This is my first saber and first saber review. I just received it in the mail today. It shipped out 3 business days after my order (understandable as I ordered a special color), and it arrived about 4 business days later. The box had a few dings in it where UPS banged it up, but it was in good shape overall compared to some of the stories that I read about other peoples' experiences with UPS. Anyway, the saber was in perfect condition when it arrived so the state of the box is not really of my concern. Here are my options:
Phantom V2
Blade LED Color: Arctic Blue
Blade 2 Color: Arctic Blue
Blade Length: X-Long 36"
Blade Option: UltraEdge
Hilt 1 Model: Limited Edition (LE) Version
Hilt 2 Model: Limited Edition (LE) Version
Blade Tip: Round Tip
Include Retention Screw Wrench: Sure!
Include Blade Plug: No Thanks
Include Second Blade Plug: No Thanks
Include Covertec Clip: No Thanks
Install Covertec Wheel: No Thanks
Include Second Covertec Clip: No Thanks
Install Covertec Wheel Hilt 2: No Thanks
I wanted this to be mainly a stunt saber, so I kept it plain and simple (and easy on the wallet $145). I also wanted more than one for my first saber so that I could duel with my friends or practice alone with single, dual, or staff.
Here I will discuss each option, why I chose that option, and what the results were once I got the saber:
I chose arctic blue for several reasons:
1. I did not want to get any of the standard RGB colors
2. I hope that it will show up better outside (I have not taken them outside yet) and with the lights on
3. It is the same color as Exar Kun's light blue staff (and I like Exar Kun's combat techniques)
I am 6'3" tall, so I chose the 36" blade length (even though I got a staff), and I am sick and tired of the little toy sabers/swords with the tiny little 24" blades.
The hilts are each 12", and the blades are inserted 3" into the hilts, making actual blade length 33", the hilt and blade are 45", and the staff setup is 90" or 7'6"
When I first picked them up, they felt a little long, but I got used to it very fast. Wielding one inside is manageable, as long as you watch the ceiling/floor. Wielding both at once is difficult in my apartment. The staff is very big and is definitely not for indoor use (unless you are in a gym or something of similar size).
One thing that I noticed that was missing from most reviews is where the balance point is located. This matters a lot to me as I will be using them for spinning and the like, so I will put the balance point down here in the hopes that people reading this will include it in their future reviews.
The balance point is approximately 1/2" up from the emitter, which is not perfect, but it is pretty close.
Note: I got the 36" ultra edge mid-grade blades, so this balance point only applies with these blades as the weight of the blade affects the balance.
I got the ultra edge option because, after reading the forums, I thought the arctic blue would look better with the ultra edge, as many people said that brighter colors work well with it, while darker colors (such as red and orange) show up better with the plain mid-grade or heavy grade blade.
I got the mid-grade ultra edge option in the hopes that the saber would be better balanced (as discussed above) , and many people said that the mid-grade blades were very durable and that the heavy grade blades were really for combat with wooden staffs or bokken, which I am not planning to do.
I got the LE option because it looked better in the pics and I wanted something that wasn't entirely plain looking. I must say that the hilts turned out to be very good-looking, exceeding my expectations for a cheap stunt saber!
The remaining options are pretty much self-explanatory taking into consideration that this is a stunt saber on a budget.
Overall, the sabers have a very solid feel and have a weight and heft to them that is entirely absent from cheap toys (I have the Anakin Hasbro Ultimate FX from Wal-Mart for $30). I am very much enjoying the length (as discussed above), and the fact that I could choose rather than just having it come in some arbitrary length that is really better for children. The sabers are very nice and very well crafted, and I can tell that they will hold up to years of heavy use. I would suggest this to anyone looking for a good cheap first saber. I know that I will return to ultrasabers when I want to expand my arsenal.
The screwing/unscrewing of the pommels/coupler/blade screws takes a while and is rather inconvenient making it difficult to convert to staff and back or remove the blades, but it makes for a solid connection. I just wish that there was a faster way to do it without losing that connection. If ultrasabers could come up with that I would probably hail them as superheroes or something ;-)
Here are some photos that I took (note: I have not replaced the batteries that came with the saber yet, as I do not have enough to supply new batteries to both)
Sorry that the ones with the lights off are blurry, my camera could not seem to focus correctly with the lights out.
As cameras never seem to do the colors justice, and there have been some people saying that arctic blue is kinda greenish, I will say that the arctic blue is NOT a green-blue. It is an ice blue, light blue, or sky blue color. Now, I know that some green is mixed with the blue in order to make this color, but it DOES NOT show at all. This color is a pure light blue color. Just wanted to clear that up for those who are wondering.
Now, on to the pics!
Here they are separate:
Close-up of the hilts
Angled view:
Here they are turned on:
With the lights on:
With the lights off:
Coupled together:
Turned on:
With the lights off:
Full length with lights off:
The coupler:
Note: sometimes I have trouble getting the coupler off of the hilts, so i just insert a small screwdriver into this hole that goes through the middle in order to get more leverage, and it comes off just fine.
Note: the pommels and coupler seem to fit better when used on a specific hilt, so instead of getting them mixed up all the time I wrote a 1 and 2 on the inside of the pommels/coupler and the ends of the battery packs with a sharpie. (and yes, the sharpie is black and the pommels/coupler are black so it is kinda hard to see but I actually like it that way because its not obvious)
Personally, I think that the pics don't really do it justice, and I was hesitant to put them in here, but I knew that a bunch of people would reply and ask "where are your pics!?" or something like that so I put them in and I hope that they help rather than hinder...
Overall, 5/5 stars to this one! Thanks ultrasabers! I will be looking forward to when I have enough money to buy my next installment!
Video review to come soon!
Please reply with comments/questions/suggestions!
Thanks for reading!
