Time to test a polycarbonate "riot" shield... for real. Not pulling any punches (or rather, swings). It's fairly cheap, so I wanted to know how reliable it would be in a self-defense / SHTF situation (or even a post-apocalyptic scenario).
Can it protect against armed strikes or will it fall apart? Let's find out!
Where to find this shield (just don't expect too much of it):
amzn.to/3Uora67
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Also, if you'd like your own Bob (Body Opponent Bag) for punching or (blunt) sword practice:
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What was used for testing:
1.) Practice messer by Victor Berbekucz (VB)
www.woodenswords.com/?Click=1799
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2.) 1860 Light cavalry saber by LK Chen
www.kultofathena.com/product/...
(AF)
3.) Discontinued machete
• Review: The Baryonyx M...
4.) Medieval flanged mace
www.wulflund.com/weapons/axes...
Other related tests:
Could a Cutting Mat Save You from Cuts (Apocalypse Armor)?
• Could a Cutting Mat Sa...
Cut resistant sleeve
• Testing a Better Cut R...
Can socks and towels protect against sharp blades?
• Could SOCKS and TOWELS...
"MAIL" Armor Like You've Never Seen Before!
• "MAIL" Armor Like You'...
Testing Post-Apocalyptic Gear: Duct Tape Armor!
• Testing Post-Apocalypt...
What a Medieval Polehammer Does to a Motorcycle Helmet
• What a Medieval Poleha...
** Music credits **
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Outro:
"Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records
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00:00 - 00:50 Blunt sword vs. shield
00:50 - 03:09 Sharp saber & machete
03:09 - 04:09 Flanged mace
04:09 - 06:03 Escalating the force...
06:03 - 07:21 Review of the results
07:21 - 08:42 When sharp blades beat bludgeons
08:42 - How to improve this design
#skallagrim #selfdefense #shield #selfdefensetools #hema #test #review
Smacks shield with a mace, turns it into a birdbath. Lol.
That was the moment he turned it into a satellite dish 😂😂
I was not expecting that
I wouldn't be so sure to say it will protect you against a blunt object. How much damage would it do against the arm holding the shield?
Skall : "Ok, yeah, that was asking a bit too much, admittedly" Me : "At least you didn't shoot it this time."
Trying to use this for defense like the marketing says probably will lead to a bullet zipping straight through it into you.
@@1stCallipostle hopefully anyone who buys this thing understands it's not rated for bullets. given what got through, i would question if this thing could even stop arrows or bolts.
What is even the point in having the smallest possible wrist worn shield if not to make it not be too heavy even after making it enough layers thick to stop bullets while also being an impact sponge? If its melee you want to protect against make it about 2 and a half times larger so its still thick enough to protect against pole arms while the weight is mostly used to give you more cover.
@@1stCallipostle this is definitely useless in the US or other places where guns are common but seems pretty useful in the EU for example, seems to protect alright against knives, baseball bats and machetes etc for at least a few strikes
@@wardd1337 While there's actually still a large proportion of violent crimes in the U.S. committed without firearms, this is still just such an awkward thing to plan around having ready at all times. You're almost certainly better off buying a stab resistant vest regardless of where you live.
*There is a 6mm **_thick_** version of such shields and that IS very tough* , the standard ones are only 3mm :)
New video idea
That looked like the 6mm version to me.
@@andrews.7754 Also thinking, that taking aluminium edging, used for windows etc, cut it into 15mm or 20mm long sections, glue them around the edge, would make it more cut resistant at the edge ;)
There's also tower type version made of metal - duralumin, probably.
@@transtubular You might be right, just hard to tell :) the 6mm one I've got is pretty tough, though I never hit it on edge with something sharp!
"Life is very dangerous sometimes, thankfully i have this trusty shield with me!" The world's fastest screwdriver user:
Power drill entered the chat
@@DraganKKWCZ Admittedly those are Phillips head screws: so they are likely to cam out under stressful situations.
Guido: Pit stop.
I think you could post it as "Slightly Used" still. Was actually fairly surprising what this small cheap shield could do.
"As seen on KZhead." It might fetch more than retail. 😂
And he put it up to WAAAY more than you'd put it through in actual use, too - realistically, if you're in a protracted fight with this thing against something with a strong puncturing attack, you're gonna want to replace it after, not drag it through several more fights. I'd put this in the same category as a bike helmet - it stops ONE notable injury, not all of them, and turns little hits into nothing of importance.
