Is a Vniti blade worth it?

[deepwave]

Is it worth it for me to buy a Vniti blade for my epée? I'm really serious about fencing, so I'm willing to spend the money, but I want to know if the blade is as good as people say.

[catwood1]

Well, if its not as good as people SAY, then will they SAY that what they SAY is wrong? ?

That said, yes, yes they are definitely worth it.

[D'Art]

Is it worth it for me to buy a Vniti blade for my epée? I'm really serious about fencing, so I'm willing to spend the money, but I want to know if the blade is as good as people say.

Sod the poll. The word "yes" is all you need. Save up, and buy it. You'll regret it if you don't.

[Piranha]

Vnitis (and FIE blades in general) are a godsend if you like to fleche. They last MUCH longer.

[noodle]

a vniti blade is a very good blade for the money.
it is not one of the best blades, though.

[trafl926]

my only compliant about a Vniti is that if you take binds(esp in fourth) the tip may move TOO much.

[Nolano]

My complaint about Vnitis is that the tip moves too much no matter what...

[MyrddinsPrecint]

They're bendy. This means they move around a bit. Some people like this a lot, some people don't. It also means they tend to be really durable.

See if you can hold someone elses. Hit something with it. If they're particularly nice, maybe you can fence a bout with it. You may or may not like it.

[monitorlizerd]

I have a fencer who LOVEs them....I have problems with them because he keeps popping the wires loose, no matter what I do....

Susie

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

I have a fencer who LOVEs them....I have problems with them because he keeps popping the wires loose, no matter what I do....

Susie

Hmmm. That sounds like an armoring issue.

[Nolano]

Vniti's are a ***** to wire. You need to practically grind the groove to get a wire to stick well. And pre stretch the wire a bit. Hit the groove lightly with a dremel or something, and you ought to get it to last a bit longer.

[Craig]

Vniti's are a ***** to wire. You need to practically grind the groove to get a wire to stick well. And pre stretch the wire a bit. Hit the groove lightly with a dremel or something, and you ought to get it to last a bit longer.

Yep. This is something that we make sure to do with all of our vniti foil and epee blades.

Craig

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

The vniti blades do last a while, and they don't cost much.

However, I don't know many fencers who prefer a vniti over a BF white.

The vniti is like a honda civic, its cheap and will last a long time.

The BF white is like a race car. It costs a lot more and won't last as long, but its really fun to drive.

[parrythis]

When I was buying non-FIE blades, I was breaking something like 4 a year. Since I started switching to Vniti's about 2 years ago, I haven't broken a single one. In terms of return on investment, they are a wise investment. It has been said by one of my friends (unconfirmed opinion here) that they will outlive a non-FIE blade by a factor of 5-to-1. (I am not finding that to be wrong.) Given that their price something like 1.5 or 2 to 1 over a non-FIE blade, you will save money over the long run with a Vniti. On top of that, they almost never take an odd bend as a result of a hard hit.

Regarding the whippyness of the blade - they seem to come in different degrees of whippyness. Unfortunately, you cannot order them to some spec. Fortunately, mine are all kind of medium whippy, but the next one I order could be as stiff as a wet spaghetti noodle. The best thing to do is buy them in person from a vendor at a tournament so you can try them out before you buy.

Regarding rewiring them - yes the common practice is to run a dremel lightly down the groove before gluing the wire in, but I would hardly say that this is difficult.

If you like a slightly whippy blade, the Vniti is a good choice. If you like your blades rock-hard-stiff, you probably won't like them.

[AdamH]

I'd like to take another route in favour of the Vniti as a foil blade.

The longer I use my Vniti, the less I think about it as a blade. By this, I mean I get accustomed to its properties or character. So when I pick it up as my primary weapon, the x number of previous repetitions of particular strokes I've performed with it are quite a good investment in terms of muscle memory and lack of distraction in picking up another blade, if the Vniti is going to last a good, long while.

I've done in three BFs so far and have two more as secondary weapons. When I pick those up, they are certainly lighter and balanced nicely, but maybe my actions need tweaking a bit.

Faffing around with dozens of other blades, previously, there were always little changes to be made each time.

If I could afford to buy say, 5 BFs from the same batch and cycle them, I'd be just as happy but there is something to be said for continuity. Personally, I've found a heavyish blade has forced me to simplify my bladework so there is more commitment on actions.

A Vniti blade won't be for everyone and I avoided heavier blades for a long, long time. In practice, the switch has probably been for the better.

edit: my current epee blade for occasional use is also a Vniti, but thinking about it, probably a nice LP blade would be better as those seem to last a nice, long while and weigh much less.

Vnitis do differ among batches. You can find heavy, whippy blades and light, stiff ones as well as the respective converses in proportion. They do last a long time, it seems.

My Vniti foil blade was also the first foil I did not cant/set 'in'; just a heavy 'down' set.

Last edit: A heavy foil blade seems to facilitate a flicking game, if the blade is up to it. Certainly in this respect, continuity in the use of a tool is favourable.

[deepwave]

When I was buying non-FIE blades, I was breaking something like 4 a year. Since I started switching to Vniti's about 2 years ago, I haven't broken a single one. In terms of return on investment, they are a wise investment. It has been said by one of my friends (unconfirmed opinion here) that they will outlive a non-FIE blade by a factor of 5-to-1. (I am not finding that to be wrong.) Given that their price something like 1.5 or 2 to 1 over a non-FIE blade, you will save money over the long run with a Vniti. On top of that, they almost never take an odd bend as a result of a hard hit.

Regarding the whippyness of the blade - they seem to come in different degrees of whippyness. Unfortunately, you cannot order them to some spec. Fortunately, mine are all kind of medium whippy, but the next one I order could be as stiff as a wet spaghetti noodle. The best thing to do is buy them in person from a vendor at a tournament so you can try them out before you buy.

Regarding rewiring them - yes the common practice is to run a dremel lightly down the groove before gluing the wire in, but I would hardly say that this is difficult.

If you like a slightly whippy blade, the Vniti is a good choice. If you like your blades rock-hard-stiff, you probably won't like them.

I would try the local vender thing, but there are none where I am. I have, however, decided that I am going to get one. The stm blade I have right now is WAY too stiff. I would really like something bendy. If I did then a lot more of my attacks would actually be effective. Thanks for sharing your opinions.

[Slacker]

'k. I've broken my last Absolute blade as of last night. I have been looking for something "bendy". Guess I'll try a Vniti. Do ya think I can get one up and running in time for a tourney in ten days?

[Nolano]

Definitely.
If you want a fairly bendy, durable blade with a good balance, a Vniti probably is your best option.

[Craig]

It's worth it for now, but prices will go up soon:

Vniti Price Increase

Craig

[chaosblade]

When you say the vniti is heavier than the BF, exactly how heavy? How much does the Vniti weigh, and how much does a BF blue weigh? I can't imagine the difference to be substantial, but i could be wrong. Please enlighten me