Hey all, I've finally got around to taking photos of the most recent additions to my collection, the Nickel Guardian I bought for the last raffle, and the Dominix v3 LE I won as a 3rd place prize.
The Guardian came in Guardian Blue with the Obsidian soundboard, and a non-illuminated AV switch. It came with a 36" heavy grade blade. The Dominix is in Blazing Red and has the li-ion batteries, and a 32" ultra-edge heavy grade blade with the pointed tip.
This is my second Dominix, which means I now have a cool staff... if a little mismatched in terms of blade colour:
The Dominix is a well known design, ergonomically comfortable to wield two-handed or one-handed using either of the chokes. It's an easy hilt to wield.
The Guardian, on the other hand, is less intuitive to wield.
It looks a little curved here, I think. Just a trick of the light... The metal shroud (nickel plated on mine, because it looks
amazing) adds to the circumference of the hilt. It's not uncomfortable, by any means, but I have quite large hands and find that it doesn't sit easily in my hand as my Bellicose, Prophecy, or the Aeon/Dominix hilts. I suspect that it comes down to the presence of grooves on part of the hilt, and the smooth metal on the other part - the lack of uniformity, coupled with the width of the hilt, means that this I actually find this a more unwieldy hilt than my Bane. Alone in my collection, this is the one hilt I'm not comfortable wielding single-handed.
However, I still think this is a stunning hilt. I mean, just look at the emitter:
This is, far and away, the most complex design in my collection, and I just love the look of it. I find that my right hand rests on the lower end of the emitter, on the recessed section between the brass/red knobs and the a/v switch. That's higher than I would have expected, and I guess it could just be a matter of time to adjust to it before I feel as comfortable with it as any of my other hilts.
So there you have it - the Dominix, as always, gets a unstinting recommendation. The Guardian gets a slightly cautious one - I suspect it's like the Scorpion in that the incredible detail coming from the shroud makes it less easy to wield. But let's be honest, you're always going to look like a total badass when you've got it in hand...
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As for the rest of my collection...
I now have 4 Guardian Blue 'sabres...
From top: Liberator, Dominix, Guardian, Dark Standard ...and 6 Obsidian 'sabres.
From top: Emerald Green Bellicose, Violet Amethyst Shock, Arctic Blue Manticore, Sentinel Yellow Crimson Reaper, Hot Pink Bane, Guardian Blue Guardian I quite like my Pyrestone Aeon v2 and Sentinel Crimson Reaper as a combo:
But ultimately, I have 16 of the things now...
...trying to pick a favourite is probably asking too much.
So there you go - 2,000 posts, and I'm starting to get the itch for another 'sabre. Next up, I think, an Adegan Standard Issue for the Imperial Knight look, and I'll be getting Initiates for my niece and nephew as well. It never stops...