I'd rather have one than none.
I've seen "Like New" items in worse condition.
*"pre-loved"
Even those hits that went through, I'd definitely rather be taking those on that shield than my bare arm.
Yeah, that first backspike one Skall said "that was asking too much" but I don't know, if the shield user had a weapon in their other hand they would be the survivor of that fight, the machete got through by half an inch and then was stuck.
Ouch my rib cage. 😣
@@zebdawson3687 you mean your arm? you would not be wearing that she'd as a chest armor
@@kamirostorino9416 why would someone be swinging at your arm? Like when little kids sword fight and only aim at the other kids sword the whole time? Imagine using little kid tactics in a fight. 🤣 “dO yOu MeAn ArM? 🥸” What a dumbass! 😂
It was honestly still pretty impressive for what it is.
Yeah, for as thin & light as it was, I thought it handled & dissipated blows quite well. It may not hold up long term, but if I had to use it in a fight or home invasion situation, I’d have a fair amount of confidence in it. I saw another comment that said they make one that’s 2 or 3 times thicker than the one Skall tested. I have a feeling that a shield like that would handle a decent amount of abuse, especially if the edge was reinforced.
Looks like a good one to have if the crowds likely to start throwing things with it being see-thru, my truncated cylinder shield is gonna be alot less awkwardly cumbersome after you figure out how you wanna bungee and tie it on your harness as the part with the most potential options.
I doubt that this is actually polycarbonate. I messed with that stuff before and hit it with all manner of sharp weapons edge on and on the flat of the plastic. Even when i managed to cut in to it and cut a chunk of way it did not break up like this. the only parts of the sheet of thin polycarbonate that came away was where the blade impacted if the cut was to straight on it only went a couple inches and stopped it did not split like cheap thin plywood. This is nothing but acrylic. Simply put you are not touching a panel of polycarbonate that big for 60 bucks LOL 36x36 panel of the stuff is over 60 bucks for basically any thickness. Even if you cut in to a 1/4 inch thick or 1/8 thick panel and strike it with something very heavy you will not get it to continue to split . polycarbonate the real stuff is more like rubber than it is most plastics. This is why it can stop low powered hand gun rounds like .22 and 380s with ease even 9mm gets topped more often than not in even 1/4 inch
For sure, being plastic. But then you should remember that these shields were specifically designed to survive anything a rioting civilian is likely to carry, as well as thrown objects. To be honest, I think id you go back in time and give these to the Gauls, they'd think they're magical.
Check out the Cold Steel shield/buckler. They are very durable but definitely heavier than this one.
Polycarbonate is freaking STRONG against many types of strikes. If you want to make one that's really brutally strong, layer polycarbonate, then a very thin steel core, and another sheet of polycarbonate. Maybe a sheet of kevlar on the inside. You'd want a good rim too. It's a good idea, but IMO it's a still just a riot shield, made for resisting random blunt instruments and improvised projectiles.
Wouldn't a steel outer be better, to stop cutting/penetration? :)
There is already a IIIA ballistically rated steel buckler that weighs 3lb available and it might protect you from those IIIA cartridges (if you successfully place it between you and the incoming projectile) as well.
@@silverbladeTE not untill a certain thickness, like 8 mm or more. Unless you add some reinforcements to prevent it from bending. If you harden the steel of a shield like this one it would become very brittle, so it needs to be a mild-ish steel. And, at any case, it would be heavy and hard to use in confrontations (the police deosn't use the word combat).
One of the problems with period shields is that they block the user's line of sight, hence one of the reasons that many modern riot shields are transparent. If you added a layer of steel, it would without doubt strengthen it, but you would lose the benefit of being able to see clearly incoming attacks.
Considering that it's one of the materials used in police riot shields I'm not surprised that this stuff can definitely take a good number of hits
I know the shield began to break up after multiple hits, but this is not far from the performance of a wooden shield. It might even do better if someone applied some reinforcing material to the outside edge, as some wooden shields have. Some redesign according to the principles of wooden shield construction might make it every bit as practical as a wooden shield.
I spoke too soon. Skall says the same thing after 9 minutes.
Idk most of the strength of polycarbonate is from it flexing. If you stop the flex then it might breaker faster.
