Best HEMA Rapier for Fencing in 2020 [Sting Like a Bee]

Take a look at our top picks for Best HEMA Rapiers for Fencing in 2020!

COMPARISON TABLE – Best HEMA Rapier for Fencing List

	Rapier	Blade's Length	Total Weight	WP Grade	Price
	1. Darkwood's Economy Hilt HEMA Rapier	40" (1016 mm)	2.5 lb (1134 g)	4.8	Check price
	2. Complete Basic Clamshell HEMA Rapier	35"-42" (889-1067 mm)	n/a	4.7	Check price
	3. The Intrinsicate HEMA Rapier by Balefire Blades	41.7" (1060 mm)	1.9 lb (865 g)	4.6	Check price
	4. Darkwood's English HEMA Rapier	39"-45" (991-1143 mm)	3 lb (1360 g)	4.6	Check price
	5. Arms & Armor German HEMA Rapier	34.9" (886 mm)	2.56 lb (1161 g)	4.6	Check price
	6. Hanwei Practical HEMA Rapier	42.9" (1090 mm)	2.43 lb (1102 g)	3.3	Check price

Searching for the Best HEMA Rapiers for Fencing in 2020

When you say “rapier” the majority of people think of a typical Italian weapon with a very long, thin blade and an extravagant hilt. But most of them don’t realize that much simpler and shorter designs dominated the 17th-century.

One of the most crucial parts when fencing with rapiers is the positioning of the sword (angle between the hilt and the tip). The second important thing is the fencer’s movement. When fencing with rapiers, you can forget about a linear movement. There’s a lot of sidesteps involved to evade and perform attacks.

With a proper rapier (long and heavy) you need to make sure that you move the tip as little as possible. When the blade’s tip is pointed at your opponent, you’re always ready to defend yourself and perform a counter-attack. You can read more about fencing techniques with rapiers here. We’ve reviewed the most useful fencing documents (treaties) for all kinds of weapons used in HEMA.

In this article, you’ll find out which are the most popular rapiers throughout the HEMA community. You will get to know how easy it is to handle them, how well they are balanced and made, what extra features they have and how does the price you pay compare to all of it.

1. Darkwood’s Economy Hilt HEMA Rapier

This rapier is giving us, without a doubt, the best price-performance ratio of all rapiers. With proper care, this sword will be your trusted companion for many years. Don’t be confused by its name, Economy can be related to the price, not to the quality of the materials used for this sword.

It’s well balanced, and you’ll get a proper feel and response when fencing with it. The blade will withstand the hardest beating, without any issues.

You can always upgrade to DA2BR blade if you’ll use this rapier for tournaments. You can also customize other parts, such as the hilt, handle, and pommel.

The blade is less elastic than Hanwei’s, but it’s a lot more durable. The PoB is about 5cm (2″) above the guard.

If you compare this particular model with other Darkwood rapiers, you may notice that this one has a much simpler design. This can be deceiving because this doesn’t mean that it’s made by some amateur. It’s without any doubt the best and most popular rapier on the market.

Wise Peasants Grade

• Handling: 5
• Construction quality: 5
• Design: 4.5

Total: 4.8

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2. Complete Basic Clamshell HEMA Rapier

Castille armory is known for being a popular company amongst SCA and HEMA fencers. This particular rapier can be used for SCA and for HEMA.

We need to mention that if you’re planning to use this sword for HEMA, you need to select the “F3” blade flex option. “F2” option is basically a too flexible blade, which is suitable for SCA, but not for HEMA. “F3” option means a stiffer, more durable blade.

The sword feels light, has a nice balance and is a fantastic choice for ambidextrous fencing, and quick transitions between hands. The stiffer F3 blade is better in the bind and is closer to the historical feel of the weapon.

The guard has a basic clamshell cover, and the handle is made out of ebonized hardwood. The clamshell offers decent protection for the hand, but it isn’t the prettiest.

If you mix together a good warranty and customer service, affordable price, and good production quality, you get one of the best rapiers you can get for your buck.

Wise Peasants Grade

• Handling: 5
• Construction quality: 5
• Design: 4.3

Total: 4.7

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3. The Intrinsicate HEMA Rapier by Balefire Blades

This is a newcomer in, and it looks like it’ll stay here for a long time. Chris Adams, a true craftsman, began studying the art and alchemy of swordmaking under Marco Danelli in 2013. Once he graduated, he continued to craft fine blades at Danelli Armouries until 2018, when Marco had to stop producing the Danielli’s swords.

The Intrinsicate Rapier’s simplicity with elegant details makes this sword look amazing. The PoB is 15 cm (5.9″) from the cross which is just within the range of 19.5% to 22.5% of the overall sword’s length. It has a durable 106cm (42″) blade has a swollen tip and sparring-safe edges. It’s well balanced and easy to handle.

The hardened and tempered hilt (carbon steel) has a satin finish. The grip, made of hardwood, is wrapped in comfortable brown leather. The lack of additional hand protection, makes this rapier feel light in your hand.

We’re delighted to see that the Danielli’s legacy won’t be left behind. Chris, we wish you good luck, and we hope that you’ll continue crafting fantastic swords.

Wise Peasants Grade

• Handling: 4
• Construction quality: 5
• Design: 5

Total: 4.6

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4. Darkwood’s English HEMA Rapier

The English HEMA Rapier, with its elegant loop bars and pierced front lobes, was a very popular sword back in Jacobean England.

