The 3 weapons of fencing

Foil: Based on the court sword or the small sword, these weapons were developed for safe training. They are flexible and light, developed only for thrusting attacks. 'Dry' or non-electric weapons have the tip hammer flat and a rubber stopper fixed to the end for extra protection. Electric weapons have a grooved blade with a screw thread on the tip. A button tip is screwed on the end and a wire connecting the tip to a coupler behind the guard is glued into the grove in the blade. The fencer's body wire is then plugged into the coupler and allows the weapon to connect to the scoring equipment.

Epee: This is weapon is the exact practice equivalent of a dueling sword developed in the mid to late 18th century. The blade is heavier and stiffer than the foil, as it was not designed to penetrate deeply, only to draw blood. As with the foil, epees' exist as either dry or electric, with similar tip and electric scoring arrangements.

Sabre: This is a much lighter version of the military sabre, the sword employed by most armies since the later half of the 17th century. It is the only modern fencing weapon that employs a cutting edge. Because of this dry and electric blades are exactly the same. Sabre blades are flexible and light, and made to represent the design of the actual weapon. The cutting edges are flat and broad (comparatively) and the square tip is folded over for safety. When fencing sabre electrically the entire blade is electrified for scoring (at a safe level of course). 

The different styles of grips and guards

Traditional French grip - Foil or Epee	Orthopedic "Pistol" grip - Foil or Epee
Another variety of "pistol" grip	Italian Grip
Sabre Grip and guard	The "Bell" guard that distinguishes the Epee

Foils: Foils may be used with any of the 3 main styles of grip: Italian, French and Pistol. Each grip lends itself to a particular style of fencing. Italian and French are classic grips and function well for classical fencers. The Italian style is strong and aggressive, French technical and elegant. Pistol grips on the other hand lend themselves to the explosive power of modern 'Olympic' style fencing which uses more strength and speed than finesse.
Epee: Like Foil the Epee can be found with any of the three main grip styles. Because of the weight and nature of the Epee blade, the effects of the grips is less obvious and there is a wider mix of usage. Each grip is seen to offer an advantage in either strength or reach. The least used and seen would be the Italian style. In all cases the 'Bell' guard remains the same. Sabre: What you see is what you get. There are no official variants on the sabre grip. Some fencers have had customized orthopedic style grips made, but too greater deviation from the standard actually inhibits the fencers ability to use the weapon.

Body Wires

The import link between a fencers weapon, lame and scoring equipment. They are worn under the fencing jacket, fed up through the sleeve and out via the glove. Most fencers carry at least 2 of these as they can take a lot of punishment and can not be quickly repaired.  

	The foil and saber body wires are the same. They connect the fencer's weapon and lame to the ground wire/scoring box.
	In epee the body wire only has to connect the weapon to the ground wire/scoring