Shoes...Opinions please.

[ATL Fencer]

Okay, so I'm planning on getting some better shoes for fencing. I'm currently donning a big clunky pair of New Balances, and it's not working. ^.^

From what I've read, Adidas Stabils seem to be a popular choice. Although I've also come across some people using Adidas Feather IIIs...despite both sets of shoes being tennis shoes! lol

So, my questions is: which would you recommend more? Stabils or Feather IIIs? Also, what makes the stabils so good for fencing? If you don't recommend either of these, what do you recommend? Are there some brands that you are staunchly against? And why?

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

PS: I fence foil and epee, if that makes a difference.

[telkanuru]

Every time I think humanity can't possibly frustrate me further, it goes and does something like this.

[noodle]

there are lots of threads on this one already.
but i'll boil it down: stabils are popular for a reason. they're low to the ground and wide for stability. if you're unsure, find a place or person to let you test-drive them.

i'm trying to keep up a good list of fencing shoes here, so you can peruse other shoe options there.

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

ATL-

The consensus seems to be that the Nike Ballestra is the way to go. At this time, I hear that they are hard to get. However if you post about this on this thread, without Ballestra in the title of the thread, you may not get many comments. You may want to begin another thread, but make sure to use "Ballestra" in the title. Similarly, starting the thread with the word "Help!" will also get lots of attention. Good luck.

[emagdnim]

I say oasis wrestling shoes with an extra insole is the way to go.

very light with decent ankle support

[Morale Officer]

What ever happened to fencing in the buff?

[KidLazy]

Originally Posted by ATL Fencer

If you don't recommend either of these, what do you recommend? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

PS: I fence foil and epee, if that makes a difference.

Buy a pair or two, because you really should wear shoes when you fence.

[CvilleFencer]

C'mon guys, its his first post. He probably doesn't know there IS a search function.

ATL Fencer, If you look at the green bar just above the messaging section you will see a bunch of options. One of them is the Search Function that will allow you to look up past threads based on a keyword. Also if you look at the top of the page you will see another bar and that one has equipment reviews. Between those two you should be able to answer a lot of your questions.

Now I am not sure why you are only considering running shoes as opposed to good fencing shoes, but the Stabils and Feathers are popular with epee fencers, especially older epee fencers, because they have a wider sole and a lot more cushioning than most fencing shoes. In other words you can bounce in them for hours and some fencing shoes are not so good for that. For Foil however, many fencers prefer a low and fast shoe that lets you change direction very quickly.

If you wanted to look at fencing shoes, in the best of both worlds and not to expensive range I would look at the LP Blades and Scimitars. I would stay away from the new Adidas Dart' shoes, but the Adistars are pretty awesome. They are also stupid expensive.

I hope that was some help.

[BySword]

I've been fencing epee for quite some time (almost 3 years?) and recently started doing foil.
I owned two pairs of stabil 6.
They are fine for epee, in fact, they are great for epee. They are indoor raquet ball shoes, which makes them grip on wood gym floor very well. They are however a bit clunky for foil, the big sole put a bit stress on my leg when I do normal footwork.
Feather is a clay court tennis shoes, I never wore them before, but when I looked it grip pattern, I was a little bit skeptical that it will grip well on hard surface.
I've never tried on a fencing specific shoes before, so I can't give you advice on those. Though I do advice you to try them on as they should encourage cleaner footwork then tennis shoes (clunky heels) or running shoes (lack of lateral support) will.

[Kettch]

Stay away from D'Artangan III. They are NOT a fencing shoe, despite what Adidas want us to believe. En Guard is extremely good value for money. D'Artangan II is slightly better than En Guard but costs a fair bit more. Scimitars, Blades, and Adistars are considerably better and considerably more expensive.

Note that I am speaking from a foilists perspective.

[BetweenTheBlades]

hey does anyone know what the new adistar 2008 fencing shoes are like?
They are really expensive, but are they good? or at least better than the adistars 2004?

[RebelFencer]

Originally Posted by BetweenTheBlades

hey does anyone know what the new adistar 2008 fencing shoes are like?
They are really expensive, but are they good? or at least better than the adistars 2004?

I saw someone with them this weekend. He seemed to like them. They look like they have a bit more heel cushion, other than that just different colors than the original.

[epeelion]

The new adistars are almost identical to the feather IIIs, just a bit more fencing specific (extra cushioning on where people normally drag the foot in the lunge, for instance). Get the feathers. They're awesome. And more than $100 cheaper. Grip is incredible on all surfaces.

[davtsung]

Originally Posted by Kettch

Stay away from D'Artangan III. They are NOT a fencing shoe, despite what Adidas want us to believe. En Guard is extremely good value for money. D'Artangan II is slightly better than En Guard but costs a fair bit more. Scimitars, Blades, and Adistars are considerably better and considerably more expensive.

Note that I am speaking from a foilists perspective.

The D'Art 3's aren't THAT bad.....

The real problem with fencing specific shoes, is quality control. It accounts for why a given shoe can be both loved and loathed with equal vigor by different fencers, and why different pairs of the same shoe can drive us crazy. For example, I have owned 4 pairs of the Asymmetrics: the first pair was as good as it gets, and lasted an entire year of heavy usage, requiring duct tape only toward the very end (anyone who has owned a beloved pair of Asymms can sympathize ). My second and third pair, however, each lasted less than half-a-year, with the second pair's soles wearing out excessively, and the third pair's toe box stitching unravelling. My fourth pair's front foot cushioning just doesn't feel as "supportive" as it use to (granted my body is also breaking down), though it is still hangin' in there. Unfortunately you'll find similar conflicting accounts of nearly every fencing shoe.

[Alex_Paul]

Originally Posted by davtsung

The D'Art 3's aren't THAT bad.....

They are bad enough that after evaluating them we decided not to stock them!

[Nolano]

I like my stabils a lot. At the price, with the grip, and the lifespan I've heard, I would stick with them, but they're way too narrow for me. A little wider and they'd be fine.