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JonTong · 02-12-2005, 12:04 AM

Do any of you guys know where I can get a V-shaped full tang length (non-slotted) Leon Paul FIE blade? I used the slotted one before and the slotted part was broken in 2 weeks during a bout, I like the weight and balance of the blade though. I would like to order an ordinary one so it can fit with my allstar 6mm pommel.

CvilleFencer · 02-12-2005, 02:43 AM

Try hear: http://www.leonpaulusa.com/fencing/a...ectric_22.html The cool think is that you do not have to pay any shipping through the US store and unless you are ordering a ton of kit it winds up being cheaper or about the same. The LP blades for epee are just plain awesome, although since my non-FIE blades simply will not break and I only fence in the US I have not tried the FIE ones yet. I do however recommend getting the bare blade and wiring it for German. The LP PTFE points are nice, but they are not $30.00 worth of nice!

Barry Paul · 02-12-2005, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CvilleFencer

Try hear: http://www.leonpaulusa.com/fencing/a...ectric_22.html The cool think is that you do not have to pay any shipping through the US store and unless you are ordering a ton of kit it winds up being cheaper or about the same. The LP blades for epee are just plain awesome, although since my non-FIE blades simply will not break and I only fence in the US I have not tried the FIE ones yet. I do however recommend getting the bare blade and wiring it for German. The LP PTFE points are nice, but they are not $30.00 worth of nice!

Hi, Not sure about your costing standard epee point complete is $13.25 the GT point used on the F.I.E. blades only another $5.65 more. So buying a non FIE Bare blade and parts would cost $63.25 and then you have to wire it up. Complete blade wired would only cost another $8. (not sure what the cost of wiring up a blade is in USA?) Barry Paul

CvilleFencer · 02-12-2005, 10:31 AM

Sorry folks, I really should not be allowed to post at 3:00AM! What I was trying to say to somehow convey to JonTong through like one vague and unclear sentence was this:

If you are just starting to build up your electric epee kit, going with the LP PTFE points is not a bad idea at all. They are the smoothest points around and feel just awesome. I think they are as much an improvement over the average German as the average German tip is over the French. On the downside they seem to require a bit more frequent cleaning than the German tips and they seem to go through preasure springs a bit more quickly. I think this is a result of the much lower friction that the tip has, and it is not a big deal, just something to be aware of.

The big thing for most people is that unless your clubmates are big LP fans (or you fence in England) you are going to have to buy up a stock of parts since you will not be able to bum parts, even screws, off of your clubmates. Since the LP points are rather pricey (not overpriced considering what you get, but still about 50-100% more than a German tip) this can be an issue for some folks.

As to what I meant about the pricing and buying it bare, if you already have a big lot of German spares or do not want to make the commitment to use the LP points, then your only option is to buy it bare and wire it up yourself since LP does not offer the choice of having it factory wired with German points (which would be really nice buy the way). I was thinking last night that there was quite the price jump from the cost of a bare blade ($105.53) to a wired one ($131.80) My sleep deprived brain was thinking of what I normally pay for German tips ($8ish) and then wiring them up myself, which would save about $18.00 over the wired cost. Of course what I was not considering was that if I wanted to go with the LP GT tips I would only be saving about $7.50 to do it myself.

Hope all of that was a bit more clear! In short JonTong cheers on going with the LP blades. They are the best epee blades around. I have a friend that seems to go through BF FIE blues about every other week and I just can not get him to switch over to the LP blades. I have never broken one and I am not a gentle or soft fencer (unless you count my midsection) in the least! Now you just have to decide on the tip thing. I keep saying I am going to switch over from the German, but I never have. I friend of mine has however, and I think I will live vicariously through him for a couple more months before I take the plunge. Best of luck!

***Craig*** · 02-12-2005, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonTong

Do any of you guys know where I can get a V-shaped full tang length (non-slotted) Leon Paul FIE blade? I used the slotted one before and the slotted part was broken in 2 weeks during a bout, I like the weight and balance of the blade though. I would like to order an ordinary one so it can fit with my allstar 6mm pommel.

Hey there Jon,

Nobody answered the first part of your question. Currently, all of the full length tangs from Leon Paul and Leon Paul USA are the slotted tang. We're looking at options for stocking the full length tang blade threaded instead of slotted, but I couldn't give you a timeline on getting a production run of those in stock.

Craig

Barry Paul · 02-14-2005, 03:18 AM

What I did not pick up is the statement that it broke after two weeks. What part broke the brass insert or the metal in the blade. Both are extremly rare (once every year).

JonTong · 02-14-2005, 08:04 AM

Hi,

Thanks for many advices and replies. I was using the leonpaul blade like 2 years ago when my friend recoomended it to me. I ordered a full length one and used it for like 2-3 weeks, the slotted part (the "thin" part ) of the blade itself broke while I flicked someone in a bout. I guessed this happened because I always holded the pommel instead of the handle itself and flicked a lot (the LP blade is perfect for flickings) I cut the tang and made it a pistol grip weapon. It works perfectly but I seldom use it because I use french grip. ( I was thinking of making it a french epee by using the LP lightweight carbon french grip. However, I saw one of those in a tournament, tried it, and didn't like it. I like traditional epee grip more.)

About the LP coated point, I do love them. However I am travelling to Hong Kong all the time and they don't a LP dealer overthere. It's so hard to get a point tip if I lose one of them. The shipping from UK to HK is too expensive. So I rather get a german tip from local uhlmann or allstar dealer.

LP should get some dealers in HK since a lot fencers over there want to try their product.

LUDICROUS · 02-14-2005, 10:43 PM

Whats the LP "Paul Maraging" FIE like? Its cheap, and maraging.

Also, thanks to Allstar's draconian shipping prices and crappy times, I'm seriously considering going LP for everything from now on.

telkanuru · 02-14-2005, 11:23 PM

Snapped tangs are the constant bane of people who pommel french. Having fenced you (I think, I'm the Umass B-strip FYI) last weeked, I'm not surprised you broke the tang. My only advice is the Vniti blade. One of the Prise de Fer epeeists went through blades at a very rapid rate until he came across the Vniti, because he had both a very strong grip on the French and a tendancy to flick. Good luck, and I don't envy your wallet

JonTong · 02-15-2005, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by telkanuru

Snapped tangs are the constant bane of people who pommel french. Having fenced you (I think, I'm the Umass B-strip FYI) last weeked, I'm not surprised you broke the tang. My only advice is the Vniti blade. One of the Prise de Fer epeeists went through blades at a very rapid rate until he came across the Vniti, because he had both a very strong grip on the French and a tendancy to flick. Good luck, and I don't envy your wallet

Ha, yea, we fenced last weekend. It was nice fencing. Thanks for your advice, but I think the Vinti blade is too heavy for me. I got myself injuried last year and since that I didn't get much chance to work out. I have became so week that I cannot control a heavy weapon. I am seeking a light-weight one like LP's. I think it can speed up my disengage a little bit. However, I don't like the LP pommel. It is too small and doesn't feel as well as allstar one.

telkanuru · 02-15-2005, 02:37 PM

In that case, I'm going to suggest you try out the PBT french grip. It's thicker than the allstar but thinner than the LP carbon fibre. It also has an aluminum core that takes a lot of stress off the tang.

You could also stop flicking, I wouldn't mind

Good luck Saturday in any case.

JonTong · 02-17-2005, 12:15 AM

I am using a Cartel wooden grip and it works perfectly. My problem is mainly on my blade, it's a little bit too heavy...still seeking ways to fix this.