mister_sunshine

Today we learned that there have been two recent sport fencing accidents that involved the failure of the mask. The most recent was in the past month--a foil penetrated the mesh and stabbed someone between the eyes. The recipient of this survived, but won't be fencing anymore.

I forget when this was, but the second was a fatality. Again, a foil penetrated the mesh. This time, however, the point caught the unfortunate person in the eye and went through.

Foils are extremely forgiving when compared to rapiers with practice blades and even more forgiving when compared to the dullest longsword.

The mesh of low-end masks are made of carbon steel. This means they corrode if not kept dry. And of course, the natural result is a weakened mesh.

One of the reasons for the big jump in price between the low- and high-end is that the high-end meshes are made of stainless steel and thus more resistant to corrosion.

Both categories of mask are fine as long as they are cared for. Keep them dry and treat them as if they were your best friend. Tonight, mine saved me from a trip to the emergency ward (or worse)--I took an unintentional thrust to the face during drills from a hefty steel longsword. Accidents will happen, which is why we wear the gear.