I thought that glance at the camera when he said a "bulbous knob at the end" was a little too on the nose, though. The joke works better when he plays it completely straight.
He gives the camera a strange look, then it began. Matt please don't give the camera a look announcing that you are about to drop a few double antandras. I like to beleive they are not on perpass
1: The new swords (V4) have a true, nicely shaped crossguard. 2: I understand you speak from a teacher/club manager's point of view, but for a beginner or someone who doesn't want or can't afford to invest a lot of money in a new hobby, I think they are perfect. And they don't need any maintenance, unlike steel, I assume. I'm two weeks away from receiving my Kriegsmesser. I'm glad Skallagrim asked them to make a replica of the Knecht, so everyone can buy it. In the future I'll buy a sabre. I have a thing for European curved swords. Yeah, curved swords. Sorry, Skyrim guards.
Good thing the police aren't insane around here in Poland.Or someone didn't go crazy with a sword on a rampage - they would probably get stopped real quick anyway. The more surprising fact is they're not even considered a weapon, as long as its obvious that this is a sword - sword canes, sword umbrellas, boot knives and similar concealable are banned. (Though in self defense law they are considered "an equally dangerous object as a weapon" - similar to a knife.) Of course someone practicing with a sword in the public is quite a show and you may get hassled a bit and questioned and you cannot bring such a thing to a demonstration or such gatherings. Cavalry units are even required to carry a sabre on parade or representative duty. Those are functional though not really that nice to handle.
I'm going to slightly disagree with you, Matt. I'd say that the Blackfencers feel like they weigh significantly less than steel feders. Looking at their website, it's not by much, maybe 100-200 grams at most. But definitely handling and being hit by the Black Fencers, they 'feel' lighter. Perhaps it's the broader edge, like you said, or maybe it's something else. But I'm definitely more comfortable with fencing in less gear than what is needed for steel. What would be a hit that breaks a rib with steel just feels like a light bruise with the Black Fencers. That being said, you ask why choose the Black Fencers over steel? Well, the simple answer is cost. You're paying more than 3 times the price for steel than you are with a synthetic, and most people don't want to make that commitment if they're trying out different weapons. But anyway, great video. Always nice to hear some different opinions.
their point of balance is pretty far back, like 2" on the longswords, and also on those the handles are relatively long compared to the bladelength. i think this contributes to them feeling lighter in comparison
The other two factors in favour of the Blackfencers: cost v steel (get two or three at least v cost of steel) and relatively available with a wait time of weeks rather months or years?
Also the rawlings line is rubbish when it comes to Messer. We have three of them and they are unusable for what we are doing. They are floppy and handle in a wierd way. 50cm rattan sticks are a much better training tool then the Rawlings Messer. The Rawlings Longsword is quite good (as far as I have heard).
A big perk to the Blackfencer swords is that they are safe to use with hockey armour. Super helpful in countries (Canada, parts of the US, Scandinavia, Russia) where you can't walk into a sports store without tripping over hockey elbow & chest protectors. Our club has a few loaner sets of hockey gear, and like four loaner pairs of red dragon gloves, so new students just need to buy a fencing mask and a synthetic sword and they're good to fight.
Funny thing, fencing masks and wasters or nylons are pretty hard to get and have relatively long lead times, so they'd be better served stocking up on those and letting students buy their own hockey gear.
We have distribution deals on fencing masks and synthetics, so we sell them at the door. In general it's better for people to own their own mask (for fit and smell) and their own sword (because even plastic swords are cool and make people want to come back).
Confirmed: HEMA is an expensive hobby. The proper protective gear is real expensive. Why those broken fingers? Because improper gloves are so much used... too light for example.
The black fencer synthetic feders have been wonderful for us in Miami, the benefits aside from what Matt describes for us is that they won't rust like steel will if you leave them unattended so it is less to worry about. Also, if they get bent out of shape you can just lay them on a flat surface and apply heat and press to straighten them out.
I actually own the Blackfencer Sidesword you showed in the video and so far I can only support what you've said. It is probably one of the best wasters I've handled so far. Getting a Rapier soon.
Blackfencer's later models have indeed developed more elegant hilts for all their swords. In my club I'd say their primary selling point is price. While a good feder might set you back £150 a BF longsword could be £70. Coupled with the fact stuff can be custom made for very little additional cost & it makes trainjng with a wide range of weapons affordable.
in re: the comfort level of the rough cord-wrap on the hilt -- i have found that the cord has softened and smoothed out considerably with use. the same abrading process that gave me callouses using these with bare hands acts on the cord itself, and the one that i have which has seen the most use is not at all uncomfortable to use barehanded, even for an extended period.of course the callous i have built up from just such use contributes to that, but i have more than one blackfencer training waster, and there is a really noticeable difference between the one i use the most and ones which haven't been handled as much.
another thing to note, i have one of these that has seen about 3 years of use, and the cord wrap is still in excellent shape ((and comfortable, as per comment above)). the lighter cordwrap on the purpleheart nylon wasters we have in our club of similar age & use are not at all in as good repair, the cord becoming loose and frayed. +1 durability
Yes, the main point is what you say at the end, and what many people mentioned in comments - they are cheaper thank steel. I have a Black Fencer sword because I wanted something with a realistic weight to train with, but could not afford a steel sword. They also actually bind. Red Dragon swords bend and slide too much, you cannot simulate a bind with blunt steel using them.
I agree with all your points. I find my new blackfencer highland broadsword to bind and swing much better from the wrist. But they hit much faster than the Rawlings (so for sure wear jackets for your arms) and my biggest issue so far is they chip very easily with their harder plastic. It's pretty difficult to chip the Rawlings, possibly also because they bind less. Cheers!
I generally agree with all your statements. I would add that there are significant differences between how some of the different types of Black Fencer nylons perform.I own one of their dussacks, and I think these are amongst their most heavy duty weapons. Their dussack is a very... hitty weapon. First day I had it managed to shed blood simply through having a pretty rough edge as well.I had a go with one of the sabres at 2 Days of the Blade, and the sabres perform very differently (and are actually much more flexible). I had a bit of play with one of my clubmates, dussack vs. sabre, and this illustrated the difference in the way the different weapons behaved enormously.If you want to parry the dussack with the sabre, you really have to put some energy into it. If you want to parry the sabre with the dussack, you can just stick it in front of you and its weight and overall beastliness will do the job for you.