No, wood tends to handle breakage easier, because among other things you can laminate the grains against each other to make the cracks follow less. On the other hand, it really does do a great job as a riot shield, especially as it allows you to see what the protesters are doing on the other side, and honestly you will likely need a riot shield more than a combat shield.
Gonna be honest, that thing held up SO much better than I thought it would.
"when the manure hits the air circulation device" 😂 am definitely using that!🤣👍
English tip: Say it in French instead and you'll get top marks from English brains 😀👍
@@tommeakin1732 ok, how do you say it in French? I wanna know now😅
@@koenkooiman1490 "Manure", from Old French "manovrer". "Air" Old French "air". "Circulation" Latin "circulatio" (fine, that's not French, but it's from the same branch). "Device" from Old French "devis". It was a joke about how English speakers don't know that there's two "classes" of speech in "English". Dying true English (Germanic), and the elites Greek-Latin-Romance, that we're brainwashed into thinking as "better than" - so we use it as a cheat code to sound smarter than we really are🙂 Yes, I really did type all that after a joke
THE MAD MANURE MUNCHER !
"when the solid waste hits the turbo prop" is another good variant on the phrase!
Videos like this are exactly why subscribing to Skall is worth the effort.
The grand effort of clicking a button. :) Anyway, thanks!
Subscribe? Meh. I occasionally like a video. You’re welcome Skall.
@@Skallagrim I managed to finish the grueling task of pressing the bell too Praise me mortal
You should have compared this to what would happen if you just grabbed a metal garbage can lid.
He could do that all day.
how often do you see those around? in america at least
@@cryptidcloud I saw one in a flyer just the other day. The moving people stole my old one. Told us they would give us a new one. That was 10 years ago. No idea why they stole a garbage can...
@@cryptidcloud yep....in megashitty Juan we got those brown plastic cans with wheels, they have a lid on em and all that i've seen metal trash cans in the hardware stores for sale but i haven't seen anyone use em in a long time...maybe just for workshop trash can or what not, garage etc oh and at my megabuilding we use a industrial dumpster for our trash....I wish i could drop all the woke garbage in that dumpster lemme tell ya!
I haven’t see a metal garbage can and lid since the 80s.
From the thumbnail, I thought it was just a padded forearm cover. Now I understand the joke. I was actually kind of hoping it would be that, since my first RPG character ever had a defensive gauntlet designed like that. Edit: Actually, for $60, this wouldn't be a bad base for a cosplay shield. You could wrap it with a cloth and paint the outside of that to look more historic and probably spend a lot less than trying to find an actual hand-made shield you'd be worried about damaging.
I've covered a forearm shield before. kzhead.info/sun/Z86ckZeXmqKwgmg/bejne.html
“Slight surface wear”
Sometimes you just have to break something cheap.
That shield got turned inside out by a mace. A bat would do the same. That's not a good shield. If you are going to bother with a shield, make it bulletproof.
@@krikeydial3430the stand supporting it was made of mainly what looked like thick(ish) cardboard and offered little additional structure. The shield was also (while slightly less comfortable) still wearable while inverted. I think it would provide enough protection against a baseball bat. Also the impact is different, the mace is more concentrated where a bat has a longer striking surface, with an actual arm underneath I don’t think the shield would invert nearly as easily to a mace, and especially not to a bat. I’d honestly be more concerned about the flexure and it bending out of the way of a blunt (or sharp) impact near the face edge Also protection against a gun is not necessarily relevant to this test, the premise was more directed at melee weapons.
$60 (plus shipping) still kind of hurts for something to destroy and throw away.
@@krikeydial3430 Comparing a baseball bat to a mace seems a little dishonest. 1: The flanged mace Skall used weighs 1.4kg (or 49.38 oz). Most baseball bats are going to be between 0.85-1.02kg (30-36 oz). 2: A mace is going to be more heavily weighted at the end of the weapon, concentrating the power of the strike more than a baseball bat really can. Course, a baseball bat does have more reach, being ~106.7cm (64 inches) compared to the mace, which is 64cm (25.2 inches). No, I am not saying a baseball bat _would not_ invert the shield like the mace would, I am just saying it is nowhere near certain that it would. Course, I would rather have that shield, than taking that blow with my bare arm.
@@dposcuro Improve the bat with two circular saw blades and some barbed wire. Now THAT'S a swattah!
"Ooh, you can see through it even better now." I loved it.
