Body Cord Wire

[nyacfencing]

I would love to be able to buy a reel of body cord online and never worry about it again for life. However I cannot seem to find any... I tried home depot and such (not a lot of full-scale hardware stores in Manhattan) and tried to find some online, but can only ever locate the 18/2 two-wire type and none of the three-wire that I would need (btw I generally use the orange Prieur cords).

What type of cord should I be searching for? Does anybody know a good supplier?

[KD5MDK]

Purple Fencer I believe has some. Someone (DHC?) put together a group buy on here a few years ago.

[JayhawkPawn]

Honestly, I don't think buying in bulk is the way to go, unless you're making them, ala Sam. You're supposed to worry about your bodywires, if you don't relax, and check them before every tournament, buy spares, and don't forget to maintain them, they should last a long time.

"Two good places to buy

Sword Masters: Favero Wire
http://www.sword-masters.com/catalog/
866-796-7348

Triplette: They have it made up here in US
http://triplette.com/catalog/index.php
336-835-7774

Both companies have a great wire to replace the wires to your bodycords.

Note: Neither of the two companies have this wire listed on they're web sites. A phone call will have to be made for pricing.

I have seen the wire from both companies and personally would use it on my own stuff.

Good luck.

Gary Spruill"

There's where you shoudl start, Gary tends to know his stuff. I made a big comparison amongst bodywires some time ago, but I'm too lazy to search for it. Buy LP cords, just be sure not to step on the three prong ends, or you'll be buying a metric ton of the little plastic retainer clips.

[fencerbill]

Purple Fencer I believe has some. Someone (DHC?) put together a group buy on here a few years ago.

It was Purple Fencer who put the group buy together. He made a mistake in not keeping a stock to service the individuals who need a couple of replacements. I am sure he won't make the same mistake next time. What was even nicer was that his wire would fit into the tunnels for LP bayonet plugs.

[Purple Fencer]

It was Purple Fencer who put the group buy together. He made a mistake in not keeping a stock to service the individuals who need a couple of replacements. I am sure he won't make the same mistake next time. What was even nicer was that his wire would fit into the tunnels for LP bayonet plugs.

What was worse was I got shorted a good amount and had to take that out of my OWN buy to meet everyone elses orders!

I don;t have any left, unfortunately. I've been looking into another purchase, but it's ain't cheap when you have to have a minimum order of $1k or more, and I don't have much cash available.

[fencerbill]

Time to solicit for another batch. See if the other vendors will buy in to get a decent minimum.

I will vouch for the wire, there is a continuing need for it.

[nyacfencing]

I am a little shocked fencing gear isn't based on a standard wire that is easily accessible and highly affordable.

[Purple Fencer]

I am a little shocked fencing gear isn't based on a standard wire that is easily accessible and highly affordable.

That would make FAR too much sense!

What're more shocking is when a company makes a change that makes it's gear worse....like Uhlmann's change in body cord wire a couple of years back.

Used to be the wire was smallish and flexible enough to easily fit into the maze that is the plastic housing....NOW it's stiff and so thick GOD has a hard time getting the @%$# stuff to fit!

That's why I no longer sell Uhlmann cords...until my own FINALLY come on line in some quantity, it's the Post knock offs. They have the same problem ALL the hard-bodied cords do, but at least you can work with the wire.

[MdA]

My sons and I got into making our own body cords for awhile. Then I decided it was cheaper to pick up a couple cheap Chinese cords at each NAC. I can't compete with the Chinese manufacturers for my time or money.

[noodle]

i saw some cord that was identical to the standard uhlmann cord in radio shack. didn't buy any, since radio shack is super over expensive, and haven't seen any of the same gauge since.

[fencerbill]

2 conductor cord is not nearly the problem that the 3 conductor cord used for Epee body cords is.

You can use the 3 conductor to make Foil body cords, I think it is Negrini where it is so obvious that they start with 3 conductor cord.

Lamp cord (2 conductor) can be found in many, many places. But 3 conductor is not common at all. Did you say you found 3 conductor cord in Radio Shack? If so, it would be a first as far as I am concerned.

[noodle]

2 conductor cord is not nearly the problem that the 3 conductor cord used for Epee body cords is.

You can use the 3 conductor to make Foil body cords, I think it is Negrini where it is so obvious that they start with 3 conductor cord.

Lamp cord (2 conductor) can be found in many, many places. But 3 conductor is not common at all. Did you say you found 3 conductor cord in Radio Shack? If so, it would be a first as far as I am concerned.

yep, it was there. and, again, haven't seen it since, but i've been to radio shacks before, including the same one i saw it in.

[DHCJr]

I am a little shocked fencing gear isn't based on a standard wire that is easily accessible and highly affordable.

Actually they are in a way. Lamp cords in Europe are three conductor. It was acceptable for floor cords, but lousy for Body cords as it was stiff.

I was able to pick up some cord at Lamp Plus. They had some European style track lighting with three wire.

Even in Europe, using Lamp cord is not the same as fencing wire. They have different purposes.

As Bill said you can use Lamp cord. Go to a lamp and feel the cord and move it around. It is stiff!

With lamp cord you don't need to have a lot of strands. With fencing you need a lot of smaller strands for flexibility and lower resistance. More strands means higher cost.

We could go to the other extreme. I would love to see a body wire made like Mueler patch cords. They would be Ultra-flexible and Ultra-expensive.

Body wires are a compromise as is everything.

[Mr.Piccolo22]

I have been getting my wires on a spool for a long time now. I have been buying my supply from DelCity.net. And they do have the three conductor wire for Epee. As for the longevity of the wire, I use shrink tube for where the wire goes through and haven't had too much of an issue. I have also bored out the groove a little more for the two prongs so the shrink tube can fit in nicely. I also gave one of my friends the same wire and he finally after two years he had to cut it back. So, either it's good wire, or I am just really lucky. I hope that helps you out.

[wahrman]

I've been using grounded computer power cords for body wire for a while now. They work pretty well and fairly easy to find cheaply.

[brtech]

My armorer buddy Tim Hively makes his out of white jacketed round power cable he gets from Home Depot. They are pretty indestructible cables, although they aren't the most flexible cord on the block. The outer insulation doesn't necessarily stay under the cable clamp, but the wire doesn't break for a loong time.