I currently have a linea foil purchased from the fencing post. This is what my club recommended for a first time foil. I have heard that they arnt the best though. I know for competition you need two working electric foils. I will be attending my first competition soon and will be borrowing a friends foil as my second weapon. However, I am going to be buying another one shortly (probably around christmas) so i have a second one. From what i know FIE blades are supposed to last much longer then non-FIE blades so i was thinking of getting on of those for use in competition. Being new to the sport i am not sure of the difference between the different brands of blades that are sold as to how flexible they are how long they will last in comparison to others and which would be best for me. Again i am new to the sport so im not sure of the benefits of a more flexible blade vs. a stiffer blade. Thanks in advance for all the help!
The longest lasting blade is the vniti.
It is a smidge heavier and tad stiffer than other top quality blades.
It's usually easier for beginners to keep stiffer blades from going off target. A stiffer blade also can make parries feel more powerful.
If money is a concern, many like the non-fie StM blades.
Also, it might be worth it to get 2-3 less expensive StM foils than 1 vniti.
The search function will reveal many threads on this. You might want to read through a handful of them as you consider your choices.
And good luck on your tournament!
__________________ When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail."
thanks i really appreciate the input and i will definately search the forums for the topics. I hope i do well too!
Are the non-FIE and FIE stm blade just as stiff or are they more felxible than the vniti? Also were would the linea non-FIE blade rate on stiffness? Thanks again!
It's kinda hard to say. Probably the vniti is a smidge stiffer than the others. The best thing is to contact the vendor directly and discuss it with them. They will try to find a blade that matches your needs. If you want a STM that's a little stiff or a vniti that's a bit more flexible than the others, a good vendor will feel through some blades and find one that match your description.
Also, if the blade is a little stiff, you will naturally adjust to it over time. If it is a little flexible, you will adjust to that too. Honestly, I wouldn't fret over it much at this point in your fencing career =)
btw: Purple Fencer has written a helpful 1st tournament guide:
__________________ When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail."
I saw it and have read it several times. It is a great guide. Anyway i am very thankful for you help but what are the pros and cons of having a stiffer blade vs. a flicky blade? Sorry to bother you so much i just dont really know what is good or not and haven't had the chance to try alot out.
Can you alsotell me the difference between a french point and a german point?
Last edited by mach11; 11-06-2009 at 11:15 PM..
Reason: wanted to add a question
It's usually easier to keep stiffer blades from accidently bending off target to the arm or leg, or just miss entirely.
A stiffer blade also can make parries feel more powerful.
Flicky blades change flick shots from almost impossible to very unlikely. (Unless you've been fencing many years).
Blades bend way more than you think they do when you're fencing with them. Just look at the stop action photos. Those blades are all over the place! Because they do that, really flexible foils can land off target (or completely miss) a bunch.
Usually a medium stiffness blade, is the best way for most people to go.
Honestly tho. EVERY new fencer that has ever bought a foil has wondered the same things as you. Vendors have answered those same questions a thousand times. They're very good at pointing you in the right direction.
If you talk it out with your coach and talk it over with the vendor, I'm sure you can find a blade that will work great for ya!
__________________ When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail."
In a nutshell. All points have good and bad things going on.
My choice is german tips. I think they work better.
Just as important to me is having all of my tips be the same type. That way I only need to keep 1 kind of spare parts on hand for repairs.
__________________ When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail."
Again thanks so much you have been very helpful. I think you have answered just about all my questions as of now im inbetween three blades but i think i am going to try and find reviews on them to see which to pick. They are the Vniti FIE the Leon paul FIE and the StM FIE from fencing post. Not sur yet though. I really do appreciate the informaion.
I've been using a StM FIE blade for my primary foil (German tip) and it has been an absolute beauty for me. It's quite stiff, compared to the AF FIE Maraging that my friend has, but not as stiff as a Vniti. It's definitely one of the stiffest blades in the club at the moment - it can match some epee blades that are being used.
It's also quite light and well-balanced - my coach remarked that my foil (German tip, StM Color FIE, Titanic German guard, leather pad, Uhlmann insulated Belgian) was a good combination in terms of balance and response. I also just ordered a spare blade (same blade) and it's also beautifully finished and balanced.
