HEMA gear is one of those areas of our hobby that I have had strong opinions on for years. I curate an up to date HEMA gear recc list that I’ve kept going for a few years now, have taught beginners and helped with club gear acquisition, and assisted with and done gear reviews in the past. How do we square with knockoff gear in such a niche community?
One thing I forgot to mention in the rant is the recent trend of “white labeling,” where a maker will put out gear and have it branded for the shop that is selling it rather than the manufacturer. Think Trader Joe’s. This is not a bad thing per se, as it puts shop branding on gear and is common in other industries. However, this also puts extra work on the consumer to know where their protective gear actually comes from, which is important when that jacket you are wearing or glove on your hand is meant to keep you safe from bodily harm. If shops listed who actually made the thing while still having it labeled, this would solve the traceability problem.
GIF of this article is unrelated, it was the only flashy sword/gear thing I could find on a quick scan.
New articles are coming! Just have 3 in the works at the same time PLUS extra research…
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