I'm very happy that they designed them in the "hand closed" position. That's my biggest problem with the supfen impact gloves, they are very hard to keep closed around a hilt.
As someone who absolutely despises clamshells to the point of using light rapier gloves for longsword fencing, I am always interested in new 5 finger protection. Two people in my club have Gabriels and they work great. Looks like HFA Black Prince is the next generation glove.
How do they compare to the Thokk? I have been using Thokk with the Malleus Errant, but i do feel the fatigue because of how i have to hold the swords while wearing gloves.
The SF HEMA Impact Resistant Gloves you reviewed in the past sound more affordable, but it's good to know there is a good hard shell option if I want one down the line. 👍 And I finally got to see a Kvetun Sidesword 5 in use. I wanted to see one being held (to understand better its size), so this preview was a bonus for me. Since you guys have quite a few models, maybe do a comparison video between sideswords and the subtle differences between them (weight, mass distribution in the hand, blade presence, tip speed, comfort when fingering the crossguard). Just a thought.
Yeh SF impact resistant are good gloves, protection levels seem roughly similar to these HF Black Prince so far, however the Black Prince have less bulk, more comfort and are more supple. Overall the SF Impact resistant is a great glove though, especially for the price, it is probably the most common glove at our clubs right now.
@@AcademyofHistoricalFencing Thanks, this is good info. I ordered the SF impact resistant gloves, and I'm waiting for them any day now. I should be set for a while. But I do wonder if I would have gone with the HF ones if I knew about them in time. €300 or so makes you think for more than a second about placing an order. Short of that, they look quite nice.
If it's a one handed sword very expensive glove, they should definitely sell single gloves, for the right or left hand. It's win win for them and the costumer. The pair is 300, so making a single hand something like 180 euros would be pretty fair.
I could see offering them in singles being useful, and will suggest it to them. But for most people we know they would want a pair, as using offhand weapons like daggers needs a similar glove. Paired swords the same. Training left and right handed. Even in single sidesword and sabre the offhand really needs a heavy glove if you use it actively for grappling and control.
@@AcademyofHistoricalFencingalright, i got a pair of the red dragons and actually like them quite a bit! I alreadyhave some plans to modify them though. Going to replace the wrist plates with a more hourglass gauntlet type guard out of leather for improved wrist mobility, and i got some extra fingertip protection for them as well.
Hey Nick ! Thx for the review, i was curious about these new gloves and the 1H sword users can really use better quality gloves at the moment, even thought the gloves on the market are getting better. I was hoping for a quick comparison with the SupFen Impact Gloves that is lying down in the back haha , would you care to tell us what the differences are? I have been really happy with Impact gloves up to now !
Compared to the impact resistant this HFA model offers more comfort and better dexterity, and they are more compact. I'd say protection levels are likely similar, but more testing is needed to know for certain.
I bought yhr SF globes last year, i hated them intensely and sold them after struggling to find anyone willing to buy them. I don't find them safe for minimal gurds, such has slot hilts. And for something like bowl hilt sabre, id still go with the HF armory firestones, or red dragons. With arming sword and longsword, i use the CHFG Michaels. The Gabriels are ok, but they have durability issues like all 5 fingers seems to in general.
@@Remainsofaruineddeadcursed-d7t i really dont understand that ... They have more protection compared to the old Red Dragons and Mobility is much better. There is nothing the old Red Dragons have over this one really. Been sparring a lot with it for one year and had no problems
I cannot test this I am afraid, we have had a lot of issues getting gloves to work with the more complex Malleus models, and so the only ones we had have been sold on.
Are you reviewing those sultan(or zultan?? Please correct me if I understood that wrong) glove soon? I see them being teased in posts by VB forge a lot and am very curious!
They fit fine in all the rapiers we have. The Complex hilt sideswords shown have the same sorts of hilts and show that., Though I would only ever use them for that when doing mixed weapon bouts against heavier cutting swords. It's just overkill and extra wear and tear on an expensive glove for normal rapier fencing.
How is you grip on sabres? Some gloves are quite stiff making the guard slip quite easily. Do you have any experience with their black knight sabre gloves?
Grip is very good on sabre, no stiffness or slipping. I haven't tried the black knight sabre gloves as I would never use mittens for sabre as discussed in this video.
Have you tried them with any of Sigi Forge's swords? We have a few Sigi sabers and a rapier that I'm curious how this would fit in. I'd been considering getting thokks for saber, rapier, and baskethilt, but knowing that HF Armory made a hardshell 5 finger glove I'm way more confident in saving up for a pair. I adore the black knight clams I got from them a few years ago since the fit and level of protection is great for me, so having a 5 finger option would be awesome.
We don;t have any Sigi sabres or rapiers in the club to test this with, but I have handled a few of their sabres. I would say they would work find except for the bowl version with the extended side ears. I'd not recommend using such heavy gloves for rapier, it compromises the dexterity and that level of protection isn't needed for rapier, except when fighting heavier swords in mismatched sparring. Heavy gloves are expensive and you are just shortening their service life by putting additional wear on the inner which is what usually fails first.
