Vendor Tubes
Resources about pre-made weapon tubes/reblades from various vendors as well as information about "specialty" foams that are only available to be purchased from converters and industry-level suppliers.
Vendor Fries/Reblades/Tubes
By far the easiest way to build a reliable weapon.
Vendor tubes/fries/reblades (all words for same thing) come in 3 forms: "solid" tubes, slit tubes, and half tubes. Solid tubes could often be mistaken for short pool noodles, as they are just a tube, with the only hole being the one going all the way through, for the core. Slit tubes have a cut running along the length for inserting the core from the side. Half tubes are split fully down the middle so they can be placed around the core. The former two options allow for reducing glue seams on the striking surface, but can be problematic when it comes to getting good adhesive coverage along the core. All of these types are viable options, some just require more care to install. They come with all foam layers laminated (pre-glued or heat-adhered). Depending on the source, tubes may be round or octagonal, and they also may have options for flat blades. Tubes and fries come in a variety of foams and weights, with some fries even having multiple types of foam in them, generally 4lb boxes under 2lb striking surface foam. This will vary from vendor to vendor and most vendors will not tell you the exact kinds of foam that they use for one thing or another. I personally find these "brand" names to be silly and detrimental to the material science of the sport and very much do not appreciate that the vendors are gatekeeping this information. They have plenty of moat available just from it being hard for the average person to be able to manage to hit MOQ (minumum order quantities) from industrial suppliers, they don't need to keep those suppliers or the materials secret. That said, they are still good product and can be the best option for striking surface in many situations.
Duratube
A name used by various vendors to refer to their omni-reblades. Same material those same vendors would use for their flat blades. Usually a light yellow/off-white color, around the same density as 2# Volara (usually 2.2#). Very durable, and a good go-to choice for making reliable, long-lasting, weapons. This is what you should expect to get if you purchase from Forged Foam. In our searching, we have identified a few possible candidates for what this foam is, including Zotefoam's LD33 or VA35 and Worldwide Foam's WZ30.
Sources
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ColdMountainCompany?section_id=42685146
https://www.forgedfoam.com/product/omni-blade-tube/
Aethertube
Another name that has been used by multiple vendors. Has been used to label multiple different foams over the years, trending lighter each time. This foam is usually black. At one point, it was the same weight as Duratube, but more recent offerings have been lighter. We are quite sure that this is a Plastizote foam from Zotefoams and are narrowing it down between LD24, LD18, and MP15 as the most likely candidates.
I am unable to find current sources of Aethertube.
Mithraltube
A recent offering from Smiling Foam Works. From appearances and description, I expect this is the closest current offering to Aethertube, but have not had any on hand to test. Just from looking on their page, though, the product image displays tubes with different chamfer depths, and a very visible seam from the sheets being laminated together (likely using an acrylic adhesive) while also claiming to be glueless and seamless in a banner across the bottom of the same image. The seam isn't an issue, but since they (at least) don't acknowledge it and possibly don't understand that it's glue (if it isn't a heat bond), I've leaned towards not purchasing any, myself.
Sources
https://www.smilingfoamworks.com/materials/mithraltube
Volara Reblades
Almost certainly cut down from 4" thick Volara Block, only currently provided by Gorg. Should be comparable to Duratube, but are cylindrical instead of octagonal prisms and come in a single piece with a slit for inserting the core from the side. A bit expensive for what you're getting, but undeniably good material in a good form factor. Personally, I make my own Volara reblades by heatbonding 3/8" thick, 3" wide, strips of Volara and cutting them to shape on a bandsaw.
Foam Suppliers
Section in progress.
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