So what type of Epee do YOU use?

[CvilleFencer]

I am trying to get an idea if BF is still tops or if more people are starting to try other blades. If you do check other please expand a bit on what type of weapon you use. Also feel free to post about you grip/tip/guard preferences as well. I am sure most of us have tried differant blades and probably own a few but I am really looking for what you reach for first in your fencing bag.

Also this is for Epee only. More to come for Foil and Saber.

Thanks all!

[sreckiki]

I use BF FIE because I fence with a French grip and you can find some really really hard blades.

But I also have a couple of Prieur FIE. They are less hard but really lighter.

[suregrip]

I also use a French Grip (BF FIE). Everyone who picks up my blades always comments about how wonderfully balanced they are and how good they feel. Because of the comments, I've never switched.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

I use a leon paul non-fie cause I'm a po lil kid. They dont take bad kinks or anything.

[grotto]

in my bag.....

2, 96 faux FIE France Lames. (yes they are pretty beat up but what the hell, fence with em till they break...)
2 Leon Paul non-FIE. I like their feel, blade is nice and light with a moderately stiff blade, oh they are my french grip blades by the way, the s-curve specials are both belgian.

I never really found the FIE blades to perform that much better for the cost. I baby my blades and typically fence with a light touch, which helps a great deal when it comes to longevity.

Leon Paul bells all around, Yes they are heavier than others but they will stop a truck, and I tend to bell parry quite a bit. German tips, Paul sockets, Paul french grips, Santelli Belgians,

[MyraTrue]

I LIKE the FIE miraging BF Uhlmanns. I own a couple of old (93, 94) FIE blades, and a cheap BG blade. I can't afford to buy until these break, and they're going to last forever at the rate they're going.

However, for the few times I've fenced with the BF FIE's, I've really liked them. And with epee blades, since I don't really break blades, I could afford to replace with FIE one day and know they'll last a long time. And hopefully refrain from some of the awful kinks that I've seen in other blades. Luckily, none in mine yet.

[daveappr]

I use both Leon Paul FIE & non FIE blades- never have had a severe kink, and I like the feel of the blades. Several of the fencers in our club use Vniti, but I prefer the LP's feel.

[fencingguy]

For the quality of performance the BF FIE just can't be beat. Althought there are some differences in the types (blue, white, etc...) they generally are all very well balanced, have a good bend point (farther towards the tip of the blade), and as a result have basically no lag time from the movement of the grip to the movement of the point (a problem suffered by weaker, more flexible blades). The primary problem with them is their lack of durability. I know many people who claim to never break blades, so they probably don't run into this issue, but for those training consistently (3-5 times a week) with lessons and heavy bouting, the liklihood of these blades lasting a season is almost nil.

There can be a lot of variability in BFs so make sure you know what level of stiffness you want and what weight the blade should be. Also, realize that the blade will break in a bit as you use it. Once you have a selection of blades that meet your general criteria for balance and stiffness, proceed to testing them to make sure they'll stand up to some fencing.

In order to combat the problem of poor durability a lot of time needs to go into the selection of the blades when you buy them, and if possible they should never be mail ordered. When checking the blade make sure you look down it to make sure it is straight from tang to tip both vertically and horizontally, then check the flexibility by putting the tip on your shoe and bending it (the blade not your shoe ).

You also want to check to see if there are any flaws in the metal. Do this the same way you would check the flexibility, only push the blade farther so the the tip of the blade is at 90 degrees or more to the forte. Hold it there for a half a second and then let it straighten itself out. Look down the blade again, if there are any kinks or bends in the blade, those are problem spots and it shouldn't be purchased.

Be careful too about what stamp is on the blade. The different companies often have different qualities to the batches. This last season, Cartel had a particularly good batch of very light, but stiff BFs, while Triplette's consistently are on the very low end of the scale.

In fact, there is some speculation that the Triplette blades are not the same level of quality as the other companies that carry BF, because they consistently have heavier, more fragile blades with poor balance. I personally have bought blades from them twice that have broken the first or second time I used them and I'm not willing to risk it again, even for the lower price.

