Fencing.Net - Your Guide to Fencing & Fencing Equipment

MikeDeadly · 02-09-2006, 12:12 PM

I am in the market for FIE foil blades. What are the characteristics of some choices out there? And what are the best choices that are under or around $100? Id like to find a some what lightwieght, flickable blade that is very durable and FIE rated.
Thanks,
Mike

keith · 02-09-2006, 06:10 PM

I'd suggest the chevalier FIE blades ($60ish unwired) - bit more flex than the BF foils but they still have enough control to go where you point them.

MikeDeadly · 02-09-2006, 07:20 PM

I have my eye on Vniti's FIE blade. Can anyone comment on this blade also...
-M

JayhawkPawn · 02-09-2006, 07:41 PM

I'm primarilay an epee fencer, and I've had a Vniti foil for about two years now, and it's damn near indestructable. I've tried to put the point through a few opponents, it's taken some incredibly stupid bends that have broken chinese blades, and have broken a BF blade since then as well.

Beowulfman6 · 02-09-2006, 08:09 PM

Vnity, Vnity, Vnity. They are probably the most durable foil blades money can buy, they are very flexible (although there is some variance so you can find a slightly stiffer one if you hand select), and great ballance. And they're also affordable for an FIE blade at around $75-80.

I currently don't own one, but the next FIE blade I buy will be Vnity. My friend has one, and when all of my weapons malfunctioned at a tournament he loaned it to me. I had to adjust to the fact that it was more flexible than my StM FIE, but once I did it felt great.

If you want an affordable FIE blade that is stiffer StM's are good. Ballance and durability aren't as good as the Vnity though.

Linkthealmighty · 02-10-2006, 12:02 AM

Quote:

My friend has one, and when all of my weapons malfunctioned at a tournament he loaned it to me.

That would be me. I got the Vniti back in late December/early January and have been using it as my primary weapon since then (aside from some minor trouble with the socket). Anyway, I don't think I'll go back, I love this blade. It's quite a bit flexable and even a little whippy at times, if you parry with the tip of the blade just forget it they'll push you all over the place, but it still has a good bit of strength in the forte (base) though. They used to sell them on this site for around $85 wired and $75 bare but I havn't seen them in a while (Craig?). If you want to take a look, this is the thread that I started when I was looking for this same thing Here

Good luck and happy fencing.

CvilleFencer · 02-10-2006, 01:18 AM

Vnitiy's are a good choice if you are okay with the weight and feel. Prieur's are good blades also for a certain type of fencer, but if you give hard hits or do a lot of counter actions you will mangle them. Check out this thread. In the second post goes pretty in depth post about FIE foils and the a bit later on there is another on epees: http://forum.va-usfa.org/forum.cgi?b...9912;start=0#0

Linkthealmighty · 02-10-2006, 01:36 AM

That's a cool site, does NC have something like that? I think what blade you want to buy seems to have a lot to do with your style (that may seem obvious, but until a few months ago I had no idea

).

CvilleFencer · 02-10-2006, 02:43 AM

I don't know if NC has something like that, but I sort of doubt it. We have a great and active community in my division and that site is a reflection of it. I know there are other divisions out there that have very active forums and such but I don't know them off the top of my head.

What is the best blade for you is very much determined by how you fence. I think a lot of people get caught up in the "X person told me Y was the best so that is all I have ever used" syndrom. That is fine by me as I have used every blade out there and I know what works best for ME, so if they have not optomized their gear, tough luck. Really great fencers can fence less skilled fencers with a hunk of rebar and still win, but if you are fencing peer level fencers where one or two touches make the difference, do yourself a favor and make sure the weapon you are using (and this includes cant and grip) is what works best for you.

