Fencing.Net - Your Guide to Fencing & Fencing Equipment

Ordway · 07-16-2006, 11:21 PM

I bought a pair of the brand-new Blade shoes at Nationals (at the Fencing.net booth

), and thought I'd post my first impressions.

Very nice! They seem very solidly constructed without being heavy. In fact, they felt lighter on my feet than my Adidas D'Artagnan IIs, despite feeling the same weight when I hefted them in my hand.

The traction is excellent. I was able to get good traction on the concrete, even, and then on the actual strips it was perfect.

The fit ended up being great. The problem with the Adidas ones for me was that the heel was too loose, and my back foot would occasionally slip out. (in fact, the final determining factor in buying new shoes was another dramatic shoe-off-foot incident in the Div IA; fortunately I wasn't hurt, but easily could have been.) In contrast, the Blades fit snugly on the heel and felt supportive over my whole foot, with no slippage at all.

Here's the best testimonial to the Blades. I bought them the morning of the Div II and liked them so much that I warmed up in them instead of my Adidas... and then wore them to fence in. Yeah, yeah, you're never supposed to wear new shoes for the first time in a tournament... much less your most important Nationals event! But with how unhappy I was with the Adidas, I figured I'd give it a shot. And they were not just fine, but GREAT! I totally forgot they were new shoes, and they worked great.

I didn't even have a single blister or sore spot anywhere afterwards, despite fencing hard in them on the same day I bought them!

I haven't used them since then (taking a couple weeks off to rest) but I'll be using them in practice again soon.

One potentially useful factoid about the sizing; they seem to run a little large. Normally I take a 7 1/2 women's, and in fencing shoes I typically buy a size 6 men's. I ended up buying the Blades in a size 5 and was glad that I did.

epeeisky · 07-17-2006, 12:08 AM

I too bought a pair of Blades at Nationals. These are awesome shoes. They are fairly flexible and breathable. The only problem that I had with them is the lack of padding. I would have liked just the a tiny bit more cushioning for my feet, but are overall very comfortable.

My favorite part of the shoe is the stability bar. It adds a lot of balance to your feet and protects against ankle roll injuries. The shoes are rather grippy as well . Even practicing on the concrete at the GWCC the shoes did not slip.

I tried on a pair of the new Scimitars, among other shoes sold at Summer Nats, and only noticed a slight difference in them. Namely, a little bit more breathable and a little bit more flexible. The biggest difference in the shoes is the 20% more you will pay for Scimitars. Everyting considered the Blades are more than likely the best fencing shoe on the market.

Jay Kominek · 07-18-2006, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by epeeisky

I too bought a pair of Blades at Nationals. These are awesome shoes. They are fairly flexible and breathable. The only problem that I had with them is the lack of padding. I would have liked just the a tiny bit more cushioning for my feet, but are overall very comfortable.

I replaced the largely worthless insoles that came with my Blades with a $7 pair from Target. My feet are much happier, now.

AndrastVitesse · 07-18-2006, 01:00 AM

Did everyone have a size problem with the shoes. I normally wear an 8.5-9, and I was just going to buy them online. But the last thing I want to do is go through the hassle of returns, in order to find the right size. Any suggestions?

epeeisky · 07-18-2006, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndrastVitesse

Did everyone have a size problem with the shoes. I normally wear an 8.5-9, and I was just going to buy them online. But the last thing I want to do is go through the hassle of returns, in order to find the right size. Any suggestions?

They run about a half size to big. I normally wear a 13, but took a 12.5 in Blades.

DangerMouse · 07-18-2006, 12:15 PM

That's probably because they come in UK sizes

shlepzig · 07-18-2006, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndrastVitesse

Did everyone have a size problem with the shoes. I normally wear an 8.5-9, and I was just going to buy them online. But the last thing I want to do is go through the hassle of returns, in order to find the right size. Any suggestions?

This might help.

