Best Equipment supplier...

[Tim P. Miceli]

Hello all,

My Club is looking for where we can get the "most bang for our buck" as it were. In other words where can I get good quality equipment for a reasonable price.

Thanks for your help.

[sallearmourer]

Try Blue Gaunlet they will work with a new club


Tim

[Tim P. Miceli]

We tried blue gauntlet and although I am pleased with their jackets I am not that pleased with the "weapons" do you have any sugestions for good non-clothing equipment @ a reasonable price?

Thanks

[kini mini]

I find that Fechtsport Langenkamp is excellent, service and products are very good. Herr L sells Allstar and Uhlmann gear at very reasonable prices, even with the conversion rate of the Aussie dollar. As the duty free threshold in the US is apparently quite high there are some Americans in rec.sport.fencing who swear by this company.

Langenkamp: www.fechtsport-langenkamp.de

rec.sport.fencing: news:rec.sport.fencing (if you have configured a newsreader) or use Google news.

[kini mini]

Originally posted by Tim P. Miceli
We tried blue gauntlet and although I am pleased with their jackets I am not that pleased with the "weapons" do you have any sugestions for good non-clothing equipment @ a reasonable price?

Thanks

Sorry, didn't notice this specific part of your question before. I bought a BF blue fully prepped foil, a wired blade and an unwired blade (all BF blue) from Herr L and I've had no reason to complain. I'm going to change the grip on the foil actually, but I only made up my mind about that after using it for a while so it's nthing to do with him. If you don't count a mask as clothing, the Uhlmann one I bought is very nice too.

[mfp]

Originally posted by kini mini
I find that Fechtsport Langenkamp is excellent, service and products are very good. Herr L sells Allstar and Uhlmann gear at very reasonable prices, even with the conversion rate of the Aussie dollar. As the duty free threshold in the US is apparently quite high there are some Americans in rec.sport.fencing who swear by this company.

I have purchased equipment from Fechtsport Langenkamp both by web orders and in person from Herr Langenkamp (while visiting his workshop in Offenbach, just outside of Frankfurt). His products, service and prices are all very good.

However . . . while the US duty threshold may be higher than some other countries, it still isn't terribly high. Especially when you consider that the original poster was interested in equiping a club.

If the goods are being mailed to the US, the Customs Service states that If the item is less than $2,000 in value and is not subject to a quota or is not a restricted or prohibited item, a Customs official will usually prepare the paperwork for importing it, assess the proper duty, and release it for delivery. This procedure is generally referred to as a mail entry. [. . .] Packages whose declared value is under $200 will generally be cleared without any additional paperwork prepared by Customs

I had a package arrive from Fechtsport Langenkamp just this week that had been opened and resealed with green "Examined by US Customs" tape. Fortunately its value was under $200 and no duty was assessed.

Sometimes packages mailed from overseas with declared values between $200 and $2000 make it past US customs without duty being assessed. Sometimes.

But anyone considering buying large amounts from overseas might want to investigate using a customs broker.

[Tomas N]

Comparisons of equipment vendors have been posted in the past. I suggest searching the archives for additional information. My 2 cents though is that Triplette is excellent for weapons and parts. In particular, their "brand" of weapons (BF forge with a Triplette stamp) are the best deal that I've found.

Tomas

[Tim P. Miceli]

just found out about this one from someone else in my club

http://www.fencing-equipment.bizhosting.com

any of you guys ever delt with them before?

[Purple Fencer]

*Biting my tongue 'cause I'm a vendor, too, and it's a small community. Will let someone ELSE tell about them*