Practice Foil Blades

[Morale Officer]

Ok, I appologize if there was already a thread on this (I looked, but don't think I saw one, I saw the one on the BF blades, but it wasn't quite what I was looking for), but I'm in need of new blades. The last time I bought blades (or foils for that matter) was in 98 or 99. I originally bought them from Santelli and the blades are France Lames. I don't have a huge amount to spend at the moment, but I guess that's why I picked up the overtime (so I have the $$ when it comes to buying the electric blades). Since it's been a while since I've ordered blades, I figured I'd ask yous all opinions. So....

The first 2 blades I'm going to buy are the Dry blades. I looked at the equpiment reviews, but didn't find a whole lot that was helpful and some of the links are broken, so I figured I'd ask on here.

The next blades I'm looking at ordering are the electric. I'm only fencing locally at the moment and would like to get back to low level competitions. And as I said, I don't have a huge amount to spend, but will eventually need 3 blades (will probably have to buy them one at a time. I also haven't learned the fine art of wiring yet (although it's one of many things I'd like to learn).

So, any thoughts?

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

Keep in mind that your "Dry Blades" should be electric blades with no wires and a dummy point. Unless you're five. Or you belong to SCA. Therefore, you can take any/all of the advice on blades which is posted here on fnet.

[Morale Officer]

Part of my problem is that a good number of the links in the reviews section are broken, so even as far as electric, I'm still looking to see what's what.

[SJCFU#2]

If you are going to compete then you might as well skip dry blades entirely - electric blades are simply too different as far as weight and feel are concerned. If you want one for practicing dry then fit a dummy point onto a bare electric blade - that way you can replace the dummy point with an electric one and wire up the blade later.

As far as which blades to use, that's often a matter of personal choice and how much you want to pay.

Cheap house-brand blades are inexpensive but they generally don't last that long. A mid-price non-FIE blade such as the STM will usually last long enough to justify the extra cost (compared to the cheapest blades) but generally won't last anywhere near as long as a properly used FIE blade. FIE blades tend to be heavier and stiffer than non-FIE blades. They generally last longer than non-FIE blades however they also cost a lot more and if you are hard on blades (usually due to poor distance control or excessive force) then they may not last long enough to justify the extra cost.

Beyond that it's a question of what your taste are in blades (and how sensitive you are to variations). If you decide that you want more information regarding a single brand of blade then you might try doing a search - there is a good chance it has already been discussed at some point or another, even if it never made its way into the reviews.

One final bit of advice - if you are going to compete it will probably be worth your time to learn a bit about how electric foil works. You don't necessarily have to learn how to rewire a blade right away (although that is something that you might eventually want to learn) but knowing how to perform basic maintenance and repair can make life a lot easier.