Relatively inexpensive FIE gear?

[whtouche]

Im a sabre fencer and am looking to graduate to FIE gear. But, Im also...at a loss for funds. But committed! And as such I seek relatively inexpensive FIE gear.
I already have an FIE mask, I just need knickers, jacket, and plastron..I think.
Does anyone know where I could get these items for a relatively low price? I dont want crappy stuff, but I just dont have any need to spend all my money on the very best stuff either.
As a side note, I like my current cotton jacket alot, it's fairly loose fitting and comfortable. I tried on one or two FIE jackets at nationals last year and it seemed that they fit alot tighter than normal jackets, specifically the addidas FIE nylon..thing. If there are any FIE jackets out there that tend to fit a bit looser I'd appreciate knowing about them

Also, for the upcoming world cup in new york(which is mostly the reason why I want this stuff): What are the requirements to enter. I know you have to have FIE stuff and the usfa logo/colors on your knickers, but does one have to be internationally or nationally ranked to enter? I think that since this world cup is in the usa, that any usfa member can enter but I could be wrong..
Any clarification is appreciated. Thanks

edit: Also when I talked about how I enjoy my jacket to be slightly loose fitting, I also like my knickers not to be tight as well. So any comfortable fitting FIE gear that could be recommended would help. Thanks again.

[haggis]

You'll need an FIE license as well.

Cheap but not too crappy - you could try PBT gear.

Good luck in New York if you get to fence

[afc fencer]

It use to be that any usfa fencer could enter world cups held in north america but now u must be on the senior national points list.

[CvilleFencer]

The cheapest place I have found to buy FIE gear period is also the place that makes pretty much the world standard and that is from Uhlmann straight out of Germany. Buying straight from the fatherland will save you about half the cost of the stuff in the US, shipping takes about a week to ten days, and they understand orders submitted in English better than the guys at Physical Chess!!

Shipping will run you about 30US but you will save enough so that you do not notice it. I and a lot of other people I know shop through a vender southern Germany. He sells straight off the Uhlmann price list but sometimes has specials that are cheaper than Uhlmann itself. He is used to dealing with Yanks and Kiwis so check out his website at http://www.fechtsport-langenkamp.de/html_en/start.htm He does prefer faxed or e-mailed orders to phone orders.

Ordering from overseas can seem a little scary but do not be intimidated by it. Someone I am sure has a horror story but I nor anyone I know have ever had a problem. Any questions drop me a line.

[whtouche]

Thanks to all who replied. Looking over pbt and langenkamp, I can tell there's an incredible difference in price between the two even without knowing the exact exchange rate euros to u.s.d. (any help?)
But my question is about the pbt 'ultralight' FIE gear. Does anyone have any experience with this that could shed some light on the matter? How does it feel vs other fencing gear? Are the claims that the jacket 'feels like fencing in a t-shirt' true?
Something like this MIGHT be worth paying a little extra for.

[haggis]

The only thing that feels like fencing in a T shirt is fencing in a T shirt. Having said that, I do know one person who's got the PBT Ultralight jacket and he reckons it's excellent.

[CvilleFencer]

The PBT superlight is a stretchy nylon jacket. I have only seen an older example and they may have updated the design (I try to give the benifit of doubt) but when I first saw it I thought that Blue Gauntlet had gotten their lightweight jackets FIE rated. It is lighter than denim, but if you pay 300 for a jacket, get the Adidas! It is made with some interesting material that might just be worth 300 bones, but the PBT stuff has nothing over Uhlmann/Allstar. IMHO anyway.

I really think that if you drop 300 for this jacket and then show up at a competition and see the top of the line Uhlmann/Allstar or Adidas stuff you are going to want to beat yourself about the head and shoulders.

Oh by the way, as of this morning the exchange rate was as follows 1USD=.93 Euros. Put another way 100 USD buys 93 Euros. Also, that VAT is the German version of a sales tax and we do not pay it. Ifyou use a Visa or mastercard for overseas orders they will handle the conversion at the current rate and take the math out of your hands. This is the way I do it.

Good luck!

[qatet]

Another Uhlmann option is thefencingpost.com, which generally has jacket and knickers on sale. Click on their sale page. The jacket is usually around 130 and the knickers a bit under $100.

[three_hundred_fifty_five]

You fool, there is no such thing as graduating to FIE gear. Trust me, I sucked and had a complete FIE uniform.
If you really want inexpensive FIE gear, then get Triplette's FIE gear. It's made in the US by midget people in the sweat shops of North Carolina so it costs a lot less than any European brand.

[qatet]

If you like the Triplette cuts, go for it, but a set of their gear is almost $100 more than Uhlmann at The Fencing Post.

[dreadfoil]

Hi there, I feel bad, ever since someone said pbt shoes were crappy, everyone's jumped on it, vendors on the board, be nice, he's brave enough to log in using his name, writing his address on the freakin thing, and everyone else hides behind a log-in name. Anyone going to a world cup must know better.