Great video, thanks. I have to agree with the comments towards the end about the place of various training weapon types and the requirements they place on you for protective gear. We've always used the Rawlings synthetics and blunt liechtenauers, and some legacy wooden wasters from before nylon was available, which are useful for a bit of drilling to build up familiarity with a heavier weapon. The blackfencer weapons look to my like they create a middle ground between synthetic and steel that we don't really need, but I definitely take Matt's point about them being right for some clubs who maybe don't ever want to invest in steel. I'd love to hear Matt's comments on something related to this, though. For me, there's a third factor in play in addition to the weapon material and the level of protective gear, which is competence. My instructor and I are able to train at something like 90% speed and commitment using Rawling's longswords with zero protective gear. With hand and head protection we don't really consider it necessary to pull strikes at all, we go pretty much 100% with just mask and glove and Rawlings. But with zero gear, aside from stop thrusts and strikes to the hand there's nothing that we need to pull that much, you can actually take a full speed and power cut to the bare body from the Rawling's weapons with just a bit of bruising/welt to show for it. Nothing more than you might expect to get from sport fencing if you take a particularly strong hit, certainly nothing as serious as you can expect from amateur boxing/MMA. I'd be interested to hear Matt's thoughts on how experience and competence (and trust) relates to protective kit for dynamic sparring with the Rawlings type of light, flexible synthetic. I appreciate that you might not want to be seen to be endorsing dangerous, unserious uses of synthetic weapons, but to my eyes it's far more dangerous to spar at full speed and power with a steel feder or blunt and total HEMA protective kit than a Rawlings with none, and both methods of training make significant but different realism sacrifices. If I'm being hyper critical, I have to say that the tournament scene in HEMA really shows up the training inadequacies that come along with regularly donning a lot of protective gear in order to reproduce unarmoured fencing.
blackfencer are awesome ive had my long sword for just over two years and the only problem ive ever had is is the pins in the cross gaurd needed replaceing
Interesting. In my club, only about two people actually have steel feders, and no one has full protective gear (though we're getting close), so nylons still make sense. But yeah, I guess once we get more sleel and more gear, they'll become less useful. I have a Rawlings, I was thinking of upgrading to a Blackfencer but maybe now I'll just get their sidesword instead.
I just ordered a set of nylon sabers and longswords from Purple so I can use them on my horses. :) Another big benefit is you can leave them in a car in florida and they won't rust.
Hey Matt, I want to offer my personal perspective which you didn't touch on, as far as "If you need about as much protection as steel, why use this instead of steel?" For me, who is only a few months into HEMA, and my friends and family who are entering HEMA as well, COST VS. ACCURACY VS SAFETY is the primary driver. For Steel, you absolutely need a jacket, good mask, etc. We use the Purpleheart Armory swords, not the Blackfencer, though they are nearly the same. We can nearly full-contact spar with lighter (read: cheaper) gloves, Masks rated at 350n (about half the price of higher rated masks), and some mild forearm protection (we use SPES), and maybe some cheap hockey shinguards. This is LESS than half the price of what you would need for steel, while at the same time being VERY close to historically accurate. We simply won't be able to afford everything for steel-sparring for a while, as we must spread out our funds. So, I offer THAT is the "gap" these swords fill. People who can't quite afford steel, who are beginners, who still want historical accuracy and can also afford moderate equipment. Cheers!
It all depends on intended use ( CONTEXT ;) ) The way I use them is not to fill any gap; rather, they REPLACE steel. The main reason being price and low maintenance. Concretely, I practice a wide range of historical weapons and using Blackfencer allows me to have 20 different kinds of sparring swords for well under 1500 euros. That same amount of money would get me 4-6 steel ones. One other advantage is while you may need equivalent padding as with steel, your protective equipment doesn't have to be puncture resistant as this material is far less likely to break such as to create a sharp end. Lastly, if you want training weapons that are currently not to be found on the market, Blackfencer will make very affordable custom works (20 euros extra, more or less depending on complexity). The gap they fill therefore is wasters for people who want to practice an ambitiously wide variety of weapon types (including some which are not generally available in HEMA) while staying on a budget. I do appreciate that for people using mostly steel they may not be appealing. (Although don't forget the sharp simulators which fill a whole other gap.) Cheers from Belgium!
To clarify Matt shows a version/generation 2 sidesword, the new blackfencer wasters are constructed in a much sturdier, better way (generation 4). Also the new ones look much better!
I really dislike sidesword v4, mainly for balance and the little piece of steel that goes over the blade, recently changed as the method of construction has changed too... it just keeps rubbing against my finger and i cannot get a good hold on the sword
i have mixed feelings about the new construction method, technically version 4s are way more durable, because of the lowered mechanical stress in the crossguard, but for one handed weapons like sideswords, where you might want to put your finger over the guard, it could be "too thick" to get a good grip/hold on the sword. for longswords the new method works fine.
Yes, speaking of 2handed wasters i've been using the Marozzo model for about a year, and i find it overall better in both construction and handling. But i still didn't see the need for a more robust construction, since the only broken BF i saw had the blade broken in half or chipped, no damage to the hilt whatsoever...
www.reddit.com/r/wma/comments/6eobtv/so_we_learned_why_blackfencer_changed_their_hilt/ this is the only waster, broken at the crossguard that i know of. and to be fair it looks like it has been used a lot!
Unless you go to my club where the only nylon wasters they allow are the Rawlings Red Dragon Knightshop Hema Shop nylon sparring swords( too many names), which I like, because of the interchangeable hilts, but they don't have nearly the variety.
You should do a video about armor in HEMA and how armored fighting works, especially compared to M1, Battle of Nations, etc, or the way Medieval tournaments were fought.
a point you touched but non enough i think Several weeks ago the "Sala Da Arme Achille Marozzo" held it's annual "civil" tournament for the "civilian life weapons"- side sword, sword and dagger and sword and buckler. the number of the fencers in each one of these desciplines was about 200! All with adequat protection, and all able to fence with skill and ability without going in debt. University students, working class people and just normal people that can't spend 300 euros for minimal protection geer (without talking about the swords). The nailon weapons open HEMA for the "critical mass" of practitioners, from whom the "rasinig" to the steel weapons is more skill based then budjet based.
My club has found that they bind a lot better than the Rawlings. Still not great, but they don't slide as easily at all. So that's part of the reason we have been slowly switching over
They are less pleasant and can lead to scrapes, so you need some thick clothing. (Speaking about v4. I heard most v5 are less flexible for some reason.) These are still rounded but the draw hits feel like being slightly sawed. Oh, and of course getting hit with a fast moving blunt object is supposed to hurt a bit so you feel it, but not so much you get bruised. They fit the bill.
A little update on design -'currently their hilts are even more sword-like, the crossguard doesn't go through the blade, quillons/knuckle bows/side rings have flat cross section, I believe the distal taper also has improved. BTW really enjoyed your workshop at 2 Days of The Blade, although there was not enough of penis jokes!
