First Purchase! I have some questions

[Shimimaro]

Hi there forum! new user here, sorry if my English is not perfect but I'm Italian.

I've followed the forum for a while before registering, trying to make a choice on which Hilt I should buy, I've already made some choices but I'm still unsure on other things, expecially the blade.

I wanted a really cool looking Hilt and I made up my mind on the Bellicose, it's a bit long expecially for spinning it around but I have big hands so I don't think it will be a huge problem; blade lenght will probably be 32" because I trained with a 1 meter (about 40 inches) long stick and I know for sure that I will hit the floor while spinning if it's longer than that.

It will be a stunt saber, can't really afford sound as of now.

Here are my questions:

• Heavygrade or Midgrade? I mostly spin my saber so I'm oriented on the Midgrade because it is lighter but I'm afraid it will break more easily if dropped on the floor.
• Ultraedge or Midgrade? I like the metallic look of the Midgrade when it's off, but Ultraedge are cooler when lit up; also the film inside them I heard it can show "wrinkles" over use so maybe the opaque look of the Ultraedge may help in to hide that, also which type of the blade is easier to clean from scratches? (lots of questions, i know   ).
• Battery life with Ni MH rechargeables? it will be a stunt saber in Artic Blue, so no sound draining the batteries.
• Weight of the whole saber in Midgrade vs Heavygrade? this might change my opinion on the first question.

Anyway thanks for your time, I'll maybe add a few question if needed but for now this are my main concern.

[Choco]

when it comes to blade durability even when dueling you have to strike the mid-grades fairly hard to be able to cause any significant damage to them. Unless your dueling someone and going full strength swings then midgrades should be fine. light to moderate dueling mid-grades will do fine it's only when you get into rough play of full strength swings where the Heavy-grade would be advised

when it comes to blemishes or film they do pick up flaws over usage so I would advise that if you want a blade that is nice for show purposes to have a seperate blade for showing and one for dueling. Blades are easily replacable so that is a nice plus

[Vivectius]

Welcome Saber Fan from Italy (one of my favorite bands is from Italy actually)!

Neither the Mid- nor Heavy Grade blades will break if you're just spinning it.  In fact, short of deliberately trying to break it, they're pretty indestructible.  Polycarbonate is nice like that.  Having said that, I have cracked a mid-grade blade, and dented two others, but that was full contact dueling.  Just dropping any of the blades on the floor isn't going to break it, unless you then drop a VERY heavy weight on it, and even then it probably won't break, just get dented.

The mid-grade is about half the weight of the heavy grade, and personally I like the heavy grade even for spinning, as it gives the saber better balance and helps build momentum.  They aren't that expensive (though I've not idea what the exchange rate currently is), so you can pretty easily get one of each.

Now, about Ultra-Edge vs. Regular.... I'm in the rather small minority that likes the regular over the Ultra Edge, in all colors that I've seen so far.  I know that people feel that the regular looks like a light in a tube, but I feel that that central glow, then white, then the outer glow looks more like the lightsabers in the movies.  Also, the ultra-edge look like pastel glow sticks to me.  But other people feel that the ultra-edge
 look more like the movies, so it's all really personal preference.  And it does depend, so I've heard, on color.  This is a good post/thread/video to read/watch on the different blades: http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=3096.0 .

I have a stunt saber in Green with the original Alkaline batteries it came with, going on almost a year old, and I haven't had to replace them yet.  It gets used about an hour or so, 4~5 times a week.  So rechargables will work just fine for you.

Weight, I don't have the exact weight of the different blades, but the heavy grades are twice as heavy as the mid grades.  My personal recommendation is to get a heavy grade.  You're getting a shorter blade, so the heavy grade will help balance the weight of the Bellicose.  And the heavier blade gives more momentum for spinning.

I'm proud of all the scuffs on my blades, so I don't really know how hard it is to buff them out.  One thing though, DO NOT EVER USE ACETONE, OR ANY PRODUCT CONTAINING ACETONE, ON THE BLADES!!!!  It will do what no amount of hitting the blades will... it will destroy it.  If you've got an old CD or DVD lying around, take it, scuff and scratch it a bit, and put some acetone or acetone based nail polish remover on it.  That's your fun science lesson on chemical reactions for the day.