@@AcademyofHistoricalFencing Yea, fair point. Our club does tend to do mixed weapons quite a bit during sparring, so it'd be nice having a beefier option whenever we do stuff like longsword vs rapier. I usually swap between the black knights and the rapier/singlestick gloves from purpleheart for most things depending on how much protection I get from the hilt, but I often find the wrist protection lacking in the light rapier gloves. I'd probably use them most for saber and messer/sword and buckler anyway, but having it as an option for mixed steel would be nice once they have smaller sizes available. Thanks for the review and for getting back to me! I always appreciate seeing your insight on new gear 🧡
These seem like a one glove solution which is saying a lot. I never recommend 5 fingers for newer students but I would imagine that if you have good hand defense these are good for longsword. I'm between these and Gabriels, will definitely have a choice to make!
They sort of are, but still not suited to a lot of high contact longsword. Gabriels kind of are, though that comes at a price as they sacrifice in bulk and weight and so are really not well suited to a lot of one handed sword use. I think these HFA's and a pair of mittens will be the way to go for many people.
You know what I found to be really good for avoiding hand strikes in longsword? Dexterity....o.0 You know what I found to be really good for reproducing the plays in Italian and german longsword manuscripts where they use leather gloves? Dexterity....0.o How do you use a longsword without dexterity? Like a club....
Hey Nick, thanks for very thorough review. That exhaustive comparison of how they fit with various hilts was exactly what I wanted to know. Cheers!
Been waiting for your review of the Black Prince gloves all week, thank you very much.
Pretty much answers any questions I had.
I'm very happy that they designed them in the "hand closed" position. That's my biggest problem with the supfen impact gloves, they are very hard to keep closed around a hilt.
Omfg, thank you so much for doing this so in depth!! I’m just getting into saber and this was exactly what I needed to find!
As someone who absolutely despises clamshells to the point of using light rapier gloves for longsword fencing, I am always interested in new 5 finger protection. Two people in my club have Gabriels and they work great. Looks like HFA Black Prince is the next generation glove.
Dexterity in longsword is also needed. Which mittens lack. If you aren't shofting your grip you're limiting yourself
Maybe sidesword events become more popular with decent mass produced gloves. It would be nice.
How do they compare to the Thokk? I have been using Thokk with the Malleus Errant, but i do feel the fatigue because of how i have to hold the swords while wearing gloves.
Nice review.
The SF HEMA Impact Resistant Gloves you reviewed in the past sound more affordable, but it's good to know there is a good hard shell option if I want one down the line. 👍
And I finally got to see a Kvetun Sidesword 5 in use. I wanted to see one being held (to understand better its size), so this preview was a bonus for me. Since you guys have quite a few models, maybe do a comparison video between sideswords and the subtle differences between them (weight, mass distribution in the hand, blade presence, tip speed, comfort when fingering the crossguard). Just a thought.
Yeh SF impact resistant are good gloves, protection levels seem roughly similar to these HF Black Prince so far, however the Black Prince have less bulk, more comfort and are more supple. Overall the SF Impact resistant is a great glove though, especially for the price, it is probably the most common glove at our clubs right now.
@@AcademyofHistoricalFencing Thanks, this is good info. I ordered the SF impact resistant gloves, and I'm waiting for them any day now. I should be set for a while. But I do wonder if I would have gone with the HF ones if I knew about them in time. €300 or so makes you think for more than a second about placing an order. Short of that, they look quite nice.
@@AcademyofHistoricalFencingdon’t you find the SF gloves cause cramping though? I’m almost always fighting the glove. Maybe they’re too small?
Good review, thanks for doing it.
2:19 RIP ProGauntlet
Yep, it's not necessary to buy them for people from EU anymore
If it's a one handed sword very expensive glove, they should definitely sell single gloves, for the right or left hand.
It's win win for them and the costumer.
The pair is 300, so making a single hand something like 180 euros would be pretty fair.
I could see offering them in singles being useful, and will suggest it to them. But for most people we know they would want a pair, as using offhand weapons like daggers needs a similar glove. Paired swords the same. Training left and right handed. Even in single sidesword and sabre the offhand really needs a heavy glove if you use it actively for grappling and control.
Where do you got the Tshirt?
It would be awesome if they sold individual gloves, would really help the budget.
How do they compare to the thokks on low profile and thumb width?
Great review thanks 🙏
Can you tell me more about the gloves you compare with? What did you call it? Sultan fron UK? The heavier finger model?
How are the red dragon dreadnoughts for sidesword? I'd like a glove like this, but theyre so expensive.
Pretty good, though the tips do not encase the fingers as much as I would like and so that is a vulnerability.
@@AcademyofHistoricalFencing thanks for the reply! I'm very tempted to grab a pair of these when I save up some.
@@AcademyofHistoricalFencingalright, i got a pair of the red dragons and actually like them quite a bit! I alreadyhave some plans to modify them though. Going to replace the wrist plates with a more hourglass gauntlet type guard out of leather for improved wrist mobility, and i got some extra fingertip protection for them as well.