I remember Joerg Sprave (Slingshot channel guy) did a similar video where he made a polycarbonate riot shield and did some testing on it. He got pretty similar results (although with less catastrophic failure); head on strikes were not very effective at all, but hitting the edge caused it to immediately shatter chunks off. He even shot it with a sword launching ballista and it was fine, but cutting the edge using a conventional sword cut caused immediate failure. I suppose if you want to make a shield like this stand up to edged weapons, you would need to line the rim with with a band of steel to prevent bladed weapons from being able to dig into the polycarbonate.
One point to keep in mind is that as opposed to "self defense shields", if you think of them as "riot shields" sold to civilians... they are quite unlikely to face sharp weapons in this "intended use". So in that sense they fair quite well
Yeah, for a riot shield that'd be fair enough, although they didn't market it as such.
@@Skallagrim Well yeah, you don't market it that way. Its a lot easier to get away with buying a "self defense shield" than something marketed as a tool to fight the police... Kinda hard to talk your way out of that
@@Neptune0404A riot shield isn't a tool for fighting against the police, it's a tool used *by* the police as protection from rioting citizens.
A *disadvantage* to it being so light is that if you try to attack with it, it'll pack much *less* of a wallop because it won't have as much mass, & by extension, won't have as much momentum as a shield of about the same thickness made of heavier material; something to keep in mind, since shields are *also* a weapon.
SKALLS FOR THE SKALLTHRONE
That shield is made of polycarbonate, Riot shields, Motorcycle helmet visors and windshields are also made of polycarbonate. That stuff is surprisingly tough. I have worked with it a little and I've considered of making my own protection for HEMA use out of polycarbonate. It also doesn't shatter, which is nice, it is always a ductile/plastic failure Which is nice. And as you mentioned, surprisingly springy.
By the end, that shield had me thinking of Bionicle and the Bohrok with how much was missing.
Hahaha yes! God I miss Bionicle
I can honestly see this being used in a light crowd control/security role or to protect against a lighter wild animal attack like something from a wolf or wild cat. Not as good against a full-blown riot shield, and it won't let you go melee with a bear, but for the price, it's reasonable. I can really see this being used by a bouncer or security at a bar or nightclub where they're worried about stabbings. It's perfect for defending from knife attacks.
I mean the backpoint on that machete was just stuck with only an inch of penetration where no part of the body is located, even the arm. One could block a strike with this shield and as the opponent needs to extract the weapon from the plastic, you have time to retaliate with your mainhand weapon, could probably even gauntlet them in the face or body if that's all you have. Seems moderately effective to everything but blunt weapon strikes or possibly axes, though axes might get stuck in the same way that points do in the plastic. I know well that plastic has a gripping friction if you penetrate it. If you pierce a sheet of plastic you're likely to get stuck in it as it bends and grips against your extraction. The main advantage of this plastic shield is you have the coverage of a round shield while it weighs similarly to a buckler. Depending on your strength this could be a disadvantage if you can't recover from strong blows particularly well. But against something like a knife on the street I'd feel more secure with this than nothing at all. I would think the idea of this shield is not to have something you go to war with, it's a personal defensive shield that will eat a couple strikes and buy you time to retaliate. I'd like to see this shield made with a thicker and denser plastic. Different plastics are not the same, much like different woods and different compositions of metal are not the same. For instance, a plastic laminate plate can stop rifle bullets as rudimentary body armor, but if you make it out of low density arcylic you're not stopping a damn thing. I'm quite certain that this same shield concept with a sturdier plastic, something with better ballistic properties, could be more than adequate as a round shield.
The fun bits here would be a comparison to a 'bare' historic shield - how does the bare wood without any rim and leather/fabric layers hold up to spiting in comparison? I suspect the polycarb probably does better than the wood at least in the wood grain direction, and maybe doesn't actually do that badly cross grain when talking more comparable weights. And then how much would it be improved with a better shape? If the outer edge was rolled over more as a rim for instance it should retain most of the flexing and energy absorbing nature reasonably well while also becoming vastly harder to cut through and split. Though obviously other materials could be added to gain similar effect I can't think of anything that would remain clear in the process - and IMO that is probably the best reason to pick something like this. Being able to see through your shield means you can more easily put it in the right place. Probably really useful for those still learning in HEMA type contexts - help you read your opponent without that visual occlusion, which I'd suggest then means when you do move to a wooden/foam shield you have a better mental image of your opponents position from what you can still see.
