France Lames Maraging Blades

**slosher** · 08-19-2002 07:00 PM

Looking to purchase some electrical blades for my club and it seemed that triplette had the maraging blades for foil and epee for about $39 unwired a piece (in lots of ten). Was wondering if anybody had any experience with the longevity of these blades?

**neevel** · 08-19-2002 09:57 PM

While Triplette is correct about FL non-maraging blades being of generally poor durability, their maraging blades have been in my experience ok relative to the durability of other maraging blades. As for their comment about some FL blades being disallowed at World Champs a few years back, I'll note that there were a number of Blaise Freres epee blades (including some Triplette-badged ones) that were disallowed at Jr/Cadet Worlds this year as well.

The one caveat with the blade of the vintage that Triplette has is that many of them are from a run which had tangs which were well-nigh impossible to put any kind of a cant in. This doesn't affect the durability, but if (like many people, including me) you find the degree of cant to be one of the most important aspects of setting up a weapon, it's a significant drawback. More recent FL blades don't have this problem.

-Dave

**Purple Fencer** · 08-19-2002 10:27 PM

Is FL even in business anymore? There doesn't seem to be a whole lot in the product stream now. I've been getting StM foil blades from Fencing Post for the last few weeks.

**sallearmourer** · 08-20-2002 03:30 AM

The last I heard there was a Police tape around Frances lame Building. That they are out of business. Something about using fake orders to get loans and the money diaappeared into Swiss accounts.

Tim

**mifencer** · 08-20-2002 10:40 AM

I only use FL Maraging blades (foil). Like Tony the Tiger, I think they're great. They last just as long as any other blade I've used and they've been pretty consistant.

I hope the rumors Tim heard about them going out-of-business are wrong.

**veeco** · 08-20-2002 10:56 AM

No, they are really going out of business.

**D'Artagnan1673** · 08-20-2002 01:15 PM

American Fencing said that one reason that I should avoid Italian Epees is because France Lames, the only Italian style blade manufacterer, was pretty much out of business for the time being.

**veeco** · 08-20-2002 01:24 PM

Well they are like totally out of business. They did some pretty shabby stuff in terms of business practise. I guess that would be the "Enron/Andersen Consulting" of the fencing equipment business. Edew showed me a paper where they were saying that there was a lot of little thing here and there that were being investigated at the time. I guess the investigation has uncovered the bad guys...

**mifencer** · 08-21-2002 07:24 AM

Thanks for the info (I think). Now I have to find a consistent, light, flexiable maraging blade...

**darius** · 08-21-2002 07:41 AM

I just bought a few Vniti maraging blades at Nationals, to replace my beloved FL spaghetti noodles.

It took a bit of searching to find two that were appropriately flexible, and even those started out kinda stiff, but two months in, they're pretty nice.

If only somebody imported Leon Paul FIE blades...

darius

**Purple Fencer** · 08-21-2002 08:22 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by darius:
I just bought a few Vniti maraging blades at Nationals, to replace my beloved FL spaghetti noodles.

It took a bit of searching to find two that were appropriately flexible, and even those started out kinda stiff, but two months in, they're pretty nice.

If only somebody imported Leon Paul FIE blades...

darius<hr /></blockquote>Doesn't Santelli? I got my LP FIE foil blade from American Fencers a few years back.

**damianip** · 08-21-2002 08:34 AM

Both Santelli and AmFence carry LP maraging blades

Paolo

**JEC** · 08-21-2002 09:26 AM

Just out of curiosity, has anybody used the Golubitsky Pro LP foil blades?
<a href="http://www.leonpaul.com/products/new_golubitsky_pro.htm" target="_blank">leon paul's website</a>

**veeco** · 08-21-2002 12:34 PM

What is so special about this blade? Does it make you scream loud with a Russian accent and be obnoxious to most people???

**darius** · 08-21-2002 12:47 PM

If anything, it improves the referee's eyesight when it comes to point-in-line calls; however it is a disadvantageous weapon to use against uppitty American graduate students or Koreans named Kim (which is all of them, non?), no matter how much World Champion material you contain.

In all seriousness, here's the marketing mojo from the Leon Paul site -- anybody's call on whether this is BS or not:

"Leon Paul introduces the latest in foil blade technology. This blade has been specially designed to the requirements of three times World Foil Champion Sergei Golubitsky. This high quality FIE approved maraging steel blade is reinforced at the forte region, which moves the centre of gravity towards the hand and gives the blade a continental feel. The reduced weight at the tip gives the blade two main advantages:

1. Because proportionally more of the weight is at the base of the blade the tip is lighter and can be moved with greater speed and accuracy.

2. The blade is more rigid for the first three quarters of its length so it bends closer to the tip. This makes it less whippy and easier to control precisely."

[ 08-21-2002, 03:48 PM: Message edited by: darius ]

**JEC** · 08-21-2002 12:59 PM

Blades have personalities too. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> I read the LP website, which I provided the link to, but the question remains as to whether the redistribution of weight makes it more effective or not.

**damianip** · 08-21-2002 01:05 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by veeco:
What is so special about this blade? Does it make you scream loud with a Russian accent and be obnoxious to most people???<hr /></blockquote>Actually it's a Ukrainian accent

Paolo

**Zelda** · 08-21-2002 02:28 PM

I'm going to the LP store b4 I leave London. So will investigate.

**veeco** · 08-21-2002 03:52 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by darius:
If anything, it improves the referee's eyesight when it comes to point-in-line calls; however it is a disadvantageous weapon to use against uppitty American graduate students or Koreans named Kim (which is all of them, non?), no matter how much World Champion material you contain.

<hr /></blockquote><img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> Also if you want to be Olympic Champion, you might want to avoid using this blade...

<blockquote>quote:<hr />

This high quality FIE approved maraging steel blade is reinforced at the forte region, which moves the centre of gravity towards the hand and gives the blade a continental feel. The reduced weight at the tip gives the blade two main advantages:
<hr /></blockquote>What is it reinforced with? How is it possible that they can get a blade made from the same material, yet it is reinforced at the base? I can understand that weight of the blade is irregularly distributed using a shape that makes the base fatter than the tip, but then again, isn't that how all blades are made?

What is a continental feel? For a UK based vendor I would think that a continental feel is a bad thing <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

**Purple Fencer** · 08-21-2002 07:10 PM

Does that continental feel come with two eggs?

Sorry, claiming the bvlade has a "continental feel" sounds like a shell game to me...like LP
s using advertizing-speak to deflect attention from a bad design element.

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