Just an FYI, I own a Rawlings practice longsword, and mine is not nearly as “flexible” as the one you showed. I think that they may have improved their practice swords since the time that you made this video. Just thought you might want to know. 👍🏻
I am looking into purchasing some sparing weapons to learn with my eldest kids 17 and 19. I appreciated your humor and honesty this was a great review!
+Ian Hollier The older ones are still stocked in a lot of places. They're not as stiff as purpleheart or blackfencer, but they're not as floppy as they used to be. The shorter arming sword or backsword blades are significantly less floppy than the longsword blades too. Frankly I think they're good sparring tools (though by no means the best). I think blackfencer wasters hit so hard and are so stiff that you might as well just use a feder, you'll need similar levels of protection. They're not that cheap either. Rawlings allow you to spar in t-shirts with just a mask and gloves on, and are much more affordable. They make more sense to me for beginners, but I agree that blackfencer and purpleheart wasters are closer to steel.
+BurroDeLasTinieblas Glad I'm not the only one who thinks this of the Rawlings. I like mine just fine for the reasons you mentioned (safer, and such) and also for the fact you can make them into pretty much any other weapon you want. I want to try all kinds of stuff, longsword, messer, sword/buckler, and the Rawlings lets me do that without going into significant amounts of debt. Also, I'm not entirely sure, but I think as far as stiffness goes, silver may be better. Mine's silver, and neither my one-handed or two-handed blades (especially the one-handed one) seemed all that floppy, and not at all as floppy as Skall's here, but I've seen someone who had a white one and I swear that thing was flaccid.
Here in my region we use spikes for barbecueing. They are pretty much a aluminum bar with a wooden handle. (We just stab the meat and hang that over the coals). Anyways, Some are rather flexible and i found that if you bend a large metal spoon to use as a guard it gets reasonably well balanced and can be used as a rapier-ish kinda thing to practice So yeah, diy for the win
Hey Skallagrim, I have a serious question. Ive been training with my swords for a while now and its been working fine, but ive stepped into this problem way too many times. Even in full protective gear and with proper training swords i do not know how to approach this. My training partner got seriously injured because of this, and it isn't certain if he ever recovers. Enough beating about the bush now, so here we go: Can you use your Pommel multiple times or should I get a new sword after I've unscrewed it?
You need to chill out, man. Sparring is meant to be friendly and yur using the ultimate technique for ending someone rightly. Of course he's injured. Pommels are no joke...
That messer looks soooo beautiful Edit: that practice messer looks so beautiful, and the fact that they made it based on the Albion’s Kriegsmesser makes me want it even more
I recently got the Cold Steel hand and a half sword and I think they've since improved their formula. There's more weight in the hilt so the balance is closer to you rather than evenly spread along this huge plastic lever.
Thank you for a well thought out presentation.I have been involved in fencing and various weapons related martial arts from grammer school until I fell ill a few years back. It seems that wooden swords with blunt edges were used for centuries. I was involved with a group trying to start up a "single stick" club. We followed modern safety practices and modern safety gear but used the recommended ash plant stick. The intent of single stick is to give the practitioner skill with both a walking stick / cane/ cudgel and a cutlass or short sword. Well we all seemed to get beaten silly during sparring. Wood is safe if pads are used. We tried a commercial brand of training cutlass. They were as you said they are ill balanced and generally useless. Whatever one chooses as a training weapon safety must come first. It's hard enough to find people to train with so try not to hurt them....;)
I think you could solve the problem with the swords not binding when their edges collide by putting magnets inside of the material. It could probably be made in a way that would work pretty well.
The black fencer stuff is lighter, very durable. We've used blackfencer and purpleheart extensively and they are effectively equivalent. Depends on what you want!
every time you bend one of those swords i was afraid it was gonna break. and with your shirt and the fact you topple things over you ar now a master of topples
I have the blackfencers. I can't speak to functionality or durability since I just use them to hit a leather punching bag in my home gym. I do prefer the aesthetics of the blackfencer over purpleheart, but they required a lot of work to grind down sharp edges and make "pretty", although I would rather do the finishing work myself than have it included in the cost.
I've never had an issue with Purpleheart's synthetic swords being too flexible unless they've been left in a very hot car for a long time. The slippery bit though I do agree with entirely. It makes binding very difficult.
What you said about the Cold Steel polypropylene swords is very true. I made the mistake of buying the polypropylene bokken. It is heavy enough to hurt your wrists sharply when performing standard techniques, and the point of balance (I measured) on mine is a full EIGHT INCHES from the guard.
