Give me advice on a saber to get

[KARNAG]

Hello, my fellow saberfighters! The thing is, im thinking to get me a saber, and i would really want to have one that will benefit my saberfighting training. But there is so many on a list, that i just confused. So i hope you will advice me on a proper one.
I would like to have a saber, that has a good grip, so it will not slip from my hands when they are sweaty. The duels and the training we have a pretty intence, so there is a possibility of saber to be dropped while performing a trick moves, and that may happen very often. So it will be apreciated, if it will not died after a landing)
Im thinking that saber with granular surface can avoid slipping, but cant find one in US shoplist, maybe im missing something.
Also would prefer the short hilt, because sabers with long one creates difficulties with handling them when using a trick moves.
If there is equal capability to have a trusty saber with good sound, that even better but i wouldnt mind to simplier version, if they'll do the job right.

So, i hoping that you will help me with my confusion. And i thank you all, in advance, for your time and attention, you spent on my question)

[For Tyeth]

Hello KARNAG,

I'll try and give some recommendations and hopefully other members will add their advice too.

I've been to a few Comic Cons and met the Instructors of a couple of saber "Academies" and they chose some of Ultrasabers' "Standard Hilts" - their basic range of original hilts. The Instructors picked them as they were relatively simple, easy to maintain and fix, were durable and took a beating.
The hilts were mainly:

Initiate V3 and V4 including the Dark versions.
Apprentice V3 and V4 including the Dark versions.
These are comfortable one handed sabers but you can get a hand and a half grip on them if needed.

Slightly longer hilts include the:
Aeon V3 abd V4 which some folks consider to be the best choice for comfort, grip and size. The Aeon also has a Dark version named the Dominix. These two sabers have nice flowing lines with multiple choke points allowing you to grip the hilt in several ways.
Sentinel V4 and the Dark Sentinel.  The Sentinel is slightly more angular than the Aeon but it has multiple choke points.

None of these hilts have a "Granular Surface" as such but they do (from the ones I've held) have faint machining marks from the manufacturing process. These marks are either diamond patterned or rings along the handle and the marks are surprisingly grippy.
On some of the hilts you can choose to have windows or not but that depends on what you like, some people like the windows whilst others say they can be awkward to grip.

In regard to sound, again you have a choice. If you are doing a lot of contact work (choreography or sparring/combat) then maybe a more basic soundboard would suit. They don't have as many sounds or effects built in but they are less prone to being affected by impacts (some newer boards have an SD memory card for customizing the settings and sounds etc but during use the card can become unseated and cause the saber to freeze up or shut off - you then have to reposition the card then reboot/switch on the saber again).
I can't give a full opinion on soundboards as I only own two hilts with older boards but I'm sure other members can offer more advice.

Hopefully this will give you some ideas of what is available etc and maybe, if or when you make an order you'll let us know what you got. Good luck.

[KARNAG]

Initiate V3 and V4 including the Dark versions.
Apprentice V3 and V4 including the Dark versions.
These are comfortable one handed sabers but you can get a hand and a half grip on them if needed.

Slightly longer hilts include the:
Aeon V3 abd V4 which some folks consider to be the best choice for comfort, grip and size. The Aeon also has a Dark version named the Dominix. These two sabers have nice flowing lines with multiple choke points allowing you to grip the hilt in several ways.
Sentinel V4 and the Dark Sentinel.  The Sentinel is slightly more angular than the Aeon but it has multiple choke points.

Well, firstable, big thanks for a detailed reply, it helps me to shed some light on a subject i confused about.
I should say, that i already own Dark Initiate v4, both with windows and without them. Its not so comfy for me. It do job right, but constantly slips from sweaty hands, and chocke points dont help it. i forced to cover my hand in some bands so the grip became somewhat stable. But i DO wanna look into the initiate v5 design, its seems like more trusty. And a lot cooler) But i have my doubts about those...bridges? THe ones on the emmiter. They could cut in to hand making a grip became uncomfortable. But again it all could be a training issue, and maybe i just need to excersize more, to make my palms stronger. XD

[For Tyeth]

Hello KARNAG,

I'm glad I could help out a little. And fortunately I may be able to help you a little bit more as you mentioned the Initiate V5.

The little "bridges" as you call them are actually known as "claws" and on the Initiate V5 you can rotate the claws so they point away from your hand making the hilt much more comfortable. It is known as a "Claw Flip" (I am proud to say it was actually me that discovered you could do this procedure).
To flip the claws you need a flat headed screwdriver, a hammer and some cloth and padding. To start you wrap a bit of cloth  around the tip of the screwdriver (so you won't scratch your saber) and use the screwdriver as a lever to lift the claw up and pull it off the emitter. The claw is held on by two small pegs. You then rotate the claw so it is pointing away from you and then put it back onto the pins. You then need to gently hammer the claw down into place using the cloth or padding to protect the saber.
Here is a video showing how to flip the claws step by step:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giAzmFmEsvE" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giAzmFmEsvE</a>

Hope this helps and maybe you will go ahead and get an Initiate V5. (It looks even cooler witht the claws flipped around).

[ThreadJack]

If you're having trouble holding onto your saber, there's a variety of grip products available at the local sporting goods store that will help. I like hockey tape, personally, but tennis racket grips are also good.