Hi-Tec Scimitar Shoe

Before I start in on these shoes, a bit about my experience. I have had adidas 96 model, pbt`s, dartangan 2, adidas low 04 model, absolute fencing`s updated elite shoes(the ones for 59dollars), some other chinese shoes and now the scimitar. These shoes have a serious problem with the sole. the rubber is way too soft and after about a month of fencing the sole is paper thin. Especially the part  just under the balls of the feet so if your a fencer who bounces a lot you'll definetely have some extreme wear here and maybe even a hole. I'm a saber fencer but I wouldn`t want to imagine what an epee fencer would do to this shoe(more bouncing) In addition to this, the ''abrazone'' protection part against dragging the back foot has actually busted out at the seams. The laces always come undone and out of the box these shoes are way too stiff. Although this can be said about other fencing shoes, the fact is, they started breaking and showing severe signs of wear before they were even really ''broke in''. I was also rather unhappy with the company's response which was slow and quite lacking compared to the cost of these shoes. Their website tries to sell them as some state of the art product and it's really dissapointing to know that these are supposed to be an improved model! They clearly didn't spend enough time testing them out before launching them.  If you're a serious fencer, don't waste your time and money on these shoes. and if you're a recreational fencer don't bother either because there are definitely better things out there. 

These are good shoes.  The stability is very good.  Someone commented that these are heavy but I don't have issues with the weight.  They're not necessarily light but I don't find them heavy either.  While it's true that the laces are a bit thin and slippery but you can easily prevent the knot from slipping open by tying a double-knot.  The traction is also very good.  When I first put them on, they felt a bit stiff.  However, I never got any blisters so the fit is good.

My only issue with these shoes is the durability of the outsole.  I'm an old school fencer so when I lunge, I point my rear toe outward.  I don't roll my foot.  The outsoles on these shoes, however, are designed for people who roll their feet and not for people like me.  After just having these for just one month, the front outsole of my trailing foot is wearing through.  I've only worn these on wood floors and never wear them on pavement.  I did fence 7 bouts on a swiss cheese metal strip one day but that doesn't justify this durability weakness after only 1 month.  While I like them, I'm pretty sure I won't buy them again.

I bought these the day before my event at nationals, and they hurt! Of course my last pair of fencing shoes had to be broken in too, but I would recommend wearing these for some light footwork or something before a long competition.

So far in my fencing career I've worn tennis shoes, squash (court) shoes, and Onitsuka TIgers for foil. Tennis shoes just didn't work (uncomfortable on the back foot) and the court shoes I had were too stiff. The Tigers were awesome except for being a little too thin in the sole. Went all out and bought some Scimitars from Fencing.net (great discounts by the way).

I'll be keeping these until my big toe pokes out! They fit perfectly right out of the box with no break in period and no blisters. They give great support at each critical area and have held up to extremem abuse from my crappy fencing (I mean foot dragging, stomping, fall off the strip, crazy fleche, somehow got hit on the bottom of the foot while foil fencing crazy). I even wear them while doing warmups, cross training and running.

Minor issues just for honest review purposes: the teflon coated non stick laces that refuse to stay tied really suck, and these shoes can feel a little like "moon boots" at first if you're used to something lighter like Tigers.

Overall opinion: Best damn fencing shoe under $200. Look at everybody's feet the next time you're at a big tournament - you'll see lots and lots of these shoes.

First, let me say that these shoes are incredibly robust. I've worn them inside and outside, and even with my horrible rolling lunges, the back shoe is surprisingly intact. The sole offer great impact absorption, making a painful heel very rare, and are very grippy on most surfaces.

However, they have a few damnable flaws which will stop me using them on a regular basis.

Firstly, the fit is rather wide. Now, this would be fine, except that due to the fact that they are mostly plastic, they are impossible to tighten well in that general area.

Also, I wish they had released a high top version for the few of us who prefer them. Ankle support feels rather weak.

Finally, they look like moon boots. Sorry, but adding as much neon as possible is not a good thing.



Overall, good shoes, and if they happen to fit you and you can look past the paltry ankle support, I'm sure you could use them for a long, long time.

I have just finished one year of hard fencing in these shoes. I practice a lot and mainly on Zivkovic "cheese grater" pistes. They stood up well, still provide excellent traction, and have not gotten a hole anywhere yet. I plan to get another pair when I'm in Richmond.



Complaints: 1) the toe area is wide so I blistered there for a few weeks, 2) the insole on my rear foot came loose after only a few weeks and I had to re-glue it (this is definitely a manufacturing defect, but whether it was just my shoe or if it is common I don't know).



Kudos: I appreciated the additional plastic/rubber on "big toe" side of the shoe. The first generation had some, but this generation carries it even higher and now the only damage the shoe took was right under the ankle bone where I drag on long lunges.



Overall, these were great shoes. If the toe box was a little narrower I would consider them perfect. As it is they are close enough to perfect that I certainly am not considering any other shoe for my next purchase.

