Our Renaissance-style rapiers trace their origins to early 17th century Europe, where swordplay with the rapier was considered an essential part of a gentleman’s education and was often used in resolving gentlemanly disagreements. Blades generally originated in one of the blade making centers such as Toledo or Solingen, but many differences in styling and hilt materials resulted from the local manufacture of hilts all over Europe.
The Kingston Arms Rapier features improvements on the guard design where it joins the blade for more strength and reenforcement for the thrusts. The stainless steel guard and pommel are matte finished. The brown cord wrapped grip is comfortable in the hand and leaves enough space to wear fencing gloves if desired. To reduce the packaging size, the Kingston Arms Rapier comes unassembled and includes a metric wrench to tighten down the pommel and grip.
The Main Gauche, or left hand dagger, was often used with the rapier, providing an added dimension in both offense and defense, and the “Schools of Fence” which proliferated in Europe during this period taught the use of the two weapons in combination. The main gauche would often match the rapier in styling, while incorporating features which maximized the effectiveness of the piece.