I'm reading Paul Wagner's and Stephen Hand's "Medieval Sword and Shield" at the moment and am in the market for a buckler.

I'm not after anything particularly fancy, and the lower the price the better, but I do desire something solid enough to take quite the abuse it should see getting knocked around as I learn. I know of a few different places, such as Arms and Armour, but the one buckler that looks to be most apt for it is somewhat pricey. I do recall someone posting a company that sold bucklers for something around 55USD but my searching turned up negative.

I am using Hanwei's practical single hander as a practice blade.

Who would you recommend?

M.

I just got my buckler from Mercenary's Tailor a few days ago. It's pretty sweet, and priced very reasonably for how well it's put together. Extremely sturdy and practically begs to be beaten on. I had a Windlass buckler from Museum Replicas about six years ago and this one puts that one to shame.

Now I just need an Albion Yeoman to keep it company... ;)

I highly recommend Crescent Moon Armoury.

http://www.crescentmoonarmoury.com/shields.htm

These are bucklers that are built and function specifically for I.33. I have used them for about a year now. They are solid, rugged, and have a good heft appropriate for the construction of the buckler. They come in different diameters. They are very functional for both steel and waster work. This company used to price theirs for about $55 but right now the price as listed is $70-75.

So can the wood really take a hard beating?

M.

Oh yeah. It can stand up to both wasters and blunts. A sharp will cut into the wood but it won't destroy the buckler. They do destructive testing on them with sharps. Of course, the steel boss should be taking most of the blows. I'd be willing to take a Crescent Moon buckler into battle in the middle ages and trust it to stand up just fine.

.

I am glad that this topic came up on the forum because I am also interested in acquiring a buckler.

The buckler I was the most interested in is from Revival.us, which looks like a combination of Chivalry Bookshelf and Revival Clothing. This buckler has a steel boss and the rest is made from water-hardened leather. Having had limited experience making my own water-hardened leather products, experiments mostly, I know that it can be fairly durable depending on the skill of the craftsman working the leather. Granted, it doesn't have the strength of a completely steel shield, but, as was mentioned earlier, the buckler is intended to deflect instead of taking a hit directly. Plus, the leather should make the buckler really light compared to a steel one.

http://www.revival.us/index.asp?PageAction=VI...2&HS=1

At roughly $70, it is reasonably priced, attractive looking, and it looks like it would be quite sturdy. Though, having not actually seen or held one, I can only go by the pictures and product description.

Other bucklers that look good are the Mercenary's Tailor model from Albion, which has already been mentioned on this thread, and the Arms & Armor English buckler. Those are $80 and $96, respectively.

So far, I have yet to choose. Each one looks like a high quality shield with its own unique attributes, hand grips, and overall diameter.

(Craig)

.

Hi,

The bucklers we used in the book (and slightly less spiky ones we use for bouting) came from Talerwin Forge in Australia. I haven't dealt with them for a while and don't know if they're still in business.

The most important thing for I.33 is to have the handle set back enough that you can turn the buckler in your hand. I've seen many bucklers where the handle is flush with the back of the buckler, so you can't turn the buckler to lie along your arm.

And if you're working from Paul and my book then you really want to look at the article I wrote in Spada II. I have updated and improved a lot of stuff from the book. I'm a lot happier with my interpretation now and it works much better.

Cheers
Stephen

WIndrose Armoury has an "I-33 Buckler" that I'm considering. It's 14 Inch in diameter made from 14 Gauge Mild Steel which looks interesting. It's said to be made by Mandrake Armoury. They sale it for $65.00.

Another source would be gdfb global. which also sells a plethora of bucklers.

We use the gdfb.co.uk bucklers at the KdF in Leeds and they are very robust and useful. They do need modifying however, as the handle sticks out way too far and frequently needs to be put in closer to the buckler, although we make very sure it is not flush, for the reasons Stephen pointed out. Cheap, cheerful and if you can do the modification, good value in my experience.

Colin

Therion arms also sells 13 guage steel shield bosses which someone could use to make a buckler. They have a rounded and, pointed style and, both will run $45.00.