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Power posted an update 1 month, 3 weeks ago
@ellette-giselle
Hail Giselle! Thy compliment is indeed kind, and I shall attempt to assist with what knowledge I know and experience I experienced, but I shall give you fair warning. . . I am far from a sword master.
Now that I have claimed my disclaimer (And you shan’t be able to sue me for missing limbs), let’s proceed!
I’ll start with some info on the different kinds of swords you can buy for training purposes:
FOAM SWORDS
Pros. You don’t have to invest in protective gear or a swords that costs $, it’s a lot easier to get someone(s) to fight with you, you don’t have to worry about overheating in armor, and fights are less likely to end in something or someone breaking.
Cons. They do tend to get torn up easier, can be harder to “really” train with due to the lack of weight, balance, and rigidity (Especially the cross guards), and are almost all straight and double edged.
Foam swords spans a wide category, but I’ll classify them into three groups.
A. Soft foam, These blades have a soft foam exterior with a good hard plastic core. They may get torn up the easiest, but are some of the funniest (And some of my favorite). Nerf used to make some that where awesome, but alas, they where discontinued. I can vouch for the Hero’s Edge G-JS101 Foam Excalibur Sword. It have a nice padding with a hard enough core that it’s not floppy ( You can block with it). There is a longer G-BL002 that looks like it was made very similarly.
B. Hard foam, These may be more of your LARPer swords. They will stand up to some wear, but can hurt unprotected hands. It also seems like the ones I’ve come in contact with don’t have as rigid a core as the soft foam. (Stay away from movie look-a-likes. They are made for a prop, not use.)
C. Junk foam, You can buy these at the dollar store. They are soft foam, but have no core.
WOOD/BAMBOO
Pros. These can be used for more realistic training and are definitely better in regard to weight and rigidity. Bamboo also doesn’t hurt too badly.
Con. You will likely need gloves and possibly a helmet or padded cap (Especially for wood). I personally don’t like them because they break. . .
POLYPROPYLENE (Hard plastic)
Pros. These can take a LOT of wear and tear (Knives can break though), are pretty good for training (likely heavier than a real sword, which will build up strength), and are what I have the most of. You can also get quite a few different styles of blades (Cold Steel makes several which are good quality, and I have seen a company named Honshu that I want to try out for curves swords.)
Con. THEY ARE HARD. You can, and very likely will, hurt someone or be hurt if you don’t invest in protective gear and wear it. You will get hot. It may be uncomfortable. But, it’s a lot cheaper and enjoyable than visiting a hospital or orthopedic doctor. (I’ve been on a HEMA hiatus for the past several weeks after a single well places blow messes up a tendon.)
REAL METAL. . . I’ve actually never used a metal training sword to my knowledge. . .
Pros THIS IS THE DREAM
Con $$$$$$
When and if it comes to protective gear, I recommend that if you can’t dump a bit of money ($400-$600 for one person) into the real stuff, get motorcycle gloves, a helmet (I use a ProForce Thunder Padded Combat Head Guard with Face Cage), a throat guard (Gorget), and some form of “breastplate”.
Why wont it let me post the rest. . . ? 😒
https://www.hemaalliance.com/
@power
Hello! Thank you for replying so soon!
Ah, thank you for the tips. Maybe I should have mentioned that we own quiet a few polypropylene and some wood and bamboo. My dad also has a collection of mettle swords ranging from cavalry and claymores to catanas and sabers. So, I’m kinda past those stages and was really looking for a mettle blade that would fit me. My dad’s are either too heavy or don’t feel right.
So yeah, that’s the stage where I am at this point and time.
Any advice on finding a good mettle one that I could actually wield, or is it more of a “just keep looking” type thing?
Thanks for the website, I’ll check it out.
It sound like you might be looking for what is called a side-sword, a.k.a Spada da lato (Italian) or cut-and-thrust rapier. They are fairly light blades (2-4 pounds), range around 3 ft, are single handed, and are used for cutting and thrusting. Basically it’s a mix between a rapier and a arming sword.
Haha! I just came to the conclusion today that what I was looking for must be a side-sword!
I’m considering this one.
Do you know anything about Kingston Arms?
Thanks for the help and the Hema website is awesome!!! I’d heard of Hema but never knew there was a whole thing set up like that!
Thanks so much!
No, unfortunately I don’t. I would try and check as many reviews as you can.
Another thought (Way to blow money 🙄😆). A side sword would pair well with a targe, buckler, or dagger.
Yeah, but I’m not gonna blow money at the moment……..
Oh, a dagger.
*Stares off into distance with stary eyes*
Okay, stop it, I don’t have THAT kind of money. I’m gonna have to save up for this sword a little, and I just can’t do anything else yet……. Though i would love a dagger.
The reviews seemed good, but if you had some background info or some dark secret you had uncovered in your prowling and researchings then I would like to know. 😆
Thanks so much for the help!