Bare wood would still outperform it by miles. The leather and rawhide rims used historically might have saved a few splinters and water damage, but weren't required With the grain might be weaker, but what was historically preferred to block with because it caused blades to bite into it and get bound. If you're imagining the wood just splitting off and going flying, the cross braces definitely stop that
Shields were often made of, in effect, plywood--thin layers of wood laminated together--in which case there was no wood grain direction.
@@skilletborne Shield construction is a bit varied, but most of the wooden cores are really really darn thin, especially out towards the edges - without the full surface lamination and edge banding they will split easily. As even with it they split quite easily, but hopefully grab the opponents weapon in the process.
Good video. Decades ago a mechanical engineer named Ryan proposed that plywood would make the best shield for strength, weight, and cost. Please test that theory.
Weren't Roman legionnaire scutums made of a plywood-like material?
No need. Its untrue
Science works by testing hypothesis, I'm sure many of us would rather have the science to look at rather than "trust me bro"
It wouldn't even be hard to test, either, and it would be fun even if it gets completely mangled.
@@Chris-st7mi Essentially. 3 wooden boards glued together in an alternating pattern. Plywood.
It's the right size & curve, give it a star-spangled paint-job & it would be a great Capt. America costume accessory.
If i had to fight someone with a machete, i'd prefer to have this shield as opposed to starting bare handed.
If i had to fight someone with a machete barehanded, i'm just gonna run..
If I had to fight someone with a machete, I'd prefer to be a couple hundred feet away armed with a rifle.
well, it performed better than I expected. Maybe the company will develop a mk2 version with a reinforced edge and better material. I cant imagine someone would take this thing into the streets, but for home defense against knifes, baseball bats or small axes its so much better than having nothing. It is also small enough to be used in tight spaces, like a kitchen and the see through effect should not be underestimated.
I could imagine that you can also use it to defend against some smaller animals like agressive dogs or cats without the need of hurting the animal
I really like this type of content
I'd probably go for something like an aluminium rim with soft-ish rubber underneath. The metal is decently resistant to being cut, and it will instead distribute a large part of the force across the rubber, which in turn distributes it over an even greater area before any of the force hits the main body of the shield.
"or wildlife" Ah, yes. I'm sure a toddler's snow sled strapped to my arm will protect me from bears, wolves, and wild cats.
What wild beast could possibly withstand a Captain America shield toss to the snout? :D
Shield surfing anyone??
Actually I could 100% see this saving someone from a wolf, they probably wouldn't notice the plastic at first, only the black arm part and probably try to bite through and give up after 1 or 2 failed bites.
Would not stop a bear, but against a wild dog or wolf or cat of some type it seems like itd be sufficient
@@yoshilovesyoshi No one's going to go hiking / backpacking with a shield strapped to their arm, * just in case* one single, solitary wolf inexplicably decides to attack them from head-on in plain daylight, though. ;)
The way it warped in the opposite direction when you hit it with the mace, and then the following "fix" to it got a real good laugh out of me. Curious on the weight of this material compared to a normal shield. If it's significantly lighter, it could likely afford to be thicker, not that I'd expect a good quality one from a $60 online purchase
Thanks for the content, Skal! I agree, I think a thicker plastic with a re-enforced edge would be an improvement. Rubber like you say would be good, something like a solid rubber surround would take a lot of the impact although saying that, a rubber boss or coated shield may also be effective albeit, maybe a little heavy to use.
An entertaining video, thanks Skal!
Skall perfectly demonstrates why shields of the past had a reinforced metal rim.
Many (if not most) didn't. Trapping the opponent's blade in your shield is not a bad deal.
That's actually really rare, both going by art and surviving examples. If the rim of a shield was reinforced, it would most often be with materials like rawhide.
@@Skallagrim I believe they had cloth or leather glued around the edge as well in many cases. At least in my Knight Brotherhood in Poland we had those.
@@SkallagrimSpecially when you can spin the shield, twisting your opponent’s arm and leaving them wide open.
Seems actually useful as a base for a cosplay shield. They don’t need to be tough, and that would make a reasonable foundation to build up and decorate.
Making round shields from scratch is a pain. This would be a good base for a Captain America shield. Just sand the shield's surface and apply several layers of paint and it could look great.
Been a subscriber since I was in high school, you have continued to make high quality content that's kept me watching. Appreciated.