Hey, Skall! Greetings from a Spanish fan. I just wanted to tell you that I love your channel and admire your work. Your videos are an incredible source of amusement and knowledge, and even have helped me in bad times. I really hope you get well soon. Keep up the good work! PD: When you are back on your feet, it would be really cool to see more of you sparring and giving tips. And it would be very awesome if you could show some Montante training as well ;)
Hey Skall! long time fan here, glad to see that you're healing up. I have used a lot of different types of synthetic sparring blades over the years, and I came up with a trick to deal with the binding issue inherent in synthetic weapons. You mentioned that you tried grip tape, but have you thought about gaffing/gaffers tape? I use gaffing/ gaffers tape because it has a heat activated adhesive that forms a pretty solid bond with plastic/ nylon blades. It has a decently grippy surface that simulates the bind . If you take a lighter to the tape after applying it to the blade it causes a fairly strong bond.
I got a pretty good Rawlings from KOA last year. Then I got a second one that was WAY more flexible than the first. Anyway, I'm sharing with my own club. Very good video, Skall.
I've only seen one synthetic sword break. Granted I've only been doing HEMA for like 18 months, but I've seen and participated in a lot of sparring with synthetics during that time. It was a Blackfencer longsword that broke, and the guy who was using it was 6'6" and swinging it like a baseball bat. It broke just below the guard as he struck his opponent in the head.
I purchased a cold steel hand-and-a-half polypropylene practice sword some years back, and I can confirm everything you said AND more. They are a bloody club. Great for building up fore-arm strength (so long as you don't strain them too much) and also great for destroying shit... seriously, pretty sure I could have used it to break bones if I so desired... but TERRIBLE for practicing technique, and DO NOT USE IN SPARRING (see previous note about characteristics)! Also, I put mine to the test and discovered that they are not, in fact, indestructible as I've heard some claim. I abused the fuck out of mine, granted, but the fact remains: I busted mine right where the "sweet spot" on most longswords/etc would be, and I did it on a wooden object. If you are serious about your HEMA training, stay the fuck away from cold steel shit. In fact, stay away from cold steel shit in general. I also purchased one of their blades (a SRK at $140 at the time). I really regret that purchase. I've busted the tip and chipped the edge, and I DIDN'T severely abuse that knife. It's seen minor abuse, but all my knives do, and I've had much better quality from buck knives at a cheaper price than I have had from cold steel.
Although you are right about the cold steel weapons I can say from experience that their bokken is much more accurate to the actual weight of the sword.
Thanks so much Skall! Very informative. I almost bought the Red Dragons, but now I'm definitely going to check out the Black Fencers. THEY HAVE A FLAMBERGE NOW!!!
I own a Langmesser by Black Fencer, so the 1-handed version of the Kriegsmesser that Skall shows. They have rounded the pommel down for safety. Also, the guards are nicer now. Overall they're really good quality items and they're quite durable too. They do tend to take a slight set after a while, though. Not a big deal, but it's there.
Video 1: This guy kinda looks like a pirate from the 1700s Now: He is most definitely a pirate from the 1700s. SKALLBEARD scourge of the inaccurate sword combat
In Italian Sala d'arme Achille Marozzo association we usually use Black Fencer nylon swords for sparring and techniques' study. I personally think they are very similar to steel swords but (ofc) safer. About durability: I've had a BF rapier for 3 years now using it twice a week and I can tell that with a little light sanding once in a while they are nearly undestructible.
Hi Skallagrim. Your video are always very informative ! Could you consider doing this for protective gear ? From light cheap gear to full steel plate. The places to find the best stuff for all budget would be nice. :)
When I heard a while ago how unbalanced the cold steel swords were I actually picked one up and use it for working on my speed and strength on my own. I'm a lot faster than I was before because the cold steel sword is so difficult to use that it makes a proper sword feel much lighter and quicker. It's almost like practicing with a baseball bat, which a lot of guys I spar with do. If you can swing something like a ball bat with proper sword technique then no real sword will give you any trouble after that.
Skallagrim please make a video about the new game "Mordhau" (Which is basically chivalry with better fighting) it also includes half-swording. Or "Kingdom Come" which is also a super-realistic medieval fighting game.
I like my Cold Steel Gladius trainers I got, but I admit I do not spar with people at the moment. It's been some time since I've sparred with someone, so I basically use them to build strength and speed for swinging since I prefer a short sword dual wield style. They get the job done pretty much. Although, when I start sparring again, I will take this advice to heart.