I'm a power fencer - I love binds and circular parries - and the blade allows me to power through a lot of moves (and opponents) when in a bout. When beating or taking opponents blades', I find that it is definitely more than capable of putting up a fight.
The color coating has been quite durable, though it is wearing away as I fight electric fairly often.
In short, the StM FIE Color is a good value for money and I recommend it!
Wow thanks i had heard that the non-FIE StM's get really flicky so i wasn't sure about the FIE ones i am mainly inbetween the StM and the Vniti but I'm not sure which i will choose yet. I am glad to hear that the StM is good cause thats what i was leaning towards. Thanks!
Any other reviews on these three blades would be great!
The StMs feel really nice (and are stiff), but at your level, the difference won't really impact your results. The Vniti will last a really long time and does not kink easily, which is much more important for a beginner. I don't like the LP blades as they tend to be way too flexible.
Thanks for the info. I have been looking around and have found mixed information about these blade some say the StM is super stiff other say it is flexible and just keeps getting softer. Some say the vniti is stiff other say it is almost as flexible as the LP blades. Is there anyone on here that has or does own both and can give me a side by side comparison of the ups and downs of both blades. Please dont say it is by feel because i havent fenced long and dont have the money to purchase both to feel them and see which i like. Thanks!
Wow thanks that spreadsheet helped a ton! it really lets me know alot the oly problem with the stm measurement is i heard they never stop getting softer. ad eventually tey are just way to flicky. Anyway i just had one last question. From what i have heard the vniti are heavy. How much of a difference will that make and how much heavier are they? I'm not sure my my current foil would compare and would going between the weapons be a big change?
None of this particularly matters until you get better. Blades break and none of them will last long enough for you to wish you had gotten a different blade. I have a BF foil and a Vniti foil. The BF if heavier than the Vniti. Other Vnitis are heavier than other BFs. You'll be happy with either the StM or the Vniti. Blades change as they are used. The ones that don't get soft break instead.
Thanks for the tips. I really do appreciate it this forum has helped me alot in selecting equipment. I'm still not sure which blade I will pick but I still have some time to decide. I'm glad to hear that whichever I get will not effect my much in the long run. But i still dont have a reason to choose one over the other so I will just need to go for whichever feels right at the time. Also, I know there are generic french tips and the sport 7's. Does anyone know which companies currently use the Sport 7's. I have heard the fencing post has Sport 7's as their normal french point. I ordered my orignal foil from there and was going to order some replacement parts just incase. However, if i was to get a foil from somewhere else I would want to be sure the parts would be interchangeable so I wouldn't need to order a whole other set of replacements. Thanks!
Just as a point of information, we have about 30ish loaner foils and about 10 loaner epees at my club. We only use Vniti FIE for our foils and Vniti and LP epees (with the exception of a couple that have been donated). The reason we use such expensive blades? We don't have to replace them. We have had one loaner break in 2.5 years, and they are used by all levels of fencers and used heavily as we are a decent sized club and we also run several HS and MS programs out of the facility. We also only use Next Gen German foil points, just FYI...
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__________________ When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail."
Just as a point of information, we have about 30ish loaner foils and about 10 loaner epees at my club. We only use Vniti FIE for our foils and Vniti and LP epees (with the exception of a couple that have been donated). The reason we use such expensive blades? We don't have to replace them. We have had one loaner break in 2.5 years, and they are used by all levels of fencers and used heavily as we are a decent sized club and we also run several HS and MS programs out of the facility. We also only use Next Gen German foil points, just FYI...
QFT. We would do the same if we had the upfront money. We switched to LP epees a few years ago, but have since switched away again. The LPs are definitely the better choice, but we have issues with wires breaking and since I'm the only one who fixes the equipment, we only have half of our weapons available at once. I'd rather pay a little extra to get less durable blades that never need rewiring. If we could afford Vnitis, we would get them. We also have had issues with the LP tangs breaking when pommeling a french grip, thus negating the overall durability of the blade.
For my personal gear, I use StM FIE and BF FIE epee blades and Vniti foil blades.
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