Who Makes the Best FOIL?

[DarkTransient]

Anyone has any thought on the topic?
I am looking to buy a new foil. Currently I have a SilverStar blade but I find it heavy and deforms pretty easily, and it is slightly stiffer than I would like.

[Lumberg]

Reynolds Aluminium Foil. It just doesn't get any better.
You only have one blade? Wow. You can try Leon Paul, Prieur, Triplette brand (Blaises-Frere), Allstar, or Uhlmann.

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Lumberg.
"...ahhh, we have sort of a problem here... yeah, you apparently didn't put one of the new cover sheets on your TPS report"

[Emfuser]

My vote goes to Uhlmann... they (badge engineer) put out nice BF blades.

Mike

[DarkTransient]

Is Uhlmann's more flexible ?

[This message has been edited by DarkTransient (edited 02-22-2001).]

[neevel]

Blaise Freres (= Uhlmann, Allstar, Triplette) blades are usually on the stiff side. If you're looking for a fairly flexible blade then you might consider Leon Paul blades. They're about as durable as you'll find in non-maraging blades, though they tend to get mushy and require frequent straightening when they get old.

-Dave Neevel

[DarkTransient]

Anyone owns both silver star and ulmann? How do they compare?

[neevel]

I've never owned a Silverstar myself, but they gained a dreadful reputation when they were first introduced (though part of that was due some over-the-top hype by a vendor which wasn't reflected by reality). I know one fellow who bought six of them and went through them all in six months. They're the 'budget' line made by France Lames, and France Lames blades haven't had a terribly good rep for the past few years.

Uhlmann, Allstar, and Triplette-brand blades come from the Blaise Freres forge, which has been considered one of the top-quality blade producers. I've heard a few stories of recent BF blades having durability problems, though, and one club member recently purchased an Uhlmann BF non-maraging blade which only lasted 3 months before breaking. As I mentioned above, BF blades are stiff-- if anything even stiffer than FL blades.

If you really want a blade that will last and can fit it into your budget, go with a maraging blade-- it will more than pay for the much higher cost in longevity (~2-3 times the price, ~6-10 times the lifespan-- YMMV, of course). BF Blue maraging blades were very popular the last couple of seasons; they're pricey, however. Vniti maraging blades are probably the best value for the money going in terms of durability, and would fit with your desire for a somewhat less stiff blade. They are a bit heavier than BF blades, though. I've got both Vniti and BF Blue maraging foils, and I go back and forth between which I prefer.

In the three years since I've been using Vniti blades, though, I've broken only one and semi-retired (i.e., mounted it on old hilt parts as a last-ditch backup) another that eventually took some kinks not to my liking. Prior to that I used FL or Leon Paul blades, and typically broke about three blades a year out of 5-6 foils I keep in my bag (the Leon Pauls usually outlasted the FLs).

You might check around to see if any vendors have some 'overage' maraging blades (I think Blade lists some on their web site, for example). The FIE places a 5-year age limit on blades permitted at A-grade competitions, to keep out any blades that may have been in use for too long. Since it's a limit from when the blades were forged, it means that any FIE blades that have been sitting in stock for that long will also be disallowed, even though they've never been used. Vendors will usually sell off any such blades that are left for a greatly reduced price, and they're a good buy if you aren't going to be doing any international-level competition.

-Dave

[DarkTransient]

I wonder what blade Golubitsky used in 1999 World Championship. I would assume that blade meets FIE standard, yet it appears unbelievably flexible.

[Oor Wullie]

I bought two BF blue non-maraging blades from Allstar, and the pair of them only lasted two months. Not only that, but they were as stiff as iron girders for the duration of their use.

In BF's defence I have to say that I am very good at blade breaking, as I do like to close distance and wallop people in the chest!

I have since switched to buying Leon Paul standard maraging blades, and the difference in flexibility and durability is well worth the increase in cost.

Oor Wullie.

[Craig]

I prefer the Vniti blades. I think that I had the first one used in the states (I had been in Russia and got through the people who ran the forge.) The first blade lasted me about a year of bouting 3 times/week plus tourneys.

Since then, I've loaded up on them. I prefer the heavier weight of the blade, plus they are flexible enough. Can't say when the last time I broke one was. Of course, now that I've said it, I'll break one tonight.

Now, if there was just a decent foil barrel that didn't ding after 3 bouts...the german points have gone to hell recently and seem to be a *lot* softer than 2 years ago.

Cheers,
Craig

[DarkTransient]

I couldn't find an online retailer that sells Vniti Blades. Anyone knows one?

[neevel]

Triplette ( www.triplette.com ) and Blade ( www.blade-fencing.com ) sell them. Blade calls them their "FIE Supreme" blades (if you look at the little manufacturer note it says Vniti).

-Dave

[This message has been edited by neevel (edited 02-23-2001).]

[Oor Wullie]

I never used to be a fan of Leon Paul foil tips, always preferring Allstar, but recently I've found the quality of the Allstar tips to be very poor.

Leon Paul have brought out a new tip which is much sturdier, and is also Teflon coated to help the closing action. All in all, I now find them much better than Allstar.

Oor Wullie.

[Lumberg]

To neevel,
Is it all possible if you could have written a longer answer? I think you gave us the abridged version.

------------------
Lumberg.
"...ahhh, we have sort of a problem here... yeah, you apparently didn't put one of the new cover sheets on your TPS report"

[DarkTransient]

I appreciate neevel spent time and detailed his opinion.

[DarkTransient]

I think all BF blades come in different degrees of flexibility. So you have to ask the vendor when you purchse them. Otherwise they might just send you the stiffest or whippest one.

[neevel]

The different BF models are differentiated by the finish color-- the 'white' (i.e., plain metal) are the stiffest, with the blue ones a bit less so. I don't think you could really apply the adjective 'whippy' to any of the BF blades-- they're all pretty stiff.

-Dave

[DarkTransient]

Do you find it difficult to flick with a BF blue blade?
Has anyone tried Leon Paul's "Flickmaster"?



[This message has been edited by DarkTransient (edited 02-27-2001).]

[DarkTransient]

Recently I got a chance to try a Vniti BE F.I.E. blade. It feels strong and as if it could last forever, but I don't know what you guys were talking about, that thing is STIFF!!! If I were you, I wouldn't want to flick with that blade if I still intend to use my wrist for the rest of my life.