Members’ new toys have arrived!
“I love the smell of feders in the morning, smells like… ” You know the rest. …
Weapons
Hands on – Hanwei Federschwert
The cheapest (practical) entry-level feder I know of in the UK, we picked up a pair of these about three years ago when we finally made the move from nylon wasters to steel.
There’s no question, the feel of steel over polypropylene makes a world of difference to your technique – steel doesn’t bounce or slide, it binds. Admittedly blunt feders behave far differently to a sharp, but that is still a world better than a poorly balanced nylon plank. …
Hands On – Kingston Arms Club Sport Federschwert
The Kingston Arms Club Sport Feder is pitched as an affordable (i.e. ‘entry-level’) weapon for clubs, beginners and “even seasoned practitioners”. It fits the bill for a reasonably light, quick, safe sparring sword for HEMA longsword sparring at an entry-level price. …
First look – Red Dragon Concepts Federschwert
The Knight Shop, under its in-house equipment brand Red Dragon, has finally produced the first batch of it’s long-promised customisable federschwert for public sale.
After several years development, Red Dragon’s component-based HEMA training weapon has emerged from its Eastern European partner’s forge and is on sale through The Knight/HEMA/Sword Shop for a bargain opening offer price of £150. …
Cut and thrust: the mechanics of the sword [Guest Post]
By: Martin J. Dougherty.
There are many possible weapons that can be put in the hand of a warrior. Some are better suited to certain tasks than others, yet all of them are designed to do the same thing – to incapacitate or kill an opponent. …
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Cut and thrust: components of the sword [Guest Post]
By: Martin J. Dougherty.
A sword, in the simplest terms, consists of a blade and a hilt. There are many sub-components of course, and not every weapon has all of them. Names for the various parts of the weapon have also varied from country to country over time. Some components (or words for them) are unique to a particular weapon, era or place. What follows is thus a general overview of the main parts of the weapon. …
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Cut and thrust: the development of the sword [Guest Post]
By: Martin J. Dougherty.
The key factor that allowed the modern long-bladed sword to develop was, of course, metallurgy. A knife blade, spear point or axe head can be made from a relatively small or very solid piece of metal, and is thus unlikely to break under the stresses of combat. As blade length increases, so does the difficulty of creating a weapon that will remain useful after a couple of blows. …
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Cut and thrust: effectiveness of the sword [Guest Post]
By: Martin J. Dougherty.
Historically, weapon designers also had to consider a number of other factors, not least of which was the ability of the user to carry and effectively wield a weapon. Most swords are carried as side-arms rather than as the main combat weapon. That is to say, if the user were expecting to fight a battle then he would probably equip himself with a ‘battlefield’ weapon. Depending on the era this might be an axe or spear, a large mace or lance, an arquebus, or even a rifle. He would fall back on his sword only if necessary. …
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Cut and thrust: the definition of a sword [Guest Post]
by Martin J. Dougherty.
Of all the weapons ever invented, none has the mystique of the sword. It remains a symbol of authority and strength long after its day on the battlefield has passed. Swords feature in figures of speech, in statues and monuments, and in company logos. They are used in solemn ceremonies and hung on walls as decorations. The sword remains a potent symbol of authority, strength and power. …
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