Fencing Kit & Equipment

General Tips

There are two main suppliers in the UK, who can be contacted by phone for order or take online orders via their websites

Leon Paul UK

This is known as the 'gold standard' of kit and has been actively involved with UK fencing for decades. Their kit is often more expensive but generally well-designed and made, and tends to last a long time if it's well cared for.

• On the downside, they do sometimes suffer from 'Shiny Thing' syndrome and promote new handle styles, gadgets or new features which then later disappear as these aren't deemed legal under FIE rules (or quite live up to the hype).
• Main website: Leon Paul UK

PBT UK

This is the UK branch of a well-respected Ukrainian fencing company. They are internationally-rated and their kit is often (but not always . . . it's always worth checking) cheaper than Leon Paul.

• The war is having some impacts on supply so it's worth ringing ahead to check stock. As of writing, their website needs a little TLC and updating, but it's functional to order your main requirements. If you mention you're a club member that gets you a little discount.
• Main website: PBT UK

Other UK Suppliers

There are a number of other US/European dealers that have UK website, but do check on import/shipping fees as these may be sourced from the home factory and incur some delays and additional costs. There are also some sports providers such as Excalibur or Decathlon that are branching out into fencing. Note that cheaper suppliers tend to be importing Chinese equipment.

• Swords are often not the best, and not that much cheaper than LP or PBT. I've seen some fairly shoddy examples that have required rewiring after relatively little use.
• Clothing is usually OK provided it meets the 'CEN-1' rating, but tends to be sized a bit smaller than UK /EU definitions . . . so it's often a good idea to go for 1-2 sizes larger than you think is necessary.

There are often good second-hand bargains on clothing on eBay or similar market places. In general, I would avoid buying masks or swords/blades on these sites unless you are specifically harvesting them for spare parts. You simply have no idea of the age or wear, and the steel may be corroded or weakened and unsafe.

There is often, however, a good selection of clothing from people who have bought kit and given up fencing or grown out of junior-sized items.

• Clothing needs to be marked as 'CEN 1' or rated for 300 Newtons (plastrons need to be 800N).
• You may find FIE or 'CEN 2' gear on here as well - it's safer (rated for higher impact) but will usually be more expensive and need a bit of extra care with washing, as it's a kevlar fibre mix. It's also heavier and hotter to wear.
• Avoid anything marked as 'antique' or 'vintage' . . . of interest to collectors, perhaps, but likely unsafe for practical fencing.

SWORDS

When purchasing swords, you can buy complete weapons or individual parts. So if a particular bit (usually the blade) breaks, you can simply replace it rather than buying a whole, complete sword. If funds are limited, you can also buy the requisite items and assemble it, Frankenstein-like when you have all the necessary bits. If picking a complete weapon, there are a number of options you will be given which might be confusing, which I’ll explain below.

Electric or non-electric?

Non-electric epees are sometimes offered (practice/training versions). These are cheaper but can’t be retrofitted for electric scoring, so are a bit of a false economy in my opinion. It's worth getting an electric one - even if it's not connected, you will hear the "snick" as the point is pushed so you'll have a better idea if the thrust scored or not.

FIE / Maraging / Club versions

FIE or 'maraging steel' blades are more expensive than 'club' or 'standard' ones. These blades are designed for major competitions and made out of maraging steel which is bendy, but very tough. It can put up with more cycles of flexing before breaking, as serious competitors will be doing more training and generally hitting harder with it.

If you can afford it, it's not a bad choice, even for a beginner . . . it will tolerate more use and abuse without developing weird bends and weak spots, but for a first sword a club version should be fine.

Styles

There's two broad styles of blade. The traditional 'Blaise Frere' (BF) style, which is a triangular piece of steel with grooves milled on the underside to make it lighter and more flexible . . . and the Leon Paul 'deep V' which is a cold-pressed section of steel folded into a right-angle and welded/glued to a base.

Either is fine . . . the BF is closer to what an epee looked like, but the Leon Paul version (initially marketed as a 'lightweight' style) seems to stand up to a bit more punishment without developing weird bends, at a potential cost of flexibility.

Sizes

The standard adult blade (14 years +) is size 5. Competitions for under-14s will normally use a size 3, which is 2 inches shorter than a size 5 blade, making it a bit lighter and less dangerous. You will sometimes see size 1 or even size Zero which are extra short blades designed for very young and small fencers; we don't use these at the club.

Hand and Set

When ordering you will need to specify left or right handed, which is fairly obvious. You may also get an option for a 'set' which is simply a small angle on the tang of the blade. Pick the same direction as the 'handedness' of the blade, my personal preference is for a slight set but it will either be included as standard or, if the tang has no set, you can adjust your stance to compensate.

