The Castille complete economy basket hilt sword is a relatively new option in the traditionally expensive space of HEMA-safe steel broadswords. At $260, the sword is shockingly affordable in comparison to most of the competing products (you can see the bottom of my review of the Purpleheart hybrid broadsword here for some links to other options on the market). Here are some of my impressions of the sword in no particular order now that I have used it a number of times: Balance is very good, feels great to swing around. A bit on the light side for a broadsword, … Continue reading Castille Complete Economy Basket Hilt Broadsword Review

If you are curious about the Messer as a HEMA weapon or just starting out, I hope the information below is helpful. Feedback is welcome and appreciated in the comments. Messer is a really fun weapon that I have picked up and enjoyed over the past few months. When I first became interested in the sword, I had to look online to find information as it was not a weapon my local club was studying at the time. My goal with this article is to share the sources that got me going as well as provide the Messer apprentice curriculum … Continue reading Getting Started with Messer in HEMA

Over the past few months, the handle of my Regenyei feder had developed a noticeable “wiggle”. While the function of the sword was not impacted, I found the slight movement distracting and annoying. As the problem was getting worse over time, I suspected the issue was with the wood under the handle wrap. I removed the leather wrap using a razor blade and used some sandpaper to clean up the wood. After careful inspection, I found that the wood had a number of cracks that presented themselves when the sword was stressed. I applied some wood glue into the cracks and … Continue reading Re-Wrapping the handle of a Regenyei Feder

Koning Gloves are my favorite piece of kit and have kept my hands safe for two years. In the time I have owned them, I have taken many hits to the hands from synthetic and steel weapons alike. Once broken-in (more on this later), I have found the mobility and flexibility to be better than any other gloves I have tried. The Koning glove is a heavy HEMA glove with at least 4 layers: The first layer is leather and provides much of the glove’s distinct look and toughness. Second, there are internal plates that align when the hand is … Continue reading Koning Gloves, 2 Year Review

I recently ordered four basic messer trainers from Purpleheart. After about two months of use, I wanted to share my impressions of the product. https://www.woodenswords.com/product_p/messer.trainer.gry.htm The TLDR version is that these are excellent products for the money, especially for a club. While I would not want to spar full speed with these due to their lack of flexibility and mass, they do provide a good approximation of much more expensive trainers. I am very happy with the handle length for practicing handle wrap plays. I also really like that the nagel is attached by a ring backing making it removable. … Continue reading Purpleheart Armoury Messer Basic Trainer V3 Review