An invincible knightly sword stays firmly held in your mail-clad fist, and your banner afloat in the wind while your squire buckles your sturdy 13th Century Crusader Knight helm for battle. The punched faceplate makes ventilation easy while fighting your foe and protects you from arrows raining on you and your fellow knights, awaiting the order to charge! Directly inspired by a British Museum seal, we've slightly modified the ventilation holes to create the perfect Crusader helmet! In the 12th century, knights realized the need for face protection because of the couched lance technique. The nasal helmet exposed the face, risking instant death of the knight from lance strikes above the shield. Adding a faceplate offered extra front protection and was effective against mounted opponents and archers. (Later on, more plates were added to cover the back of the neck and fully enclose the head: the pot helm/great helm was born. But that’s another story.) This helmet is handmade from 1.6 mm (16-gauge) MILD STEEL with a polished finish. The height is about 32 cm, the inner depth from front to back at eye level measures about 23 cm, the inner width at ear level is about 20 cm, and the eye slits are about 9.4 cm long and 1.8 cm wide. This helmet has an inner circumference of 68 cm (before padded liner attachment) and will fit most head circumferences from about 58cm to 61cm, depending on the shape of the wearer’s head. If you desire to wear an additional padded cap, then measure your head circumference while wearing it. (The padded liner already attached inside the helmet is usually enough for most adult male heads). Weighs about 2 Kg 730 grams. Note: This product is carefully coated with a layer of oil when packaged that acts as a temporary (protective) layer against corrosion (rust), which can easily be wiped off using any oil remover or even a dry cloth. Available in 16 gauge as well.