Steel Fighting Equipment Vendors

Author: Sir G. Tascius

The lists below are by no means comprehensive. Armour vendors tend to be small businesses. As such they are subject change far more than established corporations. I will provide links as I can but these links tend to only be good for about a year or two.

Armor and Weapons

First some guidelines. Always consult the current SCA Society rules for Steel Fighting. You will find the Steel specific rules in section IX. Kingdom specific rules addendums should also be consulted. Currently (12/2020) Atlantia has no additional rules. Note SCA Steel tournaments will tend to require reasonable historic appearance standards. Plastics for example would need to be hidden should they appear clearly modern.

Society Marshal Handbook

Helmets

The rules call for 12 gauge mild steel or material of equivalent strength. Beware of getting a helmet that is made of a strong but light material. Titanium for example is strong enough but just doesn’t have the mass to properly protect against concussion. Most traditional SCA merchants sell mild steel or stainless (304) steel helmets. Lastly, the SCA helmet standards closely mirror the standards of US steel fighting organizations such as the IMCF,ACS or ACW. Merchants in other countries are not necessarily constructing helmets that meet our safety standards. This is especially true with regard to face guards. A good rule of thumb, if you can pass a quarter (quarter held face on, not edge on) through the face guard or a blade can enter a slot more than 1.5 inches long, that guard is almost certainly not compliant with our rules.

Steels

A 14 gauge 304 stainless steel helm has approximately the same strength as a 12 gauge mild helmet but the mild helmet will provide much better concussion protection. When reading vendor descriptions- spring steel does not necessarily mean tempered spring steel. There are vendors that sell un-hardened spring steel, be sure to specify “tempered spring steel” There are many metals used in armor shops, here is a link that will tell you the respective strengths of each.

Elbows/knees/hands

Make sure the armor you purchase fits the SCA requirements for knees, elbows and hands. As an example, some overseas organizations allow finger gauntlets for steel combat, the SCA does not. Make sure elbow and knee protection cover the three points as in the SCA steel/ heavy combat rules. Many armor styles do not fit this requirement. As a general guideline it is easier to find european equipment (late 1200s and up) that fits these requirements.

Weapons

Keep in mind the SCA is only allowing long swords and arming swords. The reason for this is the track record and lower injury rates of these weapons. Others shall probably be added in the future but for now we are restricting ourselves to weapons that have the most data regarding safety and durability. Generally speaking these weapons are known as blunts. I recommend sticking with known providers. A broken weapon is both dangerous and expensive. Weapon providers will have a (W) after name as they are rarer.

US Providers

  • Grettir Gauntlets: Considered the go to gauntlet provider in the US. Great product but tends to be expensive and you will be on a wait list. Despite the premium price his gauntlets are very much in demand.
  • Nadler Metal Crafts (W): Anything Craig sells had to pass his very stringent quality requirements. If it’s in stock, it’s safe and in your hands in a week. Weapons also.
  • Ice Falcon Armoury (W): Tends to be on the pricey side but will guarantee his product and can get stock items in your hands in a week. Be sure to specify your buying Steel fighting equipment.
  • Rough from the Hammer: Tends to sell parts only but his elbows and knees in stainless steel are a good lower cost strap them yourself option. Be sure to mention that you’re fighting steel.
  • Ironmonger Armory: Be sure to mention that you’re fighting steel. Many of his helmets meet requirements and he has had some experience supplying US steel fighters.
  • Iron Crab Metal Works: Steel specific armor shop.
  • Kyle Harris: Armory that has supplied many US steel fighters.
  • Aesir Metalwyrks: Be sure to mention that you’re fighting steel. Aesir has supplied many US steel fighters.
  • Valkyrie Forge: Be sure to mention that you’re fighting steel. Usually has an inventory of steel fighting equipment and accessories.
  • Therion Arms: Has some suitable soft kit and blunt/stage combat swords.

This is a partial list. There are many US armor shops that can make equipment to SCA steel fighting specifications, the list above is of armories that I know have done so.

Outside the US Providers

The number of providers available is beyond the scope of this list. I will stick with the better known to be reliable providers. For ALL of these providers be sure to specify that your order must meet US armor requirements. (Especially for helmet face grills/shields.) Most are familiar with ACS/ACW/ACL/IMCF requirements.

  • Age of Craft(W): Possibly the largest armor supplier for steel. Good reputation Be sure to specify US requirements especially with regards to face plates/shields. (Currently not in production due to the Russo/Ukraine war.)
  • Armoury Al-Master: High end armourer. Good reputation His battle optimized designs are some of the best available. Located in Kyiv Ukraine.
  • Armory Smith: Creative and talented armorer Located in Kyiv Ukraine.
  • Jolly Knight Armoury: Located in Ukraine, this armory may be out of production currently
  • Medieval Extreme(W): Good reputation, located in Ukraine but still in full production.
  • Buhurt Tech(W): Good reputation, located in Ukraine but still in production.
  • Fabri Armoury(W): Good value but be sure you’re buying Steel Fighting equipment!! Located in the Czech Republic
  • Hardy Manufactury: Considered one of the best armor values. Located in Poland.
  • Aleksey Perebeynos: Great value and quality. Located in Ukraine and still in production.
  • Andrey Galevskyi: Great value and quality. Be sure to check his (FB) Armour. Custom & InStock From Andrey Galevskiy page as he often has auctions. Located in Ukraine but still in production.
  • Master Uley-(W): One of the mainstays of steel fighting equipment. Tends to specialize in eastern equipment but capable of making nearly any armor. Currently not in production as the shop in Ukraine has been destroyed.
  • Oleg Yanchuk: Located in a safer section of Ukraine but no recent posts.
  • Volodymyr Shlenchak: Known for good titanium equipment and excellent gambesons. Currently fighting in the Ukraine army and production has been geared towards modern ballistic armor. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014012289323
  • HBC Armor Shop: This is an Indian armor shop. They have good quality tempers on their spring steel equipment but you HAVE to be sure that the spring steel option is available and clicked. There is also a mix of fantasy armor here. Take care.
  • Wild Armoury: Located in Ukraine and still appears to be in production.
  • Quilted Armour: Considered the best source for gambesons. Especially custom print designs. Located in Russia so expect customs delays.
  • White Rose Armoury: Located in the UK.
  • White Well Arms: Custom sword maker in the UK.
  • SPES Medieval Market: Good source for softkit. Located in Poland.
  • Sharukhan Market: Prolific steel combat provider located in Ukraine. Still active though orders have slowed down.
  • Historicum: Excellent armory located in Poland with an extremely large catalog of equipment.
  • Forge of Svan: An excellent armory in Ukraine. Production is slowing due to the Ukraine/Russo war.
  • Art of Steel: Located in Ukraine this armory is still in production. Excellent equipment.
  • Armeria del So: An excellent armorer located in Mexico.
  • GoHurt Armory: Appears to be a sales venue for a consortium of armorers. EU based but many of the items listed are recognizably from Ukraine shops. This allows for on-line payments that are not available in Ukraine.
  • Irongate Armory: Finnish based reseller that has some Buhurt equipment.
  • Tylko, Sylwester: One of the best sword makers for steel combat but language/communications is a problem. It’s best to use a go between. Shoshana Shellans: is one that has proved reliable.
  • Kult of Athena: One of the largest resellers for swords, KofA has some applicable swords and armor under the heading of “stage combat”. Some of these are Age of Craft products. Make sure the desired sword or armor is listed as “in stock” as new supply is unlikely for a while.

Last Modified: 2023-12-02 Revision: dcb42fd