Newbie question about electric gear

[sangrejoven]

I've been monitoring a fencing club where I teach for five years. We have a coach from the local organization. I'm getting ready to purchase a scoring table and want to make the move to electric epee fencing. I can figure out that I need floor cords & scoring table & electric epees. My question though is: What other ancillary gear do I need to get started. Do I have to have the expensive reels? Do I need floor cords AND body cords? Do my fencers need lames? Sorry to be such a newbie, but I need some guidance and am not getting it from my coach. Any advice?

[Mergs]

Um. Need a little clarification here, so I'm going to make a few assuptions. By monitoring, I am guessing that you are a teacher in a school, who is a 'faculty advisor' for the fencing club. You are not a fencer yourself. You've been asked to by some electrical scoring equipment, specifically oriented to epee. None of the students have their own electrical weapons. Am I correct so far?

OK, I'm going to assume I am.

At a minimum you'll need:

A scoring machine (you refer to it as a scoring table)
two reels (and no, you don't have to go top end, although I'd go with one that is commonly used in the area you are in; ask the coach)
two floor cords
four epees (so that you can rotate students through quickly and have backups when they fail)
four epee body cords (the ones with three prongs on each end)

If your students branch out to foil and/or saber, then you'll need lame's and in saber, masks and head cords.

Oh, and since you you'll have to maintain this stuff, I'd recommend a manual to tell you how. Not that I'm biased, or anything, but I'd strongly suggest the one listed in the signature line below!

Best of luck.

[SJCFU#2]

To start with the club will need a scoring machine, two floor cords for connecting the scoring machine to the reels, and two floor reels to connect the stationary floor cords to the moving fencer (you can replace the floor cords and reels with a bungee system). This requirement is pretty much the same for foil, epee or saber. If all you are interested in is epee then you may want to look at the reel-less system from Hitmate. It only works for epee, and obviously it isn't FIE approved, however it's probably a lot less expensive than a scoring machine, two reels and two floor cords.

Each fencer will also require their own equipment. For epee each fencer will need a body cord and an electric epee. For foil they will require an electric foil, a body cord (which is different from an epee body cord), a lame (no sleeves), and depending on your local regulations, possibly a mask with a conductive bib and head cord (this last part will depend on whether or not your local governing body has chosen to adopt the FIE's recent change to the rules). For saber each fencer will require an electric saber, a saber body cord (which is identical to a foil body cord), a saber lame (with sleeves), a saber glove or conductive overglove, a conductive mask and a head cord for connecting the mask to the lame.

edit: you'll probably want spare weapons and body cords as well

[Greg]

Leon Pauls club box is a very nice item. It runs on two latern batteries so there's no need to have an outlet nearby. Very reasonable for clubs. Favero reels are also excellent. We've used one set for four years without the slightest problem. Solid metal case makes them very durable. THey run about $350 each but well worth it.

[deepwave]

I've been monitoring a fencing club where I teach for five years. We have a coach from the local organization. I'm getting ready to purchase a scoring table and want to make the move to electric epee fencing. I can figure out that I need floor cords & scoring table & electric epees. My question though is: What other ancillary gear do I need to get started. Do I have to have the expensive reels? Do I need floor cords AND body cords? Do my fencers need lames?

You don't need lames for epee.