Wukusi Armory
Wukusi Cobra Fencing Mask
The high end, high-protection fencing mask you have been waiting for. The integrated overlay and back of the head protection offer higher than average impact resistance and force distribution. Internally the suspension is tough, and there is more padding than a standard fencing mask. The rear of the mask opens to allow you to slide your head in, then closes back up to fully envelope the head.
The hits to the plastic are a little more noisy than being hit on a padded overlay, and there is obviously less ventilation. In our testing, this is a small price to pay for the increased protection. Plus you'll look like one of those TV bad guys! ;)
Sizing: Measure around your chin, in front of the ears, and straight over the top of your head, full circle. If you're in between sizes, we recommend going with the larger size. Internal pads are designed to be removed if you cannot squeeze into your given size.
Small: 56-60 cm / 22-23.6 inches
Medium: 61-64 cm / 24-25.2 inches
Large: 65-69 cm / 25.6-27.2 inches
X-Large: 70-76 cm / 27.5-30 inches
Customer Reviews
Very strong and well constructed, bit on the heavier side. Measured my head at 27" which was to be a large, went with XL due to people saying it runs small, and I am glad I did, fits perfectly
To begin with, these set a new bar for HEMA head protection; they address the primary issues with using normal fencing masks for HEMA by being designed to withstand blows to the sides and back of the head and having increased internal padding to better withstand longsword blows (as compared to epee thrusts).
Measure your heads! Mine is right between the medium and large on the size chart. I tried a friend's large on at my club and it was too big. I ordered a medium and it turned out to be too small even with a fair bit of effort put into adjusting the internal padding, so I sold it at a small loss.
SoCal Swords went above and beyond service-wise. I asked them to overnight it to me so that I could bring it to a tournament, and they did without charging me anything above the normal shipping cost! Super helpful and awesome. Thanks, guys!
The protection is fantastic - best in class. Getting hit in the side of the head hurts a lot less than with your typical mask and it's great not having to put your BoH protector back on every time you eat a thrust to the head. Now the cons... the velcro back strap is extremely difficult to keep on while putting on the mask and nearly impossible to thread back into its holder behind your head if it does come off. Also, the foam padding added to the mask makes it an incredibly tight fit even after bending the mask as recommended. You'd only know this if you read reviews about others having to remove the foam. All that being said, I really give the product more of a 9/10. It's worth the cost and is a great product. My gripes are fairly minor, all things considered.
Amazing helmet. Very safe, 0 complaints
Helmet is very good, worth the money imo
Pros:
-cool as hell
-very protective (thinking about concussions). big gap and padding between mask and outer shell, takes impacts well without a skullcap or anything. my head hurts more from wearing it than from getting hit lol
-all in one (no fussing with overlay)
Cons:
-bulky. this thing makes your head huge, i am constantly striking myself with my crossguard because i'm not used to it yet (and getting walloped by others of course)
-SNUG. in spite of the size the fit is TIGHT. i was on the lowest end of medium and it still took a lot of working/bending the mask frame to get it not to squeeze my mouth shut. consider adding an extra inch or two to your circumference when checking size chart
-hard to don. also took some adjusting because you have to fight the velcro strap, the clip, and the sliding back plate to get your head in. i end up disconnecting the elastic retainer, donning, then reconnecting it so the plate isn't fighting me. probably just related to size
-misalignment. minor gripe, but the mask and plastic shell on my unit are slightly off center. just annoying, not function affecting
all in all worth it for the protective quality, but takes some getting used to
