How do you acquire your body cords?

[JMcC]

If you do not personally acquire your body cords, but get them from someone else, please answer for that person who actually acquired them initially.

This survey is only looking for information about legitimately, legally acquired equipment.

Equipment theft can be the subject of another poll please; initiated by those interested.

[KD5MDK]

I buy mine from vendors. However, on seeing the title, I think of the ones I've had stolen at tournaments and wonder if you have too.

[Monash_Armourer]

This poll is flawed. Theft clearly isn't on there, providing me with no leads as to where mine get to.

[lefty_monster]

I buy new ones and then repair as they break. But if all the parts go to hell at once and there's only 2 feet of cord left, I'll break it down for spare parts and get a brand-new one. Also, I am the club armourer of sorts, so when people have old body cords that aren't worth fixing, they donate them to me.

[tbryan]

I buy new and assembled, and I generally just replace with new and assembled.

That is, the most I will do is open up the plugs and maybe trim back the insulation to make better connection with the posts. Just that much maintenance normally lasts 4 - 6 years with very few problems. By that time, I've normally lost the body cord at a tournament, or it's starting to fall apart in more serious ways. I give the old cord to the club for spare parts and buy a new one.

[TBean]

Theft aside, I buy cords and then will scavenge for parts if they are compatable. I let someone else repair my Ulhman cords, but fix the others myself. Given that most of my body cords about 2ft. long at this point I think I'm going to have to ask Santa for a few new ones.

[Chafunkta]

Originally Posted by TBean

Theft aside, I buy cords and then will scavenge for parts if they are compatable. I let someone else repair my Ulhman cords, but fix the others myself. Given that most of my body cords about 2ft. long at this point I think I'm going to have to ask Santa for a few new ones.

Buy speaker wire for foil and sabre (haven't yet found good wire with 3 sections for epee). It's extremely cost effective. it'll work fine if your plugs are still in decent shape.

[TBean]

Originally Posted by Chafunkta

Buy speaker wire for foil and sabre (haven't yet found good wire with 3 sections for epee). It's extremely cost effective. it'll work fine if your plugs are still in decent shape.

If only I fenced foil or sabre.

[KD5MDK]

Split one of the 2 wire cables and tape it to the other 2.

[wahrman]

American Fencers Supply sell Prieur 3 wire for $2.50 per meter.

Maybe not as cheap as speaker wire but less of a pain than splitting,
taping, braiding, etc. At $5 per body cord it works well.

[arc]

I've always been a big fan of Prieur connectors (epee, and the three-prong end for foil), but I particularly like the Favero wire (clear insulation so you can *clearly* see any breaks in the wire, without having to guess, plus the Favero uses much finer wires than, say, the standard Prieur cable, so it's more flexible), so I end up purchasing wire & connectors in bulk & building cables from it.

Oh, and you can get the Favero wire from Fencing Post (under tools & accessories) for $.80/ft, roughly equivalent to the cost of the Prieur ...

[wahrman]

heh, I've been putting Favero connectors on the Prieur wire.

I like the Prieur because AmFence is walking distance, well it was until I moved.

Originally Posted by arc

I've always been a big fan of Prieur connectors (epee, and the three-prong end for foil), but I particularly like the Favero wire (clear insulation so you can *clearly* see any breaks in the wire, without having to guess, plus the Favero uses much finer wires than, say, the standard Prieur cable, so it's more flexible), so I end up purchasing wire & connectors in bulk & building cables from it.

Oh, and you can get the Favero wire from Fencing Post (under tools & accessories) for $.80/ft, roughly equivalent to the cost of the Prieur ...

[Zilverzmurfen]

Originally Posted by lefty_monster

I buy new ones and then repair as they break.

Seconded.

Until they get so old and ratty/crumble that they cannot be rapired any more. Then it's time to buy a new one.

[Inquartata]

The poll is you-know-what, because of the word "buy".

For example, while I do buy assembled cords, and while I do repair them when they fail, I do not always have to buy parts. There is salvage, scavenging, or dog-robbing, in addition to purchase. There is also trade, borrowing, and gifting.

I have one body cord the original wire of which I replaced using an old indoor extension-cord wire someone at work threw away.

I also don't see how asking how someone who gives you a cord got it is helpful. I mean, unless it was stolen from the manufacturer it was paid for at some point, even if you stole it. Really, in that sense "it's purchased" is the only valid response...

[Rick Shellhouse]

Ummmm


this poll is flawed....no embezzlement choice.... cause I just snag them from the huge bin of body cords...then again....we make them from scratch...so that choice would work too....


have to remember to be carefull of grabbing without lookign though...one time I ended up fencing with a pink sabre body cord........twitch...


Rick

[mrbiggs]

Buy new ones when they get stolen. Otherwise, fix them.

I've never had a body cord broken beyond repair. (Actually, I have one that I could never figure out what was wrong so I used it for parts, but otherwise...)

[JMcC]

Originally Posted by Inquartata

I also don't see how asking how someone who gives you a cord got it is helpful. I mean, unless it was stolen from the manufacturer it was paid for at some point, even if you stole it. Really, in that sense "it's purchased" is the only valid response...

Sorry if this wasn't clear. It's difficult to construct the poll simply and still cover every possibility.

- It's understood for the purposes of this poll that all the parts of the assembled cord were purchased at some point.
- Intermediaries are not germane - "A gave it to B who gave it to me.", then B is not relevant to the poll.
- Again, stolen goods are not the subject of this particular poll.

To your point, if you were given the cord, then the person who gave you the cord would have either:
- purchased it fully assembled (choice 1)
- repaired an existing cord (choice 3)
- built it from scratch (choice 4)

[fencerbill]

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

Split one of the 2 wire cables and tape it to the other 2.

I wouldn't advise that at all. If you use a lot of tape it will become too stiff. If you use too little the odd wire will stick out everywhere, specially when you bend it. Can't remember which vendor it is, but there is one that has quarter inch lengths of tubing on Foil body cords near the 3 prong end. How weil does that work?

Salvage the wire singles and braid them. A loose braid will work much better than taped together.

[fencerbill]

Armorers quite often wind up with the unmarked body cords left over in lost and found at the end of tournaments.

Cheat the armorers, mark your body cords.

[fencerbill]

Originally Posted by Chafunkta

Quote:
Originally Posted by TBean
Theft aside, I buy cords and then will scavenge for parts if they are compatable. I let someone else repair my Ulhman cords, but fix the others myself. Given that most of my body cords about 2ft. long at this point I think I'm going to have to ask Santa for a few new ones.

Buy speaker wire for foil and sabre (haven't yet found good wire with 3 sections for epee). It's extremely cost effective. it'll work fine if your plugs are still in decent shape.

Get in on Purple Fencer's second order of 3-conductor wire. First order was great, clear insulation, nice and flexible and it fit in Leon Paul tunnels.