retaining clip modification allowed?

[Rick_L]

My body cord keeps coming out of my two-prong socket, as the retaining clips aren't quite long enough to wrap all the way around without a lot of tension. Every few touches in a bout, I have to reattach the retaining clip, which has popped off.

Am I allowed to modify the retaining clip, e.g. add a rubber band to wrap all the way around the body cord socket? I'd rather fuss with the body cord up-front, and focus on other things while bouting!

Regards,
Rick_L

[oiuyt]

The rules specify that there must be a retaining device, they don't say anything about what such a device must be. If desired you could completely remove the standard clips and replace them with the rubberbands. Feel free to modify as desired so long as you have SOMETHING to help hold the cord in.

-B

[Purple Fencer]

Or change over to Uhlmann 2-prongs...sounds like you use Preiurs. That plastic clip is why I don't use them. They also break or get lost.

I've had bad experiences witht eh "Mr. Chen" style from Blue Gauntlet (from an armory standpoint). The design has a significant flaw in the retaining clip that allows the plug to move around too much, occasionally breaking contact in the socket.

[neevel]

This issue with the BG Easy-Fix cords is that the spring casing around the pin gets squashed easily (and then tends to break when you try to spread it back out), so the pin doesn't make a tight fit in the plug. Even if the retaining clip is working properly, the damaged pin will wiggle around and break contact. There was also a problem (which Mr. Chen has since rectified) where the metal retaining clip was a bit too long, and could ground out the weapon by getting shifted over so it was touching the B-socket beneath the insulation washer. Newer cords have a shorter clip. The basic design concept behind the Easy-Fix cords is great, but they're made to a price-point that keeps the materials quality low. I'd love to see BG produce a 'premium' version of the design using better pins, a less brittle plastic for the plug body, and incorporating a small lip on the screw-access holes that would keep them from falling out completely.

As for Rick's problem, go ahead and use a rubber band. Spreading the pin-leaves or spring casings with a small screwdriver to keep a tight fit will also help (while the Prieur spring casings aren't as fragile as on the BG cords, you still need to take some care not to break them). The better choice would be to change over to Uhlmann or PBT plugs. You can just get a weapon-end plug to replace the one on your current cord. The lack of an adequate retaining mechanism is the primary flaw of the Prieur design (the ability to do quick repairs or tighten screws without disassemblig the plug is their main virtue).

-Dave

[Rick_L]

Thank you all for your advice. I'll see if spreading the pin-leaves fixes the problem; if not, I'll make my simple modification as a short-term fix and switch to Uhlmann down the road.

Rick_L

[Purple Fencer]

Just a heads up, Rick. If you decide to remove the French plug & replace it with an Uhlmann one, be advised that you'll have a harder time getting the plug housing closed; the orange insulation on the French wires seems much stiffer and thicker than the transparent stuff on the Uhlmann ones.