Re: Cold Steel swords - I modified the longer sword with a 4" hickory handle insert. 10" long 3/8" threaded rod, cut the handgrip in two straight, drill just over 3" (1/8-1/4" over, you need the excess) in each part of the hilt and through the hickory with 7/16" (IIRC) drill bit. Clean it up, tap in the correct thread into the plastic holes. Dry check the fit of the rod by screwing it into the blade side, drop the hickory on it (I did not tap the hickory), then screw on the pommel side. If it all fits, undo it, mix up some epoxy, put it in the blade side, screw rod in all the way, clean up excess epoxy. More epoxy in the hole in the hickory, across the flat surfaces about to mate up and slide the hickory down the rod. Clean up. Then, more epoxy on the end, flat surfaces and in the pommel, screw it down, making sure you line up the pommel correctly. Let the epoxy set. Trim down the hickory if needed (whittle, shave, grind, sand, whatever), wrap hilt in cord. Use flat lead strips wrapped around hilt to balance (under the cord) to taste. **Great** trainer for shadow fencing & pell work. Not for drilling or sparring. I use the arming sword version for the same thing, builds strength and endurance faster than swinging my steel or synthetic and since the length is comparable, doesn't throw my distance off. Blackfencer is listing a sidesword, which could be used for a rapier. I love the Black Fencer stuff best of all the synthetics. Also, Cold Steel buckler is tough as nails, even against steel if you want to do buckler training. Steel will chew up the rim slightly, but you could go years with that....or drill holes, add leather (or garden hose) and use cord to bind it around the edge.
+Iam Cleaver why not and some foam on the pommels? Or make them out of rubber? That would give you the ability to end your opponent rightly without hurting him.
Hi Skallagrim, to get your practice weapons sticky at their edges, I would recommend to use a specific sports resin that german handball players use to get their balls easier to catch and throw: www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00KMVIK9K/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1638&creative=19454&creativeASIN=B00KMVIK9K&linkCode=as2&tag=philosofox-21 I don't know if it's available in Canada, but I loved to use this stuff back in the days and think it might really work, if two swords (with good edge thickness) are carefully coated with it! Best regards!
I stopped buying practice swords and started carving my own out of wood a couple years back. To be honest now that my carving skills aren't complete shit I think I'm probably never going to buy practice sword again I have so much more control over the feel and balance of the sword unlike praying the one I ordered will be a good one.
Skall, may I assume you only mentioned the wooden practice weapon as a favorable comparison to cold steel? When wood breaks or splinters, it tends to become sharp. Wood also can crack without warning. Wooden wasters were fine when they were the only alternative but bated steel, but not today.
I go to the weeb festival in San Antonio every year with my friend, and i like the LARP dueling. They use these simple foam swords, it's like a PVC pipe with a sort of safety foam cut in the shape of the blade (whatever your style is) and then wrap cloth around it (pantyhose lol) then tape it at the hilt with a soft grip-tape that you'd use for like, twirling batons. The only drawback is that they lack a handguard (and for the shortswords, a pommel). They work with wound/kill rules (and banned headstrikes even though you sign a waiver) Only time you really struggle is when some "I went to college for this and expect to be better than everyone" types comes in.
I have recently bought some rawlings synthetic longswords and the whippiness seems to be fixed. I bought a pair for my group to fence with and they certainly are flexible but they haven't acted whippy in any of our sparring and we've had positive experiences practicing binds so far. I think knightshop might have fixed this perhaps.
our theater uses cold steel because of the off balance. yeah, it's dangerous and such, but it also helps with being able to stop our swings while making sure the swords contact
Talking about floppy swords... a sword which wraps itself around the opponent's one to catch it might be a useful thing :-) Remjnds me to the mythbusters trying out some of Indiana Jones' whip disarming tricks.
Where did you get that BlackFencer Sidesword, the one with the swept hilt? The only versions I've seen have had just the cross, knuckle bow and a simple nagel like loop on the hilts. Nothing that pretty/protective.
I actually use the black fencer side sword in training against a wooden longsword waster from hickoryarmsonline.com and it has held up amazingly well. The binds slip a bit but I use it as a rapier and it parries the long sword just fine
At my school we only use (aside from steel) the cold steel trainers. I asked my teacher why and he said it was good that they're a bit off balance as it helps build up our wrist muscles.
you know then make steel now that perforated enough to acct as a fencing mask. For your long term safety, don't skimp on your head and please make proper helmet. A person't head is to valuable, no matter how hard you or your opponent swings.
+Philip Dyer Agreed. I spent almost $400 (USD) on a fully-upgraded Terry Tindill mask back in 2012, (More than I made in an entire month at the time) and I have never regretted it. Oberhaws that would literally stun someone in a typical 3-weapon mask get shrugged off with a loud noise, accompanied by a barely perceptible sensation of movement. Quality equipment is cheap insurance. :) Like with heavy-metal poisoning, brain damage from concussions are cumulative. The long-term effects can pile up at a surprisingly fast rate if you don't take care of yourself. (Punch-drunk boxers are a prime example of this.)
I had the nylon blackfencer side sword and some sharps that I practice alone - but I also have the cold steel, arming sword, long sword, and katana. I use the cold steel swords on my back yard table so every time I take the dog out - I go through some moves while I'm waiting for the mutt.
