Zulu War Iklwa Short Spear

I have a studied and collected arms and armor for almost forty years, and I do believe that this is the most authentic reproduction I have ever seen. This Assegai is more of an historically accurate recreation than a reproduction or replica. The weight, heft, balance, and appearance are so close to an antique original, that I think the emperor Shaka himself could not tell the difference. The "red gold of Africa" or copper wire is absolutely correct, the forged carbon steel head is completely correct, and easily sharpened to razor keenness. The bulbous end to the spear shaft is accurate and perfectly turned to facilitate withdrawal of the weapon from a deep thrust and adds balance as well. No respectable weapons collection is complete without an example of this deadliest of thrusting spears. the Zulu Iklwa survived and successfully competed toe-to-toe against the repeating rifle during the dawn of modern warfare, this beautiful recreation perfectly illustrates how that was possible. A very good value indeed at twice the price.

This is the only iklwa I found online that had a crucial component - the swelling or knob at the end of the weapon. This is vital because if the weapon becomes lodged in your enemy you need that knob to give you leverage to pull the weapon out, especially if your hands and the weapon has blood on it. The metal is decent but a bit light, and the weapon arrives totally blunt. That was kind of expected and some time on a stone provided a serviceable edge and point. Balance is awesome. When thrusting, the weapon stays on line like a laser beam extension of your hand. The copper windings are a joke - take them off right away and wrap the shaft with sharkskin or other suitable non-slip material. But the basics are here. I bought this as a home defense weapon and now it fits the bill perfectly: quiet, infinite ammo, and lethal. You will need to spend some time upgrading it, but a real bargain for the money and you won't find a more usuable iklwa.

I am a collector of ancient weapons. It will add to my collection of Zulu weapons. There are still a few more I have to purchase from Amazon.

A light weight replica, but really! The Zulus made copper mesh to use as a hand grip... NOT! Hanging on my wall, that is all it is good for.

Nice quality great look collecting swords and into martial arts, the Iklwa looks and history stands on its own.

Very Beautiful, great weight great pricing

Procuction Artifacts detract from the genuine items. Another example is the "Samburu" Spear"RR Traders.com

For the money, the spear is quite nice.The copper wrapping is a very nice touch.Mine arrived with some small denting in that wrap, but it does nothing to detract from the weapon's value.The blade alignment was a bit off from the haft, but not too bad.All things considered, very good for the money..