I definitely appreciate you reviewing Amazon and commonly available and marketed products because you know that there's going to be an appreciable and unsuspecting demographic that could get seriously injured without practical testing showing why its a bad idea
"when the manure hits the air circulation device" 🤣
Do you have any videos about how much "backup" equipment soldiers would bring with them to battle? This video got me thinking about Men-at-Arms bringing extra shields, swords, ect. to combat with them. I know the answer is probably the standard "It Depends" but I was wondering if there were any treatises on the subject.
The music choices in this video were great, particularly at the beginning, nice job
Man, really enjoying your videos. Your content is a great mix of fun and interesting
This was peak entertainment, i liked this so much.
Thanks!
While watching i was thinking "Looks brittle but holds pretty well... I'd rather have this than nothing i guess. *mace hits, shield bends the wrong way* DITCH THE SHIELD, DITCH THE SHIELD, THROW IT AT HIS FACE BUT LET GO OF IT."
I feel that it has application in the right context. I see this as a more modern, urban riot-style combat protection, as opposed to a tool designed for open combat against well-armed opponents (for that, even a proper shield and armor is gonna fall short in some cases, depending). Primarily used against improvised weapons like baseball bats or thrown rocks/bricks. When you combine that with a mindset of “I’m just trying to get outta this chaos safely” vs. “this is a battlefield, I have to engage targets, let’s do this!”, I could see this being fairly practical. It’s lightweight, inexpensive (comparatively), you have high visibility, and it doesn’t necessarily scream “I’m a target” in a riot environment like being properly geared up with cool looking “loot” would. Having said all that, no one tool is gonna get the job done every time. Combine this tool with other tools and a proper mindset and you might actually have something here.
A very clean, direct presentation. Loved it, great video.
I’m a simple man I see skall made a video with a riot shield and he’s testing it, I click like and I watch.
I see a HUGE design flaw with that shield. If those caps come off during combat, then your opponent can quickly swoop in and unscrew the screws, making the shield just fall off, rendering it useless.
Ending the shield rightly, one might say.
This is why I enjoy your content. It's informative and fun to watch
Great video, very well put together. Thank you.
I also wonder how it would be if you used this as a base and then reinforced the edge? Or maybe the whole thing
Yes, perhaps a metal rim on the edge.
@@markhatfield5621 yeah definitely! You could probably get scrap sheet metal for next to nothing and I think it would be significantly stronger
@@markhatfield5621 Sharpened metal rim, so you can use shield for attack back, and you can hold it better if they want to grab it with bare hands.
100% protection for your virginity.
Unlike you he has a significant other. Also unlike you he gets to have his passion be his well paying job.
In that case the shield would be about 25 years too late.
@@Skallagrim I think the comment was meant as tongue in cheek. But the amount of basement dwellers that call married people virgins are admittedly pretty high
I loved it please make more shield tests
"Ok, yeah, that was asking a bit too much, admittedly" - honestly feels like this would be the best case scenario. The blade partially digging in without the the shieldbarer getting a scractch would leave the attacker practically unarmed in this situation.
True, getting the hook stuck in the shield without going far enough to injure the defender really is the best case scenario.
For modern riot control - which is what this kind of shield is designed for - being sufficient against blunt weapons is fine, rioters generally just throw rocks or pick up random junk to use as a club, it's not an organized army, it's a bunch of angry people having a meltdown (whether justified or not). What if you reinforced the edge with gaffer tape? That may make it a lot stronger without sacrificing visibility. You could even coat the entire thing with gaffer tape if you were fine with losing visibility.
Skall after destroying the shield: "God, I love therapie" Jokes aside, this "thing" would not really help you if you asked me. The hit with the mace warped the shield so much that it became inverted, not sure what that would do when your arm is still in there. Knifes, Machetes specifically, are a great danger and a bullet of any caliber might just punch through. Anyway nice video.
You're more likely to come up against someone with blunt objects so this will be fine. No normal shield will protect you against a bullet. You can make one but it would be pointless unless it was a giant pavis because handgunners have no obligation to aim at your shield.
Seems like it is surprisingly effective against certain attacks. I could see this being effective during a riot, where weapons are often bricks, bottles, and blunt force weapons.
Yep, I use these as cheap, light rotella simulators. They work great for that!
