FIE Weapons: Brands/Types?

[abc]

Hey everyone, I've been looking into purchasing a FIE weapon, but I'm a little confused about all the different types I've seen.

STM, Vnity, BF, Prieur, some kind of chinese one; I'm sure each brand has some kinds of differences, like the durability, price, or the stiffness and flickiness, but I have no idea which ones have which.

Can anyone explain the pros and cons of these different types of FIE weapons?

[erooMynohtnA]

Why don't you tell us what you want first? It will make it easier to get useful replies.

Also, what weapon? Hopefully saber.

[abc]

My bad, I should've specified, I fence foil.

Also, I guess what I'm looking for is the most durable FIE blade. I've been told that Vnity blades last the longest, but I'd like to hear whats good and bad about each of them if anyone knows.

[larkmaj]

You came to the right site, but I would suggest doing your research on it. There are a vast number of threads on this site about this very topic. Run a search from the toolbar at the top of this forum, there are many good answers here.

[sir alasdair]

I am still fairly new to fencing (3 years) but I have gone through the early steps of 1. using club stuff, 2. buying A lone foil - cheap dinamo 3. buying my first "gold" non FIE blade - duellist/STM 4. buying an inexpensive FIE blade that had durability issues 5. buying a pricier FIE blade that I am comfortable with and has proven to be sturdy and reliable.

I ended up with VNITI blades. At this point I only own 3 foils, total. 2 of them are Vnitis and one is one of the $12 dinamo blades that survived the transitions. The dinamo blade has a nasty kink and I expect it would quickly break if ever pressed into regular service. It is my 3rd string backup, but it was still wired and working when I bought the 2 vniti blades so I threw a spare guard and handle on it. After 6 months of regular use on the two Vnitis(4 times a week, 2-3 hours) I have yet to develop any soft spots or kinks in them. They are a bit heavier than pretty much everything out there so they took some getting used to. They are stiffer and less whippy but flicking is not a big part of my game. Vniti also rounds off the edges of their blades so they don't develop nicks nearly as much, either.

My previous blade choice was the Absolute FIE which seemed to be too good to be true at the price. However, it WAS too good to be true. The 2 of them broke after developing nasty kinks within 3 months.

If I was building a foil for someone, I would use a Vniti blade with FWF german tips and LP wires and be sure to double tape the screw heads. This has proven TO ME to be the most durable setup I have found. Another thing - whichever brand you choose - have the vendor set the cant angle and cut the tang to length (if necessary) for you rather than risk snapping the tang off on your pretty new investment.

Lastly, if you can purchase the blade in a "hands on" environment such as a NAC or Summer Nationals, you can really compare the different brands and even the differences that occur within batches of the same blade.

[Craig]

Originally Posted by sir alasdair

If I was building a foil for someone, I would use a Vniti blade with FWF german tips and LP wires and be sure to double tape the screw heads.

FWF tips and LP wires? I wouldn't do that. LP with LP, FWF with FWF.

If you're going to go with the FWF points now, you should look at the NextGen points which are thicker, so you just need one layer of tape.

Craig

[cbcarey]

I tried the old two layers of tape on the next gen german tips, and it the tip gets so thick I couldn't test properly on some weight tests. But the tip sits nicer in the barrel anyway, and I don't know that more tape really helped.

I have experience with Viniti (5) and the Golubitsky Pro (1). The Viniti's get the most use. I have only broken one in year and a half of heavy fencing. Its pretty stiff overall and durable. The Golubitsky is a bit more flexible. I have had it for about a year now, but I almost never use it, so I can't tell you much of its durablity.

[jkdjeff]

I have two Vniti foils, and I like them a lot so far. I tend to make distance mistakes sometimes and bend the blade farther than I'd like (still pretty new) and they've held up to the abuse just fine so far.

They definitely feel heavier than the club weapons I've picked up (no idea the manufacturers on those), too, which I like.

[AdamH]

If you're looking for durable, the StM FIE blades are real tanks, remaining stiffish after working in; cheap, too. I've had one for over 2 and a half years, although haven't used it much in the last year and half.

It took some serious punishment, outliving to date 3x StM non-FIE (broke), 4x chinese blades(broke), 1x BF FIE(kinked sideways), 1x LP France(kink everywhere, floppy-flappy) and 1x LP FIE(kink which went plastic). Currently using 2x BF FIE which are lovely. Vniti had the reputation for some time as the most durable, but their newer (lighter) blades have made the trade-off.

[fencerchica]

I've switched all my stuff to Vniti blades, both foil and epee. The durability (which I love) is just the icing on the cake.

