Saber Forum

Been a while since I posted.  I was thinking about just grabbing a pommel at the Ultrasabers booth at Fandemic next month(just happened to be vacationing in Houston and Galveston at the time), but considering they are $30 up for the most part, I am thinking about getting a second saber as either a mystery box or grab bag instead.  Not too overly worried about sound, since I can always add that myself.  My first Ultrasaber was a grab bag, a GB Dominix LE V4.  Would you recommend I just order another grab bag, or do you think I am better off with picking up a $75 mystery box at the show?  Color isn't that important to me this time.  I don't expect to get the two newest hilts(though I wouldn't complain if I ended up with either, though highly unlikely, or an older hilt with a Dornian pommel), so definitely managing expectations either way.

The biggest advantages to the Mystery Boxes are that you have a chance to get sound and they have a guarantee that it will cost at least as much as the box. I've seen people get Grab Bags for $70 and get a $65 saber in them. That's one thing to be cautious of. On the flip side, I've seen a few people score a really expensive hilt with Obsidian and Emerald in a $75 Mystery Box. However, many are stunts, a lot seem to be in the $90 range, so still a good deal.

One advantage (to me) is being able to order Grab Bags without blades. I did that once and scored an Aeon V3 and a Dark Sentinel V4, each with an AV switch, for $55.

So, it all depends what you want. I've considered doing the Mystery Box thing myself, but I usually wind up finding something cool I want on sale and ordering an empty, or a stunt that I can always upgrade later if I want to.

As scifidude said, the big advantage to the Mystery Boxes is the chance to get something way more valuable than what you paid for it.

Most Grab Bags seem to be Sentinel and lower hilts, while the Mystery Boxes seem to be Sentinel and up hilts (of course there are exceptions to both of these, but they are the 5-10% minority). So it depends on what target range of hilts you’re looking for.

They have been known to mix and match pommels on the Mystery Boxes as well.

You know you won’t get sound with a Grab Bag, but you do have that chance with the Mystery Boxes. But as you said, you can always add sound later. And I personally don’t like the Obsidian Lite, which is what most of the $75 Mystery Boxes that have sound come with (I like to be able to adjust the volume).

Personally, I say Mystery Box, due to the chance to get a “higher” end saber. If you completely don’t care about the hilt, then Grab Bag, just for the lower cost.

Mystery Box all the way, the reason I would do a GB is to get a something I want to experiment on. Go for the MB, you usually get 2 sometimes 3 of either A/V, a +$5 color, Covertec, windows, or a pommel swap. And a small chance for sound. Can't go wrong.

I'd definitely be going for a mystery box if I was choosing between the two. I've gone for both at different times, and it does seem that you get the better (in my personal opinion!) hilts with a mystery box. But then, you probably won't get an Aeon/Dominix v2 in a mystery box, and those are darn fine 'sabres... :D

You also can't choose your blade length with a Grab Bag. My first saber ever from Ultrasabers was a Grab Bag, and I didn't know what I was doing, so I ordered a 36-inch heavy grade blade, think it would be better to hit stuff. It wound up being an Initiate LE V4, and that was too much blade for that saber. But, such is life. I still love Grab Bags. :) Later, I separately ordered a 24-inch Grab Bag blade for a few dollars, and that solved the too much blade issue.


Yeah, those were the $65 sabers I was talking about. Nothing wrong with them, they're great sabers.

You can actually choose your blade size with a grab bag.  You just have to make a note of what you want or write to them.  I got a GB Dominix LE V4 Windowed Emitter with Black AV for my first grab bag and requested a 32" blade by email.  They were happy to make the switch.  I wish I had asked for a 30" as the blade is just a little long for my apartment with ceiling fans.

Yeah, I didn't even think about requesting a different blade length in the order notes. I don't know if they'll do 30", since that's not a standard blade length for them. But, it never hurts to ask. The one time I did order Grab Bags without blades, they were having a 50% off Grab Bag blade sale, so I ordered a couple blades separately. I scored a couple sweet 32-inch heavy grade blades.  8)


I can relate to that one. I'm 6'3" and have lower ceilings. I also apparently have the toughest light globe in the world, as it's taken repeated hits from heavy grade blades while spinning. ;)

I’d go with a Mystery box over a grab bag since mystery boxes gives you a chance for a saber with sound while a grab bags are stunt sabers only.  Plus, you can select the blade length or LED color of your choice with a Mystery box.  Best bang for your buck and it’s only $5.00 more than the grab bag.

Agree with everyone else. Mystery box.

If you know you want a particular hilt and set up though, but don't have the cash atm, then I would suggest waiting to get exactly what you want.

