Kingston Arms 43" Carbon Steel Sparring Side Sword HEMA Cut & Thrust Combat

Description

Kingston Arms 43" Sparring Side Sword
34.5" Blade of 5160 High Carbon Steel Blade
Historical 'Cut & Thrust' Combat
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MSRP is 9.00, you save 20%
Designed for HEMA practitioners as well as sport and stage combat, this Renaissance Side Sword has a well-tempered blade of 5160 high carbon steel; the edges are thick for both safety and durability and the tip is rolled for safety. The complex hilt is fashioned from stainless steel with an antiqued finish and its multiple rings provide safety for the hand - finger rings parallel to the blade allow for forefingers to safely finger over the guard to improve point control. A tight binding of cord over the grip and a ricasso wrap of leather completes the sword.
Specifications
- Blade: 34.5” + 2” ricasso = 36.5”
- Grip: 4.25”
- Overall: 43”
- Point of Balance: 4”
- Weight: 2 lbs, 13 ozs
Details
:
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Antiqued finish
- Threaded acorn pommel serves as a counter-balance to make a more lively sword and effective shape for pommel strikes
- Complex hilt with curved quillons and finger rings
- Ambidextrous, only difference is orientation of quillons
- Fullered blade ~ 1/3 length
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The
side sword
, or spada da lato (Italian) as it was first known, was popular during the late 16th century when it began to take the place of the arming sword*.
Ideal for handling the mix of armored and unarmored opponents of the time
. Predecessor to the rapier, it’s use was taught in the Dardi School of Italian fencing, and was influential on 17th century rapier. One of the innovations of the side sword was the new technique of placing one's finger on the ricasso to improve the grip (a practice that would continue in the rapier) and led to the production of hilts with a guard for the finger.
This sword design eventually led to the development of the rapier, but it was not replaced by it. The cut and thrust side-sword continued to be used throughout the rapier's lifetime, especially in Northern European countries.
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* Later cut & thrust swords tended to be longer and narrower than earlier arming swords and were optimized for better thrusting capability, so they handled a little differently. A longer sword doesn't turn around for a cut as fast as a shorter one, so while you still can cut effectively with a side sword, there's less use of it than there would be with an arming sword ~ Stacy Clifford, The Association of Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA)
Comments
: Excellent design and Kingston Arms is one of the few forges offering a cut and thrust sword specifically designed for HEMA sparring and reenactment. In spite of the fact that it’s about the same weight as some of our swept hilt rapiers this sword hits hard and full protective gear per rules of various groups is recommended. I’m a collector and a weekend warrior, active in local groups and Renaissance Fair. I sell what I own and recommend. I take my own photos and measurements to give you the best idea possible what this gear is really like. See my Seller ratings and buy with confidence, plus I ship fast!