tldr; version:
“Buy the minimum. For your body, now. The best quality you can afford. Start with things you can’t borrow.”
If you’re fencing with us, you can always use our gear. But you may want to get your own. You will need your own if you raid other clubs or go to competitions.
The following article is a brief guide on what to buy, in which order, and what to look out for.
The Short Version
Get your gear in the order below for maximum happiness and practicality:
- Sabre (non-maraging)
- Shoes and Fencing Socks
- Mask (FIE)
- Jacket (350N)
- Glove (350N)
- Bag #1: Day Bag
- Lame
- Plastron (FIE)
- Breeches (350N)
- Body Cord(s)
- Mask Wire(s)
- Jacket (FIE)
- Glove (FIE)
- Breeches (FIE)
- Bag #2: Roller Bag
- Sabre (maraging)
#1 and #13: Sabres
Buy the sabre. It will make you happy.
I used to tell people to get these last. You can always use a hire sabre, or borrow one from a friend. There is no practical, rational, sensible reason to buy the sabre first.
I was wrong. And people kept ignoring me anyway.
Buy the sabre. It will make you happy. If in doubt, get this one.
Design
There is one main design: the Allstar / Dynamo guard design with a removable socket and a conventional sabre pommel. Most people on the circuit who buys their own sabres buys this design.
There are other designs which can either be minor variations (PBT) or major ones (Leon Paul). The PBT is wider; the Leon Paul is skinnier and more top-heavy. Some designs have rounded edges to reduce the risk of developing sharp notches over time from strong cuts. Design has little effect on performance. Pick the one you like the look of the most.
I am basic and prefer the Dynamo design in bare metal (see below).
Material
Guards come in a few different metals, from heavy steel to aircraft aluminium. Some are painted or otherwise insulated on the inside. Bare metal confers a slight disadvantage, because of slightly higher chance of conducting hits from your guard to your lame. Bare metal guards are thus sometimes banned from competitions, and not necessarily the higher level ones.
I use bare metal guards. I also keep a roll of gaffer tape handy to insulate the inside in a hurry.
Grips
Most people will have the most success using a standard smooth rubber grip with a plastic core. Rubber grips are thick and grippy and shock absorbent. There are no drawbacks.
There are variants with textured surfaces, heavy versions with a steel core, lighter version with leather-wrap which can be slippery, and odd ones made of wood (ultralight, burns gloves) or in orthopaedic shapes (“Prat”).
I use a standard rubber grip.
Blades
Blades come in a variety of profiles and steels.
For simplicity, there are essentially two types of blade profiles (i.e. the cross-sectional shape of the blade) – “Y” and diamond – and a spectrum of steels from low-carbon ‘mild steel’ to higher carbon steels and maraging blades which replace the carbon with more exotic elements like nickel. The combinations of profile and steel creates performance differences, from lightweight whips great for attacking but poor in defence, to heavy back-balanced blades primed for parries. Durability also differs: heavy soft maraging blades are resistant to breaking, especially from thrusts, while thin carbon blades break after a couple of savage stabs.
Carbon steel blades are the best for beginners. They are light and responsive and inexpensive.
I use Y-profile mild steel blades whenever I can. They are heavy and robust and cheap. They don’t move fast and force their wielders to be efficient with their bladework. I like them, and I’d even use them in competitions if I could.
Sabre has fortunately remained exempt from the maraging-mandatory requirements that foil and epee have had for years. Until they change this, I’m going to do what most teams (that aren’t sponsored) do and sticking to carbon steel blades, even if I have to pack extras for competitions.
Maraging blades for sabre are mandatory in Australian, New Zealand, and many overseas competitions at the national and international level. All maraging sabres cost much more than mild or carbon steels, are softer, and may last longer. There are many variants on the market. Leon Paul Apex are light and moderately stiff, though still softer than carbon steel. Blaise Freres are handforged, so they range from light and stiff to heavy and soft. We stock StM maragings now: these are all-round performers which parry well.
Regardless of which sabre you get, get a decent sabre armourer (not a foil or epee armourer) to assemble and set and calibrate your first sabre to you. An amazing sabre, unset, is tragic. A hunk of steel, set well, feels like an extension of your hand.
Never buy complete sabres online. Never buy complete sabres without testing it yourself.
Buy a carbon steel sabre first, then save the maraging sabres until you go to competitions.
#2: Shoes and Fencing Socks
Now you have your sabre. The next thing to buy are shoes and socks. You will save money even in the short run.
Why? Fencing pistes are like graters. They eat shoes.
