what is the best foil blade out there??

[french grip foilist]

i was thinking of buying the golubitsky pro blade from leonpaul i wanted to know if that was any good i like stiffer blades for my foil i am currently using a stm and it works but i want a better one i need to know some other good sitff foil blades

[HDG]

This really belongs in the armory.
In the meantime, check here.

[Guymelef]

Check out Vniti Blades. I've heard them described as heavy, but they are also very flexible and durable. A good indication as far as construction is when they do eventually break, it is smooth and even. This implies consistent crystilline structure in the steel. For more on them bend the ear of ref Thom Ciccarone at the next NAC.

[RebelFencer]

When I was a foilist I loved my Vniti blade. I was an average local foilist at best though, so my input probably shouldn't carry much weight.

[bunbury]

The man says he likes "stiffer blades." Don't tell him to get a Vniti.

[Cerian]

for stiff I would say stm or bf.

Definitely not prieur.
Also Vniti wouldn't be very good either.

[peet]

Can't go wrong with a BF Blue. They're light and strong, but WOW, they're spendy...

[Coby]

Allstar stm unbeatable

[CvilleFencer]

Originally Posted by bunbury

The man says he likes "stiffer blades." Don't tell him to get a Vniti.

I have a couple of Vnitis in stock that are pool cues. Stiff enough to be a BF white epee, and these are Vniti foils! While Vniti does tend to run flicky, if you have a good vendor who is willing to dig through the batches, you can get very stiff ones. Craig has been really great about finding me the flex I ask for on blades. Absolute and Fencing Post are pretty good as well, but I have never had a blade from Craig that was not what I asked for.

[tehcow]

BF foil blades are terrific, I would definitely recommend them.

[ShadyLane]

Are you guys talking about non-FIE foil blades or FIE foil blades by the way? I, too, am shopping around for different foil blades and was curious about the feel for each type...I managed to find some information when I did a search in the armoury section but more suggestions are always welcome

[erooMynohtnA]

Originally Posted by ShadyLane

Are you guys talking about non-FIE foil blades or FIE foil blades by the way? I, too, am shopping around for different foil blades and was curious about the feel for each type...I managed to find some information when I did a search in the armoury section but more suggestions are always welcome

I think pretty much everyone is talking FIE. What are you looking for in a blade?

[ShadyLane]

Originally Posted by erooMynohtnA

I think pretty much everyone is talking FIE. What are you looking for in a blade?

Hmm, not sure. I own a non-FIE foil weapon (one of those Paul France blades) and am considering trying out different blades. I have never tried out different blades so I don't really know what suits me better (e.g. stiff or flexible blades). I did occasionally meddle around with epee and I enjoy the stiffness of the epee blade compared to my foil blade (the tip depressed more with epee than with foil where I would occasionally do flats with foil). I suppose I'm looking for blades that are a bit on the stiff side?

[erooMynohtnA]

Originally Posted by ShadyLane

Hmm, not sure. I own a non-FIE foil weapon (one of those Paul France blades) and am considering trying out different blades. I have never tried out different blades so I don't really know what suits me better (e.g. stiff or flexible blades). I did occasionally meddle around with epee and I enjoy the stiffness of the epee blade compared to my foil blade (the tip depressed more with epee than with foil where I would occasionally do flats with foil). I suppose I'm looking for blades that are a bit on the stiff side?

Are you looking for FIE or non-FIE? Do you have a price range?

I usually recommend StM for people who haven't tried out a lot of blades. They're not terrible blades, nor are they terribly expensive. They seem like a jack of all trades, master of none.

I personally prefer a lighter, stiffer blade.

[ShadyLane]

Originally Posted by erooMynohtnA

Are you looking for FIE or non-FIE? Do you have a price range?

I usually recommend StM for people who haven't tried out a lot of blades. They're not terrible blades, nor are they terribly expensive. They seem like a jack of all trades, master of none.

I personally prefer a lighter, stiffer blade.

Well, I'm looking at non-FIE until I can find more cash Oh yeah, I guess a lighter blade would be nice; I use a french grip and my arm usually gets tired. Are StM blades light and stiff from your experience?

Do you recommend a non-FIE StM? Or is FIE and non-FIE blades a bit similar in terms of feel and such? Thanks in advance!

[erooMynohtnA]

Originally Posted by ShadyLane

Well, I'm looking at non-FIE until I can find more cash Oh yeah, I guess a lighter blade would be nice; I use a french grip and my arm usually gets tired. Are StM blades light and stiff from your experience?

Do you recommend a non-FIE StM? Or is FIE and non-FIE blades a bit similar in terms of feel and such? Thanks in advance!

I would not describe StM blades as light and stiff. I do not recommend the FIE StM. The whole reason I like StM blades is that they don't cost that much, so if you don't like the blade, it's not the end of the world. If you buy an FIE blade, that's a bigger commitment.

I don't actually use StM because I don't like the feel that much. I just think they're a good deal.

[CvilleFencer]

StM blades run a bit heavy in non-FIE. They are a good value and we use them at my club quite a bit because they are okay at everything but they are not great at anything. And they are fairly cheap, did I mention that? If you are coming from an LP blade almost anything is going to seem heavy. LP makes some of the lightest blades around. The new Absolute FIE blades are very light, as are the Prieur FIE blades. They are also among some of the cheapest being the new kids on the block.

They are light, reasonably long lasting as far as the Prieur goes (the AF blades just have not been out long enough to have a good idea of their lifespan) and have a good feel to them. Or just stick with LP... Honestly, my best advice to you would be to ditch the French grip since you have been fencing a while and start experimenting from there once you have a better idea of how you would use a flexible vs. stiff blade.

[eac]

Originally Posted by erooMynohtnA

I would not describe StM blades as light and stiff. I do not recommend the FIE StM. The whole reason I like StM blades is that they don't cost that much, so if you don't like the blade, it's not the end of the world. If you buy an FIE blade, that's a bigger commitment.

I don't actually use StM because I don't like the feel that much. I just think they're a good deal.

What's light and stiff, in your experience?

[erooMynohtnA]

Originally Posted by eac

What's light and stiff, in your experience?

Unforunately, it seems lightness and whippiness go hand in hand.

I'm happy with the weight of StM blades (could be lighter), but they flex too much for me.

The only blade I've seen that consistently meets my criteria for stiff and light is the G-Pro. It's not the lightest blade, but it's balanced well, and it's fairly stiff--especially before you break it in.

Other than that, I've used some BFs on the light side of average that were very stiff.

There's this one blade I have that's from "various eastern European forges." It has no markings, but it's a weird shape. It's as light as an LP etoile, and about as stiff as a broken in G-Pro. It's sort of a piece of crap, and I don't think it will last much longer, but I like the feel.

[Captain Hook]

From my experience the golubitsky pro is a very stiff blade... i'm trying to replace my one at the moment with something more flexible