Foil
Strongly recommended:
GlovesI would recommend that everyone get their own glove, since everyone
breaks a glove in in their own special way. There are two main types of
gloves: Leather and washable. Choosing between the two is really a matter of
personal preference. Some people like the feel of the leather gloves more, but washable
gloves are washable. A good cheap leather glove is G003 ($17.00). A good washable
glove is G002 ($20.00). It is not the cheapest, but the cheaper washables tend
to not have as much padding, which sometimes you can come to regret. Again, if
you want to go high-end, the blue uhlmann washables (G004) are beautiful, but very pricey.
Use a cotton plastron: they breath better and they disperse impacts better.
For girls: It is strongly recommend getting your own chest protector,
since they are much more likely to fit you properly if you buy your
own. Single piece ones (PR005) are recommended. Apparently they also come
in colors now (PR008)
Foils are probably one of the more confusing items to shop for. As a
general rule, Prieur and France-Lames (two companies which I think
actually just merged) are the good middle-of-the-road blades to buy.
They should have a good feel and be sturdy without being too expensive.
A good blade is EFW104. Blade size should be either #5 or adult, both
of which refer to the length blade. You have to choose your grip size (Girls
are small-medium, guys are usually medium-large), and the BG grips are
just fine. The team uses bayonet body cords, and our parts are usually
for french points. German points are a little better, but they are more
expensive to buy and maintain. Now, the site also throws around the
term maraging FIE blade, which is just a different way of forging the
blade which makes it stronger, and usually less flexible. However, it
also makes it more durable, which makes it more expensive. You need it
for international competition, but you do NOT need it for college
competition, so if you don't have a lot of extra cash, don't get one.
However, if you desperately want a maraging FIE blade, EFMW17 is a good
choice.
The team uses bayonet body cords. You should use whatever your foil is, but
that should be bayonet. BC004 is a reasonable choice (clear makes it easier to fix).
If you are so inclined:
The team would recommend a basic nylon front zip for any beginning fencer who
is buying their own jacket. They tend to be lighter and cooler than
traditional cotton ones, and won't shrink in the wash. A good one is
J002 or J004. J004 is more expensive, but is also a little heavier and
probably made better, and so you won't feel hits quite as hard. Again,
FIE jackets just withstand more weight (800 NW) and you won't need them
for college competition. Any of these jackets will keep you more than
safe.
The Blue Gauntlet (M003) mask is good for its price ($52.00). Cheaper
masks are safe, but they may fail quickly. If you are wondering about all of this FIE
buisiness, FIE masks are masks cleared for international competition,
which means that they can withstand 1600 NW of force. You do not need
one for college competition, or any competition unless it is
international. If you have a desperate need for an FIE mask though, the
Blue gauntlet FIE mask (M1601) is the cheapest and just as safe as any
of the others.
As with jackets, nylon or stretch cotton knickers are preferable. Purely
cotton knickers tend not to follow your movements as well, and quite
frankly, that can just suck (cotton knickers are known to rip on people
while fencing). A good pair (and not too expensive) is JP02.
The main difference between the lower and higher priced shoes is how
long they are going to last. You should also think about whether or
not you wnat high-top or low shoes. There is no advantage with either
one, so you should think about which style you find more comfortable in
street shoes and go with that. Since high tops can be expensive, a
cheaper pair is FS003. As for low-tops, FS001 or FS012 should be just
fine. In general, the more expensive the fencing shoes are, the more
they feel like regular sneakers.
Bags really are more personal choice than anything else. FB002 and
FB005 are good choices (and very hard to tell apart). You do not
have to buy the hand cart with them.
Beginners Kits and the like:
Many sites will sell a collection of "reasonable" items bundled together at a
slight discount. If you are going to buy such a collection from Blue-gauntlet, you
will almost certainly want the "high quality" set, as the cheaper set has several
unfortunately cheap items (cotton back-zip jacket, weaker mask, less padded glove).
UChicago Fencing Club · contact webmaster