BG blades

[beeyeelelwhy]

I was wondering what the difference between the BG Y-style blue gauntlet blade was and the BG Russian style (Saber blades). I understand the shape difference and that kind of this but are either of them better? The Russian one is two dollars cheaper. Also, i know these blades are low quality and so i'm open to suggestions on other cheap blades that you might think were better. Thanks.

[mrbiggs]

Always buy good blades. It will save you money. If necessary, buy good cheap blades. There are many people here (not me), probably, that could recommend a blade with a much longer life than the BG, yet that won't strain your budget.

[beeyeelelwhy]

Can anybody name some blades that would be better? I have heard that sometimes it is better to just get cheap blades. Any other thoughts?

[CvilleFencer]

All saber blades tend to break. It comes down to your feel and preference. Keep in mind that their is no such thing as FIE saber blade no matter what the vendor says. I do not like most of the Chinese saber blade I have seen as they just feel “off” although being primarily an epeeist that only plays with saber I tend to be much more sensitive to the feel of weapons than most dedicated saber fencers I know they just don’t seem to get the “horrible balance for point work” comments I make about their weapons!).

I am a big fan of the StM saber blades. For me they have a good feel, come in a cool looking rust inhibiting coating and tend to last a good long time. I have had very bad luck with any of the Uhlmann/Allstar/BF saber blades I have tried. Most definitely not worth the money IMHO. If you are looking to spend a bit more money I have heard good things about the PBT sabers (love their rubber over metal grips) and the Leon Paul blades although I do not have any real experience with either of those. As to places to check out for good prices on saber blades try:

www.thefencingpost.com
and
www.shopeli.com

Best of luck!

[shango]

The new Blade sabre blades aren't that bad I think, but I fence foil, and occasionally moonlight in sabre, so I don't know the other sabrists' opinions.

[Inquartata]

I like the S+M blades, but then I've used the cheap square-section Chinese blades as well. And I can't discern any great difference in feel, balance, durability or performance. I've bought more expensive blades in the past, hoping they'd give me some sort of edge, and of course they have not. The blades you use will not make you a better fencer. IMO they're all made to certain specs and they are not that different from each other.