la mejor Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 I love the King blades, but we don't practice on turf...any durable blades that are comparable in weight and handling? I can't stand a blade that doesn't have the weight concentrated in the hilt, as the King does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zackiedude Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Check out Styleplus.. I'm not sure what their brand is called now, maybe Xabre? They aren't weighted as great as Kings, and I still prefer to spin eXcaliburs to those, but they seem to break less than eXcaliburs from my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quegrawks Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Check out Styleplus.. I'm not sure what their brand is called now, maybe Xabre? They aren't weighted as great as Kings, and I still prefer to spin eXcaliburs to those, but they seem to break less than eXcaliburs from my experience. they're now called "The Blade" and they're ok. Excaliburs haven't caused us any problems except for when they first came out a few years ago. They're very well balanced (hilt) and spin wonderfully. I've never had an Excalibur break, and the guards I've taught that have used them practice on parking lots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la mejor Posted May 17, 2008 Author Share Posted May 17, 2008 I used Excaliburs a couple of years ago, and they broke like crazy! I've heard people say that they have no problems, but all of our hilts were smashed and I had a couple snap in half from dropping as small as a double. But you say you practice on blacktop with no issues? How do the hilts (cage) hold up? How high are your kids tossing (and dropping)? I really did enjoy the weight of the Excalibur - very similar to King. I might explore that option if the product has improved... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quegrawks Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 I used Excaliburs a couple of years ago, and they broke like crazy! I've heard people say that they have no problems, but all of our hilts were smashed and I had a couple snap in half from dropping as small as a double. But you say you practice on blacktop with no issues? How do the hilts (cage) hold up? How high are your kids tossing (and dropping)? I really did enjoy the weight of the Excalibur - very similar to King. I might explore that option if the product has improved... I've only had two hilts bend. One was easily fixed, the other had to be sent back because it was almost touching the grip part! They do have a 1-year warranty where they will replace the hilt or blade if it breaks. Kings have a lifetime warranty, I know. But I've never taught at a school willing to put that kind of money into sabres. At my previous school the kids were tossing quads and working on fives during marching season, at the school I teach now, the highest we've done is a triple, but they've only spun sabre during indoor season so far. We used them during drum corps (DCA) tossing 4s, and no major problems with drops there either-- 90% of the time spinning on parking lots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHSmirage Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 I tried Xabres/The Blades this past fall with my kids. 5 busted hilts and 1 split blade later our field blades will be the $40 specials from Elite. Yes, they are nothing like a king, but I'm a thrifty girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odessa Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 Has anyone here used the the synthetic king with the polyethylene hilt? I mean, they are 75$ and 80$ and can be upgraded to the metal basket at a later point. I'm thinking about those since I want to get my kids on spanish blades, but I know that they'll kill themselves or the equipment at some point. Are they cost effective but durable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniSopGuy Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 Has anyone here used the the synthetic king with the polyethylene hilt? I mean, they are 75$ and 80$ and can be upgraded to the metal basket at a later point. I'm thinking about those since I want to get my kids on spanish blades, but I know that they'll kill themselves or the equipment at some point. Are they cost effective but durable? The King you refer to is the SB36PH or SB39PH It has the same blade as the SB36 or SB39 They are the same shape and made from the same material as the KS2 that everyone refers to as the "King Sabre". However, they do not have the beveled edges on the blade like the old "Spanish" blades. The only King Sabre that has the beveled edge like the "Spanish" blade is the KS2. If you look close at this pic, you can see the difference The SB3xPH are extremely durable and balanced really well. The balance is not the same, but is very close to the KS2. They can be upgraded from the plastic hilt to the genuine hilt(basket), but they can't be upgraded to the genuine grip. We went from SB39PH to the KS2-39. If money is an issue, they are probably the best alternative. My guard is on concrete or asphalt all the time. When we used them we never had any problems. However, even now with the KS2 on concrete and asphalt, we still have no problems. Believe me, not everything that goes into the air ends up in their hands either!. If money is not an issue, even not being on turf, go for the KS2. BTW, I got all the pics from the King website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quegrawks Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Has anyone here used the the synthetic king with the polyethylene hilt? I mean, they are 75$ and 80$ and can be upgraded to the metal basket at a later point. I'm thinking about those since I want to get my kids on spanish blades, but I know that they'll kill themselves or the equipment at some point. Are they cost effective but durable? Personally, I would stay away from anything that has those weird "bicycle handle" grips. They feel really weird and can often twist, causing all sorts of manipulation problems. Your best bet is the Excalibur, they're nearly the same price, and if you train them right, they wont' kill themselves on the equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rifleboypa Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 i've spun a synthetic king and do not like them at all.. they spin funny, and the blade was not the same as a regular king. the bike handle was really heavy. if u want the look, i would assume it's the best alternative.. i don't know how durable it is, but it still does not spin like a regular king.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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