Fencing Equipment

[chief5286]

Sorry if this should be in the armory section, but...

I'm new to the sport. Right now my gear consists of a dry Santelli foil, mask and glove that I bought at my old club a couple of years ago. I'm looking to buy some gear so I can fence electric.

My question is: how can I tell the difference between equipment? Sorry if this has been answered before (I looked but didn't see anything).
For instance, there are electric foils out there for around $40 and there are also ones over $100. How can I find out what's different about a Fleche and a Fleche Wide? What makes a $120 Lame' better than a $65 dollar one?

The product review section here is helpful, but is there another way to find out about equipment without buying it and then not liking it?

Any feedback will be appreciated.

[pkt]

Just to add to your confusion, here's another net forum where you can increase the number of opinions of equipment:
http://fencingforum.com/forum/

PK

[three_hundred_fifty_five]

Originally posted by chief5286
how can I tell the difference between equipment? [/b]

Some equipment is better quality than others. Usually, but not always, better quality means more money. There are a number of manufacters with various models of the same item so it can be confusing for someone who has never bought stuff before and has nothing to go on.

Here's some general rules that I follow that I think are useful.
1. Get German electrical parts, Uhlmann or Allstar. French and English parts aren't as "reliable". Electrical parts would include foil tip, foil spring, foil barrel, foil wire, foil plug, and foil body cord. I prefer the two-prong plug and others prefer the bayonet.

2. For blades, this is a matter of personal discretion. If you aren't sure what you want, ask the vendor (store). As a beginner, I wouldn't recommend an FIE homologated blade right now. I would say that anything in the $20-$30 per blade is good.

3. For complete blades (where the entire foil is already put together for you), just go with what fits in your budget and make sure it has German electrics. I would recommend finding out how to put one together and buy all the parts separately. It's cheaper and you learn how to diagnose problems and fix your own weapons.

4. For lames, any stainless steel lame is good. I personally prefer Uhlmann but other brands are also good. So, a stainless steel lame will cost more than copper lames but it's worth it.



.

[Craig]

the product reviews section is pretty new, and I'm going to keep working to get more reviews in there and more advice for new fencers.

In the meantime, browse through some of the older threads in the "Armory" section of the forum - people talk about equipment there all the time.

The main differences in the products are the quality. Just like with any sporting equipment, you can buy the bottom of the line functional stuff, but it's going to break and won't give you the best balance/feel that the higher end products will.

If you are just trying the sport out, borrow what you can from the club and then buy the minimum necessary; once you decide that you're going to stick with it for at least a year, be ready to plunk down some more money for the better quality equipment.

Craig

[canthidefromme]

Originally posted by chief5286
My question is: For instance, there are electric foils out there for around $40 and there are also ones over $100. How can I find out what's different about a Fleche and a Fleche Wide? What makes a $120 Lame' better than a $65 dollar one?

The fleche wide is wider at the base, so the balance is more towards the guard than the point. If you want to fence in competitions you'll need a spare foil or two--keep that in mind before you shell out for more expensive ones.
The difference between $120 and $65 lames is stainless steel and copper. Depending how often you fence and how well you take care of it, you can milk maybe around a year or two of fencing out of a copper, but stainless lames last considerably longer.