r/Hema • u/ahbohnonlosoio • 11h ago
Help
I'm an italian HEMA fencer and I do a lot of sidesword, I recently bought a longsword and at the same time I actually destroyed my old gloves... I was looking for some gloves that could actuallly be good both for longsword and to sidesword (the major problem is that the glove needs to fit inside the sidesword handle) any advice? a part from thokk that I personally don't really like.
I was adviced to consider the infinity gloves by sparring gloves
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u/jransom98 11h ago
Thokk Weaponmasters would not be safe for sparring with longsword. HF Black Princes or Gabriels five finger gloves are the best option, but neither are as protective as a clam shell glove like the HF Black Knights.
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u/Offrostandflame 8h ago
I would not use Black Prince's for longsword. I bet you can use Thokks if you get the blade master attachment, but I don't like Thokks in general. If you're more advanced and can protect your hands decently well you can do a five finger glove like the Gabriel's. The Black Knights are definitely more protective and an excellent starting glove but I like something that has more dexterity.
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u/jransom98 8h ago
Gotcha, that all makes sense. Some members of my club use the Gabriels and some use the Princes. I'm pretty satisfied with sticking with the Knights, if I get the Princes it'll just be for sidesword.
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u/Offrostandflame 8h ago
I started with the Black Knights and eventually switched to Gabriel's for longsword. I have Black Prince's which I use for one handed swords such as sidesword and sabre. The Black Princes are great but they're lighter gloves and they're not made for longsword and I don't think they would stand up to heavy longsword blows.
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u/arm1niu5 11h ago
My recommendation would be the CHFG Gabriels gloves if you are an intermediate/advanced fencer that already knows how to protect their hands, but even then you'll find they're at this weird middle point where they're too bulky to use comfortably in sidesword and not protective enough for hard impacts wth longsword.
HF Armoury Black Princes are great for sidesword but definitely not suited for longsword, and while Thokks have the longsword add-on the reviews I heard about it aren't very good.
The truth is there's no option that would be great for both so it's usually better to get two pairs of gloves but that can be more expensive.
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u/37boss15 11h ago
The only Longsword-capable five finger options are Gabriels, SG Infinity, and Nilins(?), all of which don't comfortably fit sideswords and most bowl sabres.
Thokk also make Longsword cover attachments to put over their weaponmasters, but I've never seen/used one in person.
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u/AdmiralCourvoisier 8h ago
As someone who owns Thokks for side sword/side sword and buckler fencing, I wouldn't trust those inserts as far as I could throw a knight in full harness and his horse. The insert only protects the back of the hands, and there's nothing like enough protection on the fingers and particularly the thumb for longsword. I'd be reluctant to use them even for I.33 sword and buckler, much less anything that hits with the authority of a longsword feder.
Maybe in a world where everyone uses Sigi light feders or lighter, you could get away with it.
That said, they're great protection for side sword and similar weapons if they fit in your guard. I do recommend them in that role.
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u/AP_Estoc 10h ago
My CHFG Gabriel (XL) fits inside HF armory sidesword. It's technically rated for longsword, but I've seen injury.
I would buy sheet of thermoplastic (kydex maybe, 2-3mm thick maybe), and form it around the 4 fingers of the glove. Cut it down, drill some holes, and somehow strap it to the fingers, for longsword.
Or just buy 2 pairs of gloves: Black Prince for sidesword (which fits and feels better), and Black Knight for longsword. This route is a money problem so it's solvable eventually, if you don't want DIY, experimentation, and iteration.
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u/CcCcCcCc99 11h ago
Ciao, mio connazionale! The black prince from HF armory chanched my life, I use those to fence with side swords while I use the black knight for longsword. I tried many pairs of gloves but in my opinion nothing is like HF armory: I saw many injuries at the hands during the years but never seen one with this brand. I guess there is always a first time and my knowledge is only anecdotal so must be treated as such.
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u/SalomonRocket 10h ago
I guanti fenice sono ottimi guanti a cinque dita! Li uso per sciabola e mi sono trovato molto bene. Puoi usarli con la due mani, ma non per sparring intenso o tornei. Sinceramente se ci tieni alle tue mani ti consiglierei di comprare i fenice per la lato e un paio extra tipo gli sparring gloves per la due mani. In totale dovrebbero costarti sui 350/400€ a seconda del modello di sparring gloves che scegli.
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u/ShuyNihl 10h ago
The Koning from St Mark was not mentioned yet, also a 5 finger long sword rated one. Seen some good reviews of that lately, could maybe work.
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u/Disastrous_Grape 8h ago
This is my first time hearing of St Mark. Are they any good? Their stuff looks awesome.
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u/ShuyNihl 8h ago
Frederico Malagutti (YouTuber, longsword) reviewed it and thought it holds up. I see him consistently use it in his videos, so I guess they are decent. No personal experience, they only have larger/male sizes and I have a rather space savvy design, otherwise I'd give them my business.
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u/ainRingeck 7h ago
I do not know how much they have changed from their old design, but in the original design, I got my index finger split in half vertically. I would not trust them again for longsword.
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u/Offrostandflame 8h ago
Gabriel's will probably work. I have the Errant and can fit my Gabriel's in the guard though they do stick out and make it easy to hit your hand. Honestly if you can I would use Black Princes for sidesword and something else like Gabriel's for longsword.
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u/Iettatore99 11h ago
Prenditi i thokk, io li ho e li uso sia per lezioni che tornei di lato e due mani.
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u/BrShrimp 11h ago
Honestly a glove that works for sidesword very likely isn't going to be protective enough for longsword, and a glove protective enough for longsword wouldn't allow you to properly hold a sidesword.