Quick Thoughts on Gloves
There’s now more gloves on the market for HEMA and historic fencing than ever, so it can be quite daunting for newbies to know which gloves to buy. I have compiled a short list of the gloves I have had experience with so that hopefully, it gives people more idea on what to use. Please note, I use a large 2 handed open hilt sword, so these gloves will be recommendations for practitioners using similar swords, like longsword and katana. I will make mention of gloves that can be used with other sword types, but apologies to the rapier crowd as this list likely will not be of great use to you.
With regards to HEMA gear, everyone places importance on different things such as mobility, price and protection. Some may disagree with my ratings and points, and they are free to, but this is my opinion from my experience with these gloves. I hope this list can be a start to help you understand the market, but ultimately the choice is yours. This list is only relevant to the options available as of 22/2/2024 and there are sure to be better options that will come in the future.
Hands for reference. I assume you’ve all got these given you are looking at buying gloves
Top Tier Options
Gabriel 2.0s ~$520 AUD
These are a 5 finger glove which has adequate protection for longsword.
++ Good mobility and no finger spread like other 5 finger gloves
+ Lower profile back of hand and fingers allows it to fit in many other swords including some complex hilted sideswords and rapiers
+ Good wrist cuff gives good protection without getting in the way of crossed hands positions
- Expensive. Good value, don’t get me wrong, but its an investment for sure
- Protection of any 5 finger glove will be inferior to good clamshells with the exception of Progauntlets
HF Armory Black Knights 210 Euros
These are a clamshell style glove which is fantastic from a protection aspect. If you need your hands for work and cannot afford hand injuries, these are my recommendation.
++ Top tier protection, absolutely bombproof. A standout even amongst clamshells
+ No resistance design for great comfort when holding the sword
+ Grippy material on palm that makes holding swords quite comfortable
-/+ Mid level bulk for clamshells. Better than the old generation but some newer clamshells are lower profile
- Wont fit in complex hilts like most clamshells
- Thumb can take some break in time and there is a band at the fingers that some find uncomfortable
Michaels ~$440 AUD
These are clamshell style gloves made by CHFG (same maker as Gabriels) which have protection between Gabriel 2.0s and HF Black Knights but a lower profile than the black knights
+ As above, adequate protection but not as great as Black Knights
++ Low profile clamshells. If youre in tournaments and want to minimise hand snipes, this is probably your best bet
+ Good mobility, same cuff as Gabriel 2.0s
- Expensive compared to other clamshell style gloves
- Difficult to get in Australia. Probably best bet is ordering directly from CHFG
Would Recommend
Raphaels ~$300 AUD
These are clamshell style gloves also made by CHFG in the style of the SPES Heavies 2.0. These are lower profile than the SPES versions.
+ Protective as are all clamshells
+ Slightly cheaper for hard plate clamshells
- Bulkier than the top tier options which can get in the way of training technique
- Also can be a bit hard to get in Australia. Probably easiest to order direct from CHFG
Sparring Gloves Mittens ~$330 AUD
These are some of the oldest still decent HEMA gloves, I’ll only talk about the Mittens and not the Hoofs as I think the advantages and disadvantages between them is only slight and would recommend Mittens over Hoofs.
+ Adequately protective for longsword
++ Lowest profile decent mittens. Even smaller than Michaels
+ Once broken in quite mobile and comfortable
+ Option of standard cuff, long cuff to eliminate need for forearm guard or hourglass cuff for more mobility
- Extremely annoying break in time
- Material for fingers can be slippery
- Gloves are set for the hands in a mostly open position so gripping for long periods of time can be tiring
- Gloves somehow get soft over time and don’t protect as effectively. I noticed this about 1.5 years in, but many have noticed it far far later or earlier.
Gabriel 1.0s ~240 AUD
These are the original Gabriel gloves by CHFG, one of the first decently protective 5 finger gloves. They are not in production anymore, but CHFG is clearing out their stock at a significantly reduced price.
++ Great price at the CHFG clearing discount. Probably the cheapest longsword safe gloves you can get
+ No finger spread in 5 finger design and decent mobility
+ Adequately protective for longsword
- Not in production so sizes are limited
- Uses a resistance style finger protection so moving the fingers can have some tension compared to other gloves
+/- More bulky than Gabriel 2.0s so may not fit in as many hilts. Still better than clamshells in that regard
Supfen Clamshells 2.0 $160 USD
These are clamshells designed as a copy of the HF Armory Black Knights. I would recommend them over the 1.0s, as you get a lot more value for $10 USD extra.
+ Protect quite well for longsword
+ All the same advantages as HF Armory Black Knights
- Copied design from HF Armory
- Some people have had durability issues with rivets popping out
Supfen Clamshells 1.0 $150 USD
These are the clamshells designed as a copy of the Spes Heavies. Some people have issue with Supfens copying, but they have legitimately made changes to the design. I would recommend the 2.0s higher, but these are actually passable too.
+ Cheap compared to other gloves of same protection
+ Protect quite well for longsword
+ Much better thumb than the spes heavies 1.0, comparable protection to the 2.0 but with some more bulk
- Some people have had issues with rivets popping out
- Shipping can be pricey depending on where you live
Kvetun Xiphosura Gloves 2.0 198 Euros for standard or 240 Euros for custom sized
I’ll be honest, I haven’t had much exposure to these gloves. But I have put them on the would recommend list because of the positive reviews I have seen regarding them. Take what I say about these with a grain of salt.
+ Protective and similar advantages to the HF Armory Black Knights
+/- 1.0s had some issue with the lining tearing. This has supposedly been fixed in the 2.0
- Can be cheaper or more expensive than Black Knights depending on if you fit standard sizing
Would NOT Recommend
Quite literally anything not on this list as of 22/2/2024. But I’ve included a few that some people will say should be recommended that I strongly disagree with.
Progauntlets
These could have been the god tier gloves, but now the have gone bankrupt so even if you can get a second hand pair there is no repair service and they seem to have had durability issues. Though there is a similar glove that is in production that I am fortunate enough to be a tester for so keep your eyes peeled regarding that.
Thokks
These are advertised as the everything gloves, but honestly, the protection for longsword even with the longsword attachment just is not sufficient. Also quite pricey for what you get. I think a 5 finger designed glove either has to use grounding where the force goes around the fingers and directly into the handle, or have a springed resistance over the fingers. This has neither. For swords like sidesword, perhaps this is the best option, but not for open hilt things like longsword.
Sparring Gloves Infinity Gloves
These were cool 5 finger glove designs early on, but now we have far better 5 finger designs with less finger spread. These also have an issue where the shells over the fingers can twist leaving the fingers exposed and many fingers have been broken this way.
SG 5 Finger Special
These really just shouldn’t be considered. They are resin coated fingers which crack and become unsafe. Spend your money elsewhere.
Spes Heavies
These were great back when they were the only gloves around. Now they are far bulkier and less mobile than their competitors. There was also the issues of the lining stretching and the tips of peoples fingers getting hit. There was a period in time where there were plastic defects and they broke on first use. I have had other quality issues with Spes recently and would be hesitant to recommend them. Even with the updated 2.0 version with quite a few improvements, I feel there are still better glove options on the market for the same price.
Supfen Impact Resitant Gloves
These are their Thokk copies and for the same reason as the Thokks, I cannot recommend them. They are not protective enough for longsword and have far too many bits that don’t really achieve much of a purpose in a HEMA context.
Red Dragons
These were great in 2010 when we had nothing else. We have better things. Stop breaking your fingers doing longsword in these. They are probably still good for complex hilted swords or for fitting in bucklers/shields.