Feeling the Weight of Different Tips

[parryDoh]

What do you think, is it possible to feel the differences in tips? I think I can but maybe its just in my head =) After rewiring my favorite foil, it just doesnt feel like the same weapon. I replaced a leon paul tip with a german tip.

[catwood1]

Its in your head...

[ysbadadden]

You can certainly feel the difference if there's extra tape on the tip. I don't know about the difference in weight between different makes, but it's possible. It may be a tiny weight difference, but it's way out there, so leverage comes into it. (Maybe I mean angular momentum. But no, I've never meant angular momentum in my life.) Just saying that a very small change in resistance at the foible can be very discernible to the fingers.

[catwood1]

While I suppose its theoretically possible, I highly doubt it.

If you took both tips, 1 in each hand, I doubt you'd be able to feel a difference in weight. Its most likely very much a mental thing.

[ysbadadden]

Maybe. Perhaps the difference between tips is undetectable. But the difference between properly wrapped tape and one extra circumference of tape is clearly distinguishable. And I'm not sure I could tell the difference in weight between a half inch and an inch of tape with my eyes closed.

[Purple Fencer]

The greatest difference in weight between complete points if 0.9 gram between one of the old German points (before Uhlmann and Rosler split) and the current Rosler NextGen tips....and if you think you can feel .9g when it's three feet out, you're probably fooling yourself.

You're much more likely to feel a differance when you change the cant of a blade because it pulls on your muscles differently.

[ysbadadden]

I'd like to believe you. But how much does one extra wrap of tip tape weigh?

[Purple Fencer]

I'd like to believe you. But how much does one extra wrap of tip tape weigh?

Never measured that....I could try to find the scale....wouldn't be much, tho....1/10th of a gram as a SWAG....maybe less...

[the ancient one]

Try a blindfold test.

Have someone tape on and remove a small weight near the tip such as a nut or whatever is lying about with you blindfolded. For a large number of trials your assistant puts the extra weight on and off in random order and you try to detect the change by feel only. Of course your assistant must make noises between tests such that you don't have reliable audible clues about when the weight is added or removed. Can you detect the change? You could also vary the weight to find your detection threshold.

Interested to hear what you find.

[fdad]

The greatest difference in weight between complete points if 0.9 gram between one of the old German points (before Uhlmann and Rosler split) and the current Rosler NextGen tips....and if you think you can feel .9g when it's three feet out, you're probably fooling yourself.

You're much more likely to feel a differance when you change the cant of a blade because it pulls on your muscles differently.

If you look at the foil as a lever, you'd feel *more* of a difference the greater the distance away from the hand. For example, the force required to lift .9g three feet from the fulcrum (hand) would be 3X the force required to lift the same weight one foot away. It would certainly be enough to change the fulcrum (balance) point.