Silverstar Blades

[geofmclean]

I have two ancient foil blades bought, I believe, from Triplette around 1994. The blades have both outlasted at least two sets of points, but can't last forever, so I'm looking for something to replace them.

They are labeled "Silverstar". I like the balance and feel of the blades - they are fairly light overall, but a little heavier at the forte. I've bought four newer weapons over the last year and a half. Of those, I've liked an StM blade (from fencing.net) the best, but am still looking for just the right type of blade.

If anyone is familiar with these blades, are they still available or what would be similar?

[Purple Fencer]

I'm not entirely certain, but i THINK they were a budget line from France Lames....I had one myself when i first started out.

Since FL dies a decade or so ago, there's probably not a whole lot in teh product stream.

[DangerMouse]

They were made by France Lames and I never really liked them. They were really inconsistent in terms of feel. I preferred the ones stamped France Lames or the Hostin Plus blades, but it's now a moot point because none of them are made any more. I'm primarily an epeeist now, but I still dabble in foil occasionally. The closest feel to the FL I've used recently are the non-FIE StM blades, but they don't last very long. My current favorite (for foil) are the Vniti, which feel similar to the Hostin Plus, but are much more durable.

[GypsyScot]

My friend Ibrahima worked for FL before they folded, he's right in front of me and said Silverstars are ukrainian, so I have no clue.

[DangerMouse]

Really? My coach used to buy them from FL whenever he went to France...

[GypsyScot]

Really? My coach used to buy them from FL whenever he went to France...

I'm sorry I should've said they sold them but they bought them from a forge in Ukraine that he says he's sure doesn't exist anymore.

[Mr Epee]

They were shaped and looked almost identical to the FL blades of that time.

However, the marketing (remember those old ads in US Fencing with the blades tied in a knot) talked about some fancy new materials used in some modern forging process....

So... my guess is that they were probably manufactured in UKR but that FL had a hand in the pudding, so to speak.

[Rocdoc]

I had a SilverStar practice blade from the mid 1990's until about two weeks ago when it broke. I also believe they were budget France Lame product.

IMHO, the blade I had was too thin and flat in the foible. It would give very unrealistic actions compared to competition (electric) weapons. Of course a lot of practice blades do that. Also, that being said, it lasted until two weeks ago through a 12 years of off and on usage. Not a bad ride.

These days, when I practice dry, I use bare electric blades of the same type as my competition weapons with a dummy point (but I digress).

BTW, I am still using a practice blade that is stamped France Lame. Get this, I got it in 1987.