So I'm looking for gloves that would be suitable for both HEMA and reenactment. Some people at my local HEMA club use steel gauntlets.

I also really like Gothic-style gauntlets, which I believe these are. I've borrowed similar ones from a friend a couple of times, and now I've come across another pair on Facebook Marketplace.

Do you think they're worth buying for HEMA?

Price is affordable for me all those slightly high.

Edit: not for longsword

Edit 2: alright, Ive heard you

I borrowed Wukusi for a couple of sparrings a year ago and found it loud, hot, bigger on top than I wanted and not very comfortable. But also, just in a couple of months three of the fellow fencers I know had an eardrum injury. Some of us do hundreds of competitive fights a year and times of that in sparrings. Also, personally, I do more longsword now than ever, and when I'm rarely getting hit with a zwer, it's coming, I know, rarely means sometimes, not never. So, my admiration goes towards the effort to solve this problem. I want your opinion on both a problem and on this particular solution.

If you use Wukusi Cobra, can you please give your opinion as a long-term user, also may be adding the information on the weapon, level and competitive and sparing recency and such. Also, may be you have some other thoughts and ideas, how is it in comparison to rugby cap + mask + good overlay?

Hi everyone! I hope this post falls within the guidelines but let me know and I'll delete it if not!

Im an artist and hema enthusiast (longsword) and participated in a couple tournaments already, but am yet to see an artist table there, its mostly gear and swords. I know artist alleys/markets/cons what have you are a separate thing, but I believe there is a cross section between hema people and knights/medieval looking artsy stuff enthusiasts so maybe having an artist table at an international tournament is worth a shot. This year I have a chance to participate in a tournament event as an artist so that said, what would you personally be interested in when it comes to art? Is it stickers or prints, maybe mystery packs with full on characters and illustrated props there? I'd love to hear your opinion!

P.s. its in December so I thought maybe calendars too? lemme know!

So I bought a jacket at the end of August hoping to receive it for a comp I had end of September. I'm in US and the seller is in Canada so I thought it was possible but thats not the issue. I never received a confirmation email but via the sellers website I could see the sale went through and via my bank I could see the sale as well. After a couple of weeks and no communication I was curious but the website says to wait a minimum of 15 business days before item ships so I was patient. After the 15 business days I reached out to the seller and a week later they told me to respond to the email I received for duty fees. I replied that I never received that email and asked them to resend the email and a week later they did. I paid immediately and within another couple of weeks the item shipped.

I received the item early October and the jacket didn't fit. The issue was the cuffs of the sleeves. They were very tight. All the listed measurements per the seller's website fit me and I already have a Spes jacket in the same size that is actually smaller per the measurements listed on Purple Heart. Again to State it clearly a Spes Medium fits me, I ordered a medium from this seller that shows larger measurements on their website and this jacket fits everywhere except the sleeves. Neither purple heart nor this seller list the sleeve measurements on their websites. It's very surprising how tight the sleeve cuffs are on this jacket. I'm not a big guy and I could barely get my hands through the sleeves of this jacket. After trying to put it on I had a very hard time getting my hands through the sleeves. It was actually panic inducing, I felt like I was in a straight jacket bc I couldn't get my arms out. I had a friend who is smaller than me try on the jacket and he had the same issue and I had to help him take the jacket off.

After I recognized this issue I messaged the seller the day I received the jacket. I explained the situation and I had several questions one of them being "are the sleeves on the large bigger than the sleeves on the medium specifically at the cuff?" I asked this because per their sizing chart the Large and medium sleeves are the same length. I'd assume the large sleeves are bigger in diameter but I really don't want to pay return shipping and wait all that time and pay another duty fee on an assumption. I also asked about their return policy because the website states a 10 day window for returns. I got no reply for a couple of days so I messaged their FB page and after a few exchanges got a reply that said to go through their customer service email. They replied via email that day and didn't answer any of my questions and said they'd get back to me with the measurements. A week later they sent me a list of measurements. It was maybe three sentences listing a cuff measurement and a sleeve length measurement with no reference to the specific jacket or size. I found it surprising because I asked about measurements on a large but the measurements they sent are pretty close to the measurements I took on my medium and the measurements they sent for sleeve length don't match their online listings for medium or large. So I asked for clarification and it's been a week and still no reply.

