Sentinel V4 - Blazing Redwith custom weathering by Drahcir Boy, this review is long overdue. On the other side of that coin, I've had a lot of time to enjoy and admire this beautiful saber, and hopefully that will lend itself better to this review. I'm going to try to be fairly thorough, though I'm certainly happy to answer any additional questions should you guys think up any. In any case, let's get this review started!
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The Specs:
Lightsaber: Standard Sentinel V4
Color: TRI Blazing Red
Blade: 36" UltraEdge Blade
Sound:: Obsidian v4 Soundboard
Battery: Li-Ion Setup with BuckPuck (VP1 Charger)
Pommel: Regular Vented Pommel
Features: Windows in Emitter, Red Illuminated Black AV Switch
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Shipping:
Let me start off by praising the incredible turnaround time for this order. I placed it on August 6th, having it shipped directly to Drahcir since I'd already spoken to him about having my hilt weathered in the days prior. He received it promptly, finished several of his projects including mine, and astonished me by getting my saber to me on August 20th!
I can't believe that I received it so quickly, especially given the incredible job that Drahcir did with the weathering. As per the norm with UltraSabers orders, I have absolutely no complaints when it comes to their shipping process. Emails are responded to promptly and adequately, orders are processed and shipped out
very quickly.
The Hilt:
What a fantastic hilt! Both of the choke points either above or below the switch section are very comfortable to wield this saber from. With the blade in, the Sentinel is incredibly well-balanced. Holding this blade for the first time reminded me of when I first held my Liberator V2 in late 2010. The hilt is not heavy, which makes it fantastic for swift spinning with no price for my wrist to pay afterwards.
The grooved lower section of the hilt is as aesthetically pleasing as it is comfortable to grip. Placing my lower hand there when holding the saber with both hands, it provides a very nice tactile feel.. I don't know if that's necessarily a practical trait, but I personally love having a hilt that has variable texture throughout. I find that it keeps things interesting!
The Electronics:
The lightsaber is powered by two AA TrustFire Li-Ion [14500, 3.7v, 900 mAh] Rechargeable Batteries. One thing I have noticed so far is that even though the batteries are supposedly 3.7v, they charge up to 4.2v before "topping out" in the charger, and they last a very long time with average, frequent use! I haven't done a drain to properly test just how long the batteries last, so I don't have any exact numbers to provide at the moment. If and when I get to it, I'll be sure to edit them into this review.
The Obsidian v4 Soundboard is a tiny little thing considering the very powerful punch that it packs! It sits discretely attached to the back of the battery pack, and that short cylindrical section acting as the battery pack's base is the speaker itself. It looks like a miniature subwoofer, which probably explains the very bass-rich sound that this little guy produces. You can hear a sample of one of the soundfonts I have installed in the next section of this review.
The VP1 Charger and Mini-USB cable that were provided with my order are pictured above. Somehow this didn't occur to me, but the Mini-USB cable is the same exact type of cable that I have for my DSLR camera and my PS3 controllers, so I now have like.. Four of them. To any of you wondering just what type of cable it is that the Obsidian V4 uses for data connectivity, look no further! If you own either of the cables like I did, you technically don't
need to have one included in the order.
The Sound:
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No Blade
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Blade
The Obsidian V4 Soundboard boasts an impressive bank into which up to eight soundfonts can be installed! I currently have eight running on my board, and like to switch between them frequently. People tend to be really impressed when I show it off. The videos above provide a brief demonstration of the sound this saber produces, though I'm not sure they do it justice. The Sentinel is
VERY loud in person, and for me this is a very good thing! I find that the more sinister and deep the idle hum and swings sound, the better. The speaker is bass-rich and dark, menacing Sith soundfonts sound absolutely incredible on it. Contrary to this, the soundfont used in those videos is a ROTJ Luke soundfont.
As you can see, the speaker is held in place by the threaded pommel, yet the pommel itself is just.. A hole in the bottom of the hilt, essentially! It's not obstructed by any metal or other electronics, and that's probably the reason that the Sentinel features such a loud sound output. I can't really say I have anything to compare it to, but even Drahcir mentioned when he weathered this that it was
loud, one of the loudest he's held!