Hi Matt, I've got three questions for you today :) -What do you think about sparring synthetic vs steel? -I'm having an "espada culhona" type sword made. More specifically one from the very end of the XVth century. Essencially it's half way between an arming sword and a side sword. What treatises do you think I sould be studying in order to have an optimised technique? I don't have much knowledge about one handed swords' techniques, the only one I know about is I33, but I guess it is too ancient to be relevant. -On the sword you have like on the sword I'm having made, there are not only finger rings, but also a forward side ring (only on one side). Is that just to add protection? Then why not have two side rings? Martim
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I'm looking for good sparring blades for goloks. do they make ones that you could safely thrust with as well. most of the ones I have are aluminium and they tend to be a bit on the tough side
The club I train with uses nylon for beginners tournaments. Coming from the SCA, I find nylon swords to hit as hard as rattan, so I armor up to that level for competitive sparring. Since my SCA gear is all hidden plastic, I just swap out to a HEMA mask.
We use both the Pentii and the Blackfencer at our club, because most of us don't have steel, and we often go full force. Most of us use nothing more than thick gloves and helmets (one or two people use a Gambeson and a few more have shin and forearm/elbow protection), and I can say with assurance that they are much, much safer than steel. There has been only one injury in the club after quite a few years, and that particular one would be unlikely to have been prevented using something like the Rawlings. Are they going to hurt more than the Rawlings? Sure, absolutely. But still much, MUCH less than steel, and they don't require nearly as much protective gear.
Hi Matt, after binge watching many of your videos I've decided i want to get into HEMA. I've found that the closest club to myself is in Dewsbury, and upon reading into their site a bit i saw that they are associated with Schola Gladiatoria. Does this mean they are associated with yourself personally?
I know it is against the conventional wisdom, but, for me, the Black Fencers are all-around better than steel blunts or feders. Cheaper, more durable, and less maintenance. Plus the sharp-simulators give you some of the edge binding that you don’t get with blunt steel. And they seem to be constantly improving. The place where the Red Dragons really shine is-due to the interchangeable parts-in a lot of versatility for the price for one-handers. I haven’t tried any of their longswords, though I’ve heard many people say they don’t like the longswords as much as the one-handers. Although the arming sword blade with the extended pommel is close to the size of the Cold Steel Italian Longsword.
The US distributor of Black Fencer (South Coast Swords) will be getting a shipment of Black Fencers soon. So good for us USA HEMA fans. I'm thinking of getting a Federschwert, and maybe different sword depending on the prices. NOTE: I believe the current versions of the swords don't have the crossguard through the blade anymore. And some of the blades are made more realistic.
I completely agree with your points. The Purple Heart nylons are the same as the Black Fencer nylons on these aspects in my opinion. I also would prefer to be stabbed with a steel weapon in the mask than with a thick nylon like these, because it is nicer for the neck joints.
Hey Matt. On the Blackfencer site, there are sickles available. Are sickles a genuine article in historical fighting and is there enough on the matter to make a video? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject, cheers.
As to their stiffness and required equipment for sparring: alright, you need the same protection as for sparring with steel. But the rules of my club, for instance, state the same equipment requirements for sparring anyway--due to insurance stipulations. And, as my neighbour from Tanzania asserted once: in Germany, insurance is the key. ;) What you gain, in my opinion, is what you don't spend. As a student's club we depend on sponsorship by our student's council (usually around 600€ per semester) and donations, as well as the occassional paid public presentation. Steel gear, weapons as well as protection, are always paid by the members theirselves. Still we offer some basic equipment for beginners, of course. If we have to buy ten new wasters (once we doubled our member numbers in one semester), we get ten blackfencers for 650€. Try finding a good (durable) steel trainer longsword for 70€ or less in Germany...
I think the point of these things is the price . 80 pounds for an 1821 saber seems like a pretty good deal. It would make trying new weapons out a lot more affordable in my opinion.
Not me, though. My tulwar's quite sturdy and it's always in and out of a scabbard. Scabbards take care of swords and save you from having to keep polishing them.
Heh, so your major complaint about Blackfencer is that their line, which IIRC had a previous blurb line of "like steel", is that they are too much "like steel"? ROFL. BTW, sparring with Blackfencers, I wouldn't personally advise that anyone cut back on their protective gear, especially with the exaggerated claims in the HEMA community over adding a few millimeters of weapon thickness immediately equaling far lower impact force when what is important is better protective gear, especially ways to spread the blow out farther (hint, hint, what plates of armor are for, not slightly fatter sword shaped objects). After all, my Blackfencer isn't that much wider than my feder, handles much the same and hits just as hard. So, yes, if you want to buy into plastic = hits less hard, then go with the lesser plastic versions, because you need those floppier and softer brands to take some gear off. Heh, the more I think about it, I think you just gave them a full blown recommendation in your own understated style that you are well known for.
One con to the nylon wasters, that I've found at least, is that they tend to bounce off each other a bit more than blunt steel, and way, WAY more than sharps. I think purpleheart or someone or other is coming out with toothed edges that should help that, but I haven't gotten to use one.
You need less protection with rawlings and they are far better to transport. Those are the two points (also mentioned here) which make them more practical for me as wasters. When the Blackfencer ones came out (as Penti, i remember that aswell) i was fond of them but changed my mind. Opposite of some pals of mine. I feel the same as matt here.
Hey Matt, now that it's been announced the new Assassin's Creed game is going to be set in Egypt (roughly 300BC), do you think you could do a video talking about what authentic weaponry you would have suggested they use for that period?
They seem to have been reasonably accurate then - they've gone with the "kopesh" as they've spelt it, bows, and maces (which I assume would be there way of classifying war clubs). The only thing that majorly varies from your suggestions is the shield material - they've gone with metal shields.
I am not an authority on Egyptian weapons. I was suggesting wicker shields from Assyrian sources from a comparable time period. Perhaps they are wooden shields faced with bronze, like the aspis (hoplite shield). That could also be period. The important thing is that the khopesh is super badass :) I hope someone does a stone age game at some point. Think Aztec and Maori weapons. Jade machete/war clubs. Obsidian edged sword/war clubs. Atlatl. Awesome and not at all played out.
Christopher Silverberg I have a Pentti (most current version) Longsword from Purple Heart, who I believe also makes them. Wonderful trainer and not as stiff or as unforgiving as the older Black Fencers my club as.
So we have a mystery at hand. I wondered why Matt reviewed Black Fencer swords and then just as an aside, mentioned, hey guys there is/was this much better manufacturer... well if that is the case, then bother with the Black Fencer brand?
So how is that relevant? I usually very much like Schola Gladiatoria's videos, but I do have a gripe with this one. If you do a consumer orientation video you are supposed to either cover all the brands or mention the top tier brands, not arbitrarily showcase a singular brand that is neither the best, not the cheapest, nor anything else that stands out - that's the point.
www.woodenswords.com/product_p/type-iii-50.fuller.htm Since the item's description says Purple's, that is why I said they made them. Also, this is the exact sword I ordered with the stainless steel pommel and custom grip.
