Review: Absolute Force neck guard - Affordable protection for martial arts
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- Опубліковано 13 гру 2014
- This is the cheapest throat protector that I would be comfortable recommending for HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) practice. It works for sparring with synthetic swords, but for full-contact sparring with steel blades I would strongly recommend a hard gorget instead.
For the cheap price this neck guard offers decent protection and it's very comfortable to wear. It seems to be well made and should last a long time.
For other martial arts that don't involve weapons this protector would work very well too.
** Where to find it **
At Purpleheart Armoury (scroll down, you'll find them under "Absolute Force Gear" in the list to the left):
www.woodenswords.com/?Click=1799
At Absolute Force:
www.afinternationalsporting.co...
Deluxe version:
www.afinternationalsporting.co...
My favorite online store for buying swords (worldwide shipping):
ww4.aitsafe.com/go.htm?go=kult...
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/ skallagrim
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/ skallagrimyt - Розваги
***** i'm sitting here awake this night, currently 04:35am now, stuck on youtube. just wanted to tell you that you're making great videos, great content all around. i love coming to your channel and watch your stuff, it's really something else!
if you ever feel doubt regarding what you're doing, just keep doing it. don't ask don't tell, just keep at it! unless it makes you unhappy of course, cuz in that case you kill it with absurd fighting techniques that is NOT down to earth! cheers from Norway
TheMetalViking666 Thanks!
Clear-cut review with visual/physical examples of effectiveness, this is why you got so many subscribers. Good vid.
I think I'm gonna pick this up, thanks for the review!
Nice! Now we need you two to test proper groin protection next! Looking forward to it ;)
Nice review. I'll pick one up for stick sparring
Nice video Skall, and this looks pretty nice by the price. And, yo guys, protect yourselfs. Isn't because the sword is unsharpenned that you can keep bouncing it around without protection. A strike on the right spot can kill you.
Btw, Cara, try to not kill your husband with this thrusts, unless he left the channel, then you have full permission to do that xD
"permission". She doesn't need any. But indeed, best to be careful.
eagames456 I know, but don't tell her shhhhh
Great :) more sparing gear reviews please!
btw love the song at the end
*****
I'll probably be picking one of these up eventually. Definitely needed. My bib is short for some reason. I have an arming cap (that is attached to a collar) and a gambeson that has a it's own riser. And in layering all this serves to protect most of my neck, But, there is a negative space right over the nape. Thanks for the recommendation.
I would highly recommend against pvc as an armor material, especially against things like steel swords as it is likely to shatter into points that could be dangerous (especially near your neck).
ABS plastic is a decent choice, but better still seems to be a type of polyethylene commonly used to make 55gallon barrels. (unsupprising considering the similarities of the forces/conditions both the barrels and armor are expected to endure) A quick search of "SCA barrel armor" will turn up many how-tos on making it, most of which will not require significant modification to adapt to HEMA, if any.
I always wondered which swords you felt most at home with. You seem like you handle the big ones pretty well.
huehuehuehuehue
Will you do any sparring with Blunt Stage swords? I understand you'll need armor but will we ever see any video like that?
Thrusts, even with protection / thrusting tips, etc are the most likely to cause injuries. Invest in a good hard gorget, protect your organs and articulations!
Have you ever tried making hardened leather armor? I have made a hardened leather gorget with a piece of aluminum and wool padding for sparring with steel.
I cringed when your neck was getting stabbed even with the guard
the main problem i see with this neck guard is, it doesn't protect you from a blade slinding up under it. (thrust upwards, slinding of the torso up to the throat).
i'd always recomend a neck guard that extends down the torso a bit (like the delux version).
Skallgrim Sorry to bother you good sir, but I would like to know as a ''Baltic man who is a sword collector'' which sword would you choose as your primary sword In one on one sword fight. P.S Not real just sparring.
Skall, I have a personal question for you: What is your favorite kind of cheese?
On a different note: how do you feel about spinning moves in a sword fight. Im not talking about the whirlwind wushu shit, but more something along the lines of a spinning backfist. Its considered common knowledge that you should not turn your back on your opponent in any type of fight, yet anyone who pays attention to wrestling matches, mma and k1 fights and taekwondo tournaments can clearly see that it can have its merits and applications. How do you feel this would fit in lets say a longsword duel?
As a former taekwondo practitioner, I'd say no, not in swordfighting. I've tried writing a lenghty explanation of why not, but it seems my english hits it's ceiling here...
Putting it simply: It can only be done if you have enough freedom of movement to make the instant you lose sight of your opponent almost non-existant. If you have enough protection to make a swordfight safe, either because of weight or shape, you lack that freedom.
I never leave home without wearing a neck guard.