Tennis Warehose shoe conversions

By far the most exhaustive guide of shoe sizes by country, gender and brand differences. Mayby too much information this is a more concise guide:
size chart printable.pdf

Shlep

Insipiens · 07-18-2006, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DangerMouse

That's probably because they come in UK sizes

Even in the UK, where both Addidas and LP shoes are sold in UK sizes there is a vast difference between an LP UK size 10 and an Addidas UK size 10 (LP are much bigger for the same size if I recall correctly; I would strongly recommend trying them on before you buy or ensuring you can return them.)

Goldgar · 07-18-2006, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shlepzig

This might help.

Tennis Warehose shoe conversions

By far the most exhaustive guide of shoe sizes by country, gender and brand differences. Mayby too much information this is a more concise guide:
size chart printable.pdf

Very handy -- saved. Thanks.

Joe biebel · 07-18-2006, 06:07 PM

Are these the same shoes as the LP Scimitar shoes?

Perhaps I posted this:
"I was impressed with them when one of my club mates came home with them from nationals. He let me try them on, and I was really impressed. I left the following day for nationals, went to the LP booth and bought a pair in my size. They are noticeably different from the Addidas shoes I have been wearing, but still very comfortable. In fact, even though I never wore them before (broke them in) I wore them for my matches at nationals. Since I did not win my event, it must have been the shoes Just kidding, they gave me excellent support and protection. Thanks LP."

In the wrong spot.

KD5MDK · 07-18-2006, 07:04 PM

No. The Scimitar shoes are a new and improved (and more expensive) model over the Blades.

Joe biebel · 07-18-2006, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

No. The Scimitar shoes are a new and improved (and more expensive) model over the Blades.

Thanks. The "Blades", the previous iteration of a fencing shoe from LP, were not at all comfortable on my feet. I was pleasantly surprised with the Scimitars I purchased. Plus, they have red highlights on them, so you go faster.

garyhayenga · 07-18-2006, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe biebel

Thanks. The "Blades", the previous iteration of a fencing shoe from LP, were not at all comfortable on my feet. I was pleasantly surprised with the Scimitars I purchased. Plus, they have red highlights on them, so you go faster.

Ah, it sounds like I need these shoes

gary hayenga

Moliere · 07-24-2006, 03:02 AM

These shoes are great! The grip is awesome on metal and wood. The heel, arch, and toe of the shoe is well designed, making lunges and quick forward steps and retreats quite comfortable. The size is about a half an inch bigger than most. The shoe is also wide, which makes it very comfortable for people with wide feet, like myself. The only downside to the shoe is that if you have flat feet (like I do), there isn't much room for an arch support, but you can deal. Sometimes, I use one, sometimes I don't, so far I have not felt any cramping or pain while fencing in them without one. Aside from that, just a little more padding on the sides of the shoe (inside) would have been nice. Overall an excellent product. By the looks and feel of it, I am assuming that it is meant to be a long-lasting shoe. Yet another great product by LP.

EpeeConvert · 08-02-2006, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe biebel

Thanks. The "Blades", the previous iteration of a fencing shoe from LP, were not at all comfortable on my feet. I was pleasantly surprised with the Scimitars I purchased. Plus, they have red highlights on them, so you go faster.

It is widely known that purple is the fastest of all colors.

KD5MDK · 08-02-2006, 05:07 PM

Red only counts if it is a Type R sticker.

little_old_me · 08-03-2006, 07:38 AM

Yet red is statistically the most pulled-over-for-speeding color of car. (at least that's what a State Trooper friend of my dad's said)

KD5MDK · 08-03-2006, 10:50 AM

I suspect that has something to do either with the personality of people who buy red cars, or the ease of recognition by troopers of red cars against the others that might be nearby.

keropie · 08-03-2006, 12:32 PM

Hey! My car is red, but that's just because that's the color I found it in. . . I'd rather have had black or dark green or something. Just because it's read doesn't mean I like to speed...

Though I might still be known to exceed the speed limit on occasion. . .

Kenji · 08-03-2006, 02:33 PM

I've actually heard that the red car thing is a myth. I forget where, though, and it may just be that, in the particular area where they looked up the statistics, it didn't hold through.

They do stand out pretty well, though. It's also one of the most popular colors for cars to be bought in. Influences the statistics a bit, I'd imagine.