Fencing gear is expensive and used gear is often available at half price or less from clubs, online marketplaces, and graduating fencers. The savings are real. But not every piece of used fencing gear is worth buying. Some pieces are safe to buy used; some are emphatically not.
Here is the honest breakdown.
Safe to buy used
Weapons. Blades last a long time and are easy to inspect. Look for excessive bend memory (a curved blade that does not straighten when laid on a table), nicks or burrs along the edge, and rust on the tang where it meets the bell. Most fencing weapons can have blades replaced cheaply ($20-40), so buying a used weapon with a tired blade is fine if the bell, grip, and pommel are good.
Jackets and pants. Wash them, inspect the seams, check the collar and underarm fabric for wear. Used jackets are great for new fencers who will outgrow them or for second/third jackets you keep around for sweaty days. Just make sure they are CEN Level 1 (350N) rated for the level of fencing the new owner will do.
Bags. Used fencing bags are essentially free to inspect — zippers, straps, and structure. Clubs often have used bags for under $20. Easy win.
Be careful with these
Lamés. The conductive coating breaks down with sweat over time and creates dead spots that fail the touch detection. A used lamé might pass equipment check or might not. If you can plug the lamé into a body cord and a scoring box and test it, then yes. If you cannot test it before buying, avoid.
Body cords. Body cords are cheap new ($20) and they are the most common point of failure during competition. The marginal savings on a used body cord is not worth the risk of one failing mid-bout. Buy these new.
Do not buy used
Masks. This is the hard rule. Do not buy used fencing masks unless you can personally inspect the mesh and bib. Punch tests reveal weak points but those points are invisible to the eye. A mask that has been hit hard can have invisible mesh fatigue, and a failed mask is a head injury waiting to happen.
If you absolutely must buy a used mask — buying from someone you trust who used it briefly and cared for it well — at minimum have a coach inspect it before you fence in it. Most coaches will refuse to coach someone wearing a mask of suspicious provenance.
Gloves. Used gloves are gross. Hand sweat does not wash out. The padding compresses with use. The thumb stitching wears through. Save your money for a new $40 glove.
Plastrons (chest protectors). Like lamés, the structural foam degrades with use. New plastrons are inexpensive enough that buying used does not pencil out.
Where to buy used
Most regional fencing clubs have a "used gear board" — graduating fencers selling their gear. Prices are usually fair and the gear has known provenance.
Online: Facebook fencing groups, FencingShop classifieds, eBay (be very careful with masks). Always verify the gear has been recently in use, not stored in a basement for a decade.
What we sell on this site
We only sell new gear. Every product on this site is in active use at one of our clubs. We carry the brands and configurations our coaches have tested and we cycle out anything that does not hold up.
For used gear we recommend asking your local fencing club. For new gear, we are here.