Duellist suppliers?

[kuroutesshin]

I'm starting the long drive toward purchasing a new jacket; this one's to be FIE-range so I'm putting small bits of my paycheck into a fund, much like other people my age would be doing for their tuition or a new car.

I'm mostly decided on the Duellist Evolution 800n jacket, but I'm wary about buying from overseas- with the exchange rate being so unfriendly to the dollar, I'm wondering about shipping costs, unseen charges, etc.

Does anyone know of any vendors in the Americas who carry Duellist line? I know Duellist USA isn't working anymore, but I wondered if there was another supplier I could turn to. My second choice for a jacket was a Negrini 800n, and I can go to Absolute for that. But I would much prefer the Evolution.

Can anyone help me out?

[Alex_Paul]

I don't think anyone carries duellist in the US.

[kuroutesshin]

Not meaning to gravedig, but I ended up purchasing from them and thought I'd update:

The website is rather unorganized, and they didn't have my size listed, so I dropped an email. Someone responded with instructions, +1.

...which I tried to follow placing an order, but couldn't because they were incorrect. So, -1. Ordered their FIE Evolution jacket.

Sent an email with sizing requests appended to my purchase number. Got the purchase confirmation the next day, +2.

I sent an email asking for confirmation of my size specification. I didn't get a response, -1. Sent two more emails- one direct, the other through the "tracking" feature on their site. Got a response to one, saying they had my order but didn't get my emails, -2.

Kept up with the emails, got it all answered, +1. This exchange took place over the course of a week. Now, I'm waiting for my payment to clear, which ends up putting a hold on my account as they accidentally charged me twice. No points taken, simple error- I've done it before.

Sent an email asking, no response, -2. Sent another, with my emails appended (they kept saying they hadn't recieved some of them), got a response that the jacket was in the mail, measured to my size. +3.

Just got the jacket today. It's a great fit- roomy enough to move with, but snug enough to avoid bunching and hang loose on my frame. I can literally feel the wicking material working on my arms, and the whole thing is lightweight and thin. +3.

At the end of it, I'm satisfied. Duellist didn't wow me- I've had clubmates deal with them (I think through Duellist USA, which might have been the problem), but they weren't unhelpful. I think they need to hire a new webmaster and revamp their email system, from the sounds of it my emails were getting lost.

The whole thing took roughly three weeks- an entire week for my payment, by major credit card, to process. I'm happy with the result, but there was too many small issues- for that reason I don't think I'll deal with Duellist again. LP, you're getting my next UK-based order!

Ultimate utterly meaningless score: +4

[Grimaldi]

Sounds like a great product with tons of unnecessary hassle. Unfortunately for them, their are other great products with much less hassle. Stories like this keep me from considering buying from this source.

[kuroutesshin]

Grimaldi;

It's quite unfortunate, as they were very helpful when they actually recieved my emails, and were quite apologetic about misunderstandings- but taking three weeks and multiple emails to do it is just too much.

I am absolutely happy with the jacket- I'm wearing it around the house to break it in and get comfortable, and it far surpasses the quality of my other jackets; I just keep getting happier with it.

It's extremely unfortunate that I can't rely on them in the future- I will have to deal with a company that does more frequent business in the states. Maybe I'll do a review for the fnet about the jacket and my experience, so folks don't have to ask questions about service.