In Germany we quite often use Aluminum training swords. They are made from 7075-T6 aerospace aluminum, which is hard as steel. They are thicker than steel swords and therefore of similar weight. Crossguard and pommel are steel and the grip usualy wood. They are hard enough to survive light sparing against blunt steel swords. Any thougts on that?
To some extend yes. However, they do not compare to the flexibility of steel swords. To provide a good weight and durability they are thicker than steel swords, and therefore less flexible.
I got a rawlings longsword 2 years ago and the blade is pretty floppy, but this year I purchased their arming sword and it is way stiffer. It is only about 4 inches shorter so i don't think that the length is what made it stiffer. The material seems to have been changed to a better one. It is also a little lighter in colour.
I know this might be a little out of topic for the video, but whatever. So I recently moved to a bigger city and actually found HEMA instructors (in my country, it's rather hard to find many european/medieval enthusiasts) for Long Sword techniques and the first thing to catch my eye is that there are apparently two different styles of Long Sword technique (German and Italian) and I'd actually like to know its differences before actually getting in contact with any of the instructors, please. That is all, thank you and have a nice day.
You can crack a skull with the pommel, but you can't crack skallagrim.
skullagrim*
skallagrim, as sole inventor of advanced pommel techniques is inmune and cant be cracked by pommels
+TheHortoman No matter how much you try, you can't end him rightly.
Chuck Norris must be his uncle :-D
+Alexander Ringler (13 Geister) Oh. So badass beard is hereditary...
The synthetic ones are generally more slippery. - Skallagrim 2016
+Hakuoro Witsuarunemitea Damn synths.
+ConnorJaneu ad victorium brother
Very good one
Never trust a synth. But don't trust a brother of steel longer then you can throw 'em
"if the style is more thrusting oriented then you don't want a very stiff one."
Wait wait wait... So you're saying I should not impale my sparing partner? OOoooh so that is way I'm running out of people to train with all the time.
Training, what's that?
a serial killer's testimony.
LORD SKALLAGRIM THE MASTER OF TOPPLING THINGS!!!
+xDXPxJOEx456x1
I will topple your hopes and dreams.
+Skallagrim that escalated quickly
+Skallagrim My dad beat you to it :(
+bob LMFAOO
+bob Get back in your cage, junior.
"You could easily crack a Skall with this."
- Skall, 2016
Skallagrim?! Of all the people to make me die laughing, he did it with his follow up just after that line!
@6:20 Go figure that the pommel is the most dangerous part.
11:48 When you realized what you just said... :D
+TheFilthyCasual Filthy mind ;)
+TheFilthyCasual thats right.. i have a very stiff one and it has its flaws :(/ :D
+TheFilthyCasual 9:12 Also, that look.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
+TheFilthyCasual
"Sparring"? Is that what they call it nowadays?
Just an FYI, I own a Rawlings practice longsword, and mine is not nearly as “flexible” as the one you showed. I think that they may have improved their practice swords since the time that you made this video. Just thought you might want to know. 👍🏻
I was going to say the same, mine is very stiff, doesn't flop at all.
I am looking into purchasing some sparing weapons to learn with my eldest kids 17 and 19. I appreciated your humor and honesty this was a great review!
You got your Rawlings a long time ago. Newer "pro-line" ones are stiffer than the older floppy ones floating outside of Europe.
+BurroDeLasTinieblas
Good to know.
+Ian Hollier The older ones are still stocked in a lot of places. They're not as stiff as purpleheart or blackfencer, but they're not as floppy as they used to be. The shorter arming sword or backsword blades are significantly less floppy than the longsword blades too. Frankly I think they're good sparring tools (though by no means the best). I think blackfencer wasters hit so hard and are so stiff that you might as well just use a feder, you'll need similar levels of protection. They're not that cheap either. Rawlings allow you to spar in t-shirts with just a mask and gloves on, and are much more affordable. They make more sense to me for beginners, but I agree that blackfencer and purpleheart wasters are closer to steel.
+BurroDeLasTinieblas Glad I'm not the only one who thinks this of the Rawlings. I like mine just fine for the reasons you mentioned (safer, and such) and also for the fact you can make them into pretty much any other weapon you want. I want to try all kinds of stuff, longsword, messer, sword/buckler, and the Rawlings lets me do that without going into significant amounts of debt.
Also, I'm not entirely sure, but I think as far as stiffness goes, silver may be better. Mine's silver, and neither my one-handed or two-handed blades (especially the one-handed one) seemed all that floppy, and not at all as floppy as Skall's here, but I've seen someone who had a white one and I swear that thing was flaccid.
Here in my region we use spikes for barbecueing. They are pretty much a aluminum bar with a wooden handle. (We just stab the meat and hang that over the coals).
