Light sabre blades?

[erooMynohtnA]

I don't fence sabre, but my friend does. He just broke a couple of his blades and he's in the market for some new ones. He said he doesn't care about durability and he never commented on whippiness one way or the other. He just wants the blades to be light. I've read the product reviews here and it seems like Leon Paul and SG have the lightest blades.

What I'm wondering is what are some of the lighter blades on the market? And how much of the sensation of a "heavy" blade is the actual mass of the blade versus the balance of the sabre?

[fencerbill]

From the header I couldn't tell whether you were asking about "light sabre" blades or light "sabre blades".

[KD5MDK]

I can't say I've noticed any difference in blades in weight. There's not that much metal involved. I understand that the LM "Westbrook" blades have some that feel extremely nice (I've felt a sabre built with one that had an absolutely beautiful balance) but personally, I just buy StM and go.

[prototoast]

Go with the Blue Gauntlet ultralight blades or whatever they call them. Stay far away from Leon Paul sabre blades. That should leave him happy.

[Inquartata]

It's not really so much about weight. It's about balance. A properly balanced weapon, almost regardless of what blade you put in it, will feel light and lively. A poorly balanced weapon will feel heavy and dead almost no matter what blade you use.

The dimensions of S2000 sabre blades are fairly well confined to a narrow set of parameters. A manufacturer can't really make his blades shorter or thinner to save weight. And differences in overall weight achievable by differences in section and polish are going to be all but indistinguishable to the hand.

Concentrate on moving the center of balance back toward the guard by experimenting with different guards, grips and pommels, and if necessary washers and other ways of adding weight at the pommel end of the weapon.

[Phaeton]

I prefer a lighter sabre, I probably have the lightest weighted sabre in my club. I have an S2000 blade, but the blade, opposed to how it is balanced, has very little do with how the blade feels. I could take the same blade and make it feel two totally different ways.

[sabreur]

His own light sabre a jedi must make.

That being said, I like the Allstar LM blades--although my coach has busted two giving lessons--he really whacks. I've had good luck with them.

[KD5MDK]

Is that to say he broke yours, or he broke his own?

[bigdawg2121]

I'd personally have to disagree. Any blade can be made better by a good job of balancing, but StM, LM, etc. (?x-section?) always yield better weapons than the standard style (russian style as BG calls it anyway). The Y-section blades can also make pretty good weapons, but I'd stay away from the "russian" style for anything that's not purely a practice weapon.

edit: This was initially supposed to be after Inq's post, but I got sidetracked.

[yeoldearmourer]

Balancing a sabre blade is very important in the way you do it. i can take any
sabre and by blancing the blade make it feel light or heavy. With the s2000 blades the manufactor does have much to play with. As a sabre fencer I prefer the light feel myself even though I know that most blades weight with in few ounces of each other

[sabreur]

Is that to say he broke yours, or he broke his own?

He broke an LM blade I had given him, then broke one of mine that I loaned him...

[KD5MDK]

Thanks. I was kind of worried if you had a coach who was hitting strong enough to break his student's blade during the lesson. (Multiple times, that is)