Does anyone have a lightweight foil lame from Leon Paul? If so, how do you like it? Is it durable, conductive, etc.? I'm considering getting one in the near future.
It seems to be the best out there for the price. Any thoughts?
Does anyone have a lightweight foil lame from Leon Paul? If so, how do you like it? Is it durable, conductive, etc.? I'm considering getting one in the near future.
It seems to be the best out there for the price. Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
T
The lightweight lame from Leon Paul is very similar to the "ultralight" sold by Triplette. So, if you've seen the TCA ultralight in action, you'll have a benchmark for how the material in the Leon Paul lightweight lame will perform. The fit, cut, and stitching are in the Leon Paul lightweight lame are all up to the (high) standards for anything coming out of the London factory.
A few people have recently purchased these from Leon Paul USA - I'll try to solicit some comments so you get an answer from someone other than the salesperson.
I'm one of the folks who has recently ordered one. I'll let you know immediately how it works. I am thrilled with my sydney jacket and I am starting to replace all my Uhlmann stuff with LP. It's really sweeeeet gear!
I've got one. Since I've only had it for 3 months, I can't comment definitively on durability, but the Triplette lames were comparable in useable life to stainless lames, with the limiting factor usually being the material fraying apart at the seams rather than loss of conductivity. The fit and quality of construction of the LP are considerably better (Triplette appears to use either the Tin Man or Marvin the robot as their design model for clothing). Given the better construction, the seams may hold up better.
-Dave
"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by."
-Douglas Adams
Given that Infinity's foil lame is $140 and the LP superlight is $151 + change (on LPUSA site), which would you pick? They're pretty much the same price. I've recieved some money recently, and can afford either one (just!). I know LP's workmanship is superb (and seen from a brief search that people complain about infinity's stitching). I've also seen that infinity's mesh makes it the lightest, coolest lame out there.
Which way do I go?
-Keith
Chiswick, fresh horses! We ride at once to rebellious Stoke where it is my sworn intent to approach the city walls, bare my broad buttocks, and shout "Behold! I honor thee most highly!"
the infinity foil dropped down to 130 on sgfencing.com I saw the leon paul lightweight at a tourney on saturday, it does look pretty cool. Not really similiar to the infinity its more like a high quality better fitting triplette lightweight.
The weakness of the Infinity lames is that the open mesh is prone to getting snagged and torn. This seems to be more of an issue with foil than for sabre (a thrust in foil will miss and slide, and a burr on the blade will catch the mesh). So, you'll need to weigh that risk of damage versus the lighter weight and breathability.
"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by."
-Douglas Adams
The other problem I have seen with the Infinity lames is that they seems tend to unravel very quickly. Also the Velcro is very far back on the collar on most of the ones I have seen meaning that a lot of people have to go up a size or two just to get it to fit at the throat or doe some after market stitching work. The last grip I have with the Infinity lames is that (because of the horrible stitching) they no longer put loops for clipping you body cord onto the jacket and since the use plastic quick release buckles for the groin strap you have to use you jacket clip, if it has one. Kind of a pain, and it annoys me that it is an otherwise great lame. Oh, it is a horrible mud puddle brown, or at least most of them are. I have seen a few that are more of a dark gunmetal grey but the brown looks blah to me.
On the plus side it is the most breathable, lightest lame I have ever seen or used. Ever a bit better than the LP. However, considering the other issues my money would be on the LP since it tends to fit better and is better thought out without any stupid little quirks.
Just another lost soul saved by the (hit) First Church of EPEE!
... the LP since it tends to fit better and is better thought out without any stupid little quirks.
Is that fits better on an athlete with 3% body fat, or fits better on a 37 year-old man who likes beer... a lot.
My 9th parry is to suck my gut in.
OK, so I'm not morbidly obese - 6' 0" and 215lb so I know either one will fit, but baggy might be better.
I'm also unlikely to put seriously heavy use on the thing either way - its not like I compete yet (Just club stuff so far, but I would like to try the local division. A good a$$-wuppin' now and then definitely stops one from getting a swollen head.
