Bad-a$$ery 101 I got this item very quickly. It took only a day for delivery. I agree with the first review that you would not purchase this piece with the goal of practicality in mind. It is probably one of the least practical weapons you could own, if actual combative use was the goal. I also wouldn’t walk around in sandals while holding this thing. Dropping a 5 pound spike on your foot wouldn’t end well. But this is the type of item you get when your collection grows and you want something new and unique instead of the same-old period piece. That was my goal and it fits the bill. It will make an outstanding wall hanger and the long chain is a bonus as it can be creatively put to use in the display. As far as the piece itself, it is a beast. The chain is indeed a bit too long for a casual swing. But there is no issue if you want to shorten it up. Just get a high-strength small diameter rock climbing carabiner from Dick’s. It threads through the links nicely and clips the chain length desired into the large eye on top of the shaft. You can slack up on the chain and make it any length you want, and do this on-the-fly. With the length shortened to 4-5 inches I found it not to be too unwieldy in hand. But it’s still a large mass hanging from the end of a piece of wood so you need to be pretty careful with how you handle this item. No complaints. Very nice and unique piece to add to the collection. As far as historical accuracy, that’s really moot. When most people think of medieval weapons, a couple of things usually come to mind–swords and intimidating-looking weapons with spikes, chains, and flanges. The latter is in all likelihood more Hollywood than reality as historians are not sure of the extent that spiked flails were actually used by combatants in the field(or if they were actually used at all). So if you want to know what an authentic spiked flail looks like, you probably have to rely on your imagination or a Hollywood fantasy film. There are only a few manuscripts and historical accounts to use as a source of info and most of the examples in museums have turned out to be forgeries. Many historians believe that on the battlefield, this type of weapon was an extremely specialized tool, but nobody is absolutely sure of the extent to which it was used and under what circumstances. Would I want to use this against armed opponents on horseback or foot as my primary weapon? No. It’s just too unwieldy. It could easily get behind a shield defense when swung but you better hit the target the first time as there won’t be much time to reload. It would probably be best suited as a one-use weapon in a coordinated attack against infantry. Swing it behind the line of advancing shields then grab your axe or sword. Nobody else will have the time or practical ability to pick it up and use it effectively once the melee starts. So, I could very well see this specific weapon having a practical but very limited use in some role on a medieval battlefield. Just make sure to bring another weapon.