We use Red Dragón wasters for longsword practice and they hit hard as all hell even with full protection. They hit much harder than our steel rapiers. I fear the moment we start using steel longswords.
I read once in a youth/childrens book on knightly tournaments, that they used whalebone swords for not hurting each other seriously. Does anyone of you know about a proper historical source?
They are cheaper but I agree they don't feel safe enough compared to steel - probably because of the relatively high weight. I don't know what type it is but at GHFS they also have even softer longswords (broad and dark) but they don't like them because they feel too floppy...
I find steel weapons deal less of an impact than synthetics. On day 1 of attending AHF's Newport sessions, I got light cauliflowering on my left ear from getting beat by Mike with a synthetic longsword but when I tried out a steel longsword, I still got repeatedly whacked on the left and I wasn't getting hurt on my left ear from it.
My question is what is the price difference between steel and the nylon? (I am not involved with HEMA) If the price difference is considerable, and you want the realism of steel but cant afford it then a cheaper nylon alternative would be of great value to a non beginner with limited funds.
I feel that you have overlooked that as a movie prop weapon with a bit of paint they look great for all the extras. I think that you also did not mention why use nylon swords at all? The lack of notching steel blades and crushing and then having splinters from wooden blades. For training purposes Nylon does neither.
In my opinions nylons don't behave like steel at all. Steel weapons move and react to each other in a particular way that nylon cannot accurately recreate.
I feel the same way, but for those of us struggling financially, they come close enough to warrant consideration considering the vast price difference.
scholagladiatoria I recently bought a set of the sharp simulators to practice binding. Seems like it is necessary for people who don't want to practice with sharp steel.
I'm hoping Sean Franklin can comment of sharp simulators to his fast-speed sharp experiment. I'm wary of the authenticity of sharp simulators otherwise. www.hemacutting.com/home/2016/5/22/we-fought-with-sharps-so-you-dont-have-to
Excellent presentation (as always) but it would be better if instead of just saying that they are cheaper than steel - why not quote the prices? You would have to give the date and the place to account for inflation but it would still help.
what about black fencer sharp sword simulators? Why aren't they a new craze in HEMA, Roland Warzecha seemed fond of their realism and isn't that the goal?
Medieval fightclub sells the Rawlings synthetics. If you're after HEMA grade steel weapons I think you'll probably have to import though. It might be an idea to pose this question to the "Australian HEMA Community" facebook page too as it has been a while since I bought a new sword.
Personally, yes. Synthetics flex in the thrust (though Matt might not think so). In any case, they flex. And any type of flex is better than no flex at all with a wooden sword.
So basically they're too good for you? XD I see this as a cheaper and safer alternative for steel swords for intermediate people. Not complete novices, but people with some experience but lacking founds for steel blades.
I do not own anything like that but I would guess that if you were to place aluminum tape over it would make the blade more attractive. Which could be counter productive if you want people to know it is safe(r) than the real deal.
Okay, I'm at black fencer and one of there sabers cost 66,99€ What does that mean!? Are they asking for 76 dollars or 7600 dollars? Does Europe treat commas as decimal points? If not then this synthetic sword cost more than a damn Albion.
Why don't they put coloring in the nylon when making these swords so they will at least look more authentic? Nylon has been available in many colors for years and years.
"If you want good penetration, you need a stiff weapon"
Matt, you've become the living meme.
He always have been it has just been hidden
I thought that glance at the camera when he said a "bulbous knob at the end" was a little too on the nose, though. The joke works better when he plays it completely straight.
He gives the camera a strange look, then it began. Matt please don't give the camera a look announcing that you are about to drop a few double antandras. I like to beleive they are not on perpass
Meme? He's not just a lowly meme, but a GOD! The Penetration God of HEMA!!!!
I agree, it's much funnier when he plays it straight
1: The new swords (V4) have a true, nicely shaped crossguard.
2: I understand you speak from a teacher/club manager's point of view, but for a beginner or someone who doesn't want or can't afford to invest a lot of money in a new hobby, I think they are perfect. And they don't need any maintenance, unlike steel, I assume.
I'm two weeks away from receiving my Kriegsmesser. I'm glad Skallagrim asked them to make a replica of the Knecht, so everyone can buy it. In the future I'll buy a sabre. I have a thing for European curved swords. Yeah, curved swords. Sorry, Skyrim guards.
Don't confuse Red Dragon with Bad Dragon. They are used for completely different kinds of penetration.
NOOOOOOOOOOO my search history!!!!!
The fuck? Dinossaur-like portable penetration platform? Hardcore.
You're not fooling anyone.
I would give another like to this comment...
But I felt like keeping 69 likes was for the better.
XD Only sometimes.
Nylon swords, especially sabres, have the advantage, that people don't get too nervous when you start hitting each other in the public.
That's very true.
police wont take them from u while traveling.
Skallagrim hase made a first impresion Video made about EPW padded practise swords mayby he are saver than nylon swords
Good thing the police aren't insane around here in Poland.Or someone didn't go crazy with a sword on a rampage - they would probably get stopped real quick anyway.
The more surprising fact is they're not even considered a weapon, as long as its obvious that this is a sword - sword canes, sword umbrellas, boot knives and similar concealable are banned.
(Though in self defense law they are considered "an equally dangerous object as a weapon" - similar to a knife.)
Of course someone practicing with a sword in the public is quite a show and you may get hassled a bit and questioned and you cannot bring such a thing to a demonstration or such gatherings.
Cavalry units are even required to carry a sabre on parade or representative duty. Those are functional though not really that nice to handle.
I'm going to slightly disagree with you, Matt. I'd say that the Blackfencers feel like they weigh significantly less than steel feders. Looking at their website, it's not by much, maybe 100-200 grams at most. But definitely handling and being hit by the Black Fencers, they 'feel' lighter. Perhaps it's the broader edge, like you said, or maybe it's something else. But I'm definitely more comfortable with fencing in less gear than what is needed for steel.
What would be a hit that breaks a rib with steel just feels like a light bruise with the Black Fencers. That being said, you ask why choose the Black Fencers over steel? Well, the simple answer is cost. You're paying more than 3 times the price for steel than you are with a synthetic, and most people don't want to make that commitment if they're trying out different weapons.
But anyway, great video. Always nice to hear some different opinions.
their point of balance is pretty far back, like 2" on the longswords, and also on those the handles are relatively long compared to the bladelength. i think this contributes to them feeling lighter in comparison
The other two factors in favour of the Blackfencers: cost v steel (get two or three at least v cost of steel) and relatively available with a wait time of weeks rather months or years?
Good points.
