The "Myth" of the "Dacian Falx" as a super weapon

[Thunder]

2. Such a weapon would, with it's heft, momentum, weight and power, tear through armoured troops like they weren't there.

What?! That's a pretty bold claim! If you look at the photo I posted, you will see that the shield *stopped* the falx. It did cut pretty deep, but in a combat situation that falx-man would be down with a gladius in his guts a second or two later. While I again agree that the falx is a nasty weapon, and probably more likely than most others to penetrate shields or armor, hundreds of years of battle descriptions involving various polearms never mention that they could "tear through armoured troops like they weren't there". In fact, a quote from the Battle of Flodden springs to mind, in which an English writer notes that the Scots were so heavily armored that they kept fighting even when several bills hit them at once. Do you have any evidence that the falx was THAT effective in battle?

1. I didn't mention the shield in any context. Obviously, a shield improves survivability significantly - particularly one like the scutum.
2. Glancing hits will tend to glance off any armoured foe, in particular one wearing plate, but what I meant to say is that a good, clean hit from such a weapon will cleave through flesh, bone and armour, unlike, say, a sword, which will glance off the armour no matter how clean the hit (even if it bruises the man beneath!)