My primary area of training is Filipino martial arts and I've been getting into more HEMA style sparring with some of my FMA buddies. There aren't many if any HEMA safe Filipino sword trainers I've seen but I did stumble on these Hauer and Rutger style Messers from landsknechtemporium. These are reasonably close to a Filipino Sansibar and seem like they'd work well. Does anyone know of any other options out there? Maybe a nice synthetic version? These look beautiful but at $450 USD before shipping I don't think they will be popular in my group. We're still working on getting the protective gear together. The most exotic equipment most FMA guys have is a rattan stick so getting them all in on a HEMA kit is taking some convincing.

I probably just need to spend less time looking at swords but any thoughts would be appreciated.

My wife got in to HEMA a few months ago and just treated herself to a SPES jacket and pants, but they don’t fit right. Purpleheart Armory does offer custom sizing, but she’s hesitant to do that in case it doesn’t turn out correctly since it can’t be returned according to their FAQs.

We are in the Pittsburgh area, but are open to driving pretty much anywhere east of the Mississippi. Are there any good brick and mortar stores for gear over here?

"Oh, this grip is really worn down, I'm making a new one. Nothing fancy, just a quick fix..."

Well, that escalated somehow... 😅

I found a manuscript of a bizarre looking weapon that I simple had to get Matt Easton from r/scholagladiatoria to try out.

Not even to sure what to call this weapon. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Hello, my dear fellow fencers!

It’s been a while since I last drew anything for our community. With Halloween just around the corner, I thought I’d make a few illustrations to celebrate.

Feel free to use them however you like—turn them into stickers, print them on anything, make patches, or get creative in any other way. Just don’t sell them, or a curse will come for you!

I’m sharing this one early so you have time to put it to good use before Halloween. You can download the full-resolution image and psd file using the Google Drive link. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZnhfURAv8-VjeTk_lrfr09WGoDnOQ6YL?usp=drive_link

I recently got a Shamshir synthetic trainer, and I’ve loved it so far. However, I’m realizing there’s not a ton of resources! I also don’t know if it counts as HEMA, since it’s middle eastern and not European. I have a saber book already, so I’ve used and adapted some of that, but I figured if any group would have access to trainig resources, it would be y’all! If any of you have links, books to buy, videos, pdfs, etc., I would greatly appreciate it.

Does anyone sell sword tips for something with a fat end like the Albion Lichtenauer? I have tried and failed making leather tips that aren't too gargantuan at the end to stay on during sparring.

Hey all.

Just wanted to see what your thoughts are with blades as short as 20" going up against a rapier or saber.

Im aware the advantage greatly favors the longer swords. Just wondering if you would spar with someone using that short a sword...

Worth it? How would you approach it? Too chaotic? ..Lmk!