Ambivalence Regarding The Blades I Use

[EnduringDusk]

I'm a foilist and I've been using a Vniti for two years now.
The grip I use is an Uhl. Visconti Med.
I have pretty small hands, my parry is pretty weak and subtle, and I have weak arms.
(When I fence I use my legs more)

I recently broke that Vniti I've been using, so I went to a tournament using a lighter-weighted Prieur blade. This REALLY screwed up my point control, but my parries were stronger/faster and more prominent because I was able to move the blade with ease.


So I want some advice on what I should do.

1) Buy another Vniti and just try to work on my arm strength and parries?
2) Stick with the Prieur, and work on my point control?
3) Other suggestions?


P.S. Regarding BF Blue/White. Which is stiffer and which is lighter?
It's hard to find much info about the BF's on the Search ("BF" is too short to search)

[erooMynohtnA]

BF whites are supposedly stiffer and heavier (by a little) and blues are slightly more flexible and lighter, but in practice it varies so much from batch to batch that there are plenty of stiff blues and light whites, and I have never noticed a consistent difference.

You have to pick one out yourself if you want that sort of thing (Or put it in the comments section of a vendor you trust to pick out a good one [fencing.net])

1. If you feel Vniti's are too heavy for you, don't get one.
2. If you feel that the Priuer is too whippy, don't use it.
3. Try a different blade. (BF, LP, LM, StM) Specifically, pick one out yourself that you think you'll like.

[gatsby]

If you have pretty small hands, you probably shouldn't be on a medium sized grip. This might be why your actions are weak?

[CvilleFencer]

Some suggestions, in addition to the excellent one that your grip is possibly to big for your hand, for potential replacement blades:

Paul Etoile: Stiffer than the France, but still very light
Paul France: Very light, but they tend towards being pretty flexible
LP Flickmaster: Similar feel to the Vniti, but lighter weight and better balance
BF FIE: Weight and stiffness really depend on the batch. Best to pick them out in person. They will not last as long as Vniti
Lammet FIE: These are hard to find, but tend to be fairly rigid (from the limited selection I have seen) and about the same weight as a BF but with a somewhat different feel. Caveat being I have not used a great many of them and have not played with one for a while...

Best to get out to a NAC or a tourney with a good vendor and feel some blades out. Also talk to your armourer. You would be amazed how much the proper cant and bend, along with bell guard weight, can chance the feel of a blade.

[EnduringDusk]

Thanks for your replies guys. I'll look into the Flickmaster and my grip.

If anyone else has opinions, I would sure love it.

[Nolano]

Also note, the flickmasters are very expensive and don't last as long as the Vniti blades.

[thisissparta514]

BF stands for Blaise Freres, so you can search that.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Vniti foils (the whippy ones, at least)...my BF Blue has served me very well and is just right as far as I'm concerned in terms of flexibility and weight.

Also, I use Vniti titanium guards, which further reduce the weight of my weapon.

Finally, if you decide to switch to Prieur, maybe you could switch grips to help address the point control issue (some people find Belgians better for control).

[wescfencer011]

BF stands for Blaise Freres, so you can search that.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Vniti foils (the whippy ones, at least)...my BF Blue has served me very well and is just right as far as I'm concerned in terms of flexibility and weight.

Also, I use Vniti titanium guards, which further reduce the weight of my weapon.

Finally, if you decide to switch to Prieur, maybe you could switch grips to help address the point control issue (some people find Belgians better for control).

you know i think i will give a blue BF FIE blade a try. i current have a vniti FIE, white ulhmann FIE 405 batch, i like it but now my fencing style are change and i am better with light wippy blade.
origanally i was going to get a prieur FIE blade. i think the prieur are more beautifully made and fine balance at least on the non FIE line. but i will hold out and keep my options open untill i try it in person. both the BF blue and the prieur FIE blade.

[Cookeit]

Personally, I use Vniti's with Uhlmann small grips.
My hands are not small though, I think I wear a size 9.5 Gripstar glove.
So, I suggest you switch to a smaller grip.

If you can afford it, I suggest using BF's.

[thisissparta514]

you know i think i will give a blue BF FIE blade a try. i current have a vniti FIE, white ulhmann FIE 405 batch, i like it but now my fencing style are change and i am better with light wippy blade.
origanally i was going to get a prieur FIE blade. i think the prieur are more beautifully made and fine balance at least on the non FIE line. but i will hold out and keep my options open untill i try it in person. both the BF blue and the prieur FIE blade.

One warning: the BF Blue is actually pretty stiff at first, but once it's broken in it's nice and flexible without being too whippy.

[Rockstar44]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the LP "gutterblade". I am not an epee fencer, but I know several people who are sold on them. They are very lightweight (about half that of the Vniti) and so far I have yet to see a broken one.

I have seen other smaller fencers improve radically after switching to the LP blade.

The best advice, as others have given, is to try some of the other blades to see what works best for you.

[erooMynohtnA]

Considering this is a foil blade thread, I am not surprised no one had mentioned an epee blade.

[Rockstar44]

Considering this is a foil blade thread, I am not surprised no one had mentioned an epee blade.

Touche.

Somehow as I was reading it I started reading "epee". Long day. Brain fried.

[EnduringDusk]

Regarding my "small hands", I wear an All-Star Gripstar size 8
I use an Uhlmann Visconti Medium Grip (perfect fit)

In order for me to use the BF Blue I bought, I need to cut the tang by a lot to accomodate for the Medium Grip.
But now, it seems heavier (blade-heavy, obviously).

Maybe I should just increase my arm strength?

[FoilBlender]

Do some pushups?

[EnduringDusk]

Haha. I was thinking more bicep curls and wrist curls.

[samster]

Also, I use Vniti titanium guards, which further reduce the weight of my weapon.

IMO, weight is a factor, but balance is just as (or more) important.

[EnduringDusk]

I don't really find the Vniti Titanium guards that heavy.
Do you know of any heavier guards I can use to better balance my BF Blue?

[thisissparta514]

I don't really find the Vniti Titanium guards that heavy.
Do you know of any heavier guards I can use to better balance my BF Blue?

Haha, they're the lightest guards around! If you prefer a heavier guard, get a Leon Paul: they're heavier and just slightly less durable.

I do like the Vnitis, though, since the BF Blues tend to carry their own weight, but then again I've been using Vniti guards for the past 6 years, and I think I remember my first taking a little time to get used to.

[fencerchica]

One caveat on Prieur blades: In my previous life as a foil fencer I used to use those before I switched to Vniti, but one of my motivations for switching to Vniti was that my Prieurs had a lifespan of only about 6 months when fencing 2x or 3x weekly. In comparison, my Vnitis had a lifespan of more like 2+ years when fencing 2x or 3x weekly. The Prieurs seemed weak in the foible and tended to snap within about 5 or 6 inches of the point.