What have the Romans ever done for us...? :)

A lot, but the Gladius is certainly not the highlight. It was not even invented by the Romans - its based on a design that was popular among Iberian Celts befor the rise of the Romans.
But on the plus side, the Gladius was cheap and easy to mass produce which was important, since every Roman soldier was issued with one.

I also tried to buy one a few years ago, to be precise, this one:
https://www.amazon.de/Cold-Steel-97GMSZ-Gladius-Machete/dp/B004MMS0PE/ref=sr_1_6?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=17ATK71W436KE&dchild=1&keywords=cold+steel+machete&qid=1606598286&sprefix=cold+steel%2Cinstant-video%2C203&sr=8-6

As you see, its more than $50 - and the quality is terrible. A plastic handle, poor steel, and a blade shape that was asymetrical. May be ok for a Legionaire Halloween costume, but not more. So I returned it at once, and thanks to Amazon I got my money back.

Later I bought for a few bucks more a Kershaw Camp 18, that is a rock solid machete with a 50cm blade (there are 10 and 14 inch versions too) that is actually usable. Und its shape is going back just as far in time as the Gladius: its based on the Sax, a farm tool/weapon the northern Celtic and Germanic tribes used, also way before the Romans got there.

Something Gladius like (and high quality) I found later. Its like a mini version of a Iberic Gladius, with the rounded blade shape. That is made for hunting and really massive, with a 5mm blade, full tang, a huge steel cross bar and wood handle

made by Linder / Solingen
It's a little more expensive, though... :)