Anyways, Some are rather flexible and i found that if you bend a large metal spoon to use as a guard it gets reasonably well balanced and can be used as a rapier-ish kinda thing to practice
So yeah, diy for the win
"I have see a fencing mask dented by this.... in fact, I think I did it myself."
that was funny
+Garret Jacobs Yep. Funny for everyone but the guy or gal who got their mask dented.
Hey Skallagrim, I have a serious question. Ive been training with my swords for a while now and its been working fine, but ive stepped into this problem way too many times. Even in full protective gear and with proper training swords i do not know how to approach this. My training partner got seriously injured because of this, and it isn't certain if he ever recovers. Enough beating about the bush now, so here we go: Can you use your Pommel multiple times or should I get a new sword after I've unscrewed it?
well played... well played *slow clap*
What you did: I see it
Thomi you watch skallagrim!? I didn't know you were intrested in this stuff!
You need to chill out, man. Sparring is meant to be friendly and yur using the ultimate technique for ending someone rightly. Of course he's injured. Pommels are no joke...
@@RetroManiac84 you must be fun at parties
That messer looks soooo beautiful
Edit: that practice messer looks so beautiful, and the fact that they made it based on the Albion’s Kriegsmesser makes me want it even more
I recently got the Cold Steel hand and a half sword and I think they've since improved their formula. There's more weight in the hilt so the balance is closer to you rather than evenly spread along this huge plastic lever.
Thank you for a well thought out presentation.I have been involved in fencing and various weapons related martial arts from grammer school until I fell ill a few years back. It seems that wooden swords with blunt edges were used for centuries. I was involved with a group trying to start up a "single stick" club. We followed modern safety practices and modern safety gear but used the recommended ash plant stick. The intent of single stick is to give the practitioner skill with both a walking stick / cane/ cudgel and a cutlass or short sword. Well we all seemed to get beaten silly during sparring. Wood is safe if pads are used. We tried a commercial brand of training cutlass. They were as you said they are ill balanced and generally useless. Whatever one chooses as a training weapon safety must come first. It's hard enough to find people to train with so try not to hurt them....;)
'You don't want to impale your training partner.' Don't make assumptions about me!
Can you throw the pommel in a sparring match or is that overkill?
Are you trying to kill your opponent?!!?
SKALL THAT WAS SUPER HELPFUL! I literally had just left a comment on your previous video asking this question:) thanks
I've done full contact fencing with steel, a good mask, some thick fencing jacket, and protection on knees, elbows and good gloves is all you need.
I had the idea that the Purpleheart and Blackfencer wasters were absolutely identical. Thanks!
I think you could solve the problem with the swords not binding when their edges collide by putting magnets inside of the material. It could probably be made in a way that would work pretty well.
Can't wait until the Kriegsmesser goes back in stock. I am so glad that you requested a training version of the Albion Kriegsmesser.
Still useful 5 years later 👍
Thanks, Skal!
Good I ordered a BlackFencer one recently, estimated delivery time 2 months... Very informative video! Keep up the good work!
what about Nerf
it's nerf or nothing
If you put more force than a child would put into them they will break.
Gr3nadgr3gory
If you put more thought into a joke than a child would they lose their humor
NERF OR NOTHING
The black fencer stuff is lighter, very durable. We've used blackfencer and purpleheart extensively and they are effectively equivalent. Depends on what you want!
amazing channel, clear and honest. you just earned a subscriber!
A cool thing is the Black Fencer line came to Canada under my local arms & armour store, which is pretty sweet
every time you bend one of those swords i was afraid it was gonna break. and with your shirt and the fact you topple things over you ar now a master of topples
I have the blackfencers. I can't speak to functionality or durability since I just use them to hit a leather punching bag in my home gym. I do prefer the aesthetics of the blackfencer over purpleheart, but they required a lot of work to grind down sharp edges and make "pretty", although I would rather do the finishing work myself than have it included in the cost.
I've never had an issue with Purpleheart's synthetic swords being too flexible unless they've been left in a very hot car for a long time. The slippery bit though I do agree with entirely. It makes binding very difficult.
What you said about the Cold Steel polypropylene swords is very true. I made the mistake of buying the polypropylene bokken. It is heavy enough to hurt your wrists sharply when performing standard techniques, and the point of balance (I measured) on mine is a full EIGHT INCHES from the guard.
Hey, Skall! Greetings from a Spanish fan. I just wanted to tell you that I love your channel and admire your work. Your videos are an incredible source of amusement and knowledge, and even have helped me in bad times. I really hope you get well soon. Keep up the good work!
PD: When you are back on your feet, it would be really cool to see more of you sparring and giving tips. And it would be very awesome if you could show some Montante training as well ;)
Not a single Like in 6 years..... What happened here??
