I'm posting this video here in The Armoury in case people don't see it from our VARF thread. Bear with me for a minute while I talk about the importance of GOOD armor when doing combat. To start with, I broke my nose in harnessfechten. This wasn't because of a cheap helmet. It was somewhere around $350. It is 14 gauge mild steel, well padded, and it's battle worthy. Helmets also protect your face. It's kind of important. Here's why:
You can see where my visor popped down and I got stabbed right through the opening - within seconds. Why? Because a klappvisor has a removable face plate. It was great for taking the visor off after combat, or for getting the helmet snugged down prior to combat. It's also a HUGE safety risk, as I clearly could have lost an eye or had some serious damage done. Don't fool yourself and think "if it fails I'll notice it right away and just say stop". I didn't think that, but I want to make sure no one else does. It truly happens in the proverbial blink of an eye.
If you fight with a klappvisor, or any kind of removable face plate helmet, I HIGHLY suggest you permanently attach the visor by solid rivets. A safety strap goes without saying, and popping a strap or rivet on the rest of the harness isn't usually a major safety aspect - but respect the helmet. It only takes a second for really bad things to happen.
And to close with something we mention at every demo we do - the purpose of a fight is to walk away - as safely as you can. Don't skimp on safety, and remember how critical a helmet is to your safety. Gauntlets are a close second. If you aren't sure if it's safe to fight in, ask someone who knows, or don't fight in it.
