Thank you so much for this video. great break down and the price point analysis was very helpful. Would you say this is still valid today? Is a different glove better?
Sort of...the Gabriel is a good option now. Most of the 5-finger gloves are gone now. There are lots of clam-shell styles out there now that compete with SPES.
i think the pro gauntlet were a little over hyped. two of my instructors have them and we use them in sparring from time to time, i've used them a few times but i don't feel safe in them. the inner fingers can slip out quite easily. just two weeks ago one of my club mates using them had this happen with the pinky finger and was hit on that finger from an under blow and it crushed his pinky between the sword and the plastic shell. didn't break the finger but broke the nail and he needed stitches. tip of the fingers are a problem since the inner glove can slip out exposing your fingers. if that didn't happen so easily it would be a great glove. the bands holding the fingers break quite easily and on one of them some plastic parts have begun to chip and break. considering that the company also went bankrupt, i would avoid getting these now (even in second hand and used) as they won't continue to be improved and if they break replacement parts will now be hard to come by
This is a very old review. All of what you say is valid. In the end the fingers were not encased enough, and it was an over-complicated design to maintain. I used mine for a while, but swapped back to my Infinities with the fingers taped in.
Unfortunately, as a Scottish HEMA practitioner, I am really having trouble finding any protective gloves that will fit inside the basket hilt swords. ven the Red Dragons come no where near fitting inside the guard on the hilt. The only option I have found for our members is the Dagger Gloves from Purple Heart Armory which fit perfectly inside the basket hilt, but dont offer quite the protection to the back of the hand and wrist that we would want.
Basket Hilts can pose a problem size wise. Thokks maybe? But does you basket provide most of your protection, meaning, you just need a little bit of padding...or?
Now received this sword and the heft in the blade is considerable, perhaps the same or more than the kvetun arming sword for I33. If I could I would reprofile the blade slightly to taper subtly for the distal half of the blade. This would also reposition the flex to slightly further down the blade. Not that I want it to flex more but I do think the blade design should be tweaked
Wondering it your blade tape is different at this stage of things? Using it this long now, the only thing I would change is to stiffen up the overall sword by 5%...but, not sure if they have maybe done that by now? How does your seem now?
@@colleptic I can't be 100% but i think it seems likely poker have changed the pattern slightly so that the overall blade mass is slightly higher perhaps than the one you got. I would say the blade is pretty stiff but that suits me, I haven't measured it though so I'm assuming it's the measurement they give: 10-12kg. I noticed in your video your one flexes slightly more towards the distal third whereas mine flexes half way down exactly which says to me there is little to no gradual tapering down the blade unfortunately. There is however a sudden thinning of the blade in the final 10cm to the tip. I'm used to swords on the heftier side with a lot of presence but this sidesword really surprised me. I have to say I do like it and I'm not sorry I bought it but it is on the crow barish side unfortunately. It is well made nonetheless and the attention to detail in its construction is really impressive. I just wish the blade had a better taper to be used as a general use side sword if that makes sense. I like to keep the tip on point much of the time but with this blade it can be tiring quickly. It is a joy to use however. I just need to be careful with my sparring partners because this thing swings very hard and I've been deliberately choosing this sword to practice with regularly in the hope I can strengthen my arm and improve my control sufficiently to spar safely while moving at speed
@@colleptic I may have missed something in the video... Is there enough handle length to use a red dragon glove below the cross guard in a ",hammer grip"?
My order has arrived! This sidesword is a beast. I'm tempted to weigh mine just to make sure it is under 1kg as the description notes. The heft in the blade is extremely apparent and I have a lot of practice to do with this to make sure I'm strong enough to use it at speed. I would say it's similar, perhaps more hefty than my kvetun arming sword
It was freaky. You know the plate between the thumb and the main hand plate? Just behind the meaty bit of you dorsal thumb? It struck in-between the plates with the tip of an untipped sword
Thanks a lot for the follow up review. Really hard to find any info on this, so much appreciated. Would you say that with the Proeliator it's easier to lose a bind compared to a Regenyei standard (strong blade) ? That's what I'm sparring against most of the time. Looking for something utopian that will be more nimble (like my Regenyei Short e.g.) but still equalyl strong in the bind.
