Decent Electric Gear

[mackillian]

Awhile back, I picked up a beginner electric set from Triplette.

What's the opinion of that ultralight lame that comes with it?

I've yet to use it as the electric foil I got with the set is broken (my own fault not theirs).

Since I need to get a new foil, should I also pick up a good lame while I'm at it?

And what's the deal with body cords?

[Aestro]

Back in the spring we ordered some U.L. lames from them and I hate the cut on them. The collar comes up to your ears. This was the first time we'd had this problem with them, but it is a bit of a problem. If you decide to order from them, make sure and ask them about it.

[noodle]

i do believe they last a decently long time, though. club has some ultralites that are pretty old that has lasted a while. they're a bit pricey, though, compared to other vender brand lames, so they rightly should last longer.

[neevel]

Triplette uniforms in general tend to have a rather poor fit from my experience- being cut with no taper in the torso is only the start of it. If you want the same type of material as the Triplette but with a better fit, consider the Leon Paul lightweight lame (you can order it direct from LP). Otherwise, Uhlmann, Allstar, PBT, Leon Paul, and Santelli stainless lames are all of comparable quality, and good choices. Allstar lames tend to have a fairly trim cut, if that matches your body-type.

As for longevity, I haven't found the useable lifespan of the Ultralights to be noticeably better than other lames. They will hold their conductivity better, but the material is a bit brittle, and will eventually get holes and start to fray apart at the seams. As with any lame, washing it regularly and not leaving it wadded up in your bag between uses are really good ideas.

If you've got the money, an FIE blade is unquestionably the way to go for foils and epees-- the extra cost up front will more than pay for itself in greater durability. You can search through a bunch of previous threads here on what blades people like-- it's very much a personal preference issue.

It's worth it to spend the money on a good quality body cord-- you'll have much less trouble in the long run. For 2-prong, something like Uhlmann, Negrini, or PBT would do well. For LP bayonet, real Leon Paul or one that uses a genuine, stainles LP plug (like Uhlmann). Cheap LP bayo knock-off that don't use stainless parts for the plug should be avoided. I also don't like the Prieur-style 2-prong system, since the plastic retaining clip really doesn't do it's job that well and gets lost too easily.

-Dave