BF Blue FIE Maraging Foil, Ziv GIII?

[OneBadFencer]

Any body have any experience with these blades? I have heard some sketchy things about BF blades being a bit fragile and breaking too quickly, but I didn't know if this was the FIE model or what?

I'm considering getting one with a Zivkovic GIII grip, so if anyone has ever tried that either, I'd love feedback.

Anyone? Anyone?

[noodle]

regular bf blades are a bit off, i believe

BF fie blades, esp blue ones, are the best blades you can buy, however.

[CvilleFencer]

As Noodle mentioned the BF FIE blades are considered to be, by many fencers the best blades around. I have not used them heavily in foil, but in epee I love the feel and balance, and if I had a sponsor supplying me with blades it is what I would use. Since I have to shell out the money myself, I like to go with either the Vniti or LP blades. Both are supper durable, are a bit better value and have a good feel to them. On the downside both require a slight period of adjustment when switching from the BF blades to learn their feel and a lot of people pick them up, decide it does not feel just like a BF and never investigate further.

As to the durability of the BF FIE blades, I have gotten reasonable (6 months or more) use from their foils, but I have not gotten the use I would expect for the price from their epee's, which is why I switched to the LP non-FIE. They last much longer and I can buy two of them for the price of a BF FIE blade.

Short version, in my experience the BF blades feel just awesome, but are not very durable. Other blades come very close to the feel and last much longer while costing less. If you have the money to go through you will most likely not be disappointed with the BF blades, but if you are on a bit of a budget, you might want to shop around a bit and look at the LP epees and Vniti Foils.

Oh, and the grip! I love the Zivkovic grips. I use the BIII grips and they fit my hand better than any I have ever used before. If my hands were just a bit smaller I would use the G series as the tilt of the grip and the way it snugs into your wrist is great for my style of foil, but my hands are a bit to big. Do try them. After a week or so of getting use to them I bet they will be your favorite grips.

A few things to think about though. The tang holes in the grips are a bit small, so you will have to drill them out for some weapons, especially epees. I had to drill them out for all the Vniti's (foil and epee) and all the BF epee's I have mounted them on as well as some of the fleche foils. For some reason these grips will shatter very easy if you try to force them on buy tightening them down so make sure to test the fit before you try to put them on. Also be aware that for epee he does not make them without the coating so you will either have to live with your grip being target area or spend a lot of time sanding them off.

Hmm, it sounds from reading over the above like they are a pain, and I guess they are a lot more work than a good LP or Uhlmann/Allstar grip. I love them because they are the only grips that fit my hand comfortably and so I am willing to put up with a lot. I really do think they feel great though and would encourage you to try them out.

[OneBadFencer]

Cville...

I have a Vniti foil and have been quite happy with it. I'm still a beginner, so I am in the process of trying new things and finding which equipment works best for me. I have been pretty happy with the Vniti, except that it is, perhaps a little heavy. I doubt I would have noticed that if I hadn't kept reading about it on here, but ya know...

I thought I'd try something new and folks seem really hot on the BF blades, so I figured what the hell.

[CvilleFencer]

I have not noticed a real differance between the BF and the newer Vniti foils in terms of weight. The Prieur FIE blades are crazylight however! Also the LP Budget Maraging blades are very light, but they tend to feel a bit strange till you get used to them. I love to try out new gear so I am always ranging far afield in search of fencing coolness so I do understand! The BF's really are very nice blades...

[OneBadFencer]

Cville...

Sweet...I took your word for it and ordered up a BF...

If, however, I don't like it, you had better watch your back. I am still a beginner and have this strange draw pulling me towards sabre (which I figure makes me doubly scary to most sensible folks)...I could be dangerous...you know...come after you in some dark alley and cudgel you to death with my BF foil!!!! hahahahahaha...he said with a wicked sinister laugh...

Thanks for the input...

[cowpaste]

I always hear people talking about the lightness of the Prieur maraging foil. However, I have one myself, and it's the heaviest blade I have! My lightest blade is actually a StM maraging. I also have a BF Triplette maraging that is still lighter than the Prieur. Maybe I just got a weird batch?

I have not noticed a real differance between the BF and the newer Vniti foils in terms of weight. The Prieur FIE blades are crazylight however! Also the LP Budget Maraging blades are very light, but they tend to feel a bit strange till you get used to them. I love to try out new gear so I am always ranging far afield in search of fencing coolness so I do understand! The BF's really are very nice blades...

[shango]

Yeah me too. I got the Prieur FIE Maraging from Blue Gauntlet, and its heavier than my Vniti blade, and everyone says that the Vniti blades are supposed to be the heaviest.

[davtsung]

My Vniti's are consistently the heaviest, while my StM's are consistently the lightest. BF blades tend to be right smack in the middle for me, though as mentioned, their durability leaves much to be desired in my hands. I use my Vniti's as a back-up to my StM 'gold-boys', though with the decrease in flicking success to failure ratio, I suspect I might try using my stiff Vniti's 'Tank' as a primary weapon.

[suregrip]

I have 3 BF FIE blades. They are 4 years old. They have Ziv grips on them. They have been stepped on, fallen on, thrown about by luggage handlers, lent to other fencers who used them like sledge hammers, and they are still fine.