Various suppliers

[roverix]

Could some of you discuss the various suppliers and their good or bad expierences with them. I don't know who is good and who isn't. They are just web sites to me now. I want to buy some new equipment and don.t know who to use.

[This message has been edited by roverix (edited 08-19-2000).]

[latenight]

for online service I would have to say blade. If you don't mind calling a real person I would say TCA or blue gauntlet. Basically my uniform is TCA, my weapons Blade, and my mask Blue Gauntlet.

[Dragoneye]

Hi Roverix,

Myself and many of the fencers at my club have had really good experiences with The Fencing Post as well. My only complaint would be they're a little slow to get to their E-mail - its better to give them a call and mention E-mail for the discount.


Cheers,

Dragoneye.

------------------
"Violent delights have violent ends." R&J - WS.

[darius]

I just ordered a ZII handle from Zivkovic - they mailed it out to me with a self-addressed stamped envelope to send a check in. That's pretty cool.

I also bought a bunch of parts from Blade, asked for 2nd Day Air, got it Next Day with no additional surcharge. Pretty sweet...

Fencing Post has always been great, too.

darius

[kro]

I have been fencing for a year now and have ordered well over $800 in equipment. I cannot reccomend BG, my coach gets his weapons there and I have yet to see one come in that works. He got me an epee for becoming a lifetime member of our club, and the weapon did not work. (we fixed it though) he also got a foil that we could not get working.
I just had a problem getting something from Balde, but that was proablly a communication problem all around. I get a majority of my equipment from Triplette and I have yet to have a problem. I finally had to rewire a foil after 11 tournaments. The problem came from the poor French tips. The blades I have from them have been great.
I am about to have them rewire 5 foils with German points. I have just ordered from Allstar and Estoc. (I got the screwless Epee points, I'll report how they works as soon as I get my blades rewired.)
I have heard great things about American Fencers Supply. The armourer that works out tournaments reccomends them if you do not do your own work on your equipment.

kro

[MattyCam]

I've been using The Fencing Post for years. No problems. Always sends stuff on time. 20% discount if you order from the website.

thefencingpost.com

mattycam

[Fencing DilberT]

I have used Tripplette, and they have been very easy to work with. They respond to emails very quickly.

[HilandDoug]

roverix, I've been running a fencing club for over 12 years. The best to order from are Tripplette and Santelli. You'll pay a bit more for Santelli, but they have to offset their superb color catalogue costs somehow. One of the guys that coaches with me highly recommends American Fencer's Supply in CA. Remember, it costs more to ship from the other side of the country.

[MikeHarm]

Re triplette, I decided a long time ago never to ever order complete weapons from triplette after getting some really crappy complete TCA Epee's from them a few years back. The french grip they had, it was so loose with regard to the blade re the hole it passed through that it would rotate while I was fencing no matter how I tightened it. The guard also would rotate 360 degrees when tight against the blade slicing away at my wire while assembling the weapon. The springs wouldn't pass the weight tests, nor would the contact spring pass the shim test. Also my screws popped out my first match with them, as well as the wire popping out soon after (guess they didn't do so well on the glue job). I still shudder, remembering the horror of it all.. I'm sure my opponents loved all the free touches they were getting from my red cards.
At least the blade itself was ok, but I had two weapons like that under the triplette brand, and never again.
Now rather than focusing on a particular brand name for complete weapon, I'm more into specific parts manufactured by brands I like such as Allstar and doing the wiring, assembling and testing myself. If you're doing that sort of thing who supplies it is irrelevant because the component is the same if its made by the same manufacturer (And you got the model # and everything), just look for the best price on it.
Cheapest price wise is Blue Gauntlet, I've ordered some stuff from them when I'm in a hurry that have worked out allright.
Also if you want a cheap FIE jacket, Physical chess seems to have the best price on one, though I've never tried their model so haven't heard wether it holds up in the long haul.
I have also ordered from blade, they've been excellent each time.
Finally I've ordered from American Fencers Supply, their Favero weapons tester is top notch (The intermittant break tester was a really good idea), and you can order things from them that people don't sell on the other sites, like handle setters or complete electric italian foils.

[darius]

You know, flik hates getting complete weapons from Triplette too...a year ago, I bought a BF Super Blue complete foil from them, used it everywhere I fenced electric.

Besides having to stretch the string a few times, never had a problem until the blade broke last Saturday. Even with the crappy French tip. (Thank god I'm done w/ those...)

Maybe I'm just lucky.

darius

[latenight]

Triplette has the cheapest FIE jacket. i know 'cause I wear it. it is all cotton though, and many find it to hot and heavy. i personally like it though since i dont care for stretch uni's.

[BarryTice]

I've been fencing on and off for 12 years, and everything I own has come from Triplette (except the testers, tools, and odds and ends I've made myself or bought at Sears). I've heard real horror stories about the electrics in blades, but I've been blessed so far. Every blade I've gotten from them has done fine. I've still got my first electric epeé that I bought in about 1992 or 1993, and I still use it at practice.

There are a few people in my club who have had problems with the barrels coming loose on Triplette-assembled weapons. But that's another problem I've never had. Maybe I'm just lucky.

I recently bought a Triplette unitard. The woman from Triplette who designs their fencing attire was at one of our tournaments with Walter Triplette, and she measured me for it. When I got it, it fit like paint. I had a hard time getting it on and off by myself. I sent it back and they shipped me a larger one that fits wonderfully. It's very comfortable, and I recommend it to anyone who is on the fence (so to speak) about getting one. Of course, even in the correct size, it had its problems, too. They double-lined the left sleeve, and I'm right-handed, so I had to send it back for rework.

Overall, I'm happy with my Triplette experiences. I like their attitude, and it's good to be able to reach a person when you have a question.

Hope this helps. -- b.r.t.