It is good enough that you will not lose a bind, but it will not feel as strong as a solid blade at front of the blade (unless Poker as addressed this in their newer blades). Regenyei was my main Feder up until this (about 7 years). I still sparr the same, but I am more conscious of end of my blade when finding someone's edge. I wish I had more fullered Feders to test against it, I want to get Kvetun's to test etc.
@@colleptic Sounds similar to my Aureus feder which also has a deep fuller design, it feels dominant vs. a Regenyei standard in the strong part of the blade and weaker than the Regenyei in the top third of the blade. Not as floppy as a Sigi King though, even the Shorty is unforgiving if I don't bind with the strong.
Any long term update in terms of durability etc? Asking because they now have the medium size available and prices are soon going up quite a bit in March.
Mine Held up better than my friend's, but it is starting to get loose in areas. A couple of the nice finger joints pop out of place mid fight. I had to tape my fingers tips, as they do not say in with the little overlaps provided, but I had to do that with the Infinities too (btw I tend to use the Infinities more). I wanted a little more heavy work with them before I follow up.
Finally a review that reflects my own experience with these gloves. They were originally advertised as do it all affordable gloves that lured so many of us to invest money in the project. After all the drama and wait, they turned out to be an expensive overhyped product that is not suitable for longsword even with the additional cover, barely usable for sidesword if you’re willing to do some modifications yourself and technically only good enough for basket hilt sabres, rapiers and other lighter weapons. The RDs, HFAs and SupFen gloves with some easy minor mods would do the same job at a fraction of the cost.
They were supposed to be CHEAP? God damn it. Why can’t we have anything nice? lol Tbf almost all HEMA specific products tend to be overpriced imo. Idk what sort of supply chain and production causes the price of so much of this to be so inflated
Finally a level-headed review of these! So many people hyping these gloves, I 100% agree with your review and appreciate it. A club mate of mine was bleeding from under his thumb nail when I lightly hit him there doing some controlled longsword, so I think the fingertip protector on the thumb is also too shallow. Noticed you mentioned the wrist joint in a follow-up comment and agree with that too. Great review, thanks for taking the time and I hope you can keep em coming!
It's been underwhelming to see people exposing the faults in the design, really thought this would be a game changer for longsword & other heavy hitters. The lack of back hand protection caught me off guard, there's a video on facebook where the manufacturer gets his hand slammed full force from above while sitting his hand on the table. How did that happen? Was the final product different from the demo? In which case it's fraudulent advertising?
I think it is the same with all of them. They have lofty goals, but for production or aesthetics they change things, not for the better. Good thing is that area is a pocket, so it can be changed. Also, I feel like a broken record in my videos, it is really just a few changes for Thokk, Infinities, Pro G's...to fix their flaws. Some are so obvious, I am always like WHY!?
Big problem area I missed in the video. I meant to show it when talking about the cuff/forearm. There is there is a gap at the back of the hand right at the wrist, about 2.5cm wide, that has no padding at all, cannot believe I missed that part in my video. Doh!
Oh crap. I was thinking of getting some, but 2.5 cm gap in the wrist. especially for what they cost, thats the deal breaker for me. so many littledamaging places in there, Does the thokk guy even fence , Why arent fencers desighning gloves. really u put a bunch of thought and stuff into the glove design, and you dont protect the most important part lol. mabey im a noob and missing somethiing, but I think there needs to be protection there, mabey the longsword addon address that. Id want thick hard padding, nothing too weak that u cant take a good wack there if u wind up doing so
Just FYI,, Thokk has said ever since the gofundme that these were designed for longsword, even repeating it just a few months ago when they first landed.
