Leon Paul 326 800N Atlanta Breeches
Versus
Leading European brand of 800N Breeches
This is a direct comparison between two pairs of FIE approved 800 Newton breeches. Both contain the stretch panels first used by Leon Paul to keep the cost of F.I.E. clothing down. £12.09 separate the two items in cost. The Leon Paul breeches retail at £70.02 without tax and the other retail for £57.93 without tax (prices taken from the distributors UK website 30/04/04). The comparison aims to highlight the fact that Leon Paul clothing is manufactured to the the highest possible standards.
Double stitching
All seams on the Leon Paul 326 range of breeches are double stitched with two completely separate lines of stitching. Nowhere is this more visible than the pocket and central seam where the quality of workmanship is immediately apparent. By comparison others use single stitching on all of their seams.
Product life
Braces on the Leon Paul garment are attached at the front with a 2 inch length of soft cotton webbing that is carefully tucked under, stitched round its edges and then cross stitched through the centre. By contrast others simply use a very small piece of nylon webbing with a single row of stitching around the edge.
Quality of materials
The braces are double stitched to the outside of the breeches to make the inside completely smooth. The elastic material of the Leon Paul braces is thicker and wider giving a large surface area to distribute pressure over the shoulders. Also more elastic filaments give it a longer life and they are rolled at the edge to prevent any fraying. Other manufacturers use cheaper, less durable elastic for the braces that looses elasticity faster. This is then folded and stitched onto the inside of the garment creating a lump. This lump can rub against the small of your back which can cause irritation especially if you wear fitted breeches.
Quality of finish
Seams on the inside are finished with as much care as we finish the outer seams. Seams are left unfinished.
Fastening systems

 The fastenings on Leon Paul beeches uses two buttons. This may seem old fashioned but we experimented with Velcro on breeches for a number of years and found that it always looses its effectiveness after repeated use and washing. The buttons provide a strong seal that stand the test of time. The waistband is stretchy enough to cover a 2 inch range of sizes and there is an overlap on the cloth to stop any direct attacks. The Velcro of these breeches is only stitched on with a single layer of stitching around the outside. There is no additional layer of cloth behind the zip closure which while within the regulations is bad practice when designing protective equipment. The edges of the material are finished with a simple overlocking. This is less than ideal in an application such as this as it is liable to fray with continual use. Also above the zip there is a small hole see annotated picture.
Design quality

 These photos show the inside of the garment. You can clearly see that the inside of the Leon Paul garment has been made as smooth as possible. The top photo illustrates the smooth transitions between the pieces of fabric. The lower photo shows the 800 Newton backing layer that is placed behind the Zip both for security and to keep the zip from catching anything inside the garment! All seams and edges are professionally finished with great care to create smooth surfaces that will last for many years. Inside these breeches you can see that there are far more rough surfaces on the inside. There are edges of cloth that are unfinished and are already fraying even thought the item is new and there is no layer of backing material separating the zip from the wearers body.

This direct comparison shows that Leon Paul products are made to a quality rather than a price. The Leon Paul product is designed to be the very best it can possibly be without compromise. By comparison the garment on the right has been designed to keep cost down. It would take less time to cut and far less time to stitch however it is not as well designed or manufactured. If you want the very best fencing equipment in the world you only have one option!