Aramis Nasycon Plastic Foil
Okay, there aren't many fencing toys out there, so you have to go with what you can get most of the time. I reviewed this item viewing it as mainly a toy - if you reviewed it as a kids training tool then your views may be a bit different.
The Italian firm Nasycon manufactures a plastic foil, trade named the Aramis. They come in blue, red, and black and are the perfect size for a child. Nasycon sells these with the Zivkovic children's mask, which makes the kids look like power rangers with swords, but the mask provides the eye and face protection necessary when waving one of these around.
When I received mine, the foils were in 3 pieces (4 if you count the battery for the "electric" one.) Slipping the guard onto the blade was very easy. Putting the rubber tip onto the tip of the blade took a little more effort. You'll have to work to get it on, and use a tool (I used needlenose pliers) to stretch the tip wide enough to fit onto the point. Overall, assembly took less than 5 minutes.
The electric version also has a push-out battery holder that is stored in the handle. When you push it out to put in the tiny battery, you see just a couple of wires from the tip holding the case onto the foil. It works just fine, but I was afraid of snapping something. This assembly could be a little more robust.
These foils are great to use. The balance and feel are great, and they can be held with either hand. (Put your thumb on the depression for the best feel/grip.) If your children are well behaved enough to poke and not hack, these are good. I highly recommend the mask with these as a hit to the face will hurt.
I found the dry version to be better than the electric simply because after about 5 test hits I was getting annoyed by the buzzer and my wife banned its use in the house. If I handed the electric foil to the kids on my street, I know that I would not be invited over for dinner again due to the repeated buzzing from hitting with this foil again and again.
Overall, this is a good toy. I think the Wacky Whacker is better overall, but for controlled exercises and kids classes this foil would be a great training tool. It's a step more towards a real foil, but much easier to hold, and a bit safer, than a 0-blade practice foil.
The Italian firm Nasycon manufactures a plastic foil, trade named the Aramis. They come in blue, red, and black and are the perfect size for a child. Nasycon sells these with the Zivkovic children's mask, which makes the kids look like power rangers with swords, but the mask provides the eye and face protection necessary when waving one of these around.
When I received mine, the foils were in 3 pieces (4 if you count the battery for the "electric" one.) Slipping the guard onto the blade was very easy. Putting the rubber tip onto the tip of the blade took a little more effort. You'll have to work to get it on, and use a tool (I used needlenose pliers) to stretch the tip wide enough to fit onto the point. Overall, assembly took less than 5 minutes.
The electric version also has a push-out battery holder that is stored in the handle. When you push it out to put in the tiny battery, you see just a couple of wires from the tip holding the case onto the foil. It works just fine, but I was afraid of snapping something. This assembly could be a little more robust.
These foils are great to use. The balance and feel are great, and they can be held with either hand. (Put your thumb on the depression for the best feel/grip.) If your children are well behaved enough to poke and not hack, these are good. I highly recommend the mask with these as a hit to the face will hurt.
I found the dry version to be better than the electric simply because after about 5 test hits I was getting annoyed by the buzzer and my wife banned its use in the house. If I handed the electric foil to the kids on my street, I know that I would not be invited over for dinner again due to the repeated buzzing from hitting with this foil again and again.
Overall, this is a good toy. I think the Wacky Whacker is better overall, but for controlled exercises and kids classes this foil would be a great training tool. It's a step more towards a real foil, but much easier to hold, and a bit safer, than a 0-blade practice foil.
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