-Keith
Chiswick, fresh horses! We ride at once to rebellious Stoke where it is my sworn intent to approach the city walls, bare my broad buttocks, and shout "Behold! I honor thee most highly!"
I had one for nearly a year. It was a little roomy to begin with. I lost some weight and it was positively baggy. Overall I was very happy with the quality. I'm now using FWF lames. So far so good. Fit is better (for me) quality not quiet as good, but still good and it does have a violent orange coloured lining. Pricing is better.
Does anyone know of a picture with name printing on this lame? I hear it looks really good compared to a normal lame.
I have a named LP lightweight lame. Only had it 3 months so not qualified to talk about durability, suffice to say it is holding up well so far. It really is...er very very light (!) and I do like the material and finish is in line with LP's traditionaly very high standard. In regard to the name printing- it is cool but a lot less prominant in that it is quite a shiny material so you don't get the matt finish of other lames. It is therfore more or less prominant depending on how it catches the light. The material is basically a bit darker than the standard LP lame and so this also makes it less prominant.
In conclusion- I would heartily recommend it to anyone.
I'm wearing one here:
"There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots"
I have had a LP lightweight lame for as long as they have been around (my club ordered the first few when they were released in the UK) and I can definitly say durability wise, they are pretty damn perfect. My training lame still works fine and looks great, whilst my competition lame still looks brand new, and the printing is also great. I only ever had one slight problem with it, and that was when I spilt car battery acid on it...burnt a hole right through it. So yeah, don't do that.
PS: The name printing is not as definied on my lame as on other types...It looks much lighter and is harder to see. Frankly, I prefer this as it looks less flashy, but you might want to check it out yourself. That could just be my lame of course.
My LP Lightweight is about two years old now and I take horrible care of it. Wad it up, through in one of the outside pockets of my bag and zip it up. When it gets to smelling I take it into the shower or hose it down with Fabreeze and then repeat the balling up and abusing of it. I even accidentally tossed it in the washer once and no problems. No holes, stitching and Velcro are great and it is a bit high, but still passable.
A friend of mine got an Infinity about the same time and it will not pass inspection and looks like a patchwork quilt from repairing all the (foil) holes it had punched/worn in it (he wears a chest plate which makes it worse as far as holes getting put in the fabric. Course so do I and the LP is fine...). So for my money, the LP is the very best of the lightweight lames out there. I have yet to try the new Absolutes however. I just gotta think those things are not going to hold up for the long haul. Then again I thought the same thing about my LP lightweight when I first got it...
Just another lost soul saved by the (hit) First Church of EPEE!
Back in high school, when I fenced foil, I used an Infinity Lame. Now, as a sabre fencer, I still use an Infinity.
I can't say much about the quality of the Leon Paul since I don't know anybody around here using them, but I'd say the Infinity products are quite decent. Clipping the reel to your jacket isn't really much of an inconvenience. The only problem I've had is when I lent my sabre lame to an inexperienced fencer who struggled to get into it, tearing the shoulder seam. $5 at the local tailor and it was fixed. I've heard of tearing/punctures on the lame material, but I've never had it happen to me. It's true that when they die, they die in sections, but they can be pretty easily fixed using a few pieces of conductive thread.
The lames are incredibly light and breathable. I've used similar ultralight lames from Absolute and FWF, and I would give the edge to the Infinity. the more recent Infinity lames in circulation have the gunmetal appearance rather than muddy brown.
It should be noted that my criticisms of the Infinity lames apply as a foil fencer. Most saber fencers I know love the things. It seems that they do no hold up well to point hits, but that they are fine with slashes, the only problem being if the other fencers sword is very jagged and snags the material. Yeah, good for saber but not a good choice for foil would be my super short assessment.
Just another lost soul saved by the (hit) First Church of EPEE!
Originally Posted by trragan 
I saw the leon paul lightweight at a tourney on saturday, it does look pretty cool. Not really similiar to the infinity its more like a high quality better fitting triplette lightweight. 