Also the rawlings line is rubbish when it comes to Messer. We have three of them and they are unusable for what we are doing. They are floppy and handle in a wierd way. 50cm rattan sticks are a much better training tool then the Rawlings Messer.
The Rawlings Longsword is quite good (as far as I have heard).
And ... they don´t break.
A big perk to the Blackfencer swords is that they are safe to use with hockey armour. Super helpful in countries (Canada, parts of the US, Scandinavia, Russia) where you can't walk into a sports store without tripping over hockey elbow & chest protectors. Our club has a few loaner sets of hockey gear, and like four loaner pairs of red dragon gloves, so new students just need to buy a fencing mask and a synthetic sword and they're good to fight.
Funny thing, fencing masks and wasters or nylons are pretty hard to get and have relatively long lead times, so they'd be better served stocking up on those and letting students buy their own hockey gear.
We have distribution deals on fencing masks and synthetics, so we sell them at the door. In general it's better for people to own their own mask (for fit and smell) and their own sword (because even plastic swords are cool and make people want to come back).
They are cheaper than steel swords Matt.
Yeah I think that's the niche they're going for. More realistic than Rawlings, cheaper than steel.
He made that point at the end, saying that they are great for drilling if you can't afford steel weapons in the right amounts :)
Ohh... I had fallen asleep by then.
confirmed: scholagladiatoria is a rich HEMA club.
Confirmed: HEMA is an expensive hobby.
The proper protective gear is real expensive. Why those broken fingers? Because improper gloves are so much used... too light for example.
The black fencer synthetic feders have been wonderful for us in Miami, the benefits aside from what Matt describes for us is that they won't rust like steel will if you leave them unattended so it is less to worry about. Also, if they get bent out of shape you can just lay them on a flat surface and apply heat and press to straighten them out.
New into hema (because of you), and I am rewatching this as I look into making an investment in practice swords for home
Excellent review. You covered many important points that are often ignored in other reviews. Thanks!
I actually own the Blackfencer Sidesword you showed in the video and so far I can only support what you've said. It is probably one of the best wasters I've handled so far. Getting a Rapier soon.
"I think even rapiers" just checked. Yes, they do sell rapiers. Cup or swept hilts in 94 or 104 cm length (from the hilt).
And their rapiers are surprisingly serviceable.
Blackfencer's later models have indeed developed more elegant hilts for all their swords.
In my club I'd say their primary selling point is price. While a good feder might set you back £150 a BF longsword could be £70.
Coupled with the fact stuff can be custom made for very little additional cost & it makes trainjng with a wide range of weapons affordable.
in re: the comfort level of the rough cord-wrap on the hilt --
i have found that the cord has softened and smoothed out considerably with use. the same abrading process that gave me callouses using these with bare hands acts on the cord itself, and the one that i have which has seen the most use is not at all uncomfortable to use barehanded, even for an extended period.of course the callous i have built up from just such use contributes to that, but i have more than one blackfencer training waster, and there is a really noticeable difference between the one i use the most and ones which haven't been handled as much.
another thing to note,
i have one of these that has seen about 3 years of use, and the cord wrap is still in excellent shape ((and comfortable, as per comment above)). the lighter cordwrap on the purpleheart nylon wasters we have in our club of similar age & use are not at all in as good repair, the cord becoming loose and frayed.
+1 durability
"It is gonna be a light touch, fairly quick review" > scrolls over video > checks length > just as I expected. Don't ever change your rambling ways :D
Yes, the main point is what you say at the end, and what many people mentioned in comments - they are cheaper thank steel. I have a Black Fencer sword because I wanted something with a realistic weight to train with, but could not afford a steel sword.
They also actually bind. Red Dragon swords bend and slide too much, you cannot simulate a bind with blunt steel using them.
I agree with all your points. I find my new blackfencer highland broadsword to bind and swing much better from the wrist. But they hit much faster than the Rawlings (so for sure wear jackets for your arms) and my biggest issue so far is they chip very easily with their harder plastic. It's pretty difficult to chip the Rawlings, possibly also because they bind less. Cheers!
I generally agree with all your statements. I would add that there are significant differences between how some of the different types of Black Fencer nylons perform.I own one of their dussacks, and I think these are amongst their most heavy duty weapons. Their dussack is a very... hitty weapon. First day I had it managed to shed blood simply through having a pretty rough edge as well.I had a go with one of the sabres at 2 Days of the Blade, and the sabres perform very differently (and are actually much more flexible). I had a bit of play with one of my clubmates, dussack vs. sabre, and this illustrated the difference in the way the different weapons behaved enormously.If you want to parry the dussack with the sabre, you really have to put some energy into it. If you want to parry the sabre with the dussack, you can just stick it in front of you and its weight and overall beastliness will do the job for you.
Great video, thanks. I have to agree with the comments towards the end about the place of various training weapon types and the requirements they place on you for protective gear. We've always used the Rawlings synthetics and blunt liechtenauers, and some legacy wooden wasters from before nylon was available, which are useful for a bit of drilling to build up familiarity with a heavier weapon. The blackfencer weapons look to my like they create a middle ground between synthetic and steel that we don't really need, but I definitely take Matt's point about them being right for some clubs who maybe don't ever want to invest in steel.
I'd love to hear Matt's comments on something related to this, though. For me, there's a third factor in play in addition to the weapon material and the level of protective gear, which is competence. My instructor and I are able to train at something like 90% speed and commitment using Rawling's longswords with zero protective gear. With hand and head protection we don't really consider it necessary to pull strikes at all, we go pretty much 100% with just mask and glove and Rawlings. But with zero gear, aside from stop thrusts and strikes to the hand there's nothing that we need to pull that much, you can actually take a full speed and power cut to the bare body from the Rawling's weapons with just a bit of bruising/welt to show for it. Nothing more than you might expect to get from sport fencing if you take a particularly strong hit, certainly nothing as serious as you can expect from amateur boxing/MMA.
I'd be interested to hear Matt's thoughts on how experience and competence (and trust) relates to protective kit for dynamic sparring with the Rawlings type of light, flexible synthetic. I appreciate that you might not want to be seen to be endorsing dangerous, unserious uses of synthetic weapons, but to my eyes it's far more dangerous to spar at full speed and power with a steel feder or blunt and total HEMA protective kit than a Rawlings with none, and both methods of training make significant but different realism sacrifices. If I'm being hyper critical, I have to say that the tournament scene in HEMA really shows up the training inadequacies that come along with regularly donning a lot of protective gear in order to reproduce unarmoured fencing.
Thanks, Matt, another great video! I'm personally concerned about WMA fighters "fencing" with very light weapons, so this review is good news.
I may buy the new Blackfencer sharp simulators at some point to practice binding with sword and buckler.
