Allstar weapons

[jip3]

Hi,
I'm going to be competing in my first tournament very soon, and it seems to have somehow slipped my mind until just now that i am going to be required to have two of every weapon i choose to compete in. Im looking to have an additional foil and epee shipped to me from allstar-usa, but before i plunge 200 and some odd dollars worth into something i havent really heard much about, id like to hear what sort of advice those of you with experience regarding this issue may be kind enough to offer
Thanks in advance
John

[noodle]

allstar usa is overpriced
thats what i think

i also think that if its your first competition, you won't need a $200 weapon. you'll be just fine with a $50-60 one.

[jip3]

oh no, not 200$ for a weapon. for both epee and foil, as i only have one of each as it is now

[jip3]

And you may say that i dont even need a $100 weapon, but regardless of what sport or activity i choose participating in l make a habit of buying the best quality equipment that i can afford because if its worth my time then its worth my money, too. So thanks, but i was asking more for advice regarding functionality and performance, notsomuch finances.

[noodle]

i think the fact that i could mix that up indicates a problem.

i'll just put it like this, a complete economy epee from allstar is $100
an uhlmann ultra from absolute is $96 (SM uhlmanns are $74)

i'm too lazy and tired to continue looking up prices

[noodle]

Originally Posted by jip3

And you may say that i dont even need a $100 weapon, but regardless of what sport or activity i choose participating in l make a habit of buying the best quality equipment that i can afford because if its worth my time then its worth my money, too. So thanks, but i was asking more for advice regarding functionality and performance, notsomuch finances.

in that case:

for both weapons:
Uhlmann BF Blue or White FIE maraging blade, Vniti titanium bell, M or S uhlmann visconti grip, lovely uhlmann felt bellpads, german parts (w/ V2 barrel), medium sized cant

that'll run you about $250-$300 for both

[jip3]

Well thanks, but my original post explicitly specified that my budget is 200 and some "odd dollars" for both.

[jip3]

But now that youve pointed it out to me, i agree with you that allstar does seem to be quite a bit overpriced (allstarusa, anyway) in comparision to the prices of what i would presume to be comparable or superior blades from some other vendor. Thanks

[noodle]

no prob

if you want to be a little more specific with what you like/want, i'll help you out. but PM it to me instead

[CvilleFencer]

A couple of things to remember:

Uhlmann and Allstar are the same company with the exact same stuff, just in different colors or cuts for the unis. For various long and boring reasons, Allstar is harder to get in the US and usually sells for more but it is the same stuff.

Uhlmann/Allstar do not make any of their own blades (except the FS, which is usually not sold in the states) and just rebadge BF and StM blades. Buying BF and StM blades without the Uhlmann stamp can save you some decent money and does not effect the quality at all.

For Epee a lot of folks consider the LP and Vniti blades to be the longest lasting blades around. For foil, I have never found a better blade than the Vniti. I have never broken one, and the first one I ever bought still feels and fences great.

The best place in general to buy Uhlmann and StM blades is The Fencing Post. They offer a 20% discount on their online orders. If you are looking for BF FIE epee blades one of the cheaper places is oddly enough Leon Paul if you buy it bare and wire it up yourself.

How you fence and the level you fence at determines what kind of blade is best for you, money being no option. If you are new to the sport, I would go with the most durable blades you can get, and as your game develops and you determine your style, then try a few others whose weight/balance/feel fit your game best. As such I tend to recommend Vniti for foil and LP non-FIE for epee, with Vniti FIE epees being a close second. If you are not looking to break the bank I like the StM foils and epees for a decent, fairly durable blade with a good middle of the road feel and balance. If you want very fast and light, but are not as concerned about durability the Prieur/FL Chevalier blades are really good, but it is best to buy them in person due to sometimes spotty quality control.

For more info narrow the field down a little by providing some more information and check out Noodles excellent fact on this type of thing. Best of luck!

[jip3]

Thanks a lot guys, ive only had the opportunity to try for myself a very limited number of individual vendors and that leaves me very much in the dark when i go to purchase new weapons. Thanks for shedding some light

[parrythis]

Originally Posted by jip3

Hi,
I'm going to be competing in my first tournament very soon, and it seems to have somehow slipped my mind until just now that i am going to be required to have two of every weapon i choose to compete in. ...

Don't forget to have backup body cords at the tournament. Whether you buy or borrow them is up to you, but you wouldn't want to invest all that time and money going to the tournament only to have a body cord failure kick you out.