Howdy all, I'm curious if any folk here have experience with fielding a shield in SCA styled combat(rattan etc), with a leather edge(heavier weight), vs the oft seen rubber/hose edge?
If so, does it hold up over time?

rich

Leather edging, like all shield edging in the SCA, has to be replaced every couple of years.

Plastic hose edging is horrible.

The plastic/metal edging from McMaster-Carr that is commonly used looks better than hose and is a LOT easier to replace than leather stuff.

Leather looks better though. :)

I find rawhide to be more effective at warding off edge damage and to look quite nice.
My rawhide edged shields would hold up for years when I was doing SCA heavy fighting 3 days a week.