This is the first time Matt talked about a sword I already own
blackfencer are awesome ive had my long sword for just over two years and the only problem ive ever had is is the pins in the cross gaurd needed replaceing
Interesting. In my club, only about two people actually have steel feders, and no one has full protective gear (though we're getting close), so nylons still make sense. But yeah, I guess once we get more sleel and more gear, they'll become less useful. I have a Rawlings, I was thinking of upgrading to a Blackfencer but maybe now I'll just get their sidesword instead.
I just ordered a set of nylon sabers and longswords from Purple so I can use them on my horses. :) Another big benefit is you can leave them in a car in florida and they won't rust.
David Schlageter if it gets hot in the car, they will take a pretty good set though
True that!!!
You shouldn't hit horses with swords dude... Dick move...
I'd love to see a mounted sparring g video. As long as they're careful to not hit the horses. Maybe get some protection for them as well.
Hey Matt, I want to offer my personal perspective which you didn't touch on, as far as "If you need about as much protection as steel, why use this instead of steel?" For me, who is only a few months into HEMA, and my friends and family who are entering HEMA as well, COST VS. ACCURACY VS SAFETY is the primary driver. For Steel, you absolutely need a jacket, good mask, etc. We use the Purpleheart Armory swords, not the Blackfencer, though they are nearly the same. We can nearly full-contact spar with lighter (read: cheaper) gloves, Masks rated at 350n (about half the price of higher rated masks), and some mild forearm protection (we use SPES), and maybe some cheap hockey shinguards. This is LESS than half the price of what you would need for steel, while at the same time being VERY close to historically accurate. We simply won't be able to afford everything for steel-sparring for a while, as we must spread out our funds. So, I offer THAT is the "gap" these swords fill. People who can't quite afford steel, who are beginners, who still want historical accuracy and can also afford moderate equipment. Cheers!
I think Pentti started making nylon swords (longswords and messers) in 2004-2005. He made some in aluminium too.
imagine breaking into matt's house and he spots you when he has a sword in hand
It all depends on intended use ( CONTEXT ;) ) The way I use them is not to fill any gap; rather, they REPLACE steel. The main reason being price and low maintenance. Concretely, I practice a wide range of historical weapons and using Blackfencer allows me to have 20 different kinds of sparring swords for well under 1500 euros. That same amount of money would get me 4-6 steel ones.
One other advantage is while you may need equivalent padding as with steel, your protective equipment doesn't have to be puncture resistant as this material is far less likely to break such as to create a sharp end.
Lastly, if you want training weapons that are currently not to be found on the market, Blackfencer will make very affordable custom works (20 euros extra, more or less depending on complexity).
The gap they fill therefore is wasters for people who want to practice an ambitiously wide variety of weapon types (including some which are not generally available in HEMA) while staying on a budget.
I do appreciate that for people using mostly steel they may not be appealing. (Although don't forget the sharp simulators which fill a whole other gap.)
Cheers from Belgium!
To clarify Matt shows a version/generation 2 sidesword, the new blackfencer wasters are constructed in a much sturdier, better way (generation 4). Also the new ones look much better!
I really dislike sidesword v4, mainly for balance and the little piece of steel that goes over the blade, recently changed as the method of construction has changed too... it just keeps rubbing against my finger and i cannot get a good hold on the sword
i have mixed feelings about the new construction method, technically version 4s are way more durable, because of the lowered mechanical stress in the crossguard, but for one handed weapons like sideswords, where you might want to put your finger over the guard, it could be "too thick" to get a good grip/hold on the sword.
for longswords the new method works fine.
Yes, speaking of 2handed wasters i've been using the Marozzo model for about a year, and i find it overall better in both construction and handling. But i still didn't see the need for a more robust construction, since the only broken BF i saw had the blade broken in half or chipped, no damage to the hilt whatsoever...
www.reddit.com/r/wma/comments/6eobtv/so_we_learned_why_blackfencer_changed_their_hilt/
this is the only waster, broken at the crossguard that i know of. and to be fair it looks like it has been used a lot!
Wow, first i have seen... although i read that guy didn't quite put the waster under "fair" use...
Unless you go to my club where the only nylon wasters they allow are the Rawlings Red Dragon Knightshop Hema Shop nylon sparring swords( too many names), which I like, because of the interchangeable hilts, but they don't have nearly the variety.
You should do a video about armor in HEMA and how armored fighting works, especially compared to M1, Battle of Nations, etc, or the way Medieval tournaments were fought.
a point you touched but non enough i think
Several weeks ago the "Sala Da Arme Achille Marozzo" held it's annual "civil" tournament for the "civilian life weapons"- side sword, sword and dagger and sword and buckler. the number of the fencers in each one of these desciplines was about 200! All with adequat protection, and all able to fence with skill and ability without going in debt. University students, working class people and just normal people that can't spend 300 euros for minimal protection geer (without talking about the swords).
The nailon weapons open HEMA for the "critical mass" of practitioners, from whom the "rasinig" to the steel weapons is more skill based then budjet based.
We (in Poznań HEMA community) use many aluminium swords (longswords mostly), it works very well, i recomend that (if you can't have steel sword)
My club has found that they bind a lot better than the Rawlings. Still not great, but they don't slide as easily at all. So that's part of the reason we have been slowly switching over
Well the sharp simulator is not supposed to slide at all, you might be happier with one.
(Though they look even more funky.)
AstralStorm Looking at those I worry about sparring with them. Taking a hit cpuld be quite painful
They are less pleasant and can lead to scrapes, so you need some thick clothing. (Speaking about v4. I heard most v5 are less flexible for some reason.) These are still rounded but the draw hits feel like being slightly sawed.
Oh, and of course getting hit with a fast moving blunt object is supposed to hurt a bit so you feel it, but not so much you get bruised. They fit the bill.
A little update on design -'currently their hilts are even more sword-like, the crossguard doesn't go through the blade, quillons/knuckle bows/side rings have flat cross section, I believe the distal taper also has improved.
BTW really enjoyed your workshop at 2 Days of The Blade, although there was not enough of penis jokes!
Hi Matt, I've got three questions for you today :)
-What do you think about sparring synthetic vs steel?
-I'm having an "espada culhona" type sword made. More specifically one from the very end of the XVth century. Essencially it's half way between an arming sword and a side sword. What treatises do you think I sould be studying in order to have an optimised technique? I don't have much knowledge about one handed swords' techniques, the only one I know about is I33, but I guess it is too ancient to be relevant.
-On the sword you have like on the sword I'm having made, there are not only finger rings, but also a forward side ring (only on one side). Is that just to add protection? Then why not have two side rings?
Martim
I'm looking for good sparring blades for goloks. do they make ones that you could safely thrust with as well. most of the ones I have are aluminium and they tend to be a bit on the tough side
The club I train with uses nylon for beginners tournaments. Coming from the SCA, I find nylon swords to hit as hard as rattan, so I armor up to that level for competitive sparring. Since my SCA gear is all hidden plastic, I just swap out to a HEMA mask.
