X-Change Sabre Mask

[fencinman89]

I was looking on the LP website and i saw this sabre mask. While i was working with Joe Byrnes a Nationals a woman brought a sabre mask up to the table and upon inspection , He deemed it illegal becasue the metallic Bib comes off, I dont see how this is conductive since there is velcro on the opposite side. LP's website says it is legal for International use, does this mean everywhere but the US. i am confused over this and am looking for insight from a higher level armourer than i.
-Tre'

[whtouche]

I have one, and have used it at at least one NAC and one summer nationals, both times it passed inspection, as well as other tournaments Ive attended where inspections have happened.
I do believe that it is legal for international use, and it is at the very least legal for national use. It is conductive because the bib slides into a slot at the front of the mask. The bib being conductive, and the slot being metal.

[CvilleFencer]

As far as I know Joe was wrong on this one. The exchange masks are a bit radical, in the best of ways, but are legal, durable and a pretty neat idea. They use a slot and groove system to make contact and the velcro just hols the padding in place IIRC. The system is just as safe as glueing or riviting the bib on and it is not designed to be removed on a regular basis.

[Junkie]

I think the x-change masks are legal because technically the bib is not removed from the mask but one bit of the mask is removed from another.

[neevel]

The last time I was working with Joe at a tournament (Overland Park last fall, I was head tech), Joe had no issue with the X-change masks, and neither did I or anyone else. They are perfectly legal since the method of attachment for the bib does not leave any gaps which a blade might slip through or get caught in. They were passed at the Team World Champs in NYC this June (I was chief of control there as well, and Dan DeChaine was the SEMI rep), and Louise-Bond Williams was wearing one at Athens.

There is one thing to be aware of that could cause one of these masks to fail when presented (and Joe did catch one with this problem at Overland Park). The channel that the bib slots into also is the conductive connection between the bib and the rest of the mask. That channel can get coated with dirt, dried sweat salts, etc., and when it does the bib will fail conductivity. Fortunately, all you need to do when this happens is to slide the bib out and clean of the channel with scotch-brite pad or the like.

-Dave

[fencinman89]

this wasnt a X change i believe it was a BG version and i may not have seen it but i only sayw a solid bib and just a velco piece of lame fabric but i didnt hget a chance to examine it closely
-Tre'

[fencinman89]

sry for the confusion it was my mistake.
-Tre'

[pkt]

Originally Posted by neevel

...
There is one thing to be aware of that could cause one of these masks to fail when presented (and Joe did catch one with this problem at Overland Park). The channel that the bib slots into also is the conductive connection between the bib and the rest of the mask. That channel can get coated with dirt, dried sweat salts, etc., and when it does the bib will fail conductivity. Fortunately, all you need to do when this happens is to slide the bib out and clean of the channel with scotch-brite pad or the like.

-Dave

My friend who's more of a tech than i had two cures for this eventuality:
1. drip some water into the channel before you present the mask for testing;
2. use the silver threads for repairing lame' to bypass the aluminium slot: he believes the aluminium's higher resistence causes the resistence since my mask was fairly new and clean when it registered too high a resistence.

LP now have new bibs with lower resistence... In other words, they're aware of this problem.

PK