who do you buy your foils from?

[ecuaman]

I am looking for a new foil blade and I was wondering who was your favorite distributor.
Also, what is your favorite blade.

[CvilleFencer]

I have to say that my favorite blade is a flexable Vniti. The BF blades feel great, but do not seem to me to be as durable as the Vniti. I have never had a Vniti break, and the same can not be said for any of the other brands I have tried except Leon Paul, but that one is only a few months old.

As to where to buy, Blue Guantlet is probably the cheapest but you can also find them at the Fencing Post, Triplette, Blade and Physical Chess although PC calls them something strange like BMI or something similiar.

Check out the equipment reviews section of this sight for some great info on various blades and what people think of them. It is a great resource that Craig built for the community, and don't forget to leave a review of something you have used in the past! The more opinions in the section the better a resource it is!

Good luck!

[edew]

Veeco brought over three Cartel BF blades for me, from France. They're about as sweet blades as I've ever felt. Amazing feel. Worth the $100/blade price. (Unless they break in two months or so. Then, I'll B&M to high heaven.)

[The0ne]

I usually get Vniti's from Blue Gauntlet, but the nicest blade I have is a PBT BF, that's a very nice blade!

[Namir]

I have not had much luck with blue gauntlets customer service.

I normaly get my blades from either triplette or Blade.

I like blades super elites they are cheap, durable, and are not to whippie or stiff.

[FlamingDeth]

Uhlmann blades, by way of the Fencing Post.

[ShadowHuntr]

blue-gauntlet is probably the cheepest for vnity blades but do yourself a favor and DON'T spend the extra money on a complete weapon. With all the moving, and bouncing around (as well as BG's notorious job of screwing up wiring) complete weapons end up costing you more. I have NEVER gotten a complete weapon from them that passed weight initally, due mainly in part to the fact that the weapon sits on it's tip throughout shipping. They are also not packaged that well. if you order just the parts and assemble it yourself, not only will you get a better knowledge of HOW to armor, but also save yourself some time (ironically)

[esskreemr]

I've had my Vniti's for about 5-6 years now. They've held up great. I actually have 3 blades that I haven't had to rewire for over 4 years! I wired them myself, of course, 'cause factory wired blades suck. I use them for dry fencing so they've seen a pretty decent amount of usage.

I bought my first one off of Triplette, and then bought 3 more probably from either Triplette or Blade.

[Zelda]

Duellist standard FIE blades (dont know the forge). Bend slightly further down then the BF blades, dont turn into spagetti and have the best feel to them. Light enough so that you can flick if thats your game, but heavy enough so that a straight attack dont wobble all over.

[Epee_Pox]

Haven't seen anyone online with better prices than physicalchess.com

Can't speak to their quality one way or the other, but their prices appear to be the lowest on just about all the stuff they sell.

[downunder]

erm... you do know that all the BF blades come from the same forge in france.....

difference between a cartel BF and a PBT BF is little...

[Squall_Leonhart]

What is the difference anyway? What does PBT and BF stand for?

[Dar Tanyon]

I have had very good luck with Triplette blades. I will be purchasing some electric blades in the near future and will order them from Triplette. Easy people to deal with and the prices are good. Also plan to order them unassembled. That way I can learn how to deal with any problems that will arise later. Hey, this isn't rocket science now, is it?

Seems to me though that all blades, even those from the same manufacturer, can vary from one blade to the next. That is the problem with mail order stuff. So recommendations of one manufacturer over another have a lot to do with personal experience and luck. Too bad there are no stores closer where one can try out the feel and balance of the blade and the assembled weapon. Then again, only a poor craftsman blames his tools....bottom line is that the pointy end (or edge) goes in the other guy. Guess I will keep working
on that part.

[wflaschka]

What is the difference anyway? What does PBT and BF stand for?

I don't know PBT offhand, but BF stands for Blaise Freres. The robotic forge in France. Here's a link to the world's worst web page: http://www.blaise-freres.fr/. It's one page, so of course they made it with frames.

If there's a difference in BF blades between various vendors, it might be attributable to different lots. Blades are produced at variable quality, and sorted later during QA -- vendors may be purchasing lots at different levels of the quality scale. (Just a theory!) I have two fantastic BF blades via Uhlmann, and I was recently surprised by a (less fantastic) BF blade from a different vendor.

[The0ne]

PBT is just the vendor I got it from. . . And yeah, I know that all the BF blades come from the same forge, I just said PBT because it's stamped on the bottom of the blade.

[elberto]

Buy whatever the club you are in is using...

Your first weapon I gather.. Don't be too hasty to buy blades...

I am not sure if what they are quoting are FIE blades.. Yes they will last a long time (if looked after properly and you don't stuff up and slug someone with poor distance.. casusing blade to buckle (kink of death) or break) but they will cost you something fierce...

cost is 3-4 times as much as a standard blade but may only last just as long.. whereas a cheap blade may not be as good but will cost you a lot less and may last longer than an expensive one...

I have used many blades in my time (too bloody long) and broken a good many (one FIE I broke at a Nationals [austalia] after i just told my opponent it had lasted 2 years and was going strong.. I jinxed it! Man was I pissed off at myself.. he beat me too to make it worse....)..

PLease look at the club you are in use what they use.. this is what you will train with when and if your weapon is broken...

Maybe later when you are feeling up to it buy an expensive FIE blade...

Yes I know you will bag me for giving this advice but hey advising vitni or bf or Bg or whatever is personal choice...

What is avaiable to the person and what does his club and coach advise (hopefully if they have a vested interest as an equipment supplier they will still give unbiased advice.. if they want to stay in business they will! trust is an important hting taht once lost is hard to regain.. I don't think I ever will

Good luck but unless it is an urgent purchase (present or such) that you cannot get delayed take your time... but a mask and glaove - they are generally the most foul to use someone elses (such as the clubs smelly stock of ""club gear"") - and don't I know .. having to wash masks, gloves etc...

My old club USAFC (university of south australia fencing club..).. well I went in there recently and the old bucket I used to use to wash the masks was still sitting on top of the cupboard with a dried out old sponge where I had left it years before.... And no one had cleaned the masks since then (yuk..)

Good luck on your decision...

ALbert


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