Equipment

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Here are lists of the equipment we use, recommend, and have as standards of safety for sparring. Please note that even if something is not listed here, it can still be sufficient, but is at the discretion of the club as to whether or not the gear is within our standards.

If you are interested in any gear listed below, and would like to get a discount, we occasionally make bulk purchases from Purpleheart Armory, which will eliminate the shipping costs, and sales taxes. To participate, email us at GainesvilleHEMA@gmail.com for more information. If you are not interested in a group purchase, remember that you can get discount codes for certain vendors from being a member of the HEMA Alliance.

Swords. For form practice, most properly proportioned swords should suffice, but for sparring the swords will be under much more scrutiny, and must be flexible.

Our minimum; Synthetic blades are what we use primarily, and there are a variety of options for synthetic swords. Of note we generally do not recommend the Knightshop swords unless you get them with the metal crossguard and pommel, as the plastic ones that come standard with them do not provide proper protection and balance.

This is the sword that almost everyone in the club uses. https://www.woodenswords.com/Type_III_Pentti_Longsword_50_p/type-iii-50.gry.htm 

Our recommendation; A steel practice sword would be best in the long term this is a good budget option, and is probably the cheapest usable training sword on the market

https://www.kultofathena.com/product/sport-federschwert-hema-longsword/ 

For those with a higher budget, any training sword on Purpleheart Armory is a good idea.

https://www.woodenswords.com/category_s/2070.htm (steel swords on Purpleheart)

Hand Protection. Must have hard hand protection, soft gloves will not be suitable for sparring.

Our minimum; Some lacrosse and hockey gloves may be suitable, but ideally you should use HEMA-specific gloves, as they are designed with the needs of HEMA practitioners in mind.

https://www.woodenswords.com/Red_Dragon_HEMA_Gloves_p/glove.red.dragon.htm 

Our recommendation; Gauntlets and "clam shell" or "lobster" designed hand protection offer premium protection. Although they will hinder your dexterity. There are higher-priced custom-made gloves that are the best, but are made to commission and are very expensive. 

https://hf-armory.com/en/shop/protectors/hand-protection/fencing-gloves-black-knight/

Head Protection. Must have back of the head protection, as HEMA combat is non-linear and almost everywhere is a target.

Our minimum; Should be a HEMA-specific mask/helmet, as they're designed with our needs in mind, but a high-impact Olympic fencing mask may work. Additionally, some HEMA masks/helmets and Olympic masks don't come with back of the head protection, as such the listings below will be for both masks and back of the head protection. 

https://www.woodenswords.com/Absolute_Force_HEMA_Basic_Fencing_Mask_p/af.mask.basic.htm 

https://www.woodenswords.com/product_p/spes-head.backonly.htm 

Our recommendation; Currently we cannot make many recommendations here, due to us only having access to a limited range of equipment, but higher newton ratings are generally better. And gel linings will also help further reduce impact. The helmet listed below is the best recommendation we can make at this time, and represents the best of what we've used so far.

Gel liner; https://www.woodenswords.com/Liner_for_a_Helmet_or_Fencing_Mask_p/liner.helmet.htm

Helmet that Christopher personally uses; https://www.woodenswords.com/HEMA_Fencing_Mask_p/af.mask.deluxe.htm

Jacket. Must be a puncture-resistant jacket, required for any sparring aside from the lightest of training.

Our minimum; As said above, puncture-resistance is mandatory, especially for use with steel swords. Olympic fencing jackets can work, but are not recommended, as they are not well padded.

https://www.woodenswords.com/SPES_Officers_Jacket_350N_p/spes-j.officer.htm

Our recommendation; Thicker, more well-padded jackets are highly recommended, since impacts in HEMA are often harder than in Olympic fencing. Some come with integrated hard plates, which can be very convenient, but makes maintenance a bit more inconvenient.

https://www.woodenswords.com/product_p/spes-jp-m.htm

Additional Chest Protection; thick and/or hard protection for the chest is recommended, but not strictly necessary.

Our recommendation; When doing most sparring, typically chest protectors aren't needed, but can be worn if one is concerned. For sparring with stiffer weapons, such as some steel weapons, more protection is recommended. An alternative flexible option is also listed, but please keep in mind that it being flexible is not strictly an upside, please consider the trade-offs if purchasing one of these.

https://www.woodenswords.com/PBT_Extended_Chest_Protector_p/p-chest.extend.htm

Flexible alternative; https://www.woodenswords.com/SPES_Body_Protector_Plastron_Level_2_p/spes-j.plastron2.htm