How Long Do You expect a non-FIE Mask to Last?

[Beowulfman6]

Just curious; how long do you expect a non-FIE mask to last?

I ask becouse I have a 9 month old TCA piece of crap (183 basic foil/epee mask) that just got a hole punched in the mesh the other day with an intact foil (it didn't actualy go through, but it was a little scary). It has been used for foil and epee practice twice a week and several tournaments, and has realy taken a beating. It has HUGE dents, even right on the spine, I have three foil-sized 1/4 in deep dents on the spine right now). I hammer them out, but I just get new ones.

Our club has BG masks that have been taking about the same amount of use for going on two years now, and they are all looking just fine.

I do plan to replace it with an FIE mask after this incedent, it's just too important not to use and FIE mask.

[RITFencing]

It depends on the mask; I've seen some excellent quality non FIE masks from PBT (and some crappy quality, sadly) but I would really recommend going for the FIE mask. It's worth the money for safety and also for comfort, as the FIEs tend to be constructed better on the inside as well as the outside. My personal recommendation is the Leon Paul with the contour fit disk. I have one, and I LOVE it.

[Morion]

My first (and only) mask is an old non-FIE Santelli mask that just passed the 3 year mark. As long as they aren't seriously abused most well made masks should last a long time.

[ChrisBrasel]

Got a Blade mask going on 3 years now.

[grotto]

I would regularly check the dents dings and impressions in ANY mask be it a FIE or not. just hammering out dents in the mesh without actually testing the area with a punch is asking for trouble. every time you change the shape of the mesh you are potentially breaking the welds, and loosening the mesh a bit. Under heavy use I suggest checking with a punch once a month during the season.

[KD5MDK]

I expect my masks to fail conductivity long before punch. Apparently however, if I don't want to deal with that myself I can ask fencerbill to take care of it.

In any event, Triplette budget masks I expect to last 6 months to a year, any other budget mask ought to last 2-3 years, and I'd hope an FIE mask lasts at least 5 years.

I've heard that Negrini, and I know Leon Paul, use the same mesh in their FIE and non-FIE masks, the difference is the bib. That might be worth considering.

[Mr Epee]

I've heard that Negrini, and I know Leon Paul, use the same mesh in their FIE and non-FIE masks, the difference is the bib. That might be worth considering.

The part about Negrini is simply not true.

[umbrella]

I just gave my Nigrini to a good foilist; after using it myself for about 6 months. It is a beautiful mask, not one ding. I felt fearless in it and that's when I really fenced my best; wearing the practice masks such as the Triplette or my other practice mask from Santelli, I did hesitate a lot in my fenicng especially in epee, when I fenced more experienced fencers. If you are female and plan to fence men, you should look into the FIE's strongest fencing mask available on the market.

[KD5MDK]

The part about Negrini is simply not true.

Ok, I seem to have misinterpreted this:
http://www.amfence.com/html/pr16.html

[Frank Pratt]

I'd hope an FIE mask lasts at least 5 years.

I've been using my Allstar FIE mask for 9 years, and it's still going as strong as ever. I did have to replace the inside padding last year, though.

Any decent non-FIE mask should last more than 3 years, even under heavy usage. You life (or at least your eyesiget) are just to important to trust to a "budget" mask. I have not fenced without a FIE mask in nearly a decade, and I never will.

[Beowulfman6]

Any decent non-FIE mask should last more than 3 years, even under heavy usage. You life (or at least your eyesiget) are just to important to trust to a "budget" mask. I have not fenced without a FIE mask in nearly a decade, and I never will.

I never will again either, after I get my new one anyway.

[Purple Fencer]

Ok, I seem to have misinterpreted this:
http://www.amfence.com/html/pr16.html

Uhh...yeah. Where did you get LP out of that?

A little history on the link...I was the one who brought it to Negrini's attention (via Fencing Post - who I bought somde masks from - , then to American Fencers -- since AmFence is the importer). I ran across 8 foil masks in a month and a half that either failed the punch outright or got massive dents from a foil hit...WAY too many to be coincidence.

Turns out they got a bad batch of mkesh from their manufacturer and decided to apply some of their FIE treatements to the non-FIE masks...I think I still have the email from Negrini somewhere that Matt Porter forwarded to me.

[Mr Epee]

Do you think it would still be possible to identify and exchange one of the defective Negrini masks?

A few kids at the club had them, and they failed within a year of purchase.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Am I the only person here who never really worried about how safe they were during fencing? I never held back because I was afraid of my mask being punctured.

[Purple Fencer]

Do you think it would still be possible to identify and exchange one of the defective Negrini masks?

A few kids at the club had them, and they failed within a year of purchase.

Not for me...I didn;t see enough of them or have the knowledge at the time to know what to look for.

Matthew Porter at Am Fence is probably the best one to ask that question.

[Mr Epee]

Am I the only person here who never really worried about how safe they were during fencing? I never held back because I was afraid of my mask being punctured.

And for that we thank you.


------------------------
Purple,

Thank you... for the update.

[Beowulfman6]

Am I the only person here who never really worried about how safe they were during fencing? I never held back because I was afraid of my mask being punctured.

I never did either, I just took it off to wipe away some sweat and happened to notice a little hole in the mesh. I hadn't even recieved any seriously hard hits that I can remember.

[KD5MDK]

Uhh...yeah. Where did you get LP out of that?

A post from Barry or Alex Paul on this forum. As I recall, their non-FIE mask is the regular mesh with a 350N bib or something like that.

A little history on the link...I was the one who brought it to Negrini's attention (via Fencing Post - who I bought somde masks from - , then to American Fencers -- since AmFence is the importer). I ran across 8 foil masks in a month and a half that either failed the punch outright or got massive dents from a foil hit...WAY too many to be coincidence.

Turns out they got a bad batch of mkesh from their manufacturer and decided to apply some of their FIE treatements to the non-FIE masks...I think I still have the email from Negrini somewhere that Matt Porter forwarded to me.

Right. Schlager7 on this forum may have run across another at his club. It's a gruesome story.

[Purple Fencer]

A post from Barry or Alex Paul on this forum. As I recall, their non-FIE mask is the regular mesh with a 350N bib or something like that.

You mean an FIE frame (the mesh part) on a 350N bib? Now THAT idea I like...yo get a 25kg mask for a 13kg mask price...safety AND savings....*note to self....write that down*

From a manufacturing standpoint it ALSo make a lot of sense...you only have top make one type of mesh.

[jjefferies]

It depends on the mask; I've seen some excellent quality non FIE masks from PBT (and some crappy quality, sadly) but I would really recommend going for the FIE mask. It's worth the money for safety and also for comfort, as the FIEs tend to be constructed better on the inside as well as the outside. My personal recommendation is the Leon Paul with the contour fit disk. I have one, and I LOVE it.

I will second the comment about the Leon Paul. I had a standard LP for three years before switching to an Uhlmann FIE and I think my next mask will be another LP FIE. BTW, the standard LP mask still passes punch tests some six years later though I almost never use it due to the bib getting rather dingy. Main problem with the std masks is that they rust and then you do have reasons to be concerned.