They are holding up really well. I do not have a good scale, I use a pretty fragile scale to weigh things, but Poker states it is 13/b. They are stiff, maybe a touch too stiff, but I think that is why they are also holding up so well.
I have infinity gloves, I got about a light medium wack in the hand, ( first time using them sparring ) I felt the hit more then I thought I would, Im kind of nervous to take a good wack in the hand/ fingers. or mabey im just not use to getting hit anymore and I gotto get back at her again
Noted, but ummm, everytime? I had to rewatch to see what you are talking about...I use the glove names often, and say the name many times while blabbing about them... Do you mean at the very end? I mean at the end for the summary I started with the name, then carried on...could have used the name one more time in that section, but by that time I have said it enough to get the point across. Meh?
Take the pommel off and put lock-tite on the threads and reassemble. I agree with your assessment. Unfortunately, this is the best Western-sword Cold Steel makes.
So my Proeliator Military Sabre came in and it's awesome. Balance is perfect, the bowl has enough room to fit any glove. It's now been battle tested and I highly recommend
So ive had my Proetiator Feder for over a year and it is one of the best feders ive ever used. No bends and ive landed some drop your opponent on there but thrust. I went with the cord that seems to get a light epoxy coat and it shows no wear (using spes heavies). I cant recommend this sword enough. I liked it so much i now have the Achilles sidedsword , Proetiator Millitary Sabre, 30cm Buckler, and a blacken Capo parrying dagger coming.
@Colin how do the edges look after one year, any nicks/ burrs requiring filing? Surprised to hear the blade didn't take a set, I've noticed that deep fuller feders tend to take a set more easily or maybe I just had bad luck.
Thanks for the review! Any insight on how the Poker Proeliator compares to an Ensifer feder? They seem quite similar and are in about the same price range. I've handled an Ensifer 2020 feder and the quality is top notch but it felt a little lifeless in the hand compared to let's say an Aureus. I know it's hard to put the feel of a feder into words but if by any chance you could compare the Ensifer and the Poker feder, any feedback would be much appreciated.
I believe I can get my hands on one again...and report back. From memory, Ensifer was a little heavier, but also stronger feeling in the bind. Handling was similar, but slightly heavier in the swing/motion. It was one of my fav's at the time I used one.
Most interested in the Poker Armoury steel buckler, have been eyeing that one for quite a while but haven't seen any reviews that can tell us about its durability.
Via this post, I can tell you it is solid this far, it is a little heavy, but not overly heavy. Nicely crafted. I will do a review in a few weeks for this one though, after all the rest of the weapons.
Hello there! Since you asked, here are products which I would like a review of from you: - Thokk gloves - Arcem shoulder to wrist plastic protectors (sold by BlackArmoury but seem very similar to other manufacturers’); - Spes protectors for the side of the knee Thanks a lot!
Thokks for sure, I missed any early purchases due to low funds, but now I just need to wait until he opens regular sales up. He is still working on back orders. As for the black armor kit, I have it on my list of to get, but I want to save for a full kit, so might be a while. SPES - most of their produces are good, but I will look into this one...I may know people with them already.
I've been using these gloves for about a year and really like them. I don't seem to have the thumb issue yours have, but I did get the looseness in the fingers. A couple of my finger tips were almost slipping out of the gloves. I made a few hold down straps and fixed the problem. My only concern is the possibility of a point thrusting between the thumb plates into the webbing of my hand. So far I haven't had any injuries wearing these gloves during moderate to heavy intensity sparring. A friend also uses these gloves and went through a tournament with them injury free.
Yup, i just hockey taped in my fingers, to fix the slipping...it is crude, but works. So far, it is the only glove I have had that kept me injury free. I think in time I will do a super long term follow up on these.
