Absolute Fencing Standard Lame dead after 5 uses?

[yearsofwisdom]

my absolute lame that i purchased in april went dead after being used only 5 times. 2 tourneys and 3 practices. is this normal???!?!?! can someone from absolute please help

[SJCFU#2]

Are you sure it's a standard lame and not the ultra-light washable (the one of clearance)? And you didn't happen to wash it recently?

While the standard lame usually holds up for a season or two (YMMV) the ultra-light has a rather poor reputation with regard to reliability.

[yearsofwisdom]

it is the standard 65 dollar lame. and i have never washed it. i bought it kept it in my closet for a week or 2. then used it shortly for like 2 hours during 2 tourneys and 2hours for 3 practices.

[SJCFU#2]

In that case it doesn't sound normal at all.

I suggest you contact Absolute directly rather than try to go through the forum. You'll probably get a quicker response.

[yearsofwisdom]

well my coach told me to use a damp paper towel and wipe the lame down. i did that and im gonna try seeing if it made a difference on tuesday. if not ill contact absolute

[SJCFU#2]

When you do test it on Tuesday make sure that the problem is with the lame and not something else (body cord, reel, weapon, etc). Hopefully your coach can help you with this.

[Pieter]

Yeah, it's pretty rare for the whole Lame to go dead. It tends to happen with deadspots first. More likely to be something else.

Or perhaps it's a sign to switch to epee, where no lame can fail!

[yearsofwisdom]

ooo im so sorry for the confusion. theres 4 deadspots not the whole thing dead. but the dead spots are a big mass though. but still abnormal im guessin?

[Coldfire]

I was given a standard lame after I went through 2 lightweight lames in a season. The standard lame started to take on a green tinge the very same day I used it for the first time (at a NAC). It didn't last too much longer and became extremely green very quickly. I would stay away from Absolute lames, but that is just my 2 cents.

[Greybeard]

I use the Absolute Signature lame and have had no problems with it yet. I was thinking of taking a backup Uhlman to Nationals. Of course my additional target area make the Uhlman a bit snug, but I can wear it.

My biggest concern with my lame is creating a dead spot where my lame rubs against the back of my chair and is actually starting to "sand" the material.

[yearsofwisdom]

Originally Posted by Coldfire

I was given a standard lame after I went through 2 lightweight lames in a season. The standard lame started to take on a green tinge the very same day I used it for the first time (at a NAC). It didn't last too much longer and became extremely green very quickly. I would stay away from Absolute lames, but that is just my 2 cents.

Yeah same with mine. i used it for one tourney. hung it up on a clothes dryer for a day and it turned green. 1 more tourney and 3 more practices after, the dam lame has 4+ dead spots.

and doesnt the signature offfer a 1 year guarentee of conductivity?

however i used a light lame from 4 years ago from my school and it was working fine, but it has dead spots now... so i'd say the quality has taken a nosedive..

[AndrewH]

Uh oh, I just bought one for practice...

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by AndrewH

Uh oh, I just bought one for practice...

Hope you don't sweat.

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

Originally Posted by yearsofwisdom

ooo im so sorry for the misconfusion. theres 4 deadspots not the whole thing dead. but the dead spots are a big mass though. but still abnormal im guessin?

Priceless!

[Delta]

Thankfully us girls don't sweat....we glisten!

So is my ultralight supposed to die after a single wash?

[SJCFU#2]

Originally Posted by Delta

So is my ultralight supposed to die after a single wash?

Should it die after one washing? No!

Will it die after one washing? Can happen!

[Slacker]

Before you condemn the thing to death, soak it overnight in white vinegar, then rinse in distilled water. If you have dead spots, they may not be fixable. Don't count on Absolute to replace or discount your next lame'-- sometimes you just get what you pay for.

[yearsofwisdom]

well i know but i dont think 65 bucks = deadspots in 5 times use?

i used a towel and wiped it down. i think it may have done the trick... i think it got rid of the dead spots

[Eisley]

Originally Posted by yearsofwisdom

my absolute lame that i purchased in april went dead after being used only 5 times. 2 tourneys and 3 practices. is this normal???!?!?! can someone from absolute please help

I have to agree with SJCFU on this one, it would have been much better to directly contact us.

While it's pretty well known that our (now-discontinued) Washable Lame's only have an average lifespan of just under a year (and in some unfortunate cases even less) our standard lames hold up pretty well. I'm surprised to hear that it's dead so fast, because people usually have them for 2-3 years with no issues except maybe a small patch on the collar or somewhere else where they sweat profusely.

When you say that you have 4 large dead spots, I have an idea of what could have happened, especially since you said you purchased it in April but only have used it 5 times in those past 3 months. I'm going to say that you probably threw it in a bag with sweaty clothes or your uniform, and the few large dead spots that you have are where the wet items were sitting against your lame. This is actually something that has happened a couple times before, where the person had no idea that it would have such an adverse affect on their lame.

I'm also slightly frightened by the fact that your coach is telling you to wipe it down with a damp cloth and Slacker is telling you to rinse it in distilled water. Unless you have a washable lame, your lame should never come in contact with water. Sometimes the lames do turn green a little quickly, and all that green stuff that forms, sort of coats a perfectly conductive layer underneath. When this happens you can take a cloth or towel and spray Windex on it, and then rub the green off your lame and you'll instantly notice a huge difference if you test it directly before and after doing this. Windex is acceptable because the ammonia instantly dries after you use it, leaving no time for damage -- VERY much unlike water!

Since you already rubbed it down with a damp towel and noticed that the dead spots have improved, it sounds like it was just a layer of that green stuff that was getting in the way. Next time use Windex or ammonia, as you won't risk further damaging it as you might with a damp towel. Let your coach know to recommend Windex and not water also!

[Eisley]

Originally Posted by AndrewH

Uh oh, I just bought one for practice...

\

I wouldn't worry! Those lames do last 2-3 years for most people, and over all certainly do not have a bad review.

Always there can be a defective items that pops up here or there, but the odds of you purchasing one of those are slim, and in addition we're pretty good with working with our customers when things go wrong.