Handles

You can either choose a French Handle, or a pistol grip (also called orthopaedic handles, Belgian, Visconti, paddle grips, etc.). A French handle needs a long tang and a pommel nut; a pistol grip needs a short tang and just has a hex nut to secure it.

Pommels (for French handles) can come in a variety of weights. Larger weights make the sword heavier, but put the point of balance further toward the hand, making it slightly easier to control. Lighter pommels move the point of balance towards the tip, which I personally prefer, but it's entirely up to you.

Pistol grips have a variety of styles, sizes and materials. Leon Paul do lovely magnesium alloy smooth grips, but some of the cheaper aluminium styles can have rough/sharp casting lines on them which might need to be filed to stop them rubbing through a glove. It can be difficult to find a comfortable one without holding it, so if you find one at the club or with a clubmate that feels good, make a note of it.

Occasionally, you will come across other handle styles, such as Italian, Cetrulo or 'Spanish offset', and Gardere. Out of these, only the Italian ones are competition legal (if the quillons don't protrude past the bell guard) but hardly anyone makes these and they are more the preserve of re-enactors and HEMA fencers.

The others are hybrids of French grips with orthopadic style prongs or contours for leverage. They can be used in a club setting but aren't allowed at tournaments and competitions. My personal experience with a gardere handle was that far from providing the 'best of both worlds' it simply promoted the limitations of each style, but your mileage may vary.

Guards

These are fairly standard but might come in left or right to match the weapon. There's often premium or lightweight versions available in titanium. The standard aluminium ones will take a bit of punishment over time and resemble a hammered pie tin, at which point it will need replacing. Presumably the titanium ones hold up a bit better but I can't say that any weight saving is that noticeable or will make a huge difference to your fencing.

Inside guard pads simply keep the wires tidy and provide a cushion between your fingers and the guard n case the weapons clash - no need to be expensive or fancy on this.

Point and screws are also pretty standard although there are some variations based on how fiddly they are to replace. Again, no practical impact on fencing so long as it passes the travel and weight checks.

Masks

Worth buying new as your face is quite important and it's nice not to have to experience the sweat and breath of other users! Both PBT and LP do great masks, Leon Paul have posh ones where bits can be swapped out and washed/changed. PBT are a bit cheaper but I find the velcro on the back tends to be the first thing to go.

Manufacturers usually have a sizing guide, but masks generally fit into small, medium and large and the back strap can be adjusted for a more precise fit.

Masks need to be CEN 1 minimum, rated for 600 Newtons. FIE competition-grade are CEN 2 and rated for 1200 N.

Make sure you pick an epee mask. Foil and Sabre use special masks that include conductive bits to differentiate between on- and off-target areas. As everything is a target in epee, it isn't necessary to have have conductive material to cover the target areas on the head and body.

Other protection

Chest protectors are hard plastic breastplates that are worn under the plastron. They are mandatory for women but optional for men (although quite handy for competitions where you may get harder hits). There's no official standard I'm aware of, although foil needs specially-covered versions to avoid cheating, and a variety of combat sports offer versions which might be cheaper than fencing suppliers.

Men can wear a groin protector under their breeches or rely on a good low-line parry.

Plastrons are single-sleeved garments that cover the sword arm and chest. They can come in left and right but are often reversible and ambidextrous. These need to be rated to 800 N. Some of our club training jackets have an integrated layer which serves as a plastron but you will need a separate one for competitions.

Jackets and breeches must be at least CEN 1. They tend to be made from lighter and stretchier material than the cotton duck of yesteryear. Make sure there is a D-ring to clip the reel socket on and that zips and velcro do up and stay stuck.

Gloves must also be CEN 1 and it helps to have one with a velcro 'split' down the gauntlet part covering your forearm . . . it makes plugging the bodywire in much easier.

Body Wires

This is easy for epee, as it uses the standard 3-pin bodywire. Other weapons may feature a 2-pin or 'bayonet' plug which you don't need to bother with.

Footwear

There are expensive fencing shoes, but any flat-soled trainer designed for indoor court use will be a good choice. Less suitable footwear seen at the club includes running trainers (large heel and sole can make the foot unstable), sandals, wellies, Doc Martens and formal dress shoes.

Socks need to be long enough to go over the knees, some fencing shops do versions that have a bit of extra padding on the shin (or you can wear shin guards . . . getting hit on the shin can be quite painful, I ended up getting 'biopsied' by a foil once). There seems to be an unspoken meta-competition as to who can sport the most outlandishly-coloured socks or mix left and right pairs into some unholy combination.

Whatever you get, keep metal gear away from sweaty kit so it doesn't rust. Allow kit to dry off (don't let it fester inside a bag for weeks) and wash it between sessions: you should find that barring accidents it should last a good long while.