We use both the Pentii and the Blackfencer at our club, because most of us don't have steel, and we often go full force. Most of us use nothing more than thick gloves and helmets (one or two people use a Gambeson and a few more have shin and forearm/elbow protection), and I can say with assurance that they are much, much safer than steel. There has been only one injury in the club after quite a few years, and that particular one would be unlikely to have been prevented using something like the Rawlings.
Are they going to hurt more than the Rawlings? Sure, absolutely. But still much, MUCH less than steel, and they don't require nearly as much protective gear.
Haha! Absolutely not your fault Andy.
Hi Matt, after binge watching many of your videos I've decided i want to get into HEMA. I've found that the closest club to myself is in Dewsbury, and upon reading into their site a bit i saw that they are associated with Schola Gladiatoria. Does this mean they are associated with yourself personally?
I wonder what he'd make of their newer models. Much more elegant hilts.
I know it is against the conventional wisdom, but, for me, the Black Fencers are all-around better than steel blunts or feders. Cheaper, more durable, and less maintenance. Plus the sharp-simulators give you some of the edge binding that you don’t get with blunt steel. And they seem to be constantly improving.
The place where the Red Dragons really shine is-due to the interchangeable parts-in a lot of versatility for the price for one-handers. I haven’t tried any of their longswords, though I’ve heard many people say they don’t like the longswords as much as the one-handers. Although the arming sword blade with the extended pommel is close to the size of the Cold Steel Italian Longsword.
The US distributor of Black Fencer (South Coast Swords) will be getting a shipment of Black Fencers soon. So good for us USA HEMA fans. I'm thinking of getting a Federschwert, and maybe different sword depending on the prices.
NOTE: I believe the current versions of the swords don't have the crossguard through the blade anymore. And some of the blades are made more realistic.
I completely agree with your points. The Purple Heart nylons are the same as the Black Fencer nylons on these aspects in my opinion.
I also would prefer to be stabbed with a steel weapon in the mask than with a thick nylon like these, because it is nicer for the neck joints.
Steel swords would be ridiculously expensive for me to import (I live in south america). So... plastic is awesome.
Hey Matt. On the Blackfencer site, there are sickles available. Are sickles a genuine article in historical fighting and is there enough on the matter to make a video? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject, cheers.
I got most of my fencing gear from purple heart armory.
Almost the same except purple heart has better service.
Have you tried any of their sharp simulators? They look like they would give a different perspective on fighting from the bind.
Hey Matt, can you do a review of the black fencer v5 sharp simulator? Really interested to hear your take on it.
I have never handled one (or two).
As to their stiffness and required equipment for sparring: alright, you need the same protection as for sparring with steel. But the rules of my club, for instance, state the same equipment requirements for sparring anyway--due to insurance stipulations. And, as my neighbour from Tanzania asserted once: in Germany, insurance is the key. ;)
What you gain, in my opinion, is what you don't spend. As a student's club we depend on sponsorship by our student's council (usually around 600€ per semester) and donations, as well as the occassional paid public presentation. Steel gear, weapons as well as protection, are always paid by the members theirselves. Still we offer some basic equipment for beginners, of course. If we have to buy ten new wasters (once we doubled our member numbers in one semester), we get ten blackfencers for 650€. Try finding a good (durable) steel trainer longsword for 70€ or less in Germany...
I think the point of these things is the price . 80 pounds for an 1821 saber seems like a pretty good deal. It would make trying new weapons out a lot more affordable in my opinion.
we've all had problems with floppy weapons
Not me, though. My tulwar's quite sturdy and it's always in and out of a scabbard. Scabbards take care of swords and save you from having to keep polishing them.
Heh, so your major complaint about Blackfencer is that their line, which IIRC had a previous blurb line of "like steel", is that they are too much "like steel"? ROFL.
BTW, sparring with Blackfencers, I wouldn't personally advise that anyone cut back on their protective gear, especially with the exaggerated claims in the HEMA community over adding a few millimeters of weapon thickness immediately equaling far lower impact force when what is important is better protective gear, especially ways to spread the blow out farther (hint, hint, what plates of armor are for, not slightly fatter sword shaped objects). After all, my Blackfencer isn't that much wider than my feder, handles much the same and hits just as hard.
So, yes, if you want to buy into plastic = hits less hard, then go with the lesser plastic versions, because you need those floppier and softer brands to take some gear off.
Heh, the more I think about it, I think you just gave them a full blown recommendation in your own understated style that you are well known for.
speaking of hitting like a piece of wood. What are your thoughts on wooden practice wasters?
Price? If you mention other channels or websites you want us to go to then provide a link in the description
One con to the nylon wasters, that I've found at least, is that they tend to bounce off each other a bit more than blunt steel, and way, WAY more than sharps. I think purpleheart or someone or other is coming out with toothed edges that should help that, but I haven't gotten to use one.
Yes, nylon is kind of bouncy, which I find very annoying.
Black Fencer has the option of a toothy "sharp simulator" edge to practice binding techniques.
Does BF make a decent nylon-bladed sabre for British Military Sabre practice?
Matt, plans for a videon on historical swordsmen and who was the most skilled in the medieval period?
You need less protection with rawlings and they are far better to transport.
Those are the two points (also mentioned here) which make them more practical for me as wasters.
When the Blackfencer ones came out (as Penti, i remember that aswell) i was fond of them but changed my mind. Opposite of some pals of mine.
I feel the same as matt here.
Edit: A friend has a type XIV- simulator from blackfencer. It is unbelievably stiff ^^ you could kill with that thing. Meh.
Hey Matt, really enjoy your videos, Just wondering what your take is on the new black fencer sharp simulators? Thanks
Hey Matt could you do a video where to obtain decent steel trainers
Hey Matt, now that it's been announced the new Assassin's Creed game is going to be set in Egypt (roughly 300BC), do you think you could do a video talking about what authentic weaponry you would have suggested they use for that period?
Khopesh, war clubs, bows, wicker shields (I think). That would be an interesting video. Bronze age weapons are impressive.
They seem to have been reasonably accurate then - they've gone with the "kopesh" as they've spelt it, bows, and maces (which I assume would be there way of classifying war clubs). The only thing that majorly varies from your suggestions is the shield material - they've gone with metal shields.
I am not an authority on Egyptian weapons. I was suggesting wicker shields from Assyrian sources from a comparable time period. Perhaps they are wooden shields faced with bronze, like the aspis (hoplite shield). That could also be period. The important thing is that the khopesh is super badass :)
I hope someone does a stone age game at some point. Think Aztec and Maori weapons. Jade machete/war clubs. Obsidian edged sword/war clubs. Atlatl. Awesome and not at all played out.
