Infinity Lames?

[whtouche]

I need a new lame. I needed a new lame last year and foolishly bought a BG lame to save money. And now it's turning green and I know it's not going to last much longer. I shouldnt have skimped in the first place, but now Im thinking of going all out.

So. It's either an uhlmann stainless steele, or an infinity lame.
First off, where can I buy the infinity lames from? Are there any vendors that sell them?

Also, does anyone have any experience with them? I know they dont rust(which is a huge selling point for me as I tend to sweat more than average) and are machine washable. Does anyone have any experience with them ripping or tearing, how easily do they tear and how hard are they to repair? How long do they usually last? And is it really safe to machine wash them?

Also, on uhlmann stainless steele lames, if they dont rust, how do they eventually wear out?

Thanks

[Catal]

http://www.infinityelectronics.com/products.html


Everyone I know, who has one, thinks it's a great lame'. The only common complaint I've seen is that it's so damn expensive.

[Peach]

I have had two, buying one at the Santa Clara Summer Nationals (1997). I (sort of) retired the first one a couple of years ago, though it still passed, because it looked so ratty--the shoulder fibers were beat to a pulp and it was darned in a number of places. However, I still use it and it still passes. I love them.

Advantages:

They never fail, as long as you keep washing them from time to time (put them in the washer, regular cycle--Jeff Salmon says you can put it in the dryer too but it dries so fast I never bother). The only time mine didn't pass, I went to the ladies room, rinsed it out, and took it back once it had dried. Passed fine.

They are incredibly light and breathable. It's like wearing nothing over your uniform.

They can be wadded up and stuffed in your mask between fencing nights and they will be fine (I know, I'm a slob).

You can repair holes and snags by sewing them up with regular thread. As long as the fibers are in contact with one another, they conduct.

Disadvantages:

They can get torn or poked easily.

They don't offer much added protection against blows.

You do have to wash them.

They're slightly more expensive than stainless steel.

[Capt. Slo-mo]

We love our Infinity lames, for all the reasons posted above: lightness, coolness, ease of care.

Here's the main concern with the Infinity: when they make the jacket, they use very minimal seam tolerances on the material. This results in seams popping open from time to time. If you get an Infinity, just be prepared to do a little stitch work. It's well worth it.

We just take ours into the shower, and regularly hose them off, then let them drip dry. The other thing that prolongs the life of the jacket is to keep an old lame for practice, and a second lame--the Infinity--for competition. Then it lasts forever.

All the other styles of lames will eventually corrode...the stainless steel ones just take a lot longer. When you buy a cheaper lame, whether from BG or anywhere else (we had one from Blade fail after a month while looking brand new) they have copper threads which go south very quickly.

[NJP3]

Do you you have to buy from that site or are thier any dealers that carry them?

[mollusk]

I got mine from Blue Gauntlet.

[Capt. Slo-mo]

We've gotten all of ours through Blue Gauntlet, but I believe you can order direct from the manufacturer...the price is the same.

[neevel]

Originally posted by whtouche


Also, on uhlmann stainless steele lames, if they dont rust, how do they eventually wear out?

Thanks

Stainless steel lames wear out because of the metal strands getting physically broken over time due to hits. Even with a pefectly care-for lame, eventually enough strands will go that an area will become high or completely dead. Copper lames can also fail this way, but they'll frequently die from corrosion before physical damage to the strands becomes an issue.

As many have noted above, the vulnerability to being snagged and torn, or coming undone at the seams is the main limit on the lifespan of Infinity lames. They can outlast a stainless lame, but there's also the chance that they'll catch a burr on your opponent's blade and get a hole on the first or second tournament (I have seen this). Holes can be patched over with new material.

As a final note, just because your BG lame is getting green staining on the backing fabric, it doesn't mean that it's about to fail. It's normal for some staining to occur, but as long as you wash it regularly enough to keep the salts and corrosion from building up they can still work just fine. I've seen plenty of green BG lames that are just fine, conductivity-wise.