It's a toss up.  The nice thing about grab bags is that you can get a free upgrade to a heavy grade blade and you can save 10% with the sale (mystery boxes aren't valid for sale).  So you can save  $12-$22 on a grab bag saber depending on if you want the heavy grade blade. I have recently ordered 6 grab bag sabers and I got:

-Aeon V4 orange ($70)
-Aeon V2 orange ($65)
-Aeon V2 LE Arctic blue w/ AV switch ($90)
-Dark Apprentice V4 in Blue w/ windows ($70)
-Dominix V4 in Green w/ AV Switch & Windows ($90)
-Dominix V4 in Green ($70)

I got these all with heavy grade blades, so these all have a value that is $10 more than I listed.  I haven't gotten any mystery boxes, but it sounds like you will likely get something similar to the $90 sabers that I received, but there's a chance you could get something better.

So basically, if you want a heavy grade blade and want to save a bit of money, get a grab bag with the sale.  If you dont want a heavy grade and/or dont mind spending a bit more for the chance at something great, get a mystery box.

Good point about the sales applying to Grab Bags. I forgot about that. :)

I personally would not buy a GB ever, since my options are potential sound or higher sabers that I would like. I love that option of recieving a higher tier saber that costs $5.00 more. With that said, I still purchase $75.00 and $200.00 Myster Boxes dependent on what my goals and plans for my next sabers are.  Ultimately, I’ll just build and order a saber in acoordance to my specs for it if I want a saber fully loaded and not wanting to mess with anything other that the aesthetics.

These are my levels of saber purchases:

1. Stunt sabers from MB - sabers that I’ll add electronics to my liking either from US or the other guys. This is a saber that I’ll fully customize so a $75.0 MB is fine

2. $200.00 MB saner - saber that I’m fine with the electronics whether it’s the lite or premium sound. This saner, I may change out the LED, add an LED driver such as the Emerald, and work on its aesthetics to make it more of my own

3. Build to order - Building the saber to my specs since to me, the saber is already perfect and I may or may not change the aesthetics on it. The saber’s design inside and out is timeless to me so I may or may not work on it but it’ll be part of my collection, regardless


Everyone’s different and have their own tastes, but this is mine and how my mind works.

There isn’t a wrong way to go about it, if you want a grab bag saber for one order and then decided upon an MB, so be it. At the end of the day, Despite our opinions on the matter, we’re not you and likewise which isn’t a bad thing since our tastes are different and we’re different people. My way works for me and me alone but everyone else are entirely different. 

My first saber was a Grab Bag, which seemed to retail around $90, so not bad for a first.  That was before the Mystery Boxes were available online though.  At this time though, I will be able to pick up a MB in Houston at Fandemic Tour(for anyone interested, Groupon has $19 tickets for Friday and Sunday, as well as a two day ticket for a bit more)  next month, or order online, either way.

Don't have a particular setup in mind.  Worst case scenario, I part it out to other projects(making sabers for a friend and her kid), so not bad either way.  The only specific items I want right now are the Dorinian pommel(which is possible in the mystery boxes though so are other pommels that are very nice options) and an empty Spectre hilt(for the emitter mainly.....want to put this on top of a copper body eventually).  I don't mind that it is a bit of a gamble since I am not looking for anything specific.

In that case, for $5.00 more, you can have a chance to get a saber with sound. 

The overall feeling seems to be that Mystery Boxes are better. However, there are some advantages of Grab Bags that people overlook:

1. Price. Despite listing at $70, you can choose to nix the blade and it's only $55.

2. Grab Bags also qualify for sales, Mystery Bobes don't. With the current 10% sale, you can get a totally random saber with a blade for $63.

3. No extra charge for heavy grade blades.

4. Customization. Say you haven't picked a hilt but you know it has to have a green blade. You can do that. You can also guarantee getting a Covertec with a Grab Bag.

So, there are advantages to the Grab Bag that make them a good buy, for certain people. It just boils down to how important sound is to you. My second Grab Bag was one where I specifically ordered a green LED and a Covertec. I got a gorgeous Aeon LE V4 that's still one of my favorite sabers. It was the first saber I installed sound on.

Scifidude is right, you can chose the color of the LED, add a covertec and it still qualifies for sales so one would have to decide what they prefer, being able to choose color, add covertec wheel, heavy grade blades, qualify for sale or have the options of sound up to Diamond saber.