The Tri-Cree:
I was blown away by the brightness of the Tri-Cree Blazing Red LED that I had installed in this lightsaber. It's.. Well, it's super, super bright! I thought that UltraSabers were bright before; they lit up my entire bedroom, backyard shed, pretty much any room that I was in. It's easier to describe the difference between the Tri-Cree LEDs and previous LEDs. The base of the blade, just above the emitter, is significantly brighter, and the blade seems to retain that level of bright "fullness" all the way to the very tip. With that being said, to those familiar with how lightsabers translate onto the lens of a cellphone camera, the comparison below between my Liberator and Sentinel should make the contrast fairly apparent.
The Sentinel is the upper saber, as if that needs pointing out. To be fair, if I look at my illuminated blades individually through my iPhone's camera, they tend to look about the same. You get that "movie accurate" effect regardless, but setting them side by side provides a good example of how the LED intensity of my previous Blazing Red saber is dwarfed by the beefy Tri-Cree.
Both lightsabers were fitted with
UltraEdge MidGrade Blades.
The Weathering:
I'm not sure if I'll manage to articulate very much in this section, given that I was rendered speechless on unboxing day.
Drahcir nailed this weathering job. All I really asked from him was something very Sith-inspired. A proper Dark Side lightsaber that looked like it'd been very well used over the ages, and man did he seriously deliver. The carbon scoring, the shattered emitter, the grimy overall theme, it's truly perfect. I don't know if I had a particularly clear image in my head, but if I did, this was it. It's precisely what I was looking for and I could not be happier.
Brace for a gratuitous amount of photos showcasing the details below. The weathering I received from Drahcir was
Elite Level Weathering.
I'll start with the emitter and work my way down. The grooves were darkened with what I assume is aluminum black, subtle scratches and other markings were added.. Good view of the retention screw & hole, and it seems that even the screw was partially painted so that it didn't stand out as a dot of polished silver; a nice touch!
This crack runs from the chipped emitter down along pretty much the entire length of the saber, and I'm so impressed with it. It looks very convincing, which is to say that it was done in a way that it looks organic and "natural" as far as saber damage goes.
Crack continuing onto the switch section of the hilt, where the much darker paint gives a look of carbon-scoring on metal.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the hilt, this shattered "window" just below the emitter looks amazing. I don't know what else to say about it, this is a work of art, and I feel very lucky to own it.
Switch section of the hilt, black carbon-scoring detail, several nicks and marks here and there.
Close-up of the cracking that extends along the switch section.
Scorch mark from a saber or blaster strike, side of switch section. Very, very cool.
Cracking detail extends down onto the grooved lower portion of the hilt, all the way down to the pommel.
Close-up of pommel details, notches in the very edge. The pommel naturally comes with a very interesting texture akin to lizard scales or something like that, a subtle yet great feature!
The Conclusion:
The Sentinel V4 is a fantastic lightsaber. While I technically cannot attest to wielding it in its "default" state, I can say with absolute certainty that this is the crown jewel of my small lightsaber collection thus far, and is frankly one of my most prized possessions, if not the absolute most. Other users have had great things to say about the Sentinel, and I am one of them. If you're considering getting this saber, whomever you may be, you have my recommendation!
Do it! If you're thinking about commissioning the talents of Drahcir for some weathering work...
Do it! Just! Do it!I was blown away by this order, it met, exceeded, and possibly set the bar of my expectations too high when it comes to making another order. I'm not sure how I'm going to add any additional lightsabers to my repertoire without enlisting the artistic wizardry of our resident saber-sadist. He beats them up with love, and it really shows.
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That wraps up my review, I hope you enjoyed reading through it!
It's a long and thorough read, and that's because I love this saber so much.
A huge thank you to UltraSabers for the great sabers they produce and quality customer service they provide.
A massive props, thank you, and kiss-assery etcetera to Drahcir; expect to intercept more of my shipments in the future, my friend!____________________________________________________________
May the Force be with You!