Hey Skall, got a Query/ thesis I'd like you to put through your thought process:
The context:
I'm in a duel, armed with my European Long Sword and facing down an opponent who is equally as strong, fit, intelligent, competent in technique (i.e. my equal on the biological and metalogical metrics), who is also (for arguments sake) un-armoured, we're in an open field.... BUT they are armed with a typical equal-in-length, maybe longer, but superior in speed & handling Rapier...
My query/ thesis:
Would I be in better stead to adapt my technique to leverage my blade's superior strength & impact inertia to engage their blade with the intent of destroying it or significantly diminishing it's capability to an extent requried where I could then revert my technique and 'go for the kill', essentialy destroy/ disarm them before doing the nasty to them or am I simply 'statisticaly' 'out-gunned'?
I appreciate - there probably isn't anyone out there willing to (potentially) sacrifice even a sparing rapier for the sake of the experiment so it has to be a thought process, I will fire the same Q at ScholaGladatoria (lets call him SG from now on :-) if you feel it's a worthy/ interesting 'thought' to ponder.....
Bit of my background:
Being a bit of a Long-sword fanboy (but willing to accept that it isn't the doom-bringer in every use case & context), I got into swords young watching sword in the stone etc as a child, then saw Sword & the Sorcerer (love that sword), yadda yadda, then highlander and became a katana fanboy. Then over the years got a few engineering qualifications and finally a degree... as my 'sense' of physics & what actually happens in the real world matured I began to realize the Katana is a fundamentally flawed design - unless I want to go turning unarmed & unarmoured peasants into mince meat en mass (hypothetically speaking of course). Other evidence would be that I'm guessing there's a good reason that design didn't really conquer much other than maybe a few gullible people, pre-disposed to being fanatics who happened to watch The Bodyguard.....and probably too much anime :-)
Why I favor the long sword:
I (after much research & deliberation) wanted my own functional blade, my use case was basically diversity: a sword that could be carried into (medieval) battle, could hold it's own against an unarmoured one-handed opponent with a shield or an armoured opponent with a hand-and-a-haf sword using half swording etc to get through the armour... so it had to be primarily good at thrusting, sturdy, agile, long and have a reasonable cutting ability. I couldn't afford an Albion (love SG's albion that's permantantly attached to his shoulder - don't blame him :-), nor could I afford anything from A&A, then found Cold Steels's Italian Long sword at a fraction of their stock price on KoA (kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=CS88ITS) Mine had a few blemishes & light scratches on the blade - but I fell in love with it first draw - it also has an up-swept guard - I think you'd like it, only 2lb 8oz to so very lively in the hand, for the money: jaw-dropping, in the UK anyway - the import tax was my biggest bug bear.
Anyway - the rapier, that I initially didn't like, I actually have a love-hate relationship with now but am warming to it and it's the only 'adversary' my 'excalibre' would struggle with - so this is the method I've come up with 'in my head' that would see me walk victorious... statistically of course :-)
Cheers & thanks for reading - hope you have time (& inclination) to pick this one up :-)
Love the vids btw
But would a smart opponent allow you to hit his blade?
After all, rapiers have a strong guard for a purpose - he's going to use that to block your strikes, not his blade.
Also, the rapier's blade being so light, it's very easy to push it away, which your foe will allow you heavier blade to do, when he realizes what you intend to do. After all, with a rapier is very easy to recover the blade and point it at your opponent again, unlike a sword with a heavier blade.
Maybe instead you should hold you sword in one hand, try to grab the rapier's blade with the other, and *then* smash it?
JustGrowingUp *****
Hey buddy, thanks for taking the time to reply and thank to who ever tagged my post (that took considerable time to construct) as SPAM, if it was because my post contained a URL: it was entirely in context - cretins!
Anywho - back on topic :-)
hmmmm - I don't see how he (sorry they, things with boobs like swords too) would have much choice but to engage my blade, at the very least to parry strikes I'd make to their body if they were trying to preserve their blade.. but I do appreciate it could be like trying to hit a mosqito with a baseball bat. They could also go on a mad offensive not giving me time to get enough momentum to strike their blade with sufficient force to destroy it and haveing me on the back-foot parrying their attacks, until one inevitably gets through...
I'd love to have the opportunity to spar (after some rudimentary training - with stuff that fights back) with my long sword (or rather a training non-lethal edge version) against a rapier, the 'hope' if you like or plausability for this theory is the fact that my long sword although big - when in two hands is lightenting fast and very agile because of the blades distal taper so it maintains a good POB near the guard and has a nice POP about 60/70 % of the way towards the pointy-end. The rapier though/ or rather I imagine would be quite flexible i.e. not able to disipate the energy from a well timed and forcfull strike aimed at (percievably) the weaker part of the rapiers blade.....