I have the Dominix LE V4, so the Dark Side version, with a Guardian Blue color.  Has windows, black AV switch, no Covertec.  Just did a build of what I have and it came out to $100 even.  Not particular on color or sound this time, but it would be nice to have a shot at a premium hilt.  Just looking for that perfect feel for me before I start building my own(planning to get the emitter and pommel from Ultrasabers and the body from that other MHS shop(in copper)).  I see the mystery boxes and grab bags as good ways to test options out when you aren't sure.  That said, I would love to get an orange, yellow, violet, or sunrider's destiny, but I can always swap out LEDs.

In my most recent purchase I got a mystery and a grab bag. I chose no blade, and used the 10% off and got the grab for $50. I have extra blades, and I ordered two initate grab blades on that order as well. The hilt I received was every bit as nice as the mystery box. I really do like the chance for sound, but I have never received a mystery with sound, and I’ve bought four. It actually seems to me like you have a better chance at a nicer overall hilt with a grab bag. Just my .02.

I've said this before, if you want a specific saber, or even just a higher end one, you're better off just ordering that saber. If you can't afford it, save up for it. If you keep ordering Mystery Boxes hoping for a higher end hilt, you're on the road to likely disappointment. Obviously, the odds aren't that great you're going to get a higher end hilt, or one with sound with the $75 boxes. Even bumping it up to $200 isn't going to guarantee a more expensive saber, just that you'll have sound. And, by the time you order 3 $75 Mystery Boxes, you've spent enough to own practically any Ultrasaber in stunt configuration, because there are only a handful with a base price of more than $225. As for Grab Bags, you can potentially get any saber in the Ultrasabers arsenal in one, but I've personally never seen one higher than a Prophecy. That's the most expensive Grab Bag I've ever seen posted on this forum. I hear they used to have some more expensive hilts, and even snuck in a few sound Grab Bags back in the early days, but it's mainly been less expensive sabers and they've all been stunts (that I've seen) in the 2+ years I've been ordering here. That's not a bad thing, just a simple fact.

So, save your money and buy what you really want. Or, be prepared to keep being disappointed. It's your call.

I personally think that if you buy a grab bag or mystery box saber and are disappointed in what you receive, you should build a saber yourself to your liking.  If you buy them and are happy with the results, then by all means, keep buying them.  They shouldn't be your constant go to if you want a specific hilt, they're more so if you don't care what you'll receive, have no idea what you want, or a newb to US. 

I’ve never been dissatisfied with anything I’ve received from US. My only expectation is for a quality product, which is what I’ve recieved every time. In my humble opinion I believe the mystery box, as well as the grab bag options are an incredible value. Part of what your paying for is the rush of the gamble, the mystery of the potential for greatness. But that doesn’t mean a stunt isn’t greatness. All of my sabers are superior grade, and beautiful. In my case I’ve received a different hilt every time. That’s bad if your hoping to build a staff, but good if you want to experience a plethora of hilt styles, and have an extensive collection. To my knowledge there are NO OTHER MAKERS offering this at such an exceptional value. I truly live my sabers from Ultrasabers!!

I have, but not in a Grab Bag. ;) But, I've mostly gotten great stuff from US.

I only know of one other company that does a Mystery Box, and those are far more expensive.  At this time, I don't really have that many specific hilts I am looking for, and am really trying to get a feel for other options.  However, I do know that I will be picking up a Butcher(Lord Revan is a long time favorite character of mine) empty later this year, one of my few must have hilts, the others being the Spectre(which I plan to use to build two sabers out of) and the Ahsoka Tano pair.  Typically I will buy empties and do my own builds when I am looking for something specific, but right now.  As I mentioned before, I may pick up the Mystery Box at Fandemic in a couple weeks.

One of the many problems of living in the middle of nowhere- no cons EVER! Although, I could just fly home for all the biggest and best ones. But, then I’d have to explain to my family why their 41 yo brother/son/cousin/dad has flown all the way there the dress up like a movie character and buy toys. I may actually do it though.

Go for it

I ended up having to cancel my travel plans last minute, but I get where you are coming from.  I only get to do this stuff when on vacation, though technically, I have a good excuse to dress up as movie characters if I wanted.....that being I am also an actor, so it's more normal for me to be in costume than the average person.  In any case, ultimately decided to throw a mystery box in with an order with a Butcher empty hilt and maybe something else.  Have a few design ideas I am working on lately, and you never know when a Mystery Box may be useful in another build or give you something unexpected.

That's the whole point of the Mystery Boxes in my opinion. The unexpected can be so thrilling sometimes. First summer raffle I ordered a Mystery Box and won a Grab Bag so I had two sabers coming my way and the only thing I knew was that one of them would have sound and the other one wouldn't...I was on full Christmas Eve expectation mode  ;D

I agree with Crue, the fun of mystery boxes is that you don't know what you'll get.