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Absolute Force hand protection
Sir James A:
--- Quote from: Thorsteinn on 2012-08-08, 18:16:02 ---I've got an email exchange going about their legality on the SCA field. I just sent in the SCA hand protection requirements which unfortunately list Hockey Gloves as OK w/o stating that you are more than likely to get broken using them.
--- End quote ---
These don't seem intended for SCA use, and if someone does, I'd probably still do at least a half-gaunt with them. Rattan and blunted steel are worlds apart with hand protection.
merc3065:
Any idea how these will protect your hands and knuckles when used with cudgels?
Sir Edward:
My pair arrived on Friday, though I keep forgetting to take some pictures. Maybe tonight I'll put them on and work through some actions and see how they feel.
My first impression is that they'll be pretty protective for HEMA. They have a clamshell design, with a bifurcation at the front (think of Spock's "Live long and prosper" hand position). The bifurcation does not extend all the way back to the knuckle, it's just enough to allow for variation in grip between the front and back edges of the hand.
The thumb guard looks nice and strong, and the piece that extends to the thumb-tip does not fully enclose the tip, but has a diagonal sweep to it. It looks to me like a strike that would come from the front of the thumb, like the one I took a few years ago that bypassed the steel plates on my hourglass gaunts, would deflect under the thumb rather than squarely strike it. It extends past the thumb, so even if your thumb is bent in such a way that the plate stays straight and separates a bit, it looks like there's still some good protection here.
The material they used appears to be a combination of dense rubber foam and vinyl. It's very stiff stuff, and looks like it'll absorb quite a lot of impact.
The cuffs come back quite a ways on the forearm, but it flexes at the wrist, and the lacing is elastic cord.
It's also just an outer gauntlet, with no enclosed palm or anything. I'd probably still want to wear a fencing glove inside. I think it's a must.
Ian:
So is it impossible to use a grip with your index finger around the ricasso then?
Sir Edward:
--- Quote from: Ian on 2012-08-14, 14:49:16 ---So is it impossible to use a grip with your index finger around the ricasso then?
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Yes, that's true, but for most HEMA, we're using swords where that would be a bad idea anyway. Rapiers have protective hilts anyway, and that pretty much just leaves ring-hilts where you'd want to put your finger over the crossguard.
With most European style crossguards, putting your finger over the crossguard is a good way to lose it.
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