

With UC in a semi-constant state of flux, being that they tell us openly almost -nothing- some of us have branched out to the custom made, non-licensed field. I myself picked up a $20 Guthwine knock-off a few years back. It was pretty terrible and I have no idea where it is at the moment, but it took a bit to jump over that licensed/unlicensed hurdle. For $20 I don't think anyone would be e xp ecting a pearl.

So how is the construction of the knife? Is it wobbly/awkward? Or is it a fairly solid piece?

[quote=""Darlak""]That's weird, I missed that too. Weirder still, post #17 has been edited.[/quote]

I did edit the post and add the note about buying the mini swords after my initial post and recall it being only a couple of minutes after the original post, Can not confirm that because posts and edits are not date stamped as they are on other forums.

[quote=""Darlak"]
If using the "anduril dagger" as a letter opener was a joke, then the only reason for why you bought it must have been because you genuinely liked it, and nothing else. I find that mildly disturbing. But oh well.[/quote]


As I said in an earlier post, I was curious (to see what it looked like in person). I'm new at collecting LOTR blades and had never seen any of them in person until very recently The same curiosity applies to the mini swords. At 6" long they are probably pretty silly to consider useful for anything (except for possibly opening letters), but the only way to know that is to hold one in my hand.

The letter opener joke was aimed at anyone who thinks i need their approval to buy anything I want to buy.

I do WWII reenacting and my primary collecting focus is WWII Russian and German firearms and the LOTR blades are a fun little sideline that is not worth getting all excited about. Here is a small part of the collection: http://www.ucforums.com/showpost.php?p= ... stcount=21

Darlak wrote:They're having a sale, because they're closing up shop.

Closing up shop as in going out of business? Where does it day that? Certainly not in the auction listing.


[quote="Darlak""]Still, 15 bucks, which is the grand total one would pay for that sword, is nothing at all. Those mini swords are amazing, and usually higher priced. In fact, I'm gonna buy one right now.[/quote]

Here are the minis that I won:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... MEWNX%3AIT

So one mini for $15 or two minis for $22 - which is the better deal?

My seller is managing to ship TWO of the mini swords for $9, so yes, without question, $14 is a rip off shipping price.

Tim

Tim, don't stress yourself out. Things can get a little heated online but the best thing you can do is just let it go. Sometimes things get misunderstood, which clearly this conversation has been stemming from entirely. Sometimes the best thing to do is just let potentially harsh words go. Regardless of who says what, I think generally we're a pretty friendly group here.

WWII Firearms, eh? Are those functional? Unfortunately I live in Massachusetts where everything is illegal so I doubt I could even get away with non-functionals or even blatant replicas...

[quote=""timdp""]
Here are the minis that I won:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... MEWNX%3AIT

[/quote]

LOL! They say United Cutlery on the box! So much for buying "non-licensed" products. If they aren't legit, there's no way for one to know, unless they are completely familiar with UC's line-up.

Argument over purchasing them = moot

Cheers,

Guy

[quote=""GuardianWolf""]Tim, don't stress yourself out. Things can get a little heated online but the best thing you can do is just let it go. Sometimes things get misunderstood, which clearly this conversation has been stemming from entirely. Sometimes the best thing to do is just let potentially harsh words go. Regardless of who says what, I think generally we're a pretty friendly group here.

WWII Firearms, eh? Are those functional? Unfortunately I live in Massachusetts where everything is illegal so I doubt I could even get away with non-functionals or even blatant replicas...[/quote]


Yes, they are functional. The Dshk (foreground) is chambered in .50 BMG making ammo much easier to find. Those are .50 cal blanks on the ground.
The Dshk costs the same as an MSSC Glamdring, so you can see where my priorities are...

BTW I live in CA and we (calguns,net) have found legal ways around many of CA's silly gun laws. With the Heller and MacDonald Supreme Court decisions, gun laws in the restrictive states will be changing. PM me for more info.

Tim

[quote=""Legion""]LOL! They say United Cutlery on the box! So much for buying "non-licensed" products. If they aren't legit, there's no way for one to know, unless they are completely familiar with UC's line-up.

Argument over purchasing them = moot

Cheers,

Guy[/quote]

Umm, did you even read the first post, or any of the posts after that? Hell, you can see from the thread title that this is about an unlicensed item.



Timdp, it does say in the auction that they're closing up.

!!!THESE ARE PRICED TO CLOSEOUT!!!

!!!WE CAN NOT COMBINE SHIPPING ON THESE!!!

[quote=""Darlak""]

Timdp, it does say in the auction that they're closing up.[/quote]


Lost in translation I guess...
In American English (and probably British English) closing out and closing up are two very different things.

Closing out is selling off the last of a merchadise item. Closing up means closing the business. No "closing up" in the auction.

Tim

So basically, they're doing just the same as they would have done if they were closing up, by selling the items cheap.

It's still a perfectly reasonable reason to sell off stuff cheaply.


Oh, and picking on my spelling, which is quite good I might add, considering my age and location, is getting old. Really, it's quite childish. Perhaps you're lacking in something yourself too, since you're spending all your money on those big guns of yours.

[quote=""Darlak""]Umm, did you even read the first post, or any of the posts after that? Hell, you can see from the thread title that this is about an unlicensed item.[/quote]

Yes, I did, thanks for asking. The point that started this was about his purchase, or support thereof, of any "paki" knock-off. It was pointed out to him that it would have been better to buy something from UC and not anything like a dagger substitute for a sword. Someone even suggested buying the mini-sword that's in its own stand from UC.

Turns out, Tim bought both, since the link shows both items, which are both listed as United Cutlery. If you were so hot about him going outside the acceptable lines of purchase, then doesn't his purchase of UC items mean that's not the case?

And as was stated by Tim, it's his money. He can do with it as he pleases. A conversation about the trouble supporting a knock-off over a licensed item is still valid and worthwhile, chiding Tim for his purchase, as I said, is now a moot issue in regards to it being UC.

And once again we see the delicate nature you have in wording replies, just as you did in post #4.

Cheers,

Guy

I think this thread is going downhill fast and I believe nothing more can constructively be added to this discussion... I foresee a name calling war about to happen.

As of now, this thread is now closed.