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Historical HEMA Tournaments and Deeds of Arms

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Sir Edward:
The Purple Heart synthetics are OK for half-swording, and Blossfechten. They're really the only ones I like. The Rawlings synthetics are way too flimsy, and have very thin tips. The Cold Steel synthetics would be OK for half-swording too, but suck for everything else.

Sir Martyn:
Reminds me ahd promised to post this - for the curious, the black synthetic waster I have is the "zugadore" from R&A - http://revival.us/spadadazoghosparringsword-2.aspx

My welded chain mail is indeed from RingMesh - http://www.ringmesh.com/default.asp - not historical but good.

and we got our tent from Bison Stany ("tents" in Czech) - http://www.bizon-stany.cz/historicke-stany.php
 - the site is in Czech but you can get a feel for what they offer.

Separately when looking at Ed's helm, noticed these sparring gauntlets, wonder how they'd hold up?  http://www.windrosearmoury.com/zc/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_29&products_id=56

Ian:
How do all the other groups using steel stay safe?  I just see steel as the standard for armored combat.  I think maintenance on the sword is easily mitigated if you keep up with it.  I'm not talking BoTN style, but look at the tournament that Christian Cameron and Greg Mele just did.  It's all steel, and there's even guys fighting with no visors in the men-at-arms divisions.  I also think a mortschlag with a rigid wooden sword delivers more force than a steel sword that can flex.  I bet you'd make less dents with steel weapons.

What about making the face an illegal thrusting target?

Sir James A:
My thought is concentration of force on a thinner steel crossguard will transfer more direct shock than a wider wooden pommel; same as trying to hit with the ball side of a ball pien hammer instead of with the flat when trying to take out a dent. The steel generally flexes side to side, and minimal or no flex if you're striking with the point of the crossguard (not just the pommel). Only thing I've seen with the live steel things is either perf plate in the eye slots, or thrusting is completely illegal (such as BotN) - and thrusting is a huge part of proper historical armored combat.

Maintenance being the chewed up edges of the swords; if you look at the wooden wasters, after 3 years of combat they're still almost fresh. The steel blades get the edges chewed up and also put damage into the armor you can't repair (like the damage to my center-ridge 16th century cuirass). I enjoy doing this for charity, but I don't want to be a couple thousand dollars out of pocket every couple years to replace mangled equipment just because we're using steel swords. :(

Lord Dane:
Just my two cents ...
If you want to do training with steel (not aluminum) wasters that have some durability and weight equivalence, I use zinc coated, blunted-steel reproductions for sparring. They work great for half-swording and other fighting forms/styles. Very little scratching to the blades. Just avoiding thrusting with their use.   

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