"Black Prince" V3 Shell Gloves

Designed for Complex Guards

With the saber and the side sword, the armed hand is the closest target to the opponent. It also operates within a guard (branches, rings, knuckle guards, shell) that leaves little room around the handle. A glove that is too thick can hinder grip and restrain wrist mobility. HF Armory has developed the Black Prince for these weapons: a finely covered glove that is slim enough to fit into a complex guard, with rigid plates on the back of the hand and fingers.

A Construction in Service of Grip

The inner leather glove has pre-curved fingers, already in gripping position. Thus, the hand does not have to fight against the glove to close around the handle, reducing fatigue during long sessions. The plastic plates are riveted on top of the fingers and the back of the hand. Those on the fingers are elongated: they partially cover the handle when the hand is closed, providing continuous coverage even during guard transitions. An elastic cord at the wrist adjusts the glove to the morphology of the hand.

What Version 3 Offers

The Black Prince has evolved in two stages. Version 2 introduced redesigned finger tips and an additional element between the thumb and index finger, an often less protected area on five-finger gloves. Version 3 doubles the thickness of the plate on the back of the hand, one of the areas most commonly struck in one-handed fencing. All Black Prince we ship are version 3 and incorporate these two advancements.

For What Practice?

The Black Prince is designed for comprehensive training and sparring with the saber and side sword. They are more broadly suitable for complex-guard one-handed weapons, like the rapier. For the longsword, they lend themselves to controlled technical work, but they are not designed for full-intensity sparring. For this use, the Black Knight gauntlets are more appropriate. The one-piece construction, with riveted plates, ensures durability, but the components are not individually replaceable.

Which HF Armory Glove to Choose?

• Black Prince: the lightest covered glove in the range, for maneuverability finesse in a complex guard.
• Black Knight saber gloves: three-layer construction with 5 cm extended flared cuff beyond the wrist.
• Black Knight gauntlets: grouped fingers, for intensive sparring and competition with the longsword.
• Firestone 2: flexible gloves for one-handed weapons, where dexterity is paramount.