StM non-FIE epee blade.

I've had one of these blades for about 4 months now, of once to twice a week fencing for 1 to 3 hours at a time. It's the purplish greenish color, and I like it, but its started to rust a bit. It's been my first epee blade, and its worked out well so far. When I first got it, it was unlordly stiff. After a week or so of trying to put a bit of a bend in it, I got a nice healthy bend in, and at that point the flexibility improved extensively. As of now, its more flexible than that, but not as flexible as I'd like. Flicks to the arm and wrist are achievable, but not too easy. Something I do appreciate is that its very solid. People will try to beat my blade out of the way, and its like trying to beat a brick wall.

My instructor got some of the same blade, and they are much more flexible than this one was. Maybe inconsistent quality. Overall, if you're a beginner who needs a cheap epee, this one is worth a look. I'm about ready to buy a new one, though.

Update:

A few weeks after writing the original review, the tang completely stripped, and would be pretty much dead for most people. I ended up ordering a new epee, and I welded a new tang onto this one so I could use it as a spare.