If it’s your first time purchasing from SIGI, or if you’re looking to expand your collection, you might feel a bit overwhelmed by the extensive variety of longsword simulators (also known as feders) that we offer. This article aims to assist you in selecting the perfect feder for your needs. We’ll explore each one, discussing their primary differences and unique qualities.
SIGI offers the following feders:
This brings the total to 7 different models—quite a lot indeed!
Before we delve deeper into their individual qualities and characteristics, here’s a disclaimer: SIGI strives to provide fencing-ready swords. All of our swords are optimized for the best performance. If you’re starting out with HEMA or if you generally don’t care about subtleties, you won’t go wrong by choosing something you simply like based on its appearance. Any of our swords, in any size and weight, is fantastic. Just be sure to check your local customs (meaning tournament regulations and culture) and pick whatever you fancy.
Now, let’s take a brief look at the individual models and their most prominent characteristics.
SIGI Light
The latest addition to our lineup is SIGI Light. If you follow our blog or social media, you might have seen the recent announcement. With SIGI Light, we aim to offer a super-light sword with the dimensions of a regular moderately long feder.
Like any other feder in our collection, this feder is designed for both practice and sparring. It’s particularly effective for repetitive drills, as its reduced weight and different mass distribution help minimize hard hits, providing less strain on your muscles and stamina. While it might become the feder of choice for some, we believe a sword like this should be a staple in every HEMA enthusiast’s bag, regardless of preferences, disposition, age, or gender. It’s simply super fun to use in various scenarios.
In summary, it’s a versatile tool for everyday or complementary use—lightning-fast (experience the ‘Speed of Light‘) and as safe as possible.
Product page: https://sigiforge.com/products/sigi-light/
PS: If you’re interested in a less formal philosophical reasoning behind Light swords, feel free to check Martin Fabian’s blog on his FB page.
SIGI Feder
The SIGI Feder holds the distinction of being our first offered feder, developed and introduced in 2019. It encapsulates our fundamental principles and philosophies regarding fencing, with the primary objective of crafting a secure, durable, and reliable tool for historical European martial arts.
Emulating typical feder shapes, the SIGI Feder incorporates a triangular schilt (German for “shield“) at the blade’s base, serving as a blade catcher. Essentially, it redirects your partner’s blade away from your fingers. While the precise purpose and origin of these “training swords” remain elusive (often referred to simply as “swords”), our contemporary recreation and experience lead us to believe that these schilts served as a straightforward safety measure, protecting one of the medieval folks’ most valuable assets—their hands.
This sword model boasts complete versatility, featuring generous flexibility and mass distribution to ensure the safety of both you and your partner. Ideal for various drills and sparring scenarios, it is durable and excels in any situation. It truly lives up to the essence of being a jack of all trades.
Product page: https://sigiforge.com/products/sigi-feder/
SIGI Sword
Also known as the “schiltless feder,” the SIGI Sword is a budget-friendly option. Despite its simplistic shape, history records many similar swords or even feders (a comparable specimen can be found in the Paris Musée de l’Armée). The SIGI Sword possesses all the qualities of a safe HEMA fencing weapon — excellent balance with a drill-friendly Point of Balance (POB) and a gentle flex of 12.5kg, offering superb control in the bind.
The blade of the SIGI Sword is slightly wider than our other feders. In many aspects, it resembles the SIGI King — stable in parries and an excellent tool for a quick parry-riposte (favored by many Fiore dei Liberi practitioners). The blade remains firm despite its gentle flex. Due to the absence of the schilt, we recommend using it with both hands and all fingers on the handle (as depicted in the Goliath manuscript). Once you become accustomed to its use, it will undoubtedly become one of your favorite feders.
Product page: https://sigiforge.com/products/sigi-sword-schilt-less-feder/
SIGI Concept
As the name suggests, the SIGI Concept (also known as ‘Lichty’) originated as a ‘concept.’ Our goal was to provide fencers with a feder that not only looks more modern and elegant but also replicates some properties of regularly shaped swords. Specifically, we wanted the Concept to protect one’s fingers while sliding down your opponent’s blade towards your crossguard. This feature truly shines; the Concept behaves in many ways like a regular sword while retaining all the characteristics of a good feder.
