STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY

Our foam weapons are meticulously designed for play-acted combat and constitute most of our most iconic products. We often receive enquiries about how hard a player can hit opponents and whether our products can cope with the physical force. The short answer is: Yes, our weapons can take the stress, and the appropriate amount of applied force should instead be based on a mutual agreement between players. A golden rule in roleplaying and play-acting is to be gentle with fellow players even when acting harshly against their characters. All our foam weapon design types are thoroughly tested against the European Standard EN71-1, which is concerned with a product's mechanical and physical properties. In addition, we also perform the following five-step test approach in-house:

1. A stab test in which the weapon tip is repeatedly struck against a hard surface to ensure the durability of the tip reinforcement and resistance to deformation.
2. A bend test in which the weapon is subjected to repeated bends and twists to ensure the structural integrity of all foam and core elements.
3. An abrasion test in which the weapon is repeatedly ground against a hard edge to ensure the foam, latex and varnish does not damage too quickly under high friction conditions.
4. A tear test in which the weapon is subjected to minor cuts, which are then further pulled to test the tear strength of the closed-cell foam. 
5. An impact test in which the weapon is subjected to heavy impacts against various surfaces and (voluntary) people to test the overall durability and ensure an acceptable level of discomfort upon tempered impact.