Other blades on the market are more durable, or have a similar feel, but none are able to reporduce the quality of worksmanship that BF contiually puts out. Prieur blades feel excellent when they are first purchased, but they quickly be come exceedingly flexible, to the point where they aren't really worth using at all. I've heard good things about the Ukranian blades, but I haven't tried one for myself.

Hope this info helped and wasn't annoying!

[noodle]

bf blue maraging, vniti bell, uhlmann m visconti, german parts, medium RH cant

[Army Fencer]

Originally Posted by fencingguy

The primary problem with them is their lack of durability. [F]or those training consistently (3-5 times a week) with lessons and heavy bouting, the liklihood of these blades lasting a season is almost nil.

Let alone lasting a month. I broke more than 10 blades last season; most of them were Uhlmann BFs. One evening, I broke 3, two of them were BFs.

Excellent post on blade selection, fencingguy.

[dukeofdoom]

BF blue maraging. French.

[noodle]

Originally Posted by Army Fencer

Let alone lasting a month. I broke more than 10 blades last season; most of them were Uhlmann BFs. One evening, I broke 3, two of them were BFs.

Excellent post on blade selection, fencingguy.

i've owned three over the last two years, broken one. one's on the verge of breaking. i think i'm about average. i'm also considering buying a bf white because they'll probably last a little longer

[misha]

Originally Posted by noodle

i've owned three over the last two years, broken one. one's on the verge of breaking. i think i'm about average. i'm also considering buying a bf white because they'll probably last a little longer

Why do you think BF white will last longer?



.

[CvilleFencer]

Originally Posted by misha

Why do you think BF white will last longer?

I am not sure why but I have heard this myself, and the fact that I see a lot of the white BF blades that fencers have had for a year or more tends to bear it out. I would really like to know why though? Maybe they are just tougher/stiffer blades? I really like the feel of the blues myself but I might try to pick one up and see if I notice any differance one of these days.

[TooLoftheDeviL]

Originally Posted by CvilleFencer

I am not sure why but I have heard this myself, and the fact that I see a lot of the white BF blades that fencers have had for a year or more tends to bear it out. I would really like to know why though? Maybe they are just tougher/stiffer blades? I really like the feel of the blues myself but I might try to pick one up and see if I notice any differance one of these days.

My experience with BF white foils and epees is that they are generally stiffer on average than the BF blues.

[veeco]

I have heard it too. I think it might be because in general the blues are stiffer blades and tend to take kinks more often due to their being stiffer.

As for me, I fence with stiff white BF blades (when I can find good ones)

[Army Fencer]

I did find the whites to be a little better, but I broke those, too.

[glowstix]

Originally Posted by Army Fencer

Let alone lasting a month. I broke more than 10 blades last season; most of them were Uhlmann BFs. One evening, I broke 3, two of them were BFs.

Excellent post on blade selection, fencingguy.

wwhhhaaattt!??? can you afford to eat still?????? i'm using 3 cheapo fleche blades that are currently lasting about 4-6 months (since i'm in college and they take advantage of grad students by paying us a bi-weekly stipend that vapourizes in a few seconds). i rotate them so i suspect they might just break right around the same time. i fence electrically about twice per week and dry on a third day.

by the way, from a performance standpoint ( i understand durability), why are maraging blades better than generic or fleche brand blades???

[noodle]

bf blues are very resilliant, but they take radical bends easily, so they'll break a little more easily, as the major major bends are the general blade killers.

bf whites are a little more succeptible to everyday bends, but they resist radical bends a lot more. they are generally more inflexible, though, making them tougher to flick and they're a little heavier making the weight distribution different.

[fencingguy]

Originally Posted by glowstix

by the way, from a performance standpoint ( i understand durability), why are maraging blades better than generic or fleche brand blades???

I don't know that they actually are any better just because they're maraging. I need them because I fence in FIE events that require them, beyond that...

At the moment I'm actually using two BF, non FIE blades because I do need to eat . I'll be buying some "real" ones in a couple months. But I do notice a difference. The FIE blades are stiffer, and feel springier (nice non-scientific description) than the non-maraging ones I have now. May be just the individual blades though.