These shields are designed to take blunt force attacks
It simply says "defense"... not "please get attacked by only blunt weapons". :)
Not saying you're wrong, but the shield flipped concavity early on in his striking tests, which would make it bother harder to hold and less effective. This specific* shield from this company is probably not up to specs. Though, someone at my fencing club did get 2 of these types of shields to use as targes in sparing and from what I've seen they've held up to some pretty hard stabs and clashes
I'mma trust Skallagrim
@@Skallagrim I think those modern shields are made for riot police; if they are facing anything remotely like a sword or big knife, they will pull out guns. Also, they are made cheap enough for your local police department to afford
Even if it did (which it doesn’t state as pointed out by Skallagrim), the end user would expect it to protect against any ‘extended arm’. I think most people would only consider firearms to be the expectable and reasonable exception.
100% protection for your virginity
maybe if I have enough virginity protection it will overflow and give me negative protection
lol
Paint an excited anime waifu face on it for +3 distraction bonus on armor class!
I'm reminded of the line from Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon where he goes "Boards don't hit back." Shields are the same in the sense they are defensive weapons, they buy the user some time protecting them from the attack, but also giving them a chance to counterattack. Presumably the user is going to counter the blow and then respond in kind with a similar attack. I agree with the assessment given here, it does need many reinforcements to make it affective, and I'm not sure certain police departments would issue this shield to their riot squads, but likewise it all falls on how well the user responds to the attack.
Thanks for the tests. Just bought one and plan on reinforcing the edge to be more cut resistant.
2:14 "I can't feel nothing on the inside." That's what she said!
You are Thanos, relentlessly attacking Cap's shield, and eventually breaking it. XD
love the shield testing
their is something you often see in industrial electrician cablebridges to prevent sharp edges cut into the cables. Its an Edgeprotection with an steel insert. So its rubber on the outside and has steel on the inside. Its available in for different thickness. That might prevent the blades from cutting into the shield. In Germany its called "Kantenschutzprofil mit Stahlklemmband"
That actually held up way better than I thought it would.
I love this!! 🖤🖤🖤 I would love to see what else they can take.
That went better than I expected really.
Music does its stuff :} Nice video, as always. Keep on keeping on
Polycarbonate is used for race car windows, not too surprised to see this take the blunt force well here. Line the edge with metal or rubber as you said and it really becomes a good tool. The only problem is who the hell uses shields nowadays outside or riots. Nobody just walks around with a shield, and in a home defense situation, you would probably not have time to pick it up and strap it anyways.
Great video, and very informative. The shield is much better than I expected, and honestly, I'd have a fair bit of confidence in this thing to keep me safe...ish. The fact that it doesn't obscure your vision seems very useful in particular, and while it holds up against bladed weapons worse than a wooden shield, I do feel it holds up against blunt force better. If I can make one critiscism, given that you're testing it to see if it holds up in a street fight scenario, you should've tested it against a knife, or a dagger, particularly stabbing with one.
This isn't really a street fight material unless you're the one looking for the fight.
Metal edge wood shield seems like it would be a blade buster. A smaller shield like that wooden one is better for maneuvering in small spaces. The main limitation I see with anything strapped to an arm would be combat flexibility. Defense against thrusts would be difficult, which is the other advantage of the sword--getting around someone's defenses without.
As always, awesome video! On a thicker shield you could probably make a rubber cushion on the edge AND cover it with a steel. IIRC, riot shield have a frame made from a hard plastic.
"Gonna go fairly light first" and then BLAM"... the thing barely stands. And it was light when compared to the fiercer blows. Gotta love this dude XD
"I can feel nothing on the inside" god same skall, same
You are correct. The edges would be the weak point of any shield regardless of material. For the most part. But that is exactly why many shields used to have a steel or iron rim around the edges.
Bring the RELIABLE NIGHT-STICK with SIZE OF BASEBALL BAT for Peaceful defensive situation. You can disarm the shield with the mentioned Night-stick's perpendicular handle. After being hooked Given enough torque the joint of the wrist will be neutralize. If you lucky the Thumb will neutralize. Forcing the opponent to let go the shield afterward. Night-stick is Jack of all trade for peacefull defensive situation and could be concealed as well. Dual Nightsticks is also good for hook then attack polearm.