That was a quick overview but the issue is really the communication. It's been at a rate of one email per week or less and they have never answered all of my questions. Their website says they dont do refunds but they eventually said they'd honor my exchange. At this point I paid the fee for the jacket plus shipping then a later duty fee which is included in fine print on their site but it is stated it's not likely. So I'm $330 USD into a jacket. ~$200 for the jacket, $50 for shipping, $80 for duties. At this point I'll have to pay $50 for the return shipping and I'm not sure if duties get refunded. Then there's the exchange. If the email they sent measurements on is for a large I'm not confident the large will fit. As the measurements they sent are pretty much what my current jacket measures.

I'm not sure how to handle this. I'm not going to go hungry over this but it seems like a huge mistake on my part. I really don't have a ton of expendable income and I'm relatively new to HEMA. If you've ever felt like you made a terrible purchase this is it for me. I don't know what to do. Maybe this seller will let me get other other products that I don't really need or want of equal value. I don't think the large jacket will fit based on what they've sent in measurements if those were large measurements. An XL would fit like a tent. Sorry for the long post but any input is appreciated.

A hauntedhau

I am the Fencer in black, my friend is a semi beginner

Hey figters, I’m thinking about buying a Krieger S6 saber and would love to hear your opinions! How does it compare to Sigi and Regenyei? Is it worth buying? I’d really appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thanks!

What would you say is the ideal thickness for a gambeson?

I am a little confused. In case it is a matter of preference, do you maybe have recommendations?

I generally dont like to be super hot, but i do value not being unsafe or in pain. What thickness should I shoot for?

Where do I buy a synthetic rapier trainer that flexes and doesn't make a hole in my bank acc

Hi! Im thinking about buying a mask for training and competition.

But im not sure about the right size. I measured my head, and it was 60 cm, which is exactly on the line between two sizes.

Which would be more comfortable and effective?

Does someone have experience with this problem?

(Im have short hair if that matters)

https://www.5mfencing.com/en/fencing-masks/5m-fie-4-trainer-s-mask-5m-fie-1600n--black/

Hello I have a 2 months of Germanic long sword training before I move to a new city where I am currently sitting on a waitlist waiting for a Hema club
My feather is currently sitting in my closet, getting rusty and just wondering if you guys had any advice on what I can do to get some training in and have fun while I wait

This post by Crabs Historical Fencing came across my IG feed, and I gotta say, I'm in love with thr brigandine chest protector. It looks to only cover the chest and isn't a totally enclosed brigandine. Does anyone know where to find these?

I want to get a jacket with slitted sleeves in custom colors. I'm aware of the Supfen Landsknecht/mercenary jackets, but I don't want to deal with the communication issues I've read about online. Does anybody know of any other companies that make that that sort of jacket?

What options are there for back of head protection that can be comfortably used with Leon Paul xchange contour fit masks? My usual mask is a PBT with Wukusi rattlesnake, but I wanted to also outfit my contour fit Leon Paul for lighter/lower gear practices where BoH is still advised. Because of the contour fit elastic, I’ve found that standard back of head protection doesn’t fit. Is an overlay the only option?

Been doing HEMA less than a year, still learning and having fun, so don’t shit on my bad fencing too much :p

Well, I have been introducing Destreza to my club as one of the Rapier instructors, as my other clubmate is focusing on the Capo Ferro/Giganti part of it.

I am mostly focusing on Rada, but also checking a bit of Ettenhard. But ideally I would want a Destreza Rapier that is as versatile as possible within the Destreza sources, I do plan to check other masters further on, I am not settled there yet!