The one handed-approach migh be viable but my I feel my blade would have to be lined up for a killer thrust having released my left hand to grasp their blade momentarily, even though my sword is 'managable' in one hand I don't think a one-handed strike would have sufficient force to damage/ destroy the rapier and would take too long.... I'd probably be 4-fingers worse off and have a rapier in my neck where lurches' bolts go :-)
hhhmmm the Rapier - my and my long-sword's nemesis :-D
thanks again fella, feel free to add - I love this kind of stuff ;-), hopefully Skall will pick it up if he sees any interest in this and give it his 'unique' angle :-P
007kowboi Rapiers tend to be relatively big and heavy for one-handed swords; you won't be able to break them due to the thick cross section.
Or you can actually spend the time effort making your own gorget from scrap metal,leather and plastic, close cell foam which you could on craigslist and make a more protective gorget for even lower price. They are than hard to construct, I made one by rivet stainless steel plates to belt with roofing nails.
The brand is Absolute Fencing.
What do you use for steel sword sparing?
Can it prevent hilt chokes and the rnc?
Have you reviewed the helmet?
that was definitely not a smart way to test the neck guard, from a pragmatic standpoint, but you DID show us that its effective, I guess...
Viewers first, right? even though you had me watching that part between my fingers.
"it still holds up" yeah, as evidenced by you still being able to say that.
Ahh, look at the trust in that relationship.
How would it compare to a Red Dragon Gorget?
Were the historical neck guards practical? Like stopping slashes to the throat.
I would think a simple scarf would be enough protection for a very light attack
Longshot99FTW Was curious, been reading a song of Ice and Fire, and they constantly mention them.
Most full force shots to the neck can and are usually deflected, and plus Matt Easton and others have demonstrated how tough it is to cut through a woolen or similar thick layer of clothing. So it's not completely out there, but tis why I was asking (or rather stating, but I'm still hoping to learn something, haha).
Matthew Brown
I wouldn't want to be the one in a wool scarf if someone is swinging a sharpened piece of metal towards my throat in a life or death situation, especially if they go for a thrust.
That's something I can agree with
The links in the outro don't seem to work.
I need it for kendo lol
Honestly, 50 isn't so bad at all to protect your windpipe from collapse. (: I'd get the extra protection.
It doesn't have a lip at the top that would catch a blade sliding up the top of it. Without that feature I would view it as unsafe for swordplay.
It's good you let your wife vent some steam! ;-) *****
do nit try with sharp thrusting swords
this is perfect for when that jackass ninja next door to me punches me in the throat and steals my paper .
The outer shell looks like cordura nylon to me.
You can get an excellent steel gorget from Wintertree Crafts for double the price.
www.wintertreecrafts.com/items/gorget.html
Skall :) i trust you enuf ..so no need for you to get hurt on camera pls :D
damn those groans when you got hit made me kinda cringe lol
In which Cara stabs Skal in the throat
I wish to request a fantasy weapon review. (From the Legend of Zelda series).
i.imgur.com/GFVWwmu.png (Fierce Deity Sword).
It's meant to be used with both hands. (To give a slight idea of width/length).
Please consider it, Skallagrim? (:
おもしろかったです。
フェンシング用ですかね？
ハサミ耐性は、
ありますか？
日本の、
大学で、教授の、クビを、
生徒が、
ハサミで、刺した、
という、事件が、
発生したので、
ネック・プロテクターとか、
探しています。
刺した理由は、成績が、
気に食わないからです。
doesnt AF stand for advanced fencing
David Salganicoff The manufacturer's name is Absolute Force.
***** Yeah i was confused too, in fencing the company is called absolute fencing
The still use the name absolute fencing but since they started selling products for sports other than fencing they operate primarily with the name absolute force.
Can't turn your head more than 45 degrees? So much for rear weighted woman's guard.
After sparring like an idiot without proper protection and being taught a lesson, I wouldn't be comfortable with anything less than a steel gorget...
You look like sheamus lol
The whitest man?
Yeah like the wwe wrestler
Don't kill him!!!!!!!
Has anyone made a cop choke hold joke yet?
Umm... Might a cut with full intent still break your neck? Overenthusiastic practitioners are horribly common. Especially after you steal their girls :P
Shaolin monks can snap spears on their necks so if you did shaolin you wouldn't need it. Jk.
Lol yeah!
The thing is though, that they are applying gradual force to the spear thrust, starting with the point already touching their throat.
Still amazing, but we're all (even them) just human. :)
ShaolinArts yep a lot of shoilin kung fu stunts are parlor tricks and illusions.