Basically, how good is Athos' stuff?
Basically, how good is Athos' stuff?
I can't speak for the quality of the gear b/c I never received it, but what a miserable, protracted experience trying to get my refund was.
The only thing I've ever gotten from them was a French grip for an epee.
It snapped within 20 touches.
Live and learn. No more plastic grips for me.
I bought 2 gloves, one for me and another for my son. We fence Epee. We liked them very much. They seem good quality with a very good price for this item.
Epee is the Sword.
The jackets have very cheap zippers... they can break after very little use. The rest of the sewed on items, button, velcro, D rings etc.... last a little longer but tend to need to be replaced/ repaired. Kinda reminds me what some car guys will say about Ford... Fix Or Repair Daily
Beer, it's whats for dinner! ~ a young snowboarding Canadian
The meek don't want it! ~ sticker on a rock band's guitar
We have two Athos jackets in our club gear and they don't seem too bad. 350N at a reasonable price, only thing that's gone wrong is the crotch strap has come unstitched on one, which is an easy repair.
We have four Athos blades - well, had; now three. They're very cheap, and probably okay for someone with a light touch. Me, I'd probably have broken them all within a couple of months. More flexible than the cheap STMs, and probably comparable in price.
I have an Athos lame, which had green patches within a week - despite being rinsed after each use -, had dead patches within a month and is now, after nine months, dead to about sternum level, or would be if I hadn't rehabilitated the upper half with conductive thread. Each month, I add a couple or so more inches of replacement conductivity; pretty soon I'll have an all-thread lame. I should note that I'm better than most at sweating lames to death, so my experience may be very much different from others'.
Speaking of which, I keep thinking, rather than substitute silver thread for dead nickel / stainless / whatever, why not just make lame fabric with silver thread? I have the thread, just no idea where to look for someone with the resources to weave it into a fabric. Any weavers out there?
Last edited by Robert Smith; 01-11-2008 at 02:29 PM.
Robert Smith
http://members.shaw.ca/ubik/thread/
They're not bad jackets. I have (I'm guessing) 20-30 with 2/3 are in the sewing pile after about a year's use. A large number need new zippers. Once the zippers are replaced, I suspect I will be fairly happy. They are a low-end jackets, so they have no padding, wicking etc... but they seem rather sturdy otherwise.Originally Posted by Robert Smith
It's a nuisance factor. I've had lots of low end jackets that haven't had zipper problems show up after a very short time of use (some zippers broke within the first couple times of being used).
What I like... they have some large sizes (which some of the kids need). They have some stretch to them.
For me... my jackets were a great deal (free) so replacing zippers isn't a big deal. If I paid full price for a jacket, and had the zipper go right away (or within a year) I would be really annoyed. I've had that happen with a jacket from Fleche.ca The jacket was a low-end jacket made in China (they no longer carry). Fleche.ca not only took my slightly used jacket back, but upgraded my jacket to a better quality one.
If the poster was thinking of getting a Athos jacket, I would advise factoring in a zipper replacement into the price, as there's a very good chance it will need one. Or check with his supplier if it can be returned for replacement/ refund should the zipper break within a certain period of time.
Beer, it's whats for dinner! ~ a young snowboarding Canadian
The meek don't want it! ~ sticker on a rock band's guitar
Actually, it's for my club. I was looking at the lames and electric weapons, as they seemed a good deal. My coach told me to ask around and let him know what I had heard before he ordered (he doesn't really use the internet much). As of right now, I think I'll advise against it.
Robert Smith: I think there are some silver-laced lames out there.
Triplette and Leon Paul both make an ultralight lame using a silver impregnated fabric. It doesn't use silver wire, it uses a silver metallicized thread. I don't know about the Triplette, but the Leon Paul lames are probably the most durable lame out there. They cost a pretty penny, but when you take longevity into account, they're a steal.
>:U
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