Fencing shoes are light, provide some torsional support, and have thick high-density soles that resist abrasion even when an adult flings their full body weight onto a serrated surface thousands of times a week. A pair of running sneakers will probably only survive a single session. Fencing shoes, worn well with good gentle footwork technique, should last 6-12 months of heavy use.
There are many fencing shoes to choose from; most of them are bad.
The gold standard used to be the Nike Ballestras/Air Zooms. They are light and used to look like an Alien facehugger suckling on your feet. We used to stock them, but we stopped when they changed to a new, even less durable design and upped the price.
Other models you may see are the various permutations of the D’artagnan IV and Vs, made by manufacturers such as Kempa. These are good shoes: a bit heavier than the Nikes but much more robust and with good handling on pistes. Problem is that the D’arts are no longer in production because Adidas got out of the fencing market. They sold their moulds to others, who have since started producing their own permutations of soles and upper materials, some softer, some stiffer.
The best of these so far are the Rophoo Paratroopers. We stock these. I wear these. They were made by an ex-Adidas engineer who set up his own little side hustle. These are lighter than the original D’arts but still heavier than the Nikes, and they come in red and black.
If you don’t want fencing shoes, you can use indoor football shoes, handball shoes, squash shoes, and weirdly, driving shoes. They can be cheaper and work fine; just beware of abrading the tops prematurely, e.g. with mesh uppers.
Consider getting a heavy-duty heel cup for your front foot to buffer against heel strike injuries. You don’t need them if you can lunge well, but they help in your first year or two of fencing. I used to use a clear silicone version, thicker than the blue pads you can buy at the supermarket.
Fencing socks: you need them. They are required for competitions, and useful for wiping the rubber burn residue off the soles of your shoes. Expensive socks like the Leon Paul Advanced are wear resistant, but priced correspondingly. Sydney Sabre ones are cheaper but last just as long if used well. Mine last about 6-12 months these days but I don’t wear heel cups or hold lunge positions often.
#3: Mask (FIE)
You will need an FIE-rated mask at 1600N for external competitions. These days, we also recommend them for club training. The price differential is now insignificant, and it well worth the reduced risk of a blade through the mesh.
Masks vary a lot in quality. The things to watch out for is the thickness of the mesh, the lame on the bib, and the feel of the inner lining (removable or not). Great masks are heavy. They have thick gauge wire for the mesh and lots of heavy reinforcement around the front face and the cheek plates. The bibs also tend to be thick and padded (to reduce damage from throat stabs) and dense lame coverage. The inner linings also tend to be thick padded fabric and have little features like covering up the edges of the spring case tab, which can rub against the top of the head.
Avoid masks that are light, plasticky, use low-density lame and have thin bibs/inner linings.
There are basically three models of masks out there.
The most common are the standard “Spring Case” design with a tapering chin, big bib, and enough flexibility to ’shape’ by squashing and stretching the mesh. There are slight differences between manufacturers but they all follow the same template.
Leon Paul makes a variant of the standard design with a short bib. They aren’t particularly popular for various aesthetic reasons, and for people with long necks can be problematic.
Leon Paul also makes the X-change series of masks. These have a small, diehard following. The X-change mask is essentially a reinforced mesh shell with a replaceable bib, plus a couple choices for head retention (spring case and the ‘contour fit’ system that uses a tension-loaded disc in place of the spring tab), and many choices for removable inner linings. X-change masks work really well if you have the right head shape and really don’t if you don’t.
I am basic so I use a standard FIE mask. After a couple years, I retire them, paint them over Christmas, and stick them on the wall like trophies.
#4 and #12: Jacket (350N and FIE)
I used to recommend people hold off on buying their own jackets until they went to competitions.
Then COVID happened.
My advice now is to buy two: a basic 350N stretch jacket when you start out, then the best FIE jacket fitted to you when you go to competitions and your body shape has settled. (This is where parents run into real trouble because their kids are still growing. Try to avoid buying FIE clothing until the last possible moment).
With jackets (and breeches, see below) there are basically two models: heavy-duty ones designed to take a lot of point impact, and light-weight ones designed for performance.
The heavy-duty ones are cheaper and usually used by other fencers (e.g. epeeists) rather than sabreurs. This would be like the Leon Paul Team 360 series.
The light-weight ones are much pricier but feel almost like a T-shirt when bouting. They are great. It also hurts when you get hit. Sometimes a lot. This would be like the Leon Paul Apex. Again, I suggest picking a model and buying the best one you can afford. The price differential isn’t that significant compared to how long they last (and potential resale value).
A lot of people get their name and country code stencilled to their jacket. This is not necessary, but helpful if you think people will nick your gear. You’re unlikely to be able to resell stencilled jackets though (unless you’re famous or something).