We use plastics when the temperature drops below -5C and steel becomes to brittle to risk using
Great stuff
what about the Penty swords? Are they not made anymore?
They are sold through Purpleheart Armoury apparently.
Christopher Silverberg
I have a Pentti (most current version) Longsword from Purple Heart, who I believe also makes them. Wonderful trainer and not as stiff or as unforgiving as the older Black Fencers my club as.
So we have a mystery at hand. I wondered why Matt reviewed Black Fencer swords and then just as an aside, mentioned, hey guys there is/was this much better manufacturer... well if that is the case, then bother with the Black Fencer brand?
So how is that relevant? I usually very much like Schola Gladiatoria's videos, but I do have a gripe with this one. If you do a consumer orientation video you are supposed to either cover all the brands or mention the top tier brands, not arbitrarily showcase a singular brand that is neither the best, not the cheapest, nor anything else that stands out - that's the point.
www.woodenswords.com/product_p/type-iii-50.fuller.htm
Since the item's description says Purple's, that is why I said they made them.
Also, this is the exact sword I ordered with the stainless steel pommel and custom grip.
We use those for our drills and switch into full gear and Federswords in the "free fighting" part of our advanced groups in Augsburg, Germany.
We use Red Dragón wasters for longsword practice and they hit hard as all hell even with full protection. They hit much harder than our steel rapiers. I fear the moment we start using steel longswords.
"it's like hitting them with a piece of wood" well my school uses wooden wasters so blackfencer swords will fit in just fine.
I read once in a youth/childrens book on knightly tournaments, that they used whalebone swords for not hurting each other seriously. Does anyone of you know about a proper historical source?
They are cheaper but I agree they don't feel safe enough compared to steel - probably because of the relatively high weight. I don't know what type it is but at GHFS they also have even softer longswords (broad and dark) but they don't like them because they feel too floppy...
Matt, if I came to Schola Gladiatoria as a student and brought my own Blackfencers, would I be discouraged from using them?
No, we have a few people using them.
can you use it with wooden wasters???
Yes
I find steel weapons deal less of an impact than synthetics. On day 1 of attending AHF's Newport sessions, I got light cauliflowering on my left ear from getting beat by Mike with a synthetic longsword but when I tried out a steel longsword, I still got repeatedly whacked on the left and I wasn't getting hurt on my left ear from it.
they are half the price of steel tho.
only half ? more like a third
My question is what is the price difference between steel and the nylon? (I am not involved with HEMA) If the price difference is considerable, and you want the realism of steel but cant afford it then a cheaper nylon alternative would be of great value to a non beginner with limited funds.
I feel that you have overlooked that as a movie prop weapon with a bit of paint they look great for all the extras. I think that you also did not mention why use nylon swords at all? The lack of notching steel blades and crushing and then having splinters from wooden blades. For training purposes Nylon does neither.
Counterpoint: what is the point of steel if much much cheaper nylons do the same thing?
In my opinions nylons don't behave like steel at all. Steel weapons move and react to each other in a particular way that nylon cannot accurately recreate.
I feel the same way, but for those of us struggling financially, they come close enough to warrant consideration considering the vast price difference.
scholagladiatoria I recently bought a set of the sharp simulators to practice binding. Seems like it is necessary for people who don't want to practice with sharp steel.
I'm hoping Sean Franklin can comment of sharp simulators to his fast-speed sharp experiment. I'm wary of the authenticity of sharp simulators otherwise.
www.hemacutting.com/home/2016/5/22/we-fought-with-sharps-so-you-dont-have-to
Also the sound. Gotta love that steel on steel 👍
Excellent presentation (as always) but it would be better if instead of just saying that they are cheaper than steel - why not quote the prices? You would have to give the date and the place to account for inflation but it would still help.
From 6:25. So much innuendo just one after the other 😂
6:38 You just couldn't help yourself, Matt?
what about black fencer sharp sword simulators? Why aren't they a new craze in HEMA, Roland Warzecha seemed fond of their realism and isn't that the goal?
I've not personally tried one, so I cannot comment.
It feels really weird repeatedly hearing an English pronunciation of my name in a video.
Pentti Koivuniemi How is it actually pronounced? now I'm interested
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Pentti
Penty swords
Thanks!
hot weather? don't you live in England?
I presume anything over 25 degrees Celcius counts as hot weather in England (people from Texas feel free to disagree)
Projections indicate that Easton will reach peak innuendo around 2020.
Maybe in the future tech like 3d printing will allow for affordable nylon blades that are much better shaped, at no extra production cost.
"the advantage of being broader, is that its stiffer"
and, " a bulbous knob on the end makes it safe for thrusting"
oh dear.
Does anyone make axes or polearms? Are those even possible?
Can anyone direct me to a good practice sword retailer in Australia, so many seem to be based in the US or Europe, I'm struggling to find one
get in contact with Stoccata, they'll be able to help you :)
hacheurdepoulet thanks mate
No worries, It's the only group I know in Australia!
Medieval fightclub sells the Rawlings synthetics. If you're after HEMA grade steel weapons I think you'll probably have to import though. It might be an idea to pose this question to the "Australian HEMA Community" facebook page too as it has been a while since I bought a new sword.
i'm sure it is a stupid question, but would you consider these safer for sparring than wooden equivalents?
More flexible?
Personally, yes. Synthetics flex in the thrust (though Matt might not think so). In any case, they flex. And any type of flex is better than no flex at all with a wooden sword.
Yes, much safer than wood.
The fact that they don't splinter under heavy stress has to be a positive trait for safety, right?
So basically they're too good for you? XD I see this as a cheaper and safer alternative for steel swords for intermediate people. Not complete novices, but people with some experience but lacking founds for steel blades.
I do not own anything like that but I would guess that if you were to place aluminum tape over it would make the blade more attractive. Which could be counter productive if you want people to know it is safe(r) than the real deal.
Okay, I'm at black fencer and one of there sabers cost 66,99€
What does that mean!?
Are they asking for 76 dollars or 7600 dollars?
Does Europe treat commas as decimal points? If not then this synthetic sword cost more than a damn Albion.
They mean 76 Dollars haha. Not 7.600 Dollar
at 2:47 and 2:57 and 10:02 you say theyre lighter than similar steel weapons but at 1:26 1:50 and 4:00 you say they're the same weight
hey Matt i think you sold out there shop went to order one and every thing is gone
This "industrial hilt" is obsolete. Check the new in Blackfencer's web, you will like it for sure.
I'll second Purpleheart armory and their excellent customer service.
I think the best thing about rigid synthetics are that they are much cheaper
Why don't they put coloring in the nylon when making these swords so they will at least look more authentic? Nylon has been available in many colors for years and years.