Super sticky:



Grippiest fencing shoes I've ever worn, the Scimitars will even stick well on dusty gym floors. The sense of stability is such a relief after putting up with insufficiently grippy fencing shoes for too long. The wrap-around rubber on the insides of the shoes also helps even keep your rear foot well anchored when launching the lunge.



Tight and light:



The shoes lace up real snug (I love the lacing system), with an upper that grips your foot tenaciously. Plus, the shoe's extremely lightweight. Result, it feels like there's hardly any mass there at all.



Fits a little wide; v. good support:



They fit my slightly wide feet extremely well, with a toe box that's roomy but not too big (like the D'Art II's) and a heel area that molds snugly around my comparatively narrow heel. They also offer lots of support, great for my weak arches. The support is a bit less than the Viktorias but MUCH better than the D'Art II's.



Durability:



Although lots of people are reporting durability issues, your mileage could vary; I've been using my Scimitars for about a year's worth of 2-3x weekly practice generally for about 3 hours each time on a wood floor, with a tournament maybe 1x monthly, and my shoes still look practically new.



Overall:



Sometimes I still have to go back to my Viktorias because of my arch problems, but the Scimitars are definitely an excellent shoe that's made me very happy. Don't waste your money on the D'Art II's -- get the Scimitars instead!!

I purchased this pair of shoes at nationals. Since then, I haven't seen that much tournament action, mostly just practice. While I love everything about the feel of the shoe, the heel of the shoe of my lead foot has worn down incredibly fast.



For an idea, after nationals, I fenced for about 2 months, 2 times a week. Come October, I had to take 7 weeks from fencing for some professional obligation, then I came right back, now doing four nights a week.



The heel of that lead shoe has worn through a significant part of the heel material, to the grey pad more on the bottom of the shoe, and to the point where I can poke the bottom of the shoe and feel the part on top of the sole holding the shoe together. I'm hoping some Freesole can extend the life of these shoes. Also, the inside padding material of the shoe on my trailing foot not only wears quickly, but it has come loose, and now requires being glued in with an industrial adhesive.



Feedback I have gotten from other athletic fencers I know who bought the shoes has been similar. The shoe feels great, but wears out way too fast.



Great fencing show with a below-average lifespan for a rigorous fencer.

I got a pair of these about the time of the 06 Summer Nationals. I really liked the look as I think they are a bit better looking than the Blades or the new Adidas. They would not be my first choice in style, but considering that "new age silver" or "70's bowling shoe" seem to be the only two looks in fencing shoes nowadays, I will take these and be happy!



These shoes are very light and breathable. The light weight gives a very close feel to the strip. The tread pattern and sole material gives very good grip on wood or metal surfaces and allow for very fast direction changes. If you do fence on a metal piste, the extra protection of the expanded "abrasion zone" will increase the life of the shoe. Also, the fact that this area is a hardened synthetic and not leather means you can wear the shoes outside from the salle to the car without worrying about them getting wet and dissolving on you.



Another nice feature is that the insoles are easy to remove and replace. They just lift right out and you stick you new ones in. A nice feature since I usually wear out the insides of my shoes before the outside and a great benefit for people who use inserts or supports.



The stability of the shoes is great, and given how light they are I am actually a bit surprised that they give you as much support as they do. The rounded heel is great for fencing footwork and the slightly flared outside lip/edge of the sole has kept me from rolling an ankle a time or two on an action that went bad.



There are only two downsides I have found may be "me" specific. I have found them to be a little looser/roomier in the toe box than the blades, and if I fence all day in them I will get a nasty blister on the top of my toe even though I wear two pairs of socks. The other downside is that I rarely fence on cheese grader strips and am getting a little old to move really, really fast. As such, for me I am not sure the extra money is worth it over the Blades. However if you fence on metal pistes more than 4 times a year or like a lightweight shoe that can really move you, they are a very good choice.

Sure, the shoes were great when I first got them. They fit nicely. They breathe better than the Blades. There was no wear or tear at all, unlike most Adidas at this point.



And then...



And then 10 weeks into it, the "Abrazone" started to rip. Two weeks later and it was a flap. Turns out that that section is part of the stability of the shoe, so now there's nowhere near as much lateral stability. So after 30-40 wearings, the back shoe is nearly worthless. Nice to know that you can count on these bad boys to give you your money's worth! Only $4-5 per wear! Mind you, I wear these ONLY for fencing - I don't do any of our pre-training calisthenics in them, so they're not even getting the extra load and bending from that.



The vendor's response was to inform me that I drag my back foot (despite the fact that I specifically described this as a rip not wear, despite the fact that he's never seen me fence, and despite the fact that I don't drag my back foot). I'm glad to know that LP stand behind their product.

I\'ve been using these shoes since they first came out and I love them! They\'re a great value and fit well once I got the sizes figured out. The only drawback I\'ve found so far is that the \"memory foam\" inner sole wears out pretty quickly and, as far as I know, can\'t be bought separately from Leon Paul.

the only problem is the silver part rubs off.