Bracer vs. Vambrace

Main Difference

The main difference between Bracer and Vambrace is that the Bracer is a strap or sheath, commonly made of leather, stone, or plastic that covers the inside of an archer’s arm to protect it while shooting and Vambrace is a plate armor for the arm; often specifically ancient or medieval armor for the forearm.

• Bracer

  A bracer (or arm-guard) is a strap or sheath, commonly made of leather, stone, or plastic that covers the inside of an archer’s arm to protect it while shooting. Bracers protect the inside of the archer’s forearm against injury by the string of the bow or the fletching of the arrow. They also prevent loose clothing from catching the bow string. They normally cover part of the forearm only, but chest-guards are sometimes worn, usually by female archers, and other areas have at times been protected. With some combinations of non-baggy clothing and bows with a larger distance between the bow and the string, the archer may not need to wear any bracer.

• Vambrace

  Vambraces (French: avant-bras, sometimes known as lower cannons in the Middle Ages) or forearm guards are tubular or gutter defences for the forearm worn as part of a suit of plate armour. Vambraces may be worn with or without separate couters in a full suit of medieval armour. The term originates in the early 14th century. They were made from either boiled leather or steel. Leather vambraces were sometimes reinforced with longitudinal strips of hardened hide or metal creating splinted armour.