Fencing on a Budget
Collected here are the resources that I used when creating my first Winter University class, taught on February 3rd 2024, and then again at Summer University, on June 9th 2024.
External Resources
This is just a list of a few online resources that I used when making or giving my class
Percy's Pontifications
Magister Percy did a great job collecting and sharing a wealth of information regarding SCA legal spearheads. Find out more at his website!
Caellach's Musings
His Excellency Ceallach mac Donal, of the Barony of Bryn Gwlad in the Kingdom of Ansteorra, went through the effort years ago to assemble a similar collection of pertinent information. Find out more at his website!
Online Retailers
I want it to be clear, I had no sponsors for any portion of my class. These vendors are all ones that I have spent my own hard earned money on, over the course of my 10 year SCA membership. Any item mentioned here, I either personally own, or have used from someone who does own it. The following are presented in no particular order.
Darkwood Armory
Darkwood Armory is a group that we should all be very familiar with. I have a mask, hood, gorget, gloves, sword, dagger, and blade tips from Lesley and crew. For off the shelf and build-your-own equipment, it's hard to go wrong with DWA. https://rapiers.darkwoodarmory.com
Castille Armory
Some of the finest custom made fencing swords around, in my personal opinion. Their off-the-shelf options are nothing to sneeze at either, and if you're looking for a longsword that meets C&T and Heavy Rapier specs, Sam and Li can set you up. Generally speaking, expect to spend a little more than Darkwood, but sometimes you can pick up an abandoned custom build for slightly less. https://castillearmory.com
Zen Warrior Armory
Located in North Carolina, ZWA makes their home in the Kingdom of Atlantia. If you're looking to save money and be able to walk into a shop, lay hands on equipment (including a rigid back of the head protector for C&T) and then walk out ready to start fighting, Jason and Wanda can set you up. Widely considered to be quality starter gear, a Zen sword is the first sword many fencers in the SCA, including myself, begin with. https://www.zenwarriorarmory.com
Purpleheart Armory
Specializing mostly in HEMA and WMA gear, PHA is a great place to find great quality SCA Fencing and Cut & Thrust gear, from a Houston TX based business that's been around for almost 25 years. They have a great selection of padded gloves and arm protection, as well as fencing masks, rubber spearheads, synthetic training weapons, and a huge selection of C&T grade longswords. https://www.woodenswords.com/default.asp
By The Sword
If you're wanting to build your own sword, usually by converting a wall-hanger/decorative sword into something more functional, then you're probably going to want to look for a CAS-Hanwei practical rapier blade. The most reliable source for one of these standalone blades, that I've encountered at least, is https://www.by-the-sword.com/default.aspx
Medieval Collectibles
https://www.medievalcollectibles.com is an interesting website. It runs the gamut from costume clothing and knick-knacks, to actually decent garb and functional armor. For fencing, particularly cut & thrust, you don't really need armor thicker than 16 or 18 gauge, and this site has bracers, bazubands, knee & elbow cops, and shoulder pauldrons, all for completely reasonable prices. They also quite frequently run site-wide sales, so it's my suggestion to subscribe to their mailing list, and wait for a coupon to hit your inbox.
Etsy
If you aren't familiar with Etsy by now, I don't know what to tell you. Plenty of SCA makers have their business hosted here, and you can find literally anything you're looking for, somewhere on this site. This goes for metal and leather armor, as well as cloth. One that I've personally purchased, is a fencing legal linen t-tunic, from the vendor RapierRose. It's not going to win any fashion shows, but it does pass a punch test, and runs around $80. She has lots of other 16th century looking fighting garb as well, if you're looking to spend a little bit more money. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RapierRose