Broken Blades

[RedsectorA]

Two questions:

What type of blades do you use?

How many do you go through in say a year, and how do they usually fail? (Breaking? Wear?, etc?)

Hmm maybe that could be considered three questions

[edew]

I now use the Triplette FIE maraging blades. I have broken just one so far, and that's from twice-to-three-times/week club sparring use (about 2 hours). It lasted me about 7 months. I have another, same type, which I use just for lessons (since the wire popped off after two parries). Lessons can put quite a bit of wear and tear on blades, but only at 30 minutes at a time.

So far, my blade breakage has been quite low compared to previous years when I was using non-FIE FL blades. They broke on average after two weeks of use.

I used to have FIE Scaroni blades, and they lasted about 4 months on average. Scaronis aren't found anymore.

[veeco]

For epee,

I used to use France Lame FIE blades, but I now find them to mushy for my taste.

I've switched over to the good stuff : Uhlmann FIE. Those are stiff at first, but they get more flexible after some time.

I break about one blade every 2 months, from training 2 - 3 times a week.

I use FL FIE for foil when i want a bit more flex in the blade, but i have a pair of allstar "penny nail monsters" for use when i need better point control (or just to make sure i dont get sloppy)
I had been using the generic Santelli blades, but they got squishy rather quickly, or they acquired eccentric curves (up to 4cm latterally) i've only got one left out of the 5 i had, and they lasted about and average of 6-8 weeks, mostly sparring at practice or in competition.
My only epee's are an FL FIE from `95 which is really whippy and i love it (who said you cant flick in epee?). as i fence mostly foil, and go to epee competitions just for the exercise (its great fun! i get a kick out of being "that weirdo foilist"
my other epee was some cheap-o chinese i got because i needed a 2nd weapon. i used it in 3 competitions and its tip got smashed, i replaced then the blade got a back-bend and it never went back in to use.

just me chiming in

[neevel]

I've got Vniti FIE and BF Blue FIE blades. The Vnitis I've been using for three years, and I've broken two in that time period (out of 5-6 foils typically in my bag). I've only had the BFs for about a year, and haven't broken one yet. I tend to use the Vnitis in lessons and practice, and switch off between the two in tournaments, depending on how stiff a blade I want for a bout.

My impression is that the Vnitis will be more durable, but there are times when I want the stiffness of the BFs to keep the point precise (though Vnitis are hardly whippy, either).

-Dave

[This message has been edited by neevel (edited 04-06-2001).]

[foodle]

One word: maraging

If you're reasonably committed to fencing, then go for maraging blades. The higher price (roughly 2x) is definitely offset by the greater durability of the blades.

Of the non-maraging blades I've used:
France-Lames = evil, they break if you look at them wrong
Leon Paul Etoile = ok, but they get mushy after a while

I'm currently using Blaise-Freres maraging blades (badge engineered by Uhlmann). As everyone else says, they are stiff compared to some other blades. But flicking is still possible, although requiring a little more effort. I'm considering looking into Vniti blades (supposed to be more flicky) or Triplette's BF blades to save a few $$$.

Caveat: I'm only talking about foil blades, so if you fence another weapon, YMMV. As I understand it, maraging blades haven't really been a hit in the sabre community, but I could be wrong...

[neevel]

Foodle--

The Triplette BF blades I've seen differ from Uhlmann BFs in that they have a square cross section (as opposed to rectangular), and a more pronounced taper (i.e., they thin out more towards the point). The result is that they're balanced closer to the guard than the Uhlmann badged ones.

-Dave

[rjccj]

I've been using Vniti's since last July and haven't broken one yet. Fencing normally 2 to 3 days a week for 2-3 hours at a time. I love them and swear by them.

[FencerInUS]

Is it possible to glue/tape a broken blade back together hehe

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F.I.US.
Parry, THEN riposte
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[edew]

This past Thursday, I fenced some epee, using a seldom used non-FIE russian epee blade. I managed to break the blade using my hands, somewhere about 12 inches from the bell guard.

The blade was "too straight" and I wanted to put just a little bend in it (can't have more than 1cm bend in it, and that's all I was trying to do), and still managed to break the blade at that low portion of the blade.

Hint: don't get non-FIE russian (or were they chinese) epee blades.