The blade feel on the Vnitis is really terrific. You get a little bit of flick without too much loss of point control, you get great balance for clean crisp actions, you get nice weight in the forte for authoritative parries even against heavy-handed opponents, and you get a nice even bend in the blade through the outer part of the middle and the foible, for minimal kinking even when fencing people who crush distance.

Plus yeah, the durability. I had this one weapon I used as my practice bouting workhorse for almost a year at 4x weekly, a couple hours each time, before it finally snapped. My current practice weapon is starting to approach that record too. I like keeping my designated "competition weapons" separate so I don't have to spend as much time before events getting them to pass weight and their movement smooth, and because I'm lazy I let my practice weapon's tip get gummed up and chunky. The result is that my designated "practice weapon" really gets run into the ground, but the Vnitis still just keep coming back for more.

[D'Art]

Originally Posted by AdamH

It took some serious punishment, outliving to date 3x StM non-FIE (broke), 4x chinese blades(broke), 1x BF FIE(kinked sideways), 1x LP France(kink everywhere, floppy-flappy) and 1x LP FIE(kink which went plastic).

Jeezo. I'm surprised you have any money left to fence after going through that many blades! I don't fence anywhere near enough to actually care about these things any more, so I just choose blades that I like the feel of nowadays. These tend to be StM rainbows (for some reason they're more available whenever I need a new blade), though I also have various others kicking around the house somewhere.

[swatchpost]

I absolutely love my Vniti FIE blades. When I first got them they were a little stiff, but over time I was able to get a really nice looking curve out of them. They loosen up and become a little more "whippy" with age, which if you flick occasionally might be helpful. They last a lot longer as well.

I've been eying some BF FIE white or blue blades as well—perhaps that might be my next purchase.

It's the grips and which fits my hand the best is what I'm still trying to figure out.

Cheers to Vniti.

[sir alasdair]

So, the day after I posted my bit on Vniti blades, I went to club and lent out my backup foil ( the cheap dinamo ) to one of the High School kids who fences at our club. Her foils and bodycords were at school and schools were closed due to extreme cold. She broke it - ON ME - with a counter attack that nailed me right in the sternum. I guess I jinxed that poor blade. So, I'll be purchasing another Vniti blade or 2 at the NAC in Chi-town.

[NotIndPk]

...I use Allstar for the most part and broke my last Uhlmann yesterday - and yes, to me, there is a difference between the two, even though they are the same "source". Before I buy another Allstar, can anybody think of another brand that is really, really, stiff?

Thank you.

[migopod]

Originally Posted by sir alasdair

So, the day after I posted my bit on Vniti blades, I went to club and lent out my backup foil ( the cheap dinamo ) to one of the High School kids who fences at our club. Her foils and bodycords were at school and schools were closed due to extreme cold. She broke it - ON ME - with a counter attack that nailed me right in the sternum. I guess I jinxed that poor blade. So, I'll be purchasing another Vniti blade or 2 at the NAC in Chi-town.

Talk about adding insult to injury! Stealing your hat and then breaking your foil on you!
She's a bad seed i tells ya.

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

I've gotta say that my BF FIEs ('02 Vintage) and FL FIEs ('99 Vintage) have been spectacular. Of course, don't go looking for any FLs nowadays.

On the other hand, I also purchased a few Absolute FIE blades, and I LOVE THEIR FEEL. Nice and light...fast. The DO kink easier than the BFs...but they take un-kinking really well.

I just rewired with the Next Gen FWF German points last night. They seem real sweet, although I won't use them until tonight. (Craig was out of the LP GT tips that I wanted to convert to and I needed something fast...otherwise I would have gone with them).

[Blakeian]

I have a bunch of BFs of different vintages. Three white/normal and one blue. I haven't used the blue one yet but the three whites have served me well thus far. I started out with LP Flickmasters way back in the day when I only owned one foil and that one which I owned was exceptional, it was a bit on the stiff side for a Flickmaster but it lasted five years or so. If you decide to go for a Flickmaster go for a stiffer one.

The two other Flickmasters that I bought two years ago were medium flex and so far one has snapped and the other has increased in flexibility a lot. This remaining blade whilst it is extremely light making for quicker actions I try not to use as with my style of fencing it I get worried mid point that its going to snap (I work on drawing out counter attacks from my opponent which can lead to some sticky distance issues in the final action).

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

Originally Posted by Blakeian

I get worried mid point that its going to snap (I work on drawing out counter attacks from my opponent which can lead to some sticky distance issues in the final action).

***BFO makes mental note to wear new FIE kit when fencing Blakeian...***

[Blakeian]

Originally Posted by Beloit Fencer of Old

***BFO makes mental note to wear new FIE kit when fencing Blakeian...***

*starts working on other strategies*