The school has loaner equipment that will allow you plenty of time to get addicted to swordplay before needing to buy your own equipment.
Many of the suppliers below list their goods in foreign currencies including $US so check the conversion rates. Postage can be expensive but group orders can reduce this.
Sword suppliers
As one of the easier to loan items it may be practical to buy your own protective equipment before a sword. But swords are cool, we understand.
The school has sourced its loan weapons from Castille Armory. The Castille economy model rapier is probable the cheapest and quickest option.
Some Australian sword smiths can be contacted through Facebook: Geoff Milner (QLD) , Sparkyr forge (SA) and Tim Harris (VIC).
Other good suppliers are
While there are many great sword makers around the world, please talk with us before ordering a weapon, or if you already have a weapon and wish to use it in class. Please note any sword listed with a stainless steel blade will not be usable for HEMA fencing.
Protective gear
Gloves
The simplest example is simply white cotton gloves acquired from the laundry section. These are mostly about protecting the sword from your hands. We recommend that you get leather gloves, such as motorcycle gloves with hard knuckles, as soon as you can. Leather gardening gloves can also be a good option.
For heavier sideswords, kevlar gloves , kevler gloves 2 or Red Dragon Gloves are appropriate.
Body
Protective jackets, pants and forearm guards are available from dedicated suppliers such as SPES, Superior Fencing and Arcem, and are considered standard. However there are many other suppliers coming into the market.
Shoes
Indoor soccer shoes offer a good balance of low grip and low heel that are quite popular. Any non-marking, enclosed shoes can be worn, though all medical advice should be complied with.
Gorget
We use rigid gorgets (throat protection) such as the Winter Tree from Medieval Fight Club, or the That Guy branded item. Lighter options such as the Arcem or Lightweight are also acceptable.
Masks
The masks need to be CE1 (350n) or 2(1600n) certified modern fencing masks. These can be from many suppliers. A few that are HEMA specific, normally implying more padding, are PBT or HF Armoury
Back of head
Back of head protectors must also be rigid. Good examples are available from SPES. .