Anatomical grips for Foil and Epee; compatible

[Kettu]

I ask a simple question. Many of the pistol grips I see for foils and epees look approximately the same size, however are always marketed in seperate sections on vendors' sites. Are they different, or is this a marketing ploy?

If there is a distintive discerning characteristic I would be anxious to learn of it. Length, slot for tang's diameter? Please enlighten me.

Andrew

[Purple Fencer]

Manhy companies have their parts broken down by weapon so buyers don't have to search all over the site for specific items, and identical parts tend to get listed twice (although they should be the same price and part number)...that's how my price list is set up...and I've not seen a differance in size of grips...Frenchies are identical, and a V2 for foil is the same as a V2 for epee

[CvilleFencer]

With one big difference. Epee pistol grips are traditionally not insulated and are bare metal. Foil grips are insulated. The reasons for this are less important know than they were, but if you use an insulated grip in epee you are making more target for your opponent to shot at, although as a general rule if he hits your grip he will also hit your hand. In foil on some of the older machines touching an uninsulated grip to the lame grounded out the lame making it impossible to score on you and with some boxes even with the anti-fraud technology the newer boxes have you run the risk of your bell guard suddenly becoming an extension of you lame!

I also have ran into a couple of local level judges that will insist that you can only fence with the "right" type of grip for each weapon but by and large it is no longer strictly enforced, although I still tend to make a fencer with an uninsulated grip cover the tang and bottom of the finger guards with tape if for no other reason than it is a rule.

Hope that helped some.

[Purple Fencer]

Yeah....but a layer of paint hardly qualifies as a significant differance in the grip...which I take as the general thrust of the original question.

[CvilleFencer]

No, but it is a distinctive differance and why they are in seperate sections, since they are meant and made for use with differant weapons! Sorry, I have been in hair splitting mode all day. Left over from the NAC I guess...