8:08 hahha exactly what I was thinking, but exactly NOT what I was expecting to hear lol
That’s a awesome shirt dude and I love all your videos keep up the good work man
Hey Skall! long time fan here, glad to see that you're healing up.
I have used a lot of different types of synthetic sparring blades over the years, and I came up with a trick to deal with the binding issue inherent in synthetic weapons. You mentioned that you tried grip tape, but have you thought about gaffing/gaffers tape? I use gaffing/ gaffers tape because it has a heat activated adhesive that forms a pretty solid bond with plastic/ nylon blades. It has a decently grippy surface that simulates the bind . If you take a lighter to the tape after applying it to the blade it causes a fairly strong bond.
I got a pretty good Rawlings from KOA last year. Then I got a second one that was WAY more flexible than the first.
Anyway, I'm sharing with my own club. Very good video, Skall.
I've only seen one synthetic sword break. Granted I've only been doing HEMA for like 18 months, but I've seen and participated in a lot of sparring with synthetics during that time. It was a Blackfencer longsword that broke, and the guy who was using it was 6'6" and swinging it like a baseball bat. It broke just below the guard as he struck his opponent in the head.
I purchased a cold steel hand-and-a-half polypropylene practice sword some years back, and I can confirm everything you said AND more. They are a bloody club. Great for building up fore-arm strength (so long as you don't strain them too much) and also great for destroying shit... seriously, pretty sure I could have used it to break bones if I so desired... but TERRIBLE for practicing technique, and DO NOT USE IN SPARRING (see previous note about characteristics)! Also, I put mine to the test and discovered that they are not, in fact, indestructible as I've heard some claim. I abused the fuck out of mine, granted, but the fact remains: I busted mine right where the "sweet spot" on most longswords/etc would be, and I did it on a wooden object.
If you are serious about your HEMA training, stay the fuck away from cold steel shit. In fact, stay away from cold steel shit in general. I also purchased one of their blades (a SRK at $140 at the time). I really regret that purchase. I've busted the tip and chipped the edge, and I DIDN'T severely abuse that knife. It's seen minor abuse, but all my knives do, and I've had much better quality from buck knives at a cheaper price than I have had from cold steel.
destroyka777 I also bought a cold steel hand and a half trainer. i watch the ads with the fat guy overswinging a zweihander to cope with the pain
I purchased one of those and it came warped out of shape.
I bought a cold steel poly axe and holy shit this thing can splits bricks
Thank you!!!!!! This is what I needed to know.
thank you for making this video I have been looking for good sparing swords and was having trouble finding anything but the polypropylene ones
Although you are right about the cold steel weapons I can say from experience that their bokken is much more accurate to the actual weight of the sword.
That pommel is the same on their sabers, but makes more sense there as it connects to the D-guard.
That beard tie is top knotch.
Thanks so much Skall! Very informative. I almost bought the Red Dragons, but now I'm definitely going to check out the Black Fencers. THEY HAVE A FLAMBERGE NOW!!!
Personalized mace coming soon, called the Skallcracker! 😆
sandpaper or grip-tape textured edges sounds like a good idea for the manufacturers with the technology to make it a durable as possible
you could call that the floppy counterattack
Third! (Great video, glad to see some more HEMA equipment videos, still waiting on those protective gear reviews)
I own a Langmesser by Black Fencer, so the 1-handed version of the Kriegsmesser that Skall shows. They have rounded the pommel down for safety. Also, the guards are nicer now. Overall they're really good quality items and they're quite durable too. They do tend to take a slight set after a while, though. Not a big deal, but it's there.
Oh, and since you mentionned the rapier, they have finished that too!
Video 1: This guy kinda looks like a pirate from the 1700s
Now: He is most definitely a pirate from the 1700s.
SKALLBEARD scourge of the inaccurate sword combat
from Russia with love, Skall :)
In Italian Sala d'arme Achille Marozzo association we usually use Black Fencer nylon swords for sparring and techniques' study. I personally think they are very similar to steel swords but (ofc) safer. About durability: I've had a BF rapier for 3 years now using it twice a week and I can tell that with a little light sanding once in a while they are nearly undestructible.
No idea if you'll read this but on the off chance you do, you should look into prolotherapy, it works miracles on joints.
i love that back ground!!!
Even on training swords, Pommels are LETHAL.
Is it unscrewable?
thanks for the recommendation I've been looking for a good training saber for a while and couldn't find one.
Hi Skallagrim.
Your video are always very informative !