-Dave

[NJP3]

I currently have the cheaper "non-washable" lame from pbt and its starting to stain a little around the neck, is thier anyway I can wash or clean it? or do I just have to wait till it dies since its non-washable?

thanks
NJ

[retardedspleen]

Infinity all the way man. Love mine, the only complaint that ive had, and that ive herd from other people is that the seams, they seem to come apart fairly easy, but fortnitly they are really really easy to fix, and if dixed correctly, they prolly wont come apart again. At my old club, we had a girl (Amy Maccaro) i beleave she sent her mask into the manufactuers, and they completly redid her mask, out of the same material that is used on the jackets, looked really nice, and held up really well too.

The reason infinity is better than other jackets, isnt so much that it looks cool, or is lighters, or any of that, its the conductivity of that jacket, see the problem with the white jackets is that there are squares of conductive material on it. And the squares are all made conductive to one another by strands of conductive thread that connect them all to one another, now, if one of these strands was to break, BOOM you now have a 3 inch dead spot on your lame...damn....Now the Infinity dosnt have this problem at all because the ENTIRE jacket is made of metal, i beleave its the same mesh thats used on the inside Nasa rockets (im not sure if thats true, but i remember hearing that) every part of the jacket is conductive, so if part of the jacket stops being conductive, its only affecting that one super small spot that has stopped working. but its very unlickly that your Infinity will get dead spots, mine started to get some, small ones, after 4 years of use. everyday use (6 days a week)


I love the jacket, the price was more than worth it. once i start fencing again, im gunna get another!!

Chris Triplett

[whtouche]

Thank you all, all the replies on this thread have been very helpful in making up my mind.
I have one last question: how do the sizes go on infinity lames? Are they american or european? Such as, if I wear a size 46 BG lame what would I need for infinity? I dont know, sizings always confuse me

As far as lames being green and still passing, I understand and I try to take good care of my lame. But it seems like with the infinity there's alot less to worry about. And with my practice lame going dead recently, that's only going to accelerate this ones demise. So, by getting the infinity, and turning this one into a practice lame, hopefully I can save some frustration in the future.

That and my current lame doesnt fit very well

[Marcos]

Leon Paul do a lightweight gold coloured lame

In foil it just looks damn good

In Sabre it is a god-send!

http://www.leonpaul.com/acatalog/Foil_Lame.html

scroll down to see light-weight lame

[Artisan]

Originally posted by Marcos
Leon Paul do a lightweight gold coloured lame

In foil it just looks damn good

In Sabre it is a god-send!

http://www.leonpaul.com/acatalog/Foil_Lame.html

scroll down to see light-weight lame

in a totally irrelevant vein:
Heh...look at the photo..its a PhotoShop job. Unless that model has a hugemongus man-hand for her left and a normal for the right...not to mention the size of the foil....

[Catal]

She may have been too close to the camera lens for it to compensate. It's a wall-eye effect to a much smaller degree.

[retardedspleen]

Originally posted by whtouche
Thank you all, all the replies on this thread have been very helpful in making up my mind.
I have one last question: how do the sizes go on infinity lames? Are they american or european? Such as, if I wear a size 46 BG lame what would I need for infinity? I dont know, sizings always confuse me

As far as lames being green and still passing, I understand and I try to take good care of my lame. But it seems like with the infinity there's alot less to worry about. And with my practice lame going dead recently, that's only going to accelerate this ones demise. So, by getting the infinity, and turning this one into a practice lame, hopefully I can save some frustration in the future.

That and my current lame doesnt fit very well

I Wear a size 42 (american size) regular Jacket, my Infinity is a 44, you usualy order just 1 size above your normal jacket (sizes go up in increments of two; 40, 42, 44, ect...) The Infinity will feel lose, dont worry this is only because its the best jacket ever in foil ive herd they fit a bit snugger. If in doubt you can call Infinity, and ask them what they recomend, or call BG im sure they could give you a pretty good idea.


Chris Triplett

[Marcos]

Originally posted by Catal
She may have been too close to the camera lens for it to compensate. It's a wall-eye effect to a much smaller degree.

Actually, she is real - in the top 3 female foilists in Britain
...although I do agree that the photographer didn't catch her best angle, to put it diplomatically!

[U.M.Amherst.Sabre95]

Link here:

http://www.infinityelectronics.com/products.html

Evan