It may look like, but this particular rapiers isn’t a lightweight model. It’s sturdy, and it’s not easy to keep the point-in-line, especially when parrying. It’s not hard to handle it, as long as you’re not trying to use it like an épée or a foil. Basically, you need to use the arm, not just a wrist to control the sword.

The handle is wooden, and it’s protected by a massive guard. The ends of the cross-guard and at joinings along the hilt are joined into protective orbs.

The blade is durable, feels maneuverable and capable of receiving blows. However, we don’t suggest that you use it against longswords or sabers. You can add a rubber blunt for better protection. This rapier can be easily disassembled if needed.

For $750 you can expect to get a functional and very good looking rapier.

Wise Peasants Grade

• Handling: 4
• Construction quality: 5
• Design: 5

Total: 4.6

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5. Arms & Armor German HEMA Rapier

This amazing rapier is an example of the work done at the peak of the Solingen (Germany) swordmakers’ skills. The original sword was stamped by the actual craftsman, Johannes Mumm.

The narrow blade is well reinforced. The foible (last third of the blade) has a strong spine, and the angle of the bevel becomes steeper as you approach the point. Basically the whole blade it’s well reinforced. The blade is smooth polished, and the edges aren’t quite rounded. We strongly advise that you wear proper equipment if you spar against a fencer who is using this sword.

The grip is made out of wire bound with turk’s heads. The rapier can be used in the left hand, but it is designed for the right-handed fencer because the handle has more space over the back of the hand than around the thumb. Also, embellishments are one-sided. The stunning-looking guard has a post and arm at the base of the hilt arms, instead of the ring, which is more frequently used.

It feels fantastic, light, and quite dangerous. It can be maneuvered with ease, and even though it’s much heavier than other rapiers, it’s one of the fastest. This particular model is indeed a masterpiece.

Wise Peasants Grade

• Handling: 5
• Construction quality: 5
• Design: 4

Total: 4.6

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6. Hanwei Practical HEMA Rapier

Hanwei Practical HEMA Rapier is practically made for beginners trying to learn more about rapiers and thrusting techniques. It’s very popular in the HEMA community, mostly because of the price, and instant availability.

You can get this sword in 2 versions – 37″ (94 cm) and 43″ (110 cm) version. The first (37″) is in our opinion too short for more serious sparrings, while the other version, is too flexible. That’s one of the reasons why judges on the tournaments don’t like this sword. It’s basically too whippy, and it’s hard for judges to judge accurately.

The blade isn’t very durable. Harder lunges easily brake the blade, and the point of the blade gets easily snapped as well. It’d be better and safer if the tip would be rolled or spatulated, but until then, you need to use a rubber tip. The handle is plastic, which oftentimes needs to be reglued if you decide to disassemble the sword.

Hanwei was in the past one of the best manufacturers of HEMA weapons, but nowadays, fencers have much better options.

Wise Peasants Grade

• Handling: 3
• Construction quality: 3
• Design: 4

Total: 3.3

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7. Danelli Armouries

Danielli products, especially rapiers, are known for being one of the best there is. Sadly, after many years of being one of the best, they had to close down the forge, due to Marco’s ill health. You can read the official announcement here.

We wish him a speedy recovery.

Difference between a rapier and a shortsword

The easiest way to distinguish these 2 swords, is by looking if the sword can be handled and used as a typical single-hander then it’s a sidesword, and if the swords can’t deliver a powerful cut, then its a rapier.

The next important thing is the structure of a blade. A sidesword is usually wider at the forte, while the rapier rarely has a wider than 1.5″-1.8″ forte. That’s because sideswords’ structure comes from the medieval single-handers.

There’s also one more important distinction between these 2 swords, and that’s the length of a blade. A sidesword should have a 32″ to 37″ long blade with a knuckle bow and a crossguard, while a rapier must have 41″ to 46″ long blade with a cup hilt and a swept.

We shouldn’t forget about the point of balance. A sword which is mostly used for thrusting needs to be balanced more towards the guard, to make it easier to control and use it in linear style. A cut and thrust weapons need a heavier blade to perform cuts, and to make that possible, the weapon should be balanced further from the guard, and is generally shorter.

Rapier Tips (Blunts) – why we need them?

A few years ago Slovenian HEMA community hosted a workshop in a small city called Celje, and on this event, one serious accident happened. Because hosts didn’t properly inspect the weapons before the sparring, one of the fencers pierced through the other fencer’s mask. This wouldn’t happen if a) fencers would wear a safety tip on the swords and if b) hosts would check the swords before the sparring.

On the link below, you can find Darkwood Armory’s HEMA Rapier Tips, because this kind of accident can happen every time, and we should be prepared in case they do.

• Multiple designs
• They prevent snaped tips
• They block the blade from piercing through equipment

Buy Rapier Tips Here

Conclusion

It was quite a hustle to find rapiers which are actually rapiers amongst all available swords. Especially when manufacturers label their sword a rapier, and then you find out that there’s the matching parrying dagger available for purchase.

Of course, every fencer pays more attention to certain qualities of the product since everyone has different preferences, so if you don’t agree with our list, please comment down below and let us know which rapier you like the most.

If we missed any rapier, we would be glad to add and review it.