You will need to get your country logo stencilled to your breeches for FIE competitions. I don’t think the AUS one will change anytime soon. Other countries change their logos every 4 years (Olympic cycle).
#5 and #13: Glove (350N and FIE)
You will want a 350N glove for club use, and need to get an FIE-rated glove for external competitions made of 800N material and more padded than non-FIE gloves. FIE gloves can be expensive. Get a basic 350N glove, like these, for training; save the FIE gloves for the fancy comps.
Note that sabre gloves are different from epee and foil gloves. Sabre gloves have a conductive cuff. I strongly recommend getting a cuff made of either stainless steel or other hard-wearing material rather than lightweight lame material, because the gloves take a lot of wear and tear and lightweight lame materials usually don’t hold up well.
Some people choose to wear a glove on their off-hand as well to prevent injuries. I wear a glove on my off-hand for all serious training bouts and competitions. These days I wear a chainmail glove from Honeywell. I used to wear a golf glove, but any short cuff glove works.
#6 and #12: Bags
You will need a bag when you accumulate enough gear. Start with a basic day bag, like these, and move onto the big bags like the Freerunner/Freeroller, Icarus and Team bags when you start going to interstate or international competitions.
Carrying a bag full of fencing gear around airports and trains stations gets old real fast. Bags last a long time, so it’s worth getting something decent. Get something which can serve simultaneously as both a fencing bag and a standard travel luggage: you do not want to be hauling both.
#7: Lame
With lames, things start getting expensive.
Most sabre lames, as of 2023, run AUD$350+ per unit. Note that sabre lame jackets are different from foil lames vests. Choose stainless steel over lightweight lames materials (e.g. silver cloth), because lames take a lot of damage during bouts.
We sell a basic sabre lame one which we use for hire gear and endures years of abuse.
Lame quality is defined by the density of the conductive thread relative to the structural fabric. You want to get thick stainless steel bands that are densely packed on the fabric. Avoid nickel and alternative metals which wear down too fast. Also avoid really thin conductive wires which will snap quickly. Some lames are constructed with alternating thick and thin bands to give similar performance to high density lames while reducing cost.
High-density lames tend to be quite expensive but are generally worth it for how long they last. There’s nothing wrong with getting a cheap lame but be ready to patch them.
At some stage, the lame jacket and the glove lame will lose conductivity and ‘die’. Don’t throw them away! These can often be patched by a competent armourer. In an emergency (aka dead spot in a comp) conductive tape can work for a temporary patch.
You will eventually need to buy a new lame jacket and glove (usually when weapons check at competitions starts giving you a hard time). Get them patched up again and use them for training. I’ve patched lames to almost 80% replacement of original parts before.
A stencilled lame with last name and country code is only required for international comps.
#8: Plastrons (FIE)
As far as we’re concerned, you only need plastrons for competitions but I wear them in training because they dramatically reduce the damage you can take from frequent training sessions. Some clubs insist on them for safety; comply with your club.
With plastrons, just buy the best one you can afford. These last practically forever, and unless there is a major growth spurt, it will fit as well. The plastron sits close to/on the skin, so a bad plastron feels really really bad, and often wears out after a couple years to boot.
We sell a basic FIE plastron that endures years of hire gear abuse.
#9 and #14: Breeches (350N and FIE)
Breeches prevent injuries below the waist, especially injuries inflicted by thrusts and other point attacks below the waist. Sabre target area is above the waist, so sabre fencers don’t always wear breeches in training. Breeches are compulsory for all levels of competition.
We don’t insist on fencers wearing breeches at Sydney Sabre. Some clubs insist on them for safety; comply with your club.
I wear breeches, and if you fence more than once a week (or you start fencing at high intensity) you should wear breeches too. Start with a basic 350N pair which will stop you from incurring most injuries, and save the FIE breeches for competitions.
#10 and #11: Mask wires and body cords
Mask wires and body cords – you will need 3 apiece for major external competitions. These are easy to share around though, so don’t panic if you only have 2.
Stick to the conventional designs – thick alligator clips for the mask cords with a straight wire (not coiled) and a two-prong aka German plug. They work well, are robust, and easily repairable. That last point is important. Your wires will break and they will need repair. This will happen a lot. Reduce your suffering/armoury bills by sticking to the common types.
As for the cord materials themselves, I’ve spent years looking for decent OEM cords and the closest I got to was high-end speaker wire. These days I just buy good quality body cords and repair them until they get too short to wear, in which case I rebirth them as mask cords.
Last advice: get a good armourer. Treat them well. A little bit of love will get you good deals on second-hand gear and keep it going for many years.
Good luck!