What Price Glory M1910 Canteen and Cup
Review Date: 2/26/2011
Author: Shawn Sturgill
(Photo from the Life Archive)Foreword:
Fifteen years into this hobby, I never thought I'd see the day when a "Repro" canteen would be viable or necessary. Much to my surprise, WPG and Sturm have both come out with new production canteens over the past two years. As with any new product to the market, we love to see what the offering is and have an objective look at it to cut through the typical puffery.
When Shawn mentioned to me that he had purchased a WPG Canteen and Cup set, I asked him if he'd be willing to put a review together for us. Without further ado...
Ordering:
On 11/26/2010, I placed an order for a reproduction M1910 Canteen and Cup via the What Price Glory e-commerce website. The website offers a choice between the early metal cap, and the later plastic/Bakelite cap. I chose the former of the two and added the set to my “shopping cart”. I checked out using Paypal and received a confirmation email for my order almost instantly.The order shipped on 11/28, and was received on 12/2, directly from the WPG warehouse in the United Arab Emirates.
Cost: $25
The product, as received from What Price Glory:
My first impressions of both the canteen and cup were generally positive. Both appear to be relatively well made, overall, and should hold up well in the field. Both the canteen and cup feature a period-style manufacturer’s stamp (U.S. W.P.G. CO 1942), which is a plus.
Manufacturer’s Stamp:
There were, however a couple of flaws and drawbacks. The first of these is that the chain looks and feels very cheap, and tends to kink up more than one would like. Secondly, the rivet holding the chain to the cap was a bit loose. It does not appear that this will fall out any time soon, but it is definitely worthy of mention and a bit irritating. Thirdly, the “slide” that keeps the handle of the canteen cup up was a bit warped. This does not affect functionality at all, but, again, is something worthy of mention. Lastly, there was a bit of a strange brown substance on one area of the canteen cup, near the rim. I am not sure what this is, though it appears as if it will come off easily.
Loose Rivet and Chain:
Warped Slide:
Weird Brown Substance:
Side by Side Comparisons:
Comparison Between WPG Repro Canteen and Original B.A. CO. 1918 Canteen:
Front:
Back:
Side Weld:
Spout:
Cap:
Overall, the What Price Glory canteen compares nicely with my original 1918 dated example. The overall shape, materials, and construction are pretty right on. The only real flaw, in my opinion (other than the chain), is the cap, which differs pretty noticeably from my original. It is significantly “taller”, which leads to a very different appearance. However, the spout does accept an original cap, so this could be replaced. Other than the cap differences, and the chain being cheap, the WPG canteen compares very favorably.
Comparison Between WPG Repro Canteen Cup and Original E.A. CO. 1945 Canteen Cup:
Front:
Back:
Bottom (Shows Shape Difference):
Handle:
The canteen cup compares decently to my original example, but it could be better. The overall construction and materials are fairly “right on”, though the shape does differ slightly, in being a bit less “round” than my original. While this does detract from the WPG canteen cup, it could be within the realm of reasonable possibilities, with the vast number of manufacturers that made these before and during the war. The handle of the cup is also shorter on the reproduction than on my original. Two final differences that I spotted were in the area where the handle is riveted to the cup body. First, the “hump” in the middle of the rectangle (see photos) is lacking on the repro. This may not seem like a very big difference, but it is actually pretty noticeable. Secondly, the rivets attaching the hand to the cup body appear cheaper and not as neatly made as my original. While these differences do detract from the What Price Glory cup, it is still a decent reproduction.
Summary Pros and Cons:
Canteen
Pros:
-Compares nicely overall to original example.
-Not made of the same weird, cheap, “grainy” metal as those sold on eBay.
-Relatively well made and should hold up well in the field.
-Smooth ordering with quick shipping.Cons:
-Cap differs significantly from original
-Chain is very cheap
-Rivet holding chain to cap was loose.
Cup
Pros:
-Compares decently to original example.
-Not made of the same weird, cheap, “grainy” metal as those sold on eBay.
-Relatively well made and should hold up well in the field.
-Smooth ordering with quick shipping.Cons:
-Slightly different shape than my original example (Not fully a con, but I feel that this could be better)
-Lacking the “hump” found on all of my originals and all originals that I have seen.
-Rivets attaching handle to cup body have uneven heads and do not match any on originals that I own or have seen and handled.
-Warped slide.
-Strange brown substance.
Conclusions:
Overall, I feel that this is a “decent” reproduction, and no one will get called a farb for using it in the field. It should hold up nicely, and does not appear that it will fall apart the first time you touch it. I believe that the canteen has more going for it than the cup, and while easily the best reproduction of the M1910 canteen on the market, it still has some things that could be improved upon. I believe that I will personally opt to continue using originals, but, at $25 for both the canteen and cup, this is a viable option for anyone seeking a reproduction.
