Tag: HEMA Reviews

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… Continue reading Castille Complete Economy Basket Hilt Broadsword Review →

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… 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… Continue reading Purpleheart Armoury Messer Basic Trainer V3 Review →

*UPDATE*, 8/17/19 - I have decided to return this sword to Purpleheart due to another person posting pictures of a pierced basket. While I had no issues with this sword once I had completed the mod detailed below, I just didn't feel safe sparring full speed with steel. Purpleheart was very helpful and informative in… Continue reading Baskethilt Scottish Broadsword VB Stryker Hybrid from Purpleheart Armory →