Good blades

[Foil Girl]

I know this is a bit of a, well let's say broad, question. I would like to know, from your experiences, what places sell the best electric foils. I never flick (unless I'm sitting aorudn the salle bored), so it doesn't really need to be too whippy. Just, ya know, a well balanced blade. Currently I have mostly france-lame blades (they're getting quite stiff), and one blue gauntlet blade. I like blue gauntlet's blades, but their service is dispicable (IMHO), so they
are out of the running. I also don't have enough money for a FIE blade (What are those things made out of to cost so much! Yikes! ). I'm also wondering how much a good FIE mask costs. anyhoo, sorry if that was a bit demanding, but as I look through he stores of all these people online I can't get any idea of how good their merchandise is.

[Purple Fencer]

An FIE blade is made with maragin steel, which is designed to break (if it does) with a blunt edge to minimize puncture injuries. I presume the manufacturing specs and material are different than a non-maraging blade. I'm pretty sure Paolo Damiani will clarify it I HAVE noticed that the one FIE I have is a tad heavier that the other three foil blades, which is one reason I tend not to use it, although I really SHOULD practice with it.

As far as service is concerned, I've always had good luck with American Fencers in San Francisco. Matthew's always been very helpful. Where do you live/fence? There might be a dealer near you (either a store-front or at a comp) and you can ckeck the blades out before buying. That's how I settled on my Leon-Paul Etoile blades a few years back.

FIE Masks? I remember my Uhlman sabre mask was around $200, and my Prieur foil/epee was around $150. Really depends on who you get it through. The Prieur I bought from Triplett, but the Uhlman I got through my club (from Fencing Post, I think), and I basically got it at costs, sicne I'd done a lot for the club at that time. I think they made something like $20 profit on it.

[Catal]

I'm assuming you got the new guy at Blue Gauntlet who speaks English as his first language, yeah- he's a few meters short of a piste, but they have an FIE mask for $99. Granted, it's not as asthetically pleasing as the PBT or Blade masks, but that's skin deep- it's a $99 FIE mask.

With regards to blades; Blade has a sale on FIE complete weapons: $75 for a pistol grip foil. It's Blade's lowest end FIE blade, but it is maraging steel and that does increase the lifespan.

I wouldn't normally recommend either company, but those are very good deals and if money is tight, then perhaps you should consider them. Ideally, I'd get a PBT FIE mask and a Triplette BF Blade, but that's a $165 and $87.50 purchase. It's hard to explain the level of quality in words, but when you see the items and feel them in use, it's obvious.

BF blades don't flick easily, the balance point tends to be closer to the guard, out around 2 3/4 to 3 inches from the top of the guard.

[veeco]

I believe maraging steel has a higher nickel content which makes it both stronger and also as Sam mentionned gives better odds at getting a blunt edge when it breaks.

[Purple Fencer]

Originally posted by Catal:
<STRONG>I'm assuming you got the new guy at Blue Gauntlet who speaks English as his first language</STRONG>

Isn't there a rule against that sort of thing?

[edew]

Non-maraging foil blades (FL, in particular) last me about 2 weeks, if I can get them to last that long. Some break within two hours of practice fencing. The Maraging FL blades last quite a bit longer.

I have been using the BF blades from Triplette and they are quite nice. I have broken only one since last July (the Austin nationals). Since then, I've bought several more at the Greensboro NAC and three more blades at JOs in SLC. None of them have broken on me, but then, with that number of blades, I don't use any one particular one too frequently.

Also, it is my experience that maraging blades do last longer than non-maraging, independent of the manufacturer.

Now, let's talk about those piece of s**t S2000 sabre blades. I've never seen so many blades break (almost consistently) at the tang. One night at practice, four S2000 sabre blades broke, all at the tang. They're not all from the same manufacturer (or supplier). And I recall seeing a lot of others ***** and moan about this problem at the Sacramento Nationals.

[damianip]

For masks, I'd recommend a Negrini FIE. They are about $140.00 from American Fencer's supply. They are light and fairly cool. They are not heavily padded which may or may not be to your liking. The workmanship is excellent.

Allstar masks are beauties although I find them a bit too padded, and they are pricey. Prieurs are excellent also and seem to be somewhere between the Negrini and the Allstars for padding.

Remember, whatever mask you buy, get it tested.

If you like a stiff blade, and FIE is out of your price range, the Triplette BF blades are pretty stiff, nicely balanced and pretty durable. I really liked their WKC blades when I was fencing foil. They are cheaper than the BF blades, about as stiff, but not as durable.

Paolo

[Catal]

A rule about what, Purple? Pointing out that a particular vendor has a language issue and that they made a wise corporate decision by hiring someone who speaks the language? These are things people should know.