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Author Topic: Is this good for a bascinet?  (Read 6408 times)

Sampf

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Is this good for a bascinet?
« on: 2015-05-31, 00:32:25 »
So I got a bascinet made out of 2 mm steel for Practice/ Larping / Whatever
and I was wondering is this at all practial? It weights about eight pounds and straps around the back to hold the visor down (Those are the brown straps the white is my arming cap)
What I am worried about is vision, My group Talbot companye that I am in does Half swording and Id rather not get a sword to the eye because my vision is bad enough already so I bought this because of the smaller holes

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Ian

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Re: Is this good for a bascinet?
« Reply #1 on: 2015-05-31, 02:33:38 »
If you're asking specifically about the eye-slits or oculars, there was a large variety in how they show up in the historical record.  They're all different compromises for the trade-off of vision vs. protection.  It seems the most common type of historical ocular is a plain eye slit, kept very narrow for protection.  But we also see experimentation with extra sight holes, barred oculars, semi-barred oculars, blocked oculars (similar to your helmet), and even oculars with little tooth-like protrusions to catch a blade and prevent penetration. 

Obviously your vision will be more obscured with that style of ocular but it is certainly safer.  A lot of modern groups that do half-swording tend to require oculars that are more protected than just plain eye-slits for this very reason, since ultimately we're not trying to really hurt each other. 

If you're concern is historical accuracy, your helmet isn't too historically shaped and has some modern safety features, but if you just want yo protect your head for practice / larping, as long as the construction is solid, it fits you, and it meets your needs, you should be fine!

Here are historical examples of each type of ocular I described above:

Far an away the most common visor ocular we see is a plain slit that's very narrow -


They experimented with 'extra' holes above and below plain slits to aid in vision -


An example of a historical barred ocular -



An example of a historical semi-barred ocular -



An example of a historical square blocked ocular -



An example of a historical toothed ocular -

« Last Edit: 2015-05-31, 02:35:33 by Ian »
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Sampf

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Re: Is this good for a bascinet?
« Reply #2 on: 2015-05-31, 03:07:21 »
Thanks for the info! I am aware of the non historical accuracy but two things keep me from getting an accurate one. One the extreme prices (Not easy being a teen and having an armor related hobby) and two My group doesn't really care, We do things for educational purposes and teach mostly about fighting as long as it is close enough we are fine with it. Also I have a huge head and its the only non custom thing that fit me.

Any other incites would be nice as well I like replies from many people although yours Ian was very helpful
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Lord Dane

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Re: Is this good for a bascinet?
« Reply #3 on: 2015-06-01, 16:00:03 »
I always use this rule of thumb with helmets. Self-explanatory I think.
1.) Protection
2.) Comfort
3.) Breathing
4.) Vision
5.) Esthetics
6.) Historical Depiction
7.) Price
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