Could you consider doing this for protective gear ? From light cheap gear to full steel plate. The places to find the best stuff for all budget would be nice. :)
When I heard a while ago how unbalanced the cold steel swords were I actually picked one up and use it for working on my speed and strength on my own. I'm a lot faster than I was before because the cold steel sword is so difficult to use that it makes a proper sword feel much lighter and quicker. It's almost like practicing with a baseball bat, which a lot of guys I spar with do. If you can swing something like a ball bat with proper sword technique then no real sword will give you any trouble after that.
Skallagrim please make a video about the new game "Mordhau" (Which is basically chivalry with better fighting)
it also includes half-swording. Or "Kingdom Come" which is also a super-realistic medieval fighting game.
I like my Cold Steel Gladius trainers I got, but I admit I do not spar with people at the moment. It's been some time since I've sparred with someone, so I basically use them to build strength and speed for swinging since I prefer a short sword dual wield style. They get the job done pretty much. Although, when I start sparring again, I will take this advice to heart.
Always have to recommend New Stirling Arms over Purple Heart for wooden wasters. The weight distribution is as different as night and day.
I know the pain of cold steel rubber. buddy had one and would hit me with it. pain ensued
Re: Cold Steel swords - I modified the longer sword with a 4" hickory handle insert. 10" long 3/8" threaded rod, cut the handgrip in two straight, drill just over 3" (1/8-1/4" over, you need the excess) in each part of the hilt and through the hickory with 7/16" (IIRC) drill bit. Clean it up, tap in the correct thread into the plastic holes. Dry check the fit of the rod by screwing it into the blade side, drop the hickory on it (I did not tap the hickory), then screw on the pommel side. If it all fits, undo it, mix up some epoxy, put it in the blade side, screw rod in all the way, clean up excess epoxy. More epoxy in the hole in the hickory, across the flat surfaces about to mate up and slide the hickory down the rod. Clean up. Then, more epoxy on the end, flat surfaces and in the pommel, screw it down, making sure you line up the pommel correctly. Let the epoxy set.
Trim down the hickory if needed (whittle, shave, grind, sand, whatever), wrap hilt in cord. Use flat lead strips wrapped around hilt to balance (under the cord) to taste.
**Great** trainer for shadow fencing & pell work. Not for drilling or sparring. I use the arming sword version for the same thing, builds strength and endurance faster than swinging my steel or synthetic and since the length is comparable, doesn't throw my distance off.
Blackfencer is listing a sidesword, which could be used for a rapier. I love the Black Fencer stuff best of all the synthetics.
Also, Cold Steel buckler is tough as nails, even against steel if you want to do buckler training. Steel will chew up the rim slightly, but you could go years with that....or drill holes, add leather (or garden hose) and use cord to bind it around the edge.
Loving the shirt :D
I also love Metallio.
None of these have a screwable pommel so why would you use any of these anyway?
+Gentle Moa They would be too dangerous for practice. You don't want to kill your sparing partner, do you?
Iam Cleaver
Ugh, yeah I didn't think about that..
Though, NO POMMEL. :(
+Iam Cleaver why not and some foam on the pommels? Or make them out of rubber? That would give you the ability to end your opponent rightly without hurting him.
One of the first ones does
Two seconds into the video and I HAD to pause just so I could comment on your absolutely epic shirt XD
Good video! Thank you for posting this :).
Hi Skallagrim, to get your practice weapons sticky at their edges, I would recommend to use a specific sports resin that german handball players use to get their balls easier to catch and throw: www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00KMVIK9K/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1638&creative=19454&creativeASIN=B00KMVIK9K&linkCode=as2&tag=philosofox-21
I don't know if it's available in Canada, but I loved to use this stuff back in the days and think it might really work, if two swords (with good edge thickness) are carefully coated with it! Best regards!
Why not just dip 'em in maple syrup?
@@SomeGuyFromCrowd Ants.
I stopped buying practice swords and started carving my own out of wood a couple years back. To be honest now that my carving skills aren't complete shit I think I'm probably never going to buy practice sword again I have so much more control over the feel and balance of the sword unlike praying the one I ordered will be a good one.
Skall, may I assume you only mentioned the wooden practice weapon as a favorable comparison to cold steel? When wood breaks or splinters, it tends to become sharp. Wood also can crack without warning. Wooden wasters were fine when they were the only alternative but bated steel, but not today.
+Alefiend The cold steel wasters can seriously hurt you. Wood is far safer than anything else you can get at that price level.
Watching your videos makes me want to join some club teaching these martial arts stuff. D:
I prefer purple heart
Cause of the selection and availability
Black fencer stuff in a most ALWAYS " sold out"
I go to the weeb festival in San Antonio every year with my friend, and i like the LARP dueling. They use these simple foam swords, it's like a PVC pipe with a sort of safety foam cut in the shape of the blade (whatever your style is) and then wrap cloth around it (pantyhose lol) then tape it at the hilt with a soft grip-tape that you'd use for like, twirling batons. The only drawback is that they lack a handguard (and for the shortswords, a pommel). They work with wound/kill rules (and banned headstrikes even though you sign a waiver) Only time you really struggle is when some "I went to college for this and expect to be better than everyone" types comes in.
