One of the core missions and goals of SIGI is to stress the notion and need of standardization in Historical European Martial Arts. When we say standardization, we mean mostly qualities that must be reproduced in a similar manner with every tool intended for the practice of historical fencing. Those are durability, stress resistance, flexibility and other safety measures. All of these should be bound by great handling which translates into a better fencing experience.
Below you can find the current possible modifications for the SIGI Rapiers. You can choose your setup when creating an order through our order form. Alternatively consult the how to order page for information about ordering or the FAQs.
1 RAPIER BLADE LENGTH
The SIGI Rapier comes in three different lengths. These were chosen according to the most typical rapier standard in Europe and in the States. These are:
- Longer blade (or SIGI Rapier Long) – 108 cm or 42.5 in
- Medium blade (or SIGI Rapier Medium – 104 cm or 41 in
- Shorter blade (or SIGI Rapier Short) – 100 cm or 39.4 in
There are multiple things you should keep in mind when choosing the right length for you:
- What school or style does your school practice? If you don’t know, it never hurts to ask your instructor. For example, an “Italian” style might prefer the longer variant but a “Spanish” Destreza style might prefer a medium or the shorter variant (in fact blades longer than 104cm/41 in blades were illegal in Spain after Philip II passed a law on arms in 1564)
- Do you plan to compete? If so, a vast majority of people will use longer blades to get more reach
- Would you like to prioritize weight over anything else? If so, the shorter variant is lowest weight we can do
The blade length is fixed. Keep in mind that any change can significantly influence rapier’s qualities and we want to guarantee the real SIGI Experience for you.
2 RAPIER BLADE TYPE
We offer two kinds of blades that can be chosen for any give length:
- Standard or a regular blade (“simple”) – a clean, light, fast, modern looking blade with superb flex and weight (default)
- Fullered or advanced blade – a more historical looking blade with a central fuller, which goes from the ricasso up to the point. The Fullered blade’s flex is the same as of the Standard-bladed rapier. Because of the fuller, the blade is a few grams heavier, which has the benefit of slightly more blade presence (+40€)
If you are not sure which to pick, please consider the following points:
- the Simple blade is the envisioned go-to blade for the SIGI Rapiers. It’s very light (the total weight of the SIGI Rapier Long with a simple blade is just 1050g / 2.3 lbs), flexible yet sturdy, gentle to your partner and number one pick for tournament fencing
- the Advanced blade is designed mainly for those who look for something more in their practice. The blade is more massive which means a little more weight (about 30-50g) and the point of balance is moved slightly forward. This gives you more presence and more control; however more weight means your arm will tire sooner. That’s why we recommend it to people who have more experience in rapier or want to practice techniques.
Both types are durable and will endure as much stress as you can give it. They are safe for cutting and thrusting and will keep your blade stable in parries.
3 RAPIER TIP
The tip of the SIGI Rapier is spatulated. Spatulation is the safest tip there is. If you need more protection, you can easily wrap it in extra layer of tape or rubber.
4 CUPHILT
The SIGI Rapier Cuphilt is large enough to accomodate any method of holding the rapier (whether you prefer to hold one or two fingers over the internal ring). If you need, you can straighten your index finger up to the end of it – there are no sharp parts and the hold is very comfortable.
Our cuphilts are fully heatreated along with the whole crossguard and the side ring. It is specially attached to the rest of the hilt in such manner that the chance it will ever go loose is very small.
The whole hilt comes as is and there are no further modifications possible beyond coating.
5 RAPIER HANDLE
Similarly to SIGI Sabers, the shape of the handle was very important to us up to the point we spent weeks perfecting it. The grip of the SIGI Rapier is very comfortable and your hand will immediatelly feel “at home” with it.
The handle itself is 9 cm / 3.5 in long (without the pommel). Looking for the correct length was no easy task, because many schools and fencers prefer a vastly different length. Furthermore, the handle lenght greatly influences the point of balance and even a centimeter or two can lead to a significant effect. Thus, in order to guarantee the SIGI Quality, we cannot change the length of the handle without affecting all the other qualities. However, we offer mutliple handle types to best match your style and outfit.
You can personalize your SIGI Rapier choosing between:
- a Simple leather handle (default) – like in the first picture in this page
- a Spiral leather handle (+20€)
- a Spiral leather handle with silver decorative wire (+40€) – like in the picture above
- a Spiral leather handle with brass decorative wire (+40€) – like in the picture below
Furhtermore, SIGI Rapiers are available in the following colours:
- Black
- Brown
- Red
- Blue
- Light blue
- Green
All Rapier handles are covered in thick, premium leather (PM us for different, vegan options). Please note that with use the colours will turn to a darker shade. Colours might slightly vary from piece to piece due to its nature and other conditions (our photos were taken in different light conditions).
6 HILT COATING
If you were looking to customize your Rapier further we can offer you the option to decorate your hilt with brass or blacken it. They are very durable and will retain their great looks for a long time.
You can choose between the following:
- Brass pommel and crossguard ends – 100€
- Brass pommel – 50€
- Black coating of the pommel and the crossguard ends – 80€
- Black coating of the pommel – 50€
FURTHER NOTES
The flex is standardized according to current tournament norms to approximately 6.5 kg / 14.3 lbs. The rapier flex is different to that of longsword. Stating “6.5kg” doesn’t mean it’s too flexible, quite the opposite. The SIGI Rapier blades are the perfect blend of sturdy/flexible.
SIGI Rapiers are threaded and all parts are interchangeable. You can use any blade with any hilt parts – you may purchase an extra blade in the order form.
If you need anything else or haven’t found what you were looking for please PM us through social media (facebook, instagram) or send us an email to sigi@sigiforge.com.