About Benjamin Arms
Founding and Mission Statement
Benjamin Arms was founded in October of 2009 with the desire to provide classical fencers with quality equipment. The inspiration was old fencing equipment catalogues containing equipment not seen in over eighty years. These manufacturers: Souzy & de Lacam Paris, Balp, and Castello were able to give fencers multiple options in their choice of equipment. Bronze cast lions-head pommels, Merignac and fleur de lis guards, point d'arrets, helical shaped sharkskin wrapped grips and steel martingales were only a fraction of what was readily available eighty years ago!
Being a classical fencer today sometimes meant having to salvage expensive antique parts or convince uninterested vendors to barely produce adequate equipment. A classical fencer who considers fencing a martial art needs equipment mirroring their martial attitude. This means balanced weapons to parallel the handling vitality of a sharpened sword while remaining blunt and lightened for extended practice.
Such weapons had not been easily available until Benjamin Arms started producing them. Through the choosing of different length blades, variously weighted guards, assorted shapes of grips, and a weight spectrum of pommels Benjamin Arms can achieve ideal weapon handling.
It is the hope of Benjamin Arms to continue to produce diverse and exceptional classical fencing equipment to allow western martial arts to prosper.
Our Manufactory
Quality and quantity. We at Benjamin Arms did not want to sacrifice one in favor of the other. We decided the best way to get the highest quality parts in steel, leather, wood or cloth was to find the people best at it. We utilize the best local metal machinists for our pommels and guards, local tailors for our weapon bags and guard pads, and local importers of quality leather for grips and pads. Because we found the best of the best locally the cost stays low, the quality high, and the efficiency faithful. Because we find the best of the best for our parts you don't wait for use to cut your guard out, tan your leather, lathe and thread your pommel or stitch your bag together; you only wait for us to assemble your weapon.
We really mean local when we say it. From our business office it's a half mile walk to our tailors and machinists. We import no materials from abroad. Every element of the weapons and parts we design (with the exception of our tropical hardwood grips which can't be locally grown, though purchased through a local retailer) is American Made. We are committed to supporting local businesses, the local economy, and the American economy and in doing so produce the highest quality fencing products available.