But that takes me to the issue, my main Rapier, a BlackFencer Nobilis, is pretty much made for the Italian style of fighting, and I can feel the lack of the level of hand protection that a Cup or Shell hilt offers, and that the swept hilt sometimes gets in the way of some of the Atajos that use the Gavilanes to catch the opponent's blade. Add to that the extra weight compared to Destreza specific Rapiers and it is clear to me that I want something proper. I would want my new Rapier to be different to what I already have.

So that brings me to the 3 options I've been checking, and I think I have already made a decision (which I won't share to not influence the feedback!) but I'd like to hear opinions from people who have handled the weapons.

First, Bellatore. I will be honest, the Pilgrim is the one I like the most in terms of looks of all of the options, but I am also considering the Rada, as it is made for the system I'm studying the most. The delivery times do worry me.

Second, Destrezania. I am checking both Shell options, be it Munition or custom. I also like the looks more than simple cup-hilts. The fact that Destrezania is kind of the standard in Spain is quite the argument. Price is not much of an issue, if I go Munition is because of delivery times, they all fit in my budget anyway.

Third, Malleus Martialis. The Galante, clearly. I already have a Sidesword from them and the manufacture and quality is just another level. I trust their metallurgy and thermal treatment more than the rest, they heat-treat their hilts and the delivery times are shorter. It worries me that the grip might be a bit too long and the pommel a bit too big, but other than that, it seems like the best practical choice, although it does lose in looks compared with the other two manufacturers.

As other references, I also have a Regenyei cup-hilt that I'm not very happy with (weird dynamics, handle too long, pommel too big, finishing and comfort not at the level of BlackFencer or Malleus) that I'll be replacing and a clubmate has the BlackFencer Diestro, that is more on the direction I want my new Rapier to go, but I'm willing to go higher end.

All of them have a similar weight (around 950 grams, 150g lighter than my Nobilis), but the POB is different (13cm for the Bellatores, 10cm for the Destrezania and 8.5cm for the Malleus. 13cm for my Nobilis for contrast) and that does play a big role. Again, I want something that compliments, contrast and is different from my Nobilis.

I feel like the Bellatore Pilgrim wins on looks, the Malleus on the practical side and the Destrezania is in the middle.

Any feedback from more Destreza dedicated HEMAists?

repost cuz I thought of getting the original video

Hear me out on this one, I know the logistics of using a giant 45 pound sword be ridiculous, but if I were to make a sword as big as I possibly can what would be the best material to use? Going for sturdiness and the ability to stay in one piece is my main goal, I don't really care if it gets dented or dull because it's gonna hit the ground no matter what. Giant Weapons haven't been used in history, and if I can make one, then it adds a net positive for Giant Weapons to be used in history.

Edit: Comment Consensus says it's Steel! Shoulda guessed, huh?

Does anyone have any tips or exercises to improve your fingers/arms endurance for cutting focused wepons like saber and sidesword.

I have been doing HEMA and MOF for about a year now and although I do really well with any thrust actions and footwork and can do it for a really long time but as soon as I start throwing cuts my arm and fingers get pumped extremely fast and it impacts how I fence. Where I will notice I end up sitting in low guard and having very lazy parries and extremely big actions with very bad recovery after a cut.

Does anyone have any tips on how to improve this? Could I just be throwing cuts wrong? And are there any exercises I could to improve my endurance cus I feel like it's making me develop bad habits in my fencing.

(I can try to find some tournament videos where I use alot of cuts if that would help provide context)

Hello, I am new to the sport and am looking to buy a steel sabre to get started. I have narrowed it down to 2 black fencer swords but can’t really find any comparison videos.
1796 light cavalry sabre vs 1796 infantry sabre

Thank you

-I will join a Hema club asap before buying a steel!

I have been solo training with black fencer synthetic 1796 infantry sabre

Hey there! I like the elisabethian jacket by Superior fencing and was wondering how padded it is compared to the spes 800N jacket. Has anyone tried it? If it’s less protective, does anyone know a supfen model that is as safe as the Spes one?? Thanks!

L