Negrinni Screwless and single post epee points?

[CvilleFencer]

Just wondering if anyone has any experiance with the Negrini single post/wire epee tips: http://www.negrini.com/EArt187E.htm and http://www.negrini.com/Ert187S.htm or the Negrini screwless tips: http://www.negrini.com/Ert198SSV.htm

Both seem pretty cool but kind of expensive. I was thinking of getting some to play with and wondering if anyone here has any experiance with them. I love the LP PTFE and German tips for epee but I also love new toys so I like to try and play with everything!

Also they have a groovy two piece French pommel system that I supose is for those who, well like to pommel but I am not sure what the advantage to the two piece sysem is: http://www.negrini.com/Art554S.htm

Thanks all!

[suregrip]

I fenced with the two piece pommel. It's pretty neat. What it does is, it puts added weight back in the blade, and makes for an incredibly fast tip. Great for disengages and the like for those who are accustomed to fencing with the French Grip. Also, it makes the weapon feel feather-light because of the counter-balance.

[tallntender]

They're great. They're costly.

[cornflower]

I really want to know more about the screwless tips. I just took a look at those... they're cool!

[fencinman89]

I have not personally have the chance to use the screwless tip but i most of Negrini stuff is fairly top notch.
-Tre'

[shlepzig]

I looked at the diagrams of the screwless tips. I personally use the Estoc Screwless tips, and prefer elements of their design to the Negrini tips. I have not used the Negrini tips, below are my observations from the drawings of the Negrini, and not actual practice.

The Negrini tips require filing the contacts which are two conductive solid surfaces rather than the popular contact spring that we are used to. This would be a delicate procedure that might take a few tries to get right, and new tips for each try, should you take a bit too much off, or not get the end square. It also ties you into the Negrini wire, etc. I like the O-ring seal and the solid design of the point.

The Estoc tips use a regular spring type contact which takes some niggling to get set right. Once I was able to do so, they have been work-horses for me. The weak point of the Estoc tip is their thin shaft which passes through a nylon (?) bushing, combined with the thin point location. The thin shaft is exposed to abuse, which can cause the tip to fail. I have also seen another Estoc point slide under an opposing Estoc point or a bell guard and get pulled clean out of the tip (which it can be shoved back together and made legal again if you are able to find the bits and pieces). It is compatible with normal wires, and springs, so as long as you don't have a complete destruction of the point action, you should be able to get what you need from a local vendor at a tournament.

The Negrini wire seems like it carries the signal up the sheathing, and down the core (or vise-verse) like a coax wire. Kinda cool, but I am still on the fence about how much nicer that would make things. It seems like it would present a weak point at either end where you have to isolate the two conductors for use at the plug and the tip. I would like to see it made compatible with regular points and plugs so it could be mixed and matched with other things. It would make wiring a blade a lot cleaner, but I would like to see how they fare in use for longevity and stretching.

Final word, the Negrini stuff looks pretty slick and futuristic, but seems like a good way to lock yourself into buying only Negrini stuff for the forseeable future. There are definitely good ideas exhibited here, that others should try to poach a bit to drive some refinement. I dislike epee screws more than anything and love any opportunity to get rid of them.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

maybe this is already the floating idea, but tell me how this sounds for a screwless. What if the pressure spring screwed into the barrel/base on the bottom end, and then screwed into the tip/point on the top end. The pressure spring is what would hold it together and keep it from flying apart in a heap of spring loaded glory.

[shlepzig]

At best the idea sounds dubious. Without a sound drawing in front of me I am not sure what would stop the whole tip from unraveling should it get caught on a bell guard. The spring is easily stretched out if caught on anything. How would you tune it and set it for a consistent shim test?

Not saying it couldn't possibly work, just that I do not have a clear idea from your description how you would make it work.

Shlep.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Originally Posted by shlepzig

At best the idea sounds dubious. Without a sound drawing in front of me I am not sure what would stop the whole tip from unraveling should it get caught on a bell guard. The spring is easily stretched out if caught on anything. How would you tune it and set it for a consistent shim test?

Not saying it couldn't possibly work, just that I do not have a clear idea from your description how you would make it work.

Shlep.

Your right that on a bell guard it could be a problem.