Warfare Research Series (Episode 3): Lamellar Revisited

Episode 3 link: In our third installment of the Warfare Research Series, we rematch the Chinese lamellar armor we tested in our inaugural episode. The armor panel, provided by Caesar Zhang of Cathay Armory, consists of laced-together, one millimeter steel plates (two millimeters in overlapping sections). Lamellar offers a unique combination of protection and mobility and was widely used in Asia and beyond. The armor proved to be exceedingly tough in our first test, and thus it has been both a frequent request--and a personal quest for the both of us--to have another go at it. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to watch our first outing versus the armor for context: This time around, we are generating greater kinetic energy and momentum, and sporting significant arrow upgrades: three types of hand-crafted, replica Ming-era arrowheads researched by antique arms scholar and trader Peter Dekker, forged by arrowsmith John Lamb, and fletched by master fletcher John Potter. How will the results differ? TABLE OF CONTENTS 00:00 Intro and Background 02:27 Hardness test of metals 04:03 Equipment 05:01 Tests 13:33 Analysis and Final Thoughts 17:07 Ackowledgments NOTE: Detailed on-video measurements of the bows and arrows we are using in this episode (poundage, arrow mass, chronographing, etc.) can be found here: Blake ( and Justin (