I’ve recently broken my thumb wearing the Thokks. I’ve been hit in the space we’re the thumb meets the rest of the glove. There is no plate and no protective foam from the inner glove. It was with a sabre. I’m convinced that with my old red dragons this wouldn’t have happened.
Really sorry to hear about your injury, and hope you have a speedy recovery. Laying my RDs and the THOKKs next to each other the actually seem pretty similar when it come to where the thumb joins the rest of the hand. If anything the RDs have more pronounced gap because the padding is on the outside. That being said though, it all depends on the exact situation of course, angle of the blade. etc. - Peter
I am new to saber fencing (though I have a few years experience with historical fencing in longsword, messer, and smallsword) I just got an Easton saber from Kvetun. It has pretty wide and heavy blade. So anyway I’ve been looking at glove options that provide enough protection and mobility. Nothing I currently have is appropriate. My instructor has Thokks and they seem perfect but they are sooo expensive and I’ve seen a lot of review videos where users of these gloves report structural failures in a short period of ownership. So I have a couple of questions f you would be so kind as to give me your opinion. 1. Do you have any recommendations on gloves for heavy saber? Would motorcycle gloves be sufficient? 2. I have also been looking at the “high guard” gloves from purpleheart armory. Do you have any experience with those? Thanks in advance
Hey there, As for the first question, that is hard to say. I fence all my sabres with bowls with motorcycle type gloves, and for me, in my context, that works fine. If that is a good idea in your case really depends on how you and your partner fence. It certainly can work, but outside my club I have seen situation where I would have recommended my pupils to rather use something heavier and rather err on the side of caution. For 2 I can directly say that I have no direct experience with them, but they look very much like the "SF HEMA Impact Resistant Gloves". At least here in Germany it is not unusual for SupFen to be resold under a different name, so they might be a re-brand? SupFen said they would send me a pair for review when asked by a viewer, but never reacted to my messages after. So, unfortunately, I cannot say anything about them. There are reviews out though, by the AFH for example, I believe. Not the most satisfying reply I fear. - Peter
Well, historical fencing is not a cheap hobby to begin with if we are being honest. It does not help that I do a variety of things within HEMA, covering many different weapons and sources, so it is harder to stick to one glove for me :) - Peter
Mine are still more or less spotless. I have a very small tear and wear at the right little finger. I guess from the saber shell. I use them twice a week and they are my main heavy gloves replacing the RedDragons. Do you think yours are more damaged may be due to the Messer fencing?
Yes and no. Messer fencing definitely means more wear on a glove than fencing with a sabre with a shell, that is definitely true, but I am not sure the tearing on the thumb (as one example) really comes from that. Plus I have talked to others who are not fencing Messer and whose gloves still fell apart. It might be part of a QA issue, like we had with Hanwei in the past. There I was always lucky for example, I never had a failure with my Hanwei swords. Others though... - Peter
I’ve recently broken my thumb wearing the Thokks. I’ve been hit in the space we’re the thumb meets the rest of the glove. There is no plate and no protective foam from the inner glove. It was with a sabre. I’m convinced that with my old red dragons this wouldn’t have happened.
Really sorry to hear about your injury, and hope you have a speedy recovery.
Laying my RDs and the THOKKs next to each other the actually seem pretty similar when it come to where the thumb joins the rest of the hand. If anything the RDs have more pronounced gap because the padding is on the outside.
That being said though, it all depends on the exact situation of course, angle of the blade. etc.
- Peter
I am new to saber fencing (though I have a few years experience with historical fencing in longsword, messer, and smallsword)
I just got an Easton saber from Kvetun. It has pretty wide and heavy blade.
So anyway I’ve been looking at glove options that provide enough protection and mobility. Nothing I currently have is appropriate.
My instructor has Thokks and they seem perfect but they are sooo expensive and I’ve seen a lot of review videos where users of these gloves report structural failures in a short period of ownership.
So I have a couple of questions f you would be so kind as to give me your opinion.
1. Do you have any recommendations on gloves for heavy saber? Would motorcycle gloves be sufficient?
2. I have also been looking at the “high guard” gloves from purpleheart armory. Do you have any experience with those?
Thanks in advance
Hey there,
As for the first question, that is hard to say. I fence all my sabres with bowls with motorcycle type gloves, and for me, in my context, that works fine. If that is a good idea in your case really depends on how you and your partner fence. It certainly can work, but outside my club I have seen situation where I would have recommended my pupils to rather use something heavier and rather err on the side of caution.
For 2 I can directly say that I have no direct experience with them, but they look very much like the "SF HEMA Impact Resistant Gloves". At least here in Germany it is not unusual for SupFen to be resold under a different name, so they might be a re-brand? SupFen said they would send me a pair for review when asked by a viewer, but never reacted to my messages after. So, unfortunately, I cannot say anything about them. There are reviews out though, by the AFH for example, I believe.
Not the most satisfying reply I fear.
- Peter
Thank you for your input
So much gloves, that‘s not cheap 😉
Well, historical fencing is not a cheap hobby to begin with if we are being honest.
It does not help that I do a variety of things within HEMA, covering many different weapons and sources, so it is harder to stick to one glove for me :)
- Peter
Mine are still more or less spotless. I have a very small tear and wear at the right little finger. I guess from the saber shell. I use them twice a week and they are my main heavy gloves replacing the RedDragons. Do you think yours are more damaged may be due to the Messer fencing?
Yes and no. Messer fencing definitely means more wear on a glove than fencing with a sabre with a shell, that is definitely true, but I am not sure the tearing on the thumb (as one example) really comes from that.
Plus I have talked to others who are not fencing Messer and whose gloves still fell apart.
It might be part of a QA issue, like we had with Hanwei in the past. There I was always lucky for example, I never had a failure with my Hanwei swords. Others though...
- Peter