SCA Spec Armor Drop Tester

The SCA published a method for testing fencing armor in its 2006 website at SCA.org. It uses a Meyer standard 1/8" drop pin on a heavy tube, and its drop height was designed to exert 1.5 Joules of force onto the material being tested -- a much more scientifically accurate system than banging the armor into the dirt with a broken foil.

The set comes with the tube and clamps designed to hold the material being tested, the drop tube, and a specific Meyer-tipped drop weight to be used ONLY with the same tube. Each tube and weight are individually marked to make sure sets remain together. It also comes with a copy straight from SCA.org of the directions, and a red bag to contain all the bits.

You can make one of your own; the information is free on the SCA website. However, Meyer will require that you order ten pins minimum, and the cost at Lowe's for all the PVC was about $41 each. We are offering these testers more as a service to those who might not have the capacity to build their own. After all, the more people get into armor, the more swords we might sell!!