I have recently bought some rawlings synthetic longswords and the whippiness seems to be fixed. I bought a pair for my group to fence with and they certainly are flexible but they haven't acted whippy in any of our sparring and we've had positive experiences practicing binds so far. I think knightshop might have fixed this perhaps.
So you don't want floppy longswords. o3o
our theater uses cold steel because of the off balance. yeah, it's dangerous and such, but it also helps with being able to stop our swings while making sure the swords contact
Talking about floppy swords... a sword which wraps itself around the opponent's one to catch it might be a useful thing :-) Remjnds me to the mythbusters trying out some of Indiana Jones' whip disarming tricks.
I know it's off topic, but I love your shirt, Death Magnetic is a great album
I will pray for you to heal.
Rocking that Death Magnetic Tshirt. _\m/
Where did you get that BlackFencer Sidesword, the one with the swept hilt? The only versions I've seen have had just the cross, knuckle bow and a simple nagel like loop on the hilts. Nothing that pretty/protective.
I actually use the black fencer side sword in training against a wooden longsword waster from hickoryarmsonline.com and it has held up amazingly well. The binds slip a bit but I use it as a rapier and it parries the long sword just fine
Finally you make a video on this....
YOU GOT AN FREAKING WOODEN CLAYMORE?????!!!!! AWESOME!
A*
Actually the word "an" works in place of any "a" it's just that "an" doesn't sound as good as "a" in many circumstances.
+Heath Dan no thats A pile of bullshit
Well, the whole "an" thing is what I've been told by a couple teachers before. They've said that in some places it just doesn't work very well.
+Heath Dan google it
At my school we only use (aside from steel) the cold steel trainers. I asked my teacher why and he said it was good that they're a bit off balance as it helps build up our wrist muscles.
The definition of "cool dude you´d like to hang out with" on UA-cam xdd
you know then make steel now that perforated enough to acct as a fencing mask. For your long term safety, don't skimp on your head and please make proper helmet. A person't head is to valuable, no matter how hard you or your opponent swings.
+Philip Dyer
Agreed. I spent almost $400 (USD) on a fully-upgraded Terry Tindill mask back in 2012, (More than I made in an entire month at the time) and I have never regretted it. Oberhaws that would literally stun someone in a typical 3-weapon mask get shrugged off with a loud noise, accompanied by a barely perceptible sensation of movement.
Quality equipment is cheap insurance. :)
Like with heavy-metal poisoning, brain damage from concussions are cumulative. The long-term effects can pile up at a surprisingly fast rate if you don't take care of yourself. (Punch-drunk boxers are a prime example of this.)
I had the nylon blackfencer side sword and some sharps that I practice alone - but I also have the cold steel, arming sword, long sword, and katana.
I use the cold steel swords on my back yard table so every time I take the dog out - I go through some moves while I'm waiting for the mutt.
In Germany we quite often use Aluminum training swords. They are made from 7075-T6 aerospace aluminum, which is hard as steel. They are thicker than steel swords and therefore of similar weight. Crossguard and pommel are steel and the grip usualy wood. They are hard enough to survive light sparing against blunt steel swords. Any thougts on that?
Holger Elsen how much do they cost?
Around 150€ if you buy them directly from the producer. A bit more expensive if you buy at trainingsschwerter.eu for example.
Holger Elsen are these swords flexible?
To some extend yes. However, they do not compare to the flexibility of steel swords. To provide a good weight and durability they are thicker than steel swords, and therefore less flexible.
Could you please do a video on greatswords? Your videos are awesome!
I got a rawlings longsword 2 years ago and the blade is pretty floppy, but this year I purchased their arming sword and it is way stiffer. It is only about 4 inches shorter so i don't think that the length is what made it stiffer. The material seems to have been changed to a better one. It is also a little lighter in colour.
I know this might be a little out of topic for the video, but whatever. So I recently moved to a bigger city and actually found HEMA instructors (in my country, it's rather hard to find many european/medieval enthusiasts) for Long Sword techniques and the first thing to catch my eye is that there are apparently two different styles of Long Sword technique (German and Italian) and I'd actually like to know its differences before actually getting in contact with any of the instructors, please. That is all, thank you and have a nice day.
Your beard is looking excellent sir!
speaking of black fencer and real blades sticking to one another when in contact maybe you should check out their shard simulator line.
I disqualified the Rawlings based on their ridiculous flexibility for the price. Thanks for offering some good alternatives.
oh my god that wood claymore is sick
If your'e in the United States and are looking for a good wooden waster, try New Stirling Arms.