OK, I have my first sabers! Two or three, depending on how you count them. :-)
First, let me say that they are pure awesomeness. I know there are may "premium" hilts in the US inventory and I may even purchase one of them one day, but since I first found their site a few months ago I have had eyes for one saber: The Dominix V3 and its twin the Aeon V3, as well as the staff version, the Phantom V3.
The 10% off and free initiate offer broke my resistance at last and my order was placed on the 14th. The sabers arrived today, and they are living up to the billing. :-)
First, the Initiate. I recieved a Dark Initiate V3 in Guardian Blue. I like this blade a lot more than I thought I would. After a few initial test swings and spins, I am very tempted to keep this one for myself rather than gift it as I intended ... but no, it will find a most excellent home with my daughter. After all, I can't spar if my sparring partner is not armed, right?
The initiate blade is a bit short for my tastes as a primary weapon, but that is to be expected. As a second blade for off-hand weilding or as part of a staff it will be excellent. :-)
Which brings me to my "main" purchase: The Phantom V3.
First, the staff is actually quite heavy. I purchased HG blades, so they have some bulk to them and I also purchased 36" blades. That makes the entire package 8 feet long with the black vented adjustable coupler isntalled. This is a bit longer than I had anticipated, but I plan to give it a whirl (literally) in some open space before I pass judgement on it. My initial impression, however, is that it may have been expedient to go with the shorter blades for the staff. Which just means I will be purchasing a few spare blades soon to do a side-by-side comparison.
Despite the heft, the staff is very well balanced and once you do get it moving it is impressive and has a lot of power. In a duel that power could be a decisive advantage, and at 6'4" I am tall enough and powerful enough to manage the longer blades and greater momentum.
The best feel, though, is of the single Dominix/36" blade combo. The balance is utterly perfect, with the center of gravity for the saber being just under an inch beyond the emitter, making the saber just slightly blade-heavy. This tracks with the "real" weapons I've handled and the balance is so close to my katana that I anticipate very little notice in switching from one to the other.
The blade colors are also very bright. My staff is Sentinel Yellow, which is by nature a fairly pale color, but in daylight the blade still lights noticably and in a darkened room it is quite spectacular. The Guardian Blue in the Initiate is brilliant of course and looks amazing as well. :-)
A few test swings and impacts with inanimate objects used as targets (as well as one good solid hit on a wall that jumped in the way of a whirling blade) have proven that they are indeed as resiliant as advertized. I cannot wait to put them to the test.
And a couple of quick photos:
