EBAY DUAL ACTION HIDDEN BLADE REVIEW
We receive countless requests to review dual action hidden blades. Now that Chinese manufacturers have cracked the code on this type of hidden blade, many options have become available. Of course, I’ve been eager to get my hands on one as well – so these are our thoughts.
Dual Action Hidden Blades – The Options
The most noteworthy feature of a dual action hidden blade is that it can be operated by one hand. With the pull of the string, the blade shoots out, and by pressing the tab, the blade retracts. So there is no need to rely on gravity to operate this hidden blade, nor a need to re-set the blade very time it is fired.
The blade I purchased is based on the Edward Kenway hidden blade and the decorative features are fairly impressive. If your not a fan of the pirate assassin, there are alternate styles of this blade to suit your taste. But whatever you chose, as far as I can tell, the working parts will all be pretty similar.
Now, I opted for the plastic blade variation, but here as well, you can choose to purchase a metal blade if you so desire. The blade length is very respectable for a singe tiered hidden blade. Even more so when you compare them to the official replicas.
The hidden blade also includes a nice activation ring – which I place on my middle finger – and Velcro straps for your arms. This means that you get everything you need right out of the box. Of course you don’t need to attach it to a gauntlet (or vambrace) but I put it on my Edward Kenway leather gauntlet, and I think it looks pretty sweet. If you want to learn a little more about that gauntlet, check out our Edward Kenway Cosplay Photoshoot to see it in action.
Pros
What I love about this hidden blade is that it makes you feel like an Assassin. With the flick of your wrist, a satisfying click let’s you know your ready for action. Need to hide it again? Small pressure on the tab and a “snick” latter, the blade is back where it started. This is soooo fun that you’ll probably annoy everyone around you. I know I did.
The blade housing is also very slim. Most 3D printed dual action hidden blades utilize Amanra’s “sound hound” wheel to activate the blade. This has its own merits, but necessitates a bulky wheel that also detracts from the aesthetics of the housing. Opting for the tab, allows the housing to be very thin and much more “hidden.”
Additionally, I like the price of this hidden blade. At only $60 (before shipping), this blade is cheaper than one you would find on Shapeways. And compared to the official replicas, which can be pricey themselves, this doesn’t seem to expensive considering the functionality of it.
Cons
While it does look amazing, as with everything, it does have some downsides to consider.
First, there is no real way to add good detail to the blade. Due to the design of this style of blade, a hollow groove must be in the center for locking purposes. Because of that, you loose a lot of precious space to add detail. Additionally, with how thin the blade is, you can’t carve any detail in with potentially compromising the blade strength. So if your looking for the most screen accurate hidden blade, this should be considered.
Second, the tab design (for retracting the blade) does interfere with hand movement. You will be fine if your just walking around, but if you want to do any parkour or perhaps hold a sword or pistol, you can do it, but your range of motion will be severely limited.
Finally, it should be noted that the springs inside these hidden blades are not overly strong. They aren’t for safety purposes. One this won’t become a projectile weapon. Two, it won’t accidentally stab you if you fire it by accident. If anything, any slight interference with the blade will cause it to disengage from it’s path – requiring it to be reset. This is completely fine, but you need to keep in mind which way it was traveling when it disengaged so you can properly reset it. Knowing this may save you some stress if you think you have broken your hidden blade.
Overall Opinion
In the end, I would highly recommend this for any avid Assassin’s Creed fan. I can see Cosplayers getting great use out of this. There is no guarantee it will make it into con, but the plastic version is not even close to sharp – so you can’t hurt anyone with it. I would take it to the Renaissance Fair. I could even see it being used for some action shots in a short fan film. Now, due to the blade detail you’ll probably need a separate hidden blade for closeups and/or stunts. But in the end, this hidden blade should make any Assassin’s Creed fan very happy.
Resources
If you want to pick up this hidden blade for yourself, here is a link to the version I purchased on Ebay.
Note* That is an affiliate link, so if you make a purchase using it, you will help us out as we will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Once again, there are additional styles of this blade, so if your looking for something else, just take a look around.
I hope you found this review helpful. Of course if you would prefer a gravity hidden blade, you might be interested in learning about our Florentine Talon.