MikeDeadly · 02-10-2006, 04:04 AM

That linked article is awesome, and exactly what i was looking for. Thank you Cville. I do believe that Ive made up my mind on which blade is for me... I do know that finding "your" blade is a personal thing, and the only way to find it is to try them all, but at least this way I have a place to start.
Thanks,
Mike

stealingophelia · 02-10-2006, 08:42 AM

allstar's FIE blade is SO nice, get the plain BF one if you want flicks, and the blue BF one is you like a stiffer blade.

rsy · 02-11-2006, 11:26 AM

If you buy the Vniti blade, make sure you look at the date stamp on the blade. The original Vniti was stiffer and heavier than its current design. The changes have made the tip more flexible and taken some weight out of the forte. I don't think that the durability of the blade has suffered significantly as a result of the changes and Vniti's quality control is still excellent. I believe the design change was after those blades stamped 02/2004.

-r

^|EDGE|^ · 02-12-2006, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stealingophelia

allstar's FIE blade is SO nice, get the plain BF one if you want flicks, and the blue BF one is you like a stiffer blade.

Aren't the blues actually less stiff than the whites?

stealingophelia · 02-12-2006, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ^|EDGE|^

Aren't the blues actually less stiff than the whites?

yea haha

twisterfencing · 02-12-2006, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeDeadly

I am in the market for FIE foil blades. What are the characteristics of some choices out there? And what are the best choices that are under or around $100? Id like to find a some what lightwieght, flickable blade that is very durable and FIE rated.
Thanks,
Mike

I like the BF, Vinity and others. My newest blade that has caught my eye is the FS. Unlmann purchased the old Scaronnie (spelling?) forge in Italy and is now making these same blades under the FS logo. In the old days, you really had to watch what you got from them. The guys that worked the forge took of from Friday to Tuesday. You really had to make sure you did not get a Tuesday blade. This has all changed now. This blade has a perfect balance. The point control is excellent and the quickness is,,,well top notch. The only issue with these blades are that they are hard to get. They only make about 400 a month and then they shut it down. May want to give them a look see.

Here is a web site that does have them right now.

http://www.sword-masters.com/catalog...oducts_id=1349

Linkthealmighty · 02-12-2006, 08:31 PM

How's the flexability? And can you get just the blade, or does it only come as the whole weapon?

stealingophelia · 02-12-2006, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Linkthealmighty

How's the flexability? And can you get just the blade, or does it only come as the whole weapon?

i just emailed them with the question. my guess is that 135 is the price for just the blade, but it's placed in the complete weapons category by mistake

twisterfencing · 02-12-2006, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Linkthealmighty

How's the flexability? And can you get just the blade, or does it only come as the whole weapon?

The flex is a cross between a BF (med) and a viniti (leans more toward the softer more flex side). Pricing on one of this things at $135,,,that is just the blade. Like I said before, they are a limited production item, meaning: hard to get, yet once you felt and used one, they are like lays potato chips, you just can't have one. If you are a very budjet minded fencer, this may not be the blade for you.

The next time you are at a NAC with the vendors there, you may want to just ask them if they have any FS's to see if the extra $ for this type of blade is worth it to you.

I for one touch a ton of blades and am hard to impress. I can only say, they're sweet.

CvilleFencer · 02-13-2006, 12:16 AM

The new FS blades are okay from what I have seen. I have not used one myself but a couple of clubmates use them and are happy with them, although all the ones I have seen are fairly flexable. From the limited amount of info I have hear about them lifespan is about the same as an StM although with a better feel.

With all that being said, they are not that hard to get and are not some kind of uber blade, this particular vendor just charges more than double what you should be paying for them. They are the bottom rung of the Uhlmann/Allstar FIE blade ladder and are considered by Uhlmann/Allstar to be inferior to StM and BF blades. They are therefore priced accordingly. You will pay about 54 euros for this blade from a real Uhlmann retailer like Fechtsport Lagenkamp or Uhlmann themselves. That works out to about $64 US. Put another way you can buy 2 from Langenkamp or Uhlmann and have enough change left over to pretty much cover the shipping for the price of getting one (not including what they may charge for shipping) from Sword Masters. Not a smart buy...

Cerian · 02-13-2006, 12:50 AM

The Vniti is under 100, flickable, and durable, but definitely not lightweight... I was using them for a while but have recently started to try the prieur blades, hearing that they were stiffer and lighter. The two I got though were from a rather old batch and seem to be pretty whippy, which is a little disappointing.