Equipment recommendations-

[bantoot ikaw]

I'm lookin for equipment-I want to fence foil and sabre(if my body holds up) and I don't remember the brands of equipment I used to have.
I don't think I'll be doing any tournaments or anything like that-just the local club here in the Bay Area.
I need everything except my under-arm protector since this is the only thing I held on to strangely enough-
any recommendations?

[Arturo]

well, everyone has an opinion on this and I am sure that people will disagree with me but here I go.

Lames:
stay away from the "ultralight" stuff. Uhlmann and Alstar make great lames, and Santelli has one identical to it for a lot cheaper. TCA's Stainless Lame is great and what I have.

Do not buy the Blade "crystal" Lame... it is horrible. Do not buy any of the copper chinesse ones

Blades:
Blades are more of a personal choice. TCA's BF blades are among the best in the market(BF makes Uhlmann/Alstar)

France Lammes blades have faltered in quality in the past few years, so stay away from them.

Leon Paul blades are very good as well.

Body Chords:
there was a thread on this not long ago with very good info... check it out.

Masks:
I would stick with the European makers. In my opinion Negrini makes the best.

Uniforms:
I like the TCA brand. Santelli makes very good stuff as well, and there is the top of the line German stuff.


Depending on how much money you are willing to spend and how often you plan to compete determines if you buy F.I.E homologated/approved gear.

Personally non FIE gear is adequate for us mere mortals, and fine for competition within the U.S.

PS- Front Zip jackets and Lames are the way to go... and if you can afford it stick to synthetic fabrics, they are lighter and a heck more confortable than dennim.

------------------
When you parry, riposte



[This message has been edited by Arturo (edited 03-17-2001).]

[neevel]

Arturo--

If you mean Blue Gauntlet lames by 'copper chinese ones', I disagree with you. They're one of the best budget lames on the markets-- a high density of metal strands, and the strands are pretty robust. Sure, like all copper lames they should be washed regularly with ammonia, but if you do so they'll hold up very well (I've got a bunch of them in my club stock, so I'm speaking from experience).
If you just wad it up in a bag wet with sweat and leave it there, then of course it'll go bad quickly, but the same goes for any lame.

The lames to be avioded are the Eastern European copper lames (both the Crystal lames, and all of the other Russian lames), which have sparse, thin copper strands. Even if you take good care of them, they'll likely be dead under the collar in 6 months.

That said, a good stainless lame (Uhlmann, Allstar, Santelli) is the best choice if you are going to be fencing extensively-- they will prove more durable than even the best copper lame. The Infinity Lame is another choice at the high end-- it's very light and the metallized mesh fabric is probably the best thing out there for maintaining it's conductivity. The are more vulnerable to getting hole due to snagging and tearing, however.

As for blades, the various low end russian blades (Dinamo, Fleche, etc.-- they're mostly from Lammet) are the most durable for the money if you're on a tight budget; they need to be straightened frequently and aren't always consistent in feel, but you can't expect everything for under $20 for a bare foil blade.

Leon Pauls are light and flexible, and pretty much the most durable non-maraging blade-- they become mushy when they get old. Prieur and BF also make decent non-maraging blades (BFs are quite stiff). If you aren't constained by budget, maraging blades really are worth the money, in terms of durability.

If there's one place you can spend extra money on, make it the mask. American Fencers' Supply has Prieur masks back in stock (they haven't updated their web site yet, but the vendor local to my area has them again). They're probably the best non-FIE mask around, and worth the price.

Since you're in the Bay Area, you might as well go take a look at one of the local suppliers (American in SF, The Fencing Post in San Jose)-- that way you can actually try on the uniform to see if it fits, and go through blades to find which feels best to you.

-Dave

[bantoot ikaw]

thanks guys-

[edew]

Well, if you're in the Bay Area -- and I'm guessing that means the San Francisco Bay Area -- then you can just go to American Fencers Supply or The Fencing Post and try out the equipment yourself (as David Neevel suggested).

Prieur, surprisingly, makes a pretty decent mask. I'd suggest Uhlmann/Allstar for the uniforms. Either the FIE or non-FIE ones are fine. The new body cords from Uhlmann have new cords and they are quite a bit better in not breaking as easily as before.

[thebigriddle]

You get what you pay for.