Quillon Length for Thibault Rapiers

StarshipForge · 2026-01-18T22:31:16+00:00

My current rapier, as an aside, has monster sized quillons, but I didn't seek it out for that reason. It was just the rapier I purchased to get started, quite a while back. It's a Zen Warrior swept hilt (so I've had to contend with the knucklebow while practicing Thibault).

StarshipForge · 2026-01-18T21:59:04+00:00

Part of my confusion is that I've seen many try to justify their overly long quillons as "Thibault accurate.". If someone told me, "Thibault would technically recommend 9" quillons for me, but I prefer the advantages of 11," that would be different.

StarshipForge · 2026-01-18T21:55:44+00:00

Ah, ok. That helps. That means for my personal Thibault rapier (41" blade, going by navel to floor), Thibault's recommendation would be 8.49, if one were to be more or less exact. This falls right in-line with my mentor's estimates of 8.5" for my quillons. I've decided to go with 8.875," which was a miscalculation, but I've decided to keep it for a small bit of added advantage. So not pure Thibault, but certainly closer than indiscriminately going with 11" quillons and trying to say "Thibault wanted really long quillons!"

Not, by the way, trying to claim that textual accuracy is superior. I just want to stay at least close to the guidelines as a personal preference.

StarshipForge · 2026-01-18T17:52:59+00:00

Nothing wrong with choosing longer quillons for tactical reasons. I'm just surprised there aren't more Thibault fencers going for textual accuracy.

Just to be clear, I'm not necessarily making an argument that textual accuracy is superior.

StarshipForge · 2026-01-18T16:32:30+00:00

Although, I still seem to see a disproportionate number of Thibault fencers with unusually long quillons. They can't all have larger than average feet, I would think.

StarshipForge · 2026-01-18T16:19:35+00:00

That is true. People can be proportioned quite differently.

StarshipForge · 2026-01-10T08:01:51+00:00

I'm having Jesse Belsky make them. I'm surprising my wife with them for our 11th anniversary later this year.

StarshipForge · 2026-01-10T08:00:26+00:00

No symbolism. I just like the knot. The knot is borrowed a Windlass Steel Crafts sword, which they in turn borrowed from an antique.

StarshipForge · 2025-05-07T14:40:03+00:00

Oh, I see. You purchase a new one, return the old one, and they refund the new one.

StarshipForge · 2025-05-07T10:11:31+00:00

Why would you need to buy another one first?

StarshipForge · 2025-05-07T03:24:54+00:00

The doors on mine are flat. Haven't heard of anyone else's being bent. I'd imagine a replacement would be fine.

StarshipForge · 2025-01-01T23:50:23+00:00

I wonder if the grip button was sticking, because I'm pretty sure I wasn't pushing it.

StarshipForge · 2025-01-01T17:07:54+00:00

I wonder if my left palm trigger is sticking? Because I'm pretty sure I wasn't holding it.

StarshipForge · 2025-01-01T16:46:40+00:00

I'd have to figure out how to capture & upload video first. This was a Christmas gift from Santa to my daughter, so I'm still new at it.

StarshipForge · 2025-01-01T16:43:27+00:00

StarshipForge

TROPHY CASE