I had a pretty severe injury to my pinky the first time out doing longsword in these. I believe this was related to the issue you brought up about the pinky coming out of the plastic. I had a compression injury which caused severe selling in my pinky and caused me to have to burn a hole in my own nail to relieve the pressure. fortunately I did not lose function or feeling in the digit, but I did experience pain for several months afterward. This injury occurred in April of 2021. I tried contacting Hema Supplies (the US supplier) with my concerns, but they were pretty dismissive.
Yup, seems to be the only issue I have with the gloves this far in. I hockey tapped in my pointer and pinky finger, that helps. It sucks, because if that was not an issue, they would be really good.
NO! Still waiting for mine, only been able to use other people's...been too long imo regardless of the circumstances. I emailed them a couple weeks ago for an update.
Great notes on durability and protection. What's your opinion on mobility? Can you perform crossed arm guards and cuts very well? Do the gloves catch each other or your cross guard? OK for grappling? Thanks again!
Mobility is very good, you can see in my videos when I am moving my fingers and hands around within no effort...prob the best feature of the glove. Cross guards are not bad, from all my 5-finger gloves, from this, -5-finger sparring glove, armadillo, and other I have forgotten, they are right in the middle for cross guards. I did trim down my cuff, which I think I mentioned in one of the couple reviews I did on this glove, that helped too. Because the finger attachments are mobile and loose, grappling with them better than most thus far. The only real problem with them is what I mentioned in the video, the loose riveting points, lack of them, and the stretching of the attachment points over time to the inner glove. I have now actually hockey tapped in the pointer and pinky finger...which helps safety quite a bit. I did it in a way that does not affect the grip feeling at all.
@@colleptic Thanks so much for this info. I've been on the fence for buying these for a quite a while, it's a big investment for me. If I am going to buy a glove, everything about it has to be acceptable in my mind relative to SPES heavies. Have you posted a pic of your hockey tape fix anywhere? Think it'd be worth taping pre-emptively? Thanks again! You do great work.
I know this video is old, but when my infinity gloves came it said to put the thumb plate under the little plate there. I'm not sure if that would help would anything, but it is much nicer and safer.
Yes...a point I later thought I should have mentioned in the video. Still would not make it as move "exactly" how I like it, but would help change the sword's momentum as well.
Hey@@colleptic do you have any experience with the Poker Armory Sabres? I have one of there Proeliator Feders for almost a year and it's one of the best I've used. Because of its high quality I'm driving into more of the swords.
Do you think it would be possible to modify them yourself with additional rivets in the spots you mentioned? Eg. drill small hole and use some of the replacement rivets you bought. The movement of the plastic caps is concerning to me, but otherwise they look great.
Yes, if you are crafty enough I could see doing the sides...but not the top, that would require taking apart the whole glove, unless you are good enough to do that, which I am not. For the sides, I think you would need a way to attach a material to the inner glove, to attach the rivets on the outside to...I think if you just put rivet through the outside, they would rub on your fingers etc. After looking at it over-and-over again myself, I think some tough thread, sowing the side of the pinky and point finger to the sides could work, without causing chaffing points...but I need find someone who can do this for me.
It is a fully functional very strong blade. It is just not balanced very well, it handles like a heavy bar. I am not sure if they worked on that on newer versions though, but if you wanted a zombie killer, that will cleave heads, not chip, not break, super easy to maintain and would last through an apocalypse... you would prob want this over a $1000-3000 sword LOL. Albions are amazing, but I would save that ones edge for a real duel, or battle against raiders during the apocalypse, use the Cold Steel Hand and a Half for cutting through hard zombie bone. Seriously though, if you want an great, well balanced starter weapon, I suggest Cold Steel's Italian Longsword. I am not sure how they got the balance and handling on the Hand and a Half so wrong, because the Italian version handles very well and cuts way above is price point. Check out reviews on that one, most comments are how it is a great starter weapon.
@@colleptic If the world ends and i walk into the woods with my rifle and bushcraft knife i would like a sword i could stake my life one. Or just leave it to my kid when i croak lol I think ill buy it anyways thank you