Apart from sliding the other blade towards the crossguard, the SIGI Concept is fantastic for individuals who prefer to cut around quickly. It’s great for those who like to have a nimbler tip, sending their sword from one opening to the other. The blade might feel a tad more stable in the strong part, which is crucial if you aim to be a swift striker.
Product page: https://sigiforge.com/products/sigi-concept-feder/
SIGI Maestro
Inspired by the Met Museum fechtschwerts, the stunning SIGI Maestro showcases decorative engraving on its prolonged and prominent schilt. It’s a one-of-a-kind feder that begs to be tamed. The tip, or the last third of the SIGI Maestro, is wider and slightly more massive than the tips of our other feders. This design choice serves a simple purpose—moving the Maestro provides extra haptic feedback on the tip’s location, adding more ‘presence’ in the bind without compromising the gentle point of balance and other SIGI qualities.
Ideal for practitioners who enjoy entering the measure with a dynamic thrust or a schielhau (German for ‘squinter or squinting strike’) followed by cutting to the other side, the Maestro generates momentum and pulls you closer to your opponent. Naturally, besides this prominent feature, it performs well in various scenarios. It excels in ‘handarbeit’ or ‘krieg’, meaning close-up fighting in the bind. We recommend this sword for more advanced practitioners.
Product page: https://sigiforge.com/products/sigi-maestro/
SIGI Gothic
Arguably our most distinctive design, the SIGI Gothic boasts a large, fullered schilt reminiscent of late medieval armor. The ‘schilt‘ functions as a true shield; no other feder offers as much hand protection as the Gothic. The almost impenetrable shield is recognizable from many meters away and ensures maximum safety for your hands.
Beyond its visual appeal, the Gothic shares many similarities with the SIGI Concept. While our feders work well in various scenarios, the Gothic truly shines in swift cutting. If you enjoy shortening the measure between you and your opponent with multiple cuts and then continuing the flurry, the SIGI Gothic is ideal. Light in the tip and stable in the strong part due to the large schilt, it also features the gentle SIGI flex. If you’ve ever wanted to treat yourself to something original, the Gothic should be your go-to feder.
Product page: https://sigiforge.com/products/sigi-gothic-feder-limited-edition/
SIGI King
The SIGI King stands as a premium offering for those dedicated to experiencing the most realistic facets of the noble art of fencing in their practice. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, SIGI King, like all other SIGI products, is a practical sword. Crafted for use not only in training and practice but also in sparring and tournaments, its dimensions and characteristics align with our feders, yet the feeling of a regularly shaped blade introduces a distinctive handling. The flex, point of balance, vibration nodes, and more are meticulously set to provide a HEMA experience closely resembling that of original swords.
What sets the King apart is its stability; the blade geometry and vibration dissipation contribute to remarkably stable parries. Parry-ripostes or blocks and follow-ups are ultra-comfortable. It’s also one of the grounds for it to be the favorite sword of Fiore dei Liberi practitioners. The name “King” is bestowed for a reason—it truly deserves the title 🙂
Product page: https://sigiforge.com/products/sigi-king/
That’s all for now
And that wraps it up, folks. While we could delve into more features, the above outlines the primary characteristics of our longsword simulators, also known as feders. If there’s something specific you’re seeking that isn’t covered, feel free to reach out via email at sigi@sigiforge.com or contact us through our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram). We’re more than willing to expand this article with any missing information.
To keep this article concise, we’ve omitted details about dimensions and weights, which can be found in the product descriptions or the Feder customization page.
A final note on our other components
SIGI is committed to standardizing all our components. Pommels and crossguards share similar weights, ensuring consistent proportions. While the mass distribution in a pommel may slightly influence the sword’s feel, the overarching SIGI essence remains constant. Remember, just pick whatever you like 🙂
All the best
SIGI
