Leon Paul FIE-M vs Prieur FIE-M

[amman]

Hey guys,

Forgot to put this in the title : I am an Epeeist

I am looking for some honest answers from people who have had experiance with either of these blades. You can find them here:http://stores.thefencingpost.com/-st...Categories.bok

I prefer to have very lightweight blades that are extremely flexible and durable at the same time. I understand that durability and flexibility are at the opposite ends of the spectrum ,but for me, flexibility is more important than durability.I love to flick and fleche!

I heard good things about the Leon Paul, but someone told me they are a pain in the arse to repair.

Have not heard to much about Prieur, but a clubmate said that they are flexible for flicks and lightwieght.

What do you guys think I should buy?

[wahrman]

I've only had one each of Prieur and Leon Paul epee blades. The Prieur was not a durable blade. But that's one person with one blade, YMMV. The Leon Paul was quite durable in comparison. And was the flicker blade.

The Leon Paul blade was a bit, er, quirky. The notched french grip tang with the brass insert was odd. The tips are a bit strange to work with if you are used to German tips. But I'd not say pain in the arse, just different.

Durability and flexibility are not mutually exclusive. Vniti blades are quite high on both of those qualities. In my experience, they've been the most flexible and most durable blades. However they are not light. Quite the opposite.

[CvilleFencer]

LP blades are light, flexible and last forever. They feel unique though. Some people love them, some hate them. If you have been using a BF blue for years for example, you are likely to hate them. One thing I will say is that I have seen about zero difference in the lifespan of FIE and non-FIE LP epee blades. I can't say that about any other blade, but the LP's I don't see any reason to by FIE unless you are fencing internationally. If you get them wired German, they are not different than any other blade to work on BTW.

The Prieur blades change from batch to batch. They can be flexible or they can be clubs. They can be heavyish or fairly light. At their best they can feel like a cheaper BF blue. At their worst they feel like a Vniti without the flex or lifespan. They are good if you can inspect them by hand and get what you want. I tend not to order them online. They will kink and hold that kink and lifespan is decent but not great.

[Tomas N]

If you want an LP blade with a FWF tip, order it from fencing.net.

[DangerMouse]

I have gone through about 6 Prieur FIE and 15+ LP blades over the past 10 years or so. The LP are the most durable blade for the money (non-FIE are pretty much identical to FIE). The Prieur generally are really light and flexible, but have poor durability.

I stopped using the LP because I don't like the feel of them. They are particularly bad if you fence in the Beck/Tauber system (German flick/fleche) because the V shape of the blade makes it bend slighly sideways when you flick. Also, if you talk to any of the high level fencers who flick a lot, they really prefer very stiff blades (as do I). I primarily use the StM FIE blades now as a compromise between durability and feel, although the most recent few I've bought have actually felt better than the most recent BFs I've bought.

The Prieur feel very nice if you get the right batch, but I've never had one last more than 2 months. Compare that to about 1 year for the StM FIE or BF FIE and about 2-3 years for the LP non-FIE.

[amman]

Thanks guys for all the responses. I think i am gonna head into the store to check out the Prieurs, most likely I will buy an LP.

@ DangerMouse : Yeah, I really like the feel of StMs ,so far they are more comfortable than BFs and quite a few other blades. I have actually been using StM exclusively for the past 10 months and i am happy to say i have had no problems.

[DangerMouse]

Then why change?

[amman]

Haha I see your point (pun intended)
Just want to try something a little different , and it is cheap enough to not put a dent in my pocket. Never hurts to try something new, plus if i dont like it I can always give it to my little brother

On a side note can fencing.net do stenciling?(for a jacket)