[Catal]

I second that... I bought two chinese epees for use as practice weapons, but those are on their last leg after only a few practices. They're not much thicker than a foil, and the ones I got were covered with with a black, sticky substance; I'll leave identifying what ever it was to the scientists.
As far as Russian epee blades go; my team bought 6 of 'em, we now have 2 left after 2 tournaments and half a dozen practices. They may be cheap, but don't buy them if the people you fence against are aggressive or if you hit hard.

[Stryder]

Dave, here's a question you may find interesting. Have you noticed the same thing I have about each type of blade breaking in a consistant spot?
France lames non-FIE always broke off at about 12-14 inches from the tip.
Vniti FIE, 4-5 inches.
Silverstar always broke almost right in the middle and quite often in three pieces. (Remember Silverstar? They were perfect until they broke like glass on a hard shot.)
Leon Paul bladesd never seem to break. They just get so bad you can even hold them straight. Then they seem to fall apart or break while in the bag.

[damianip]

Originally posted by edew:
The blade was "too straight" and I wanted to put just a little bend in it (can't have more than 1cm bend in it, and that's all I was trying to do), and still managed to break the blade at that low portion of the blade.

Hint: don't get non-FIE russian (or were they chinese) epee blades.

My son did this with newly mounted non-FIE F-L épée blade in the middle of a private lesson. Tried to straighten it and "snap!". Look out for those French blades too.

The only redeeming lesson here is that I only paid $15.00 for the blade (Triplette F-L blowout). I guess you do get what you pay for.

Paolo

[Emfuser]

I have had a pair of the super blue maraging FIE blades Triplette sells for about a year and I like them. I'd never used a SBM blade so I was quite surprised at their stiffness (like a baseball bat) but grew to like the weight.

I like the blades now that they're softened up to something that's strong but flexible enough to flick.

As far as durability goes, I put a lot of work into putting a bend into them and seen one get kinked once in an NCAA event but they're holding up great and are definitely the best price you can get for a BF FIE blade this side of the Atlantic.

Mike

[foodle]

What's the difference between the various kinds of Triplette maraging blades (plain, blue,gold). I've heard people say that there's a difference in stiffness. Or are they all the same blades, but some with different coatings? What's the difference between the blue and gold coating anyway?

[Ludvig-Team Russia]

I use FIE PBT & Santelli.Broken? ;0)only if someone brake my blade.

[oiuyt]

According to the Triplette people (I asked them at the SC NAC) it's only the coating layer. I asked the Triplette guy whether or not he thought it was worth the extra $5.... he was mostly non-committal but left the definate impression that if he were buying them for his own use the answer would be a no.
For what it's worth I currently use non-FIE BF blades from triplette (with no coating, blue or gold) for my epees. No problems with them so far, but then I've only had them a few months and I'm mostly only doing epee in competitions and spending all of my practice time on the sabre strip, so they haven't really gotten much of a work out.

-B

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"Oh but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you!"

All your music are belongs to us- RIAA

[neevel]

Stryder--

The FL non-maraging foil blades seem to have a consistent break point, though in my experience it's more like 8-10". The main execption is when they break right at the point threading.

For the two Vniti maraging foil blades I've broken, one was about 15" from the tip, the other about 5".

Silverstars were, to my understanding, originally supposed to be a 'budget' line put out by France Lames. A certain vendor for some reason decided to hype them as higher-end superblades. One person I know bought six of them when they first came out and had broken them all within 2 months.

Oiuyt--

There actually is a difference in the stiffness between the various model Blaise blades (though they're all quite stiff). The color is a finish-- its purpose is just to make it easy to distinguish between the different models of blade in inventory.

-Dave

[foodle]

Originally posted by neevel:

There actually is a difference in the stiffness between the various model Blaise blades (though they're all quite stiff). The color is a finish-- its purpose is just to make it easy to distinguish between the different models of blade in inventory.

Sorry to belabor the point, but so of the 3 finish types (plain,blue,gold) which one is the most flexible? I believe that a past post has mentioned that the blues are more flexible than the plain (white) ones. What about gold?

Maybe I should just call/email Triplette tomorrow ...



[This message has been edited by foodle (edited 04-09-2001).]

[alessandro]

I use France Lames Maraging just for tournaments, and i haven't break them, i've used them for like 4 months.
For training I use France lames Silverstar, i've just break one in 6 months. And i fence 3-4 hours Monday-Saturday.

- .Alessandro. -