Hey Nick ! Thx for the review, i was curious about these new gloves and the 1H sword users can really use better quality gloves at the moment, even thought the gloves on the market are getting better.
I was hoping for a quick comparison with the SupFen Impact Gloves that is lying down in the back haha , would you care to tell us what the differences are? I have been really happy with Impact gloves up to now !
Compared to the impact resistant this HFA model offers more comfort and better dexterity, and they are more compact. I'd say protection levels are likely similar, but more testing is needed to know for certain.
@@AcademyofHistoricalFencing thank you, that's interesting. Wait and see for durability i guess :)
I bought yhr SF globes last year, i hated them intensely and sold them after struggling to find anyone willing to buy them. I don't find them safe for minimal gurds, such has slot hilts. And for something like bowl hilt sabre, id still go with the HF armory firestones, or red dragons.
With arming sword and longsword, i use the CHFG Michaels. The Gabriels are ok, but they have durability issues like all 5 fingers seems to in general.
@@Remainsofaruineddeadcursed-d7t i really dont understand that ... They have more protection compared to the old Red Dragons and Mobility is much better. There is nothing the old Red Dragons have over this one really. Been sparring a lot with it for one year and had no problems
Does it work with Malleus sidesword which have side ring like Duelist?
I have brought Red dragon 2, but it cannot fit-in.
I cannot test this I am afraid, we have had a lot of issues getting gloves to work with the more complex Malleus models, and so the only ones we had have been sold on.
What is the size compared to the Gabriels?
Does it fit inside an unmodified dorothea dussack? Still looking for a better glove for it
We don't have any unmodified ones left, but I doubt it, they are extremely tight and not really designed for an appropriate glove.
Are you reviewing those sultan(or zultan?? Please correct me if I understood that wrong) glove soon? I see them being teased in posts by VB forge a lot and am very curious!
Does it fit in the Landsknecht Emporium Dorthea dussack?
We don't have any unmodified ones anymore to test, but I very much doubt it. The Dorothea has never fit any heavy gloves.
I have a question: how would these gloves hold up against fokos, shashka, szabla and palasch?
how well do they fit in rapiers though?
They fit fine in all the rapiers we have. The Complex hilt sideswords shown have the same sorts of hilts and show that., Though I would only ever use them for that when doing mixed weapon bouts against heavier cutting swords. It's just overkill and extra wear and tear on an expensive glove for normal rapier fencing.
@AcademyofHistoricalFencing Good to know. I was worried knuckles might get a bit tight in a cup hilt or thibault.
Will it work with longsword at the level of medium intensity club sparring? (not tournaments)
How is you grip on sabres? Some gloves are quite stiff making the guard slip quite easily.
Do you have any experience with their black knight sabre gloves?
Grip is very good on sabre, no stiffness or slipping. I haven't tried the black knight sabre gloves as I would never use mittens for sabre as discussed in this video.
... there is a BF Munich? o.O
It's not a standard model in their shop but can be custom ordered. Review coming soon.
Have you tried them with any of Sigi Forge's swords? We have a few Sigi sabers and a rapier that I'm curious how this would fit in.
I'd been considering getting thokks for saber, rapier, and baskethilt, but knowing that HF Armory made a hardshell 5 finger glove I'm way more confident in saving up for a pair. I adore the black knight clams I got from them a few years ago since the fit and level of protection is great for me, so having a 5 finger option would be awesome.
We don;t have any Sigi sabres or rapiers in the club to test this with, but I have handled a few of their sabres. I would say they would work find except for the bowl version with the extended side ears. I'd not recommend using such heavy gloves for rapier, it compromises the dexterity and that level of protection isn't needed for rapier, except when fighting heavier swords in mismatched sparring. Heavy gloves are expensive and you are just shortening their service life by putting additional wear on the inner which is what usually fails first.
@@AcademyofHistoricalFencing Yea, fair point. Our club does tend to do mixed weapons quite a bit during sparring, so it'd be nice having a beefier option whenever we do stuff like longsword vs rapier. I usually swap between the black knights and the rapier/singlestick gloves from purpleheart for most things depending on how much protection I get from the hilt, but I often find the wrist protection lacking in the light rapier gloves. I'd probably use them most for saber and messer/sword and buckler anyway, but having it as an option for mixed steel would be nice once they have smaller sizes available.
Thanks for the review and for getting back to me! I always appreciate seeing your insight on new gear 🧡
These seem like a one glove solution which is saying a lot. I never recommend 5 fingers for newer students but I would imagine that if you have good hand defense these are good for longsword. I'm between these and Gabriels, will definitely have a choice to make!
They sort of are, but still not suited to a lot of high contact longsword. Gabriels kind of are, though that comes at a price as they sacrifice in bulk and weight and so are really not well suited to a lot of one handed sword use. I think these HFA's and a pair of mittens will be the way to go for many people.
You know what I found to be really good for avoiding hand strikes in longsword?
Dexterity....o.0
You know what I found to be really good for reproducing the plays in Italian and german longsword manuscripts where they use leather gloves?
Dexterity....0.o
How do you use a longsword without dexterity?
Like a club....