Cold SteelMedieval Buckler Polymer Shield

Awesome shield! Made battle-ready.

You want to get smacked? 'cause this is how you get smacked ... you better have your anti-smacker ready when the smacker comes a smackin. - Trust me, you know you want it... cause you sure dont wanna get smacked .. do ya?

Super cool came in good condition and worked great for my halloween costume. It's heavier than it looks, so I associate that with it being high quality. I had zero issues with it. The grip made it feel really comfortable on my arm.

Lightweight but not cheap feeling. Best value+quality you can find online or in-store. It could smash cinderblocks with ease and is heavy enough to make a powerful projectile if thrown. I keep mine strapped to my backpack with molle straps and I carry it with me daily.

It will hold up for years. My only suggestion is the handle where you hold it, does not give any; thus, not allowing your forearm through so you cannot hold a secondary weapon in your buckler hand. Maybe in the next version…..Cold Steel is quality.

First of all, as with any CS product I've ever ordered, this thing is TOUGH! Just as demonstrated in CS demo vids, this buckler will take blow after blow after blow with no problems and still be ready for more. It is, of course, a training tool not meant to be used against steel weapons, but against wood and polypropylene the thing is damn near indestructible. It will show it's use, mind you, in the form of light scratches and marks, but these are just superficial damages that in no way compromise the shield's strength. It's also lightweight accurately replicating the the feel of a true buckler and the handle is large enough to accommodate a heavily padded or armored hand.The one potential drawback practitioners of HEMA will face with this buckler is the large dome in the center. According to my friend in ARMA, this is not a desired trait as oncoming blows will tend to slide off the shield and into the wielder (which I have found to be true in practice). However, I would argue that while this may not lend the buckler well to static blocks, it does make it a more effective tool for parrying as the dome better serves to displace and redirect an opponent's attack. One just has to make sure not to redirect said attack into oneself which, admittedly, takes practice but in time it can definitely be turned to advantage.All in all, this is another great product by CS and for the price it's a helluva deal. If you want a training buckler that will take all the punishment that comes with the study of traditional western arms, look no further :)

This buckler is almost perfect! I just wish that it came with the option to have the handle-grip oriented in different ways. This one comes with the grip oriented front-to-back with an oh-so-comfortable bow-grip (one more comfortable than a real bow that I have!). This works fine if you follow the "cone of defense" philosophy where you basically present your extended arm with the boss of the shield facing the opponent most of the time but I'm a tai chi player and while I can make this posture work to a degree, the tai chi technique best lends itself to using the shield in-line with the forearm (edge facing the opponent) and trying to use it the other way feels quite rubbish and rather limiting. If anything I'll probably make my own handle as this one is mounted on carriage bolts and is replaceable but I rather like the feel of the plastic cold steel uses for both the handle and the body of the shield and I rather think that I'm going to miss it. Another thought is that even though the perpendicular handle on this shield is comfortable when presenting the shield with a straight wrist (straight as is the lateral aspect of the forearm in the neutral position has the outside of the elbow, the wrist and the knuckles all on a straight line; these should not form even a shallow triangle to be considered straight, otherwise taking force along the wrist while it is bent like this may result in the so called boxer's wrist fracture/sprain) the edge faces inward as opposed to being perpendicular to forearm and I think that the handle might be better somewhat teardrop shaped or even that of a reuleaux triangle might be better for presenting the shield this way.Or maybe its fine the way it is. With the little bit I've experimented with it this posture the inward curve lends itself fairly comfortably to a spiraling motion both up and out and down and out.I need more practice and fiddling with it before I make up my mind. At any rate, I'm quite pleased with the build quality of this shield, its proportions and weight about perfect and if you're in need of a buckler for practice that doesn't cost an arm and a leg then I heartily recommend this one by Cold Steel!