Hope this will help for everyone who live in illegal-Gun owning law with vulnerable barbaric savage street-fighting situation. "Escape while you can, don't getting ambushed or caught." It is common for the adversary using Crude Cavalry "Khopes". Cavalry "Khopes" and Sword size sickle is common among motorbike-gank criminal and robber beside kitchen knife. Brought adequate ANTIBIOTIC as well just in case. The adversary in the street could infecting you with horrific TETANUS FEVER as well. They sometimes using serrated corroded blade with low quality metal. How ironic 😭 The govt illegalized Gun. The fight devolving into barbaric blood-bath Predator vs Prey with agonizing wound.
These light/cheap "riot control"shields have been used for years now as low cost "rotella" trainers for the late Italian and Iberian Sidesword/early rapier sources study and practice. They work fine for technique and really light contact depending on the actual quality of the items. The caps and screws eventually tend to loosen up.
Yes! This is the content we want!
I am happy to report that this video actually popped up in my stream immediately. It’s been a while since that has happened, so maybe the algorithm is more keen on you again? Anyhow: good news.
To be fair as well, in a fight you're not going to keep the shield stationary and expect a sword user to only hack at the center, you're going to move the shield around to center the attack when you block it. But yeah, needs to be a little thicker with some edge reinforcement and the padding itself needs some reinforcement so the poly-carbonate doesn't just bow in and allow the remaining force of the mace to break your arm. Plus as someone else mentioned layering with a steel or kevlar core would make it more effective. Of course the steel or kevlar core would make it no longer see-through. Would do pretty well in a home invasion scenario where knives or improvised blunt weapons were used.
Neat. Great for sparing/larp
"When the manure hits the air circulation device" Thanks for giving me a g-rated alternative to the saying Skall. I'm going to be using that one in the future.
That's very interesting. A plexiglass front with rubber backed grips screwed on. Easily improved with some thinner steel around the edge, maybe some extra rubber too. Perhaps a more inner layer to keep the entire thing from breaking whilst also allowing a rubberized outer layer to capture a bladed instrument. All in all, a neat concept. Maybe even something to have in a vehicle in-case of an animal attack (like a mountain lion perhaps?)
Great video Skall, gotta comment for the algorithm 👍
The biillhook part also would show how effective a crowsbeak or similar axe shaped implement would work.
It needs to be thicker, at least twice as thick. Also, it needs to be more U-shaped, like police riot shields (because of the curvature, they have edges facing towards the user, so it's very hard to hit the edge). Belgian police uses simmilar design, but with those flaws fixed.
You could put protective edge trim on it. It's basically steel weave with rubber around it, like a miniature car tire, to protect things and people against being cut on sharp edges. Which, coincidentally, might work the other way around too as an edge protector against swinging blades. I'd love to see that tested!
Nice, definitely good for modern melee scenarios
Excellent!👍👍
Honestly I could see more of the utility of this being in Cosplay, be it things like Airsoft or Tacticool Mil/LEO outfits or painting the main part to look like a magic barrier or trying to disguise it as a wooden shield maybe for someone without the strength to use a real wood one for extended periods of time, or even reusing the grip with other fronts. For basic blunt force defence or slashing defence I could see this working like you said in home defence situations where you're going to be more confined and unlikely to be attacked by a forceful stabbing attack like the one that defeated the shield here. Edit: I remember axes exist
Cool video Skallgrim
Very excited for this:)
Poycarbonate is very good at shock absorption since it flexes a lot before it risks breaking, but it's a lot weaker to cuts than other 'hard' materials. Cutting at the edge of the material also doesn't allow it to flex away from the cut so you can really put the full force into it. This is a known weakness of the material, but in most situations you'd be consiering using a polycarbonate shield like that is when the worst thing you're expecting to deal with in terms of bladed weapons are knives, which would have a much harder time making substantial cuts due to the lack of force.
My favorite cheap shield i have is actually an old dish tv satellite dish that i drilled holes into a hone depot copper plumbing tube and bent around to be a handle, then bolted it to the dish satellite. Hammered the rim flat and thats a cheap, light, all metal shield. Sure it punctures and bends kinda easy but not snaps or breaks, and you can bend it back fast. It'd be stronger if i layered another strip of metal on it like a full cross section bar on viking shield handles.
I've wanted to try a polycarbonate shield for a while. I was looking at more than twice that thickness tho. I also want to get 25mm polycarbonate and make a sword and an axe. Thanks for this great test!
Honestly, held up better than I expected it to