[Dashiell Harrison]

Hi all,

I'm putting together an early 15th century (c.1410-1430) German kit for use in harnischfechten, and I'm a little stuck on what kind of helm to get.

As far as I can tell, there are two main types that make sense for that time period: the clapvisor and the houndskull (I know this there were also some houndskulls that *were* clapvisors, but I couldn't think of a better way to phrase it.)

Generally speaking I don't love the aesthetics of the houndskull (and let's be real, wanting to look cool is half the reason to buy armor) and I'm a tiny bit leery of fighting in it because I've heard that the long cone can fill with CO2 as you exhale, making it hard to breath. I've also heard some concerns of neck injuries when fighting in houndskulls due to stout blows from polearms striking the cone and torquing your neck.

On the other hand, I've been warned away from the clapvisor due to safety/durability concerns arising from the visor's single attachment point.

With that in mind, are there any other helm types from that period I ought to look at?

Any other considerations I should be thinking about?

[Mark Millman]

Dear Dashiell Harrison,

[Victor R.]

It may be that some of the more well-known hounskulls surviving today are seemingly of French origin, but the form is always something I've associated more with the French, though I know it was pan-Euoropean, and the klappvisor with the more rounded features, with Germanic peoples.

This, too, may be a misguided opinion, but I've also always associated my German ancestors with a penchant for function over form (simple elegance that works), while I've associated French influences with "fashion", even if function may have suffered a little, and the hounskull has always said to me "form" moreso than "function" - you get the function, but the shape doesn't seem to enhance it that much over the typical klappvisor, with that beak sticking out and providing greater surface area to hit from more angles. It is also more difficult to produce, being deep and pointy, so that adds to cost and production time without necessarily adding any appreciable function, at least in my estimation. (If you want to point to highly "fashionable" fluting in the Miximillian armours of the late Medieval period, keep in mind that fluting does enhance performance - it seems to reduce flex and helps the armor to maintain it's integrity better, so you get something tangible out of the extra work that also just happens to look extremely good.)

Thus, as one of Germanic extraction, I prefer the klappvisor from that perspective.

As for the single point of attachment, hounskulls were made this way as well and were, technically, a "klappvisor" in that configuration since that refers more to the method of attachment than the shape of the face. If it's well made, it should stay in place and you will still have three points of attachment (usually straps on the lower end of the face). As an added benefit, if you have the detachable version you can free your face between rounds without having to completely get out of your helm if you don't want to.

[Victor R.]

[Mark Millman]

Dear Victor R.,

Indeed, I address your point directly later in my post. But while ventilation holes are an important variable, I still maintain that the visor's shape is basically irrelevant.

Best,

Mark Millman

[Anthony Clipsom]