Fencing Shoes

[crveng64]

Hi all,

I am 3 months new into fencing, and ready to make my next purchase on a pair of shoes. I want to keep costs down but at the same time don't want to end up with shoes that will wear out quickly or not be up to par as I gain more experience. I am considering the Star Fighter Low tops at $69, the Adidas Effect/Blue stripe at $70 to $89, or at the most, the PBT Fortuna at $109. Can anyone give me your opion on one model over another?

Thanks,
Newbie

[soos]

yo,

i m french so that i dont know the kind of shoes u guys have in the US, but for my part, no fencing shoes r reliable enough (i have addidas ones) so that u should go to see a "shoemender" to put an extra leather part on ur back shoe...

thats the better solution if u dont want to buy shoes evry 3 months (or less !)

anyway thats what i do... and works well ...

ciao.

[Stryder]

The new Adidas have that extra leather over the inner surface of the rear shoe. I wear out the sole of the shoe long before I see any significant wear on the sides. But that's just me.

Crveng64-
Go with Adidas. I've heard good things about Star Fighters, but they aren't nearly as nice as Adidas for $1-$10 more.

Off the subject, I did have my Adidas resoled once, they are great for giving lessons since teh new sole is a bit thicker than the original, but they are a little too thick for actual fencing.

------------------
www.geocities.com/strydermike

[scarlet_woman156k]

I was wondering about the asymmetrical adidas. Do they have leather anywhere on the shoes? I'm trying to avoid it, and it seems all fencing shoes have leather on them.

[soos]

well wahtever the shoes r, i really advise u to add an extra leather part on the rear foot ... when i wasnt doing it, shoes was dead in 1 or 2 competitions ... here in france doesnt cost much to add this leather ... probably about 20$ ... so compared with the shoe price ...

[Touche]

The Adidas "Dartagnan" is the best one for me...costly but great inner heal cup, etc.

I say just get whatever that works for you...expensive or otherwise

[weezelbit]

I've worn high-tops since I messed up my ankle years ago. I used to get the Addidas but the last pair I got were Star Fighters.

Yuck.

The Addidas were always very solid on the ground - hard - so I put an inner sole in them. I needed the extra sole because I have very narrow feet (AA and AAA) and I just wobbled around in them without the extra filler. The Star Fighters are wider than the Addidas were and much squishier, especially with extra sole in them. The ankle support on the high top is no where near as good and is much more padded so I feel like my foot is being strangled in a pillow. They are also much harder to loosen the lace on and get on and off.

For the extra money, I would definitely get the Addidas.

If you can go to a Circuit or other big event with many vendors, you can try all the different shoes on and get the one best suited to your foot. Otherwise, look for a good court shoe with a mesh upper - like a Vollyball shoe. You want the mesh for when those tootsies are sweating up a storm.

[Fencing Angel]

i just got a par of the new addias shoes.. and imagen straping pillows onto your feet and then start fencing with them.... that is how they feal.. they don't slip. very comfortible.. and most of all they let your feet breath... the only downfall is the price... $150.00 plus shiping and tax.... i got them two day air and the grand total came to $178.00 even..

Just my two cents on the matter...

[crveng64]

Thanks to all of you for your input. I'm now leaning towards the Adidas.

[edew]

Originally posted by space_cadet:

Yes, the asymmetrical adidas have white leather.
I don't think there is a material to replace leather, especially on the inner front foot area of the back foot.

Are you sure it's leather? I read the info on the Adidas website and it says it's made of some Adi-something (adipose?). I personally think it's something man-made and not leather. I think the Adidas Equipment (the asymmetric shoe) is all synthetic.

[scarlet_woman156k]

edew:
Thanks for the info! I am going to e-mail Adidas for confirmation on that.

I've already trashed my leather glove for a nice, synthetic washable one...and I'm hoping to do the same w/my shoes.

[Zelda]

edew, adipose is a fat tissue. I think you might mean the adiddas patented material they use.

[MHS Fencer]

Adiprene? But I think that it's used for the sole of the shoe, and not as a replacement for leather.

-Ian

[Sciurus Rex]

As an alternative, take a look at the selection of shoes available to indoor soccer players (indoor = no cleats). They're sturdy, lightweight, provide good support, and lack all that unnecessary sole material common to other sports shoes. And it's been my experience that they're slightly less expensive than fencing shoes.