Good luck, and don't forget we love to see pictures of new Sabers.

[Racona Nova]

Hey Shimimaro, welcome to Ultrasabers! Hope you'll enjoy your time here

So, you already chose your hilt - the Bellicose is a great saber. Nice look, well balanced, and perfect for spinning and dueling! However, I would really use 36" blades with it. The blade (inside the blade holder) goes in quite deep, so you'll loose quite a bit: 4" at the minimum when I remember correctly from what I saw on my neighbour's Belli....effective (visible) length would be 32" then, compared to 28" with a 32" blade. That makes a big difference in overall look and balance!

UE or standard is completely up to you. As you said, many opinions are subjective, so there's no "right" or "wrong" in choosing the blade type. It's correct, some colours look good in UE, others do not. But again, that's subjective

I only have sabers with sound, so I can't comment on stunt sabers with NiMH batteries, sorry.

Last but not least - the weight. I don't have the exact weight of the Bellicose, but I was lucky enough to use it temporarily. And I must say, it's a real light-weight! 1.25" longer than my sound Aeons (v3), but lighter - around 350gr, soundless (stunt) setup might be ~50gr less. Don't nail me down on that, it's been quite a time that I used it But my Aeons are definitely heavier than the Belli, that's for sure. However, I can give you verified blade weights (measured them myself): around 120gr (Mid Grade) and 240gr (Heavy Grade), independent of the polycarbonate type (UE vs standard). That's for the standard 36" blades, remember that!! Shorter blades are lighter, of course

Hope, that helps so far. If you have more questions, ask right away

[Shimimaro]

Thanks for your replies guys, now I have a much more clearer vision on what I want and should buy.

For the blade I'll go with the Heavygrade because, from the weights you posted, it seems to balance the weight of the Hilt very well;
and I'll go for Ultraedge because I really don't like the thick unlit edges of the Standard Heavygrade.

Just one more question: Is the brightness of the Heavygrade noticeably lower than the regular Ultraedge?

[Groovidad]

Thanks for your replies guys, now I have a much more clearer vision on what I want and should buy.

For the blade I'll go with the Heavygrade because, from the weights you posted, it seems to balance the weight of the Hilt very well;
and I'll go for Ultraedge because I really don't like the thick unlit edges of the Standard Heavygrade.

Just one more question: Is the brightness of the Heavygrade noticeably lower than the regular Ultraedge?

From my personal experience, the MidGrades tend to look "brighter" and that is due to the reflective film inside the blade. BUT, the color does not go to the outer edge of the blade.  The color appears more "central" or to the core with a noticeable void around it.  I also have an UltraEdge which the color fills the entire blade.  The white, milky color of the blade doesn't appear to glow as prominantly as the MidGrade. Everyones eyes are different and I know many have their own personal preference on this issue.  Hope that my words were somewhat helpful(?)  MTFBWYA!

[Racona Nova]

Just one more question: Is the brightness of the Heavygrade noticeably lower than the regular Ultraedge?

Not noticeable, but yes. It's because of the wall thickness, but to our eyes there is no real difference between Mid and Heavy Grade.

[Groovidad]

"I'm proud of all the scuffs on my blades, so I don't really know how hard it is to buff them out.  One thing though, DO NOT EVER USE ACETONE, OR ANY PRODUCT CONTAINING ACETONE, ON THE BLADES!!!!  It will do what no amount of hitting the blades will... it will destroy it.  If you've got an old CD or DVD lying around, take it, scuff and scratch it a bit, and put some acetone or acetone based nail polish remover on it.  That's your fun science lesson on chemical reactions for the day."

Vivectious, a Magic Eraser works well on cleaning ups scuffs and makes the blade look almost new.  I've used one on my blades not too long ago and it worked well.

[Master Nero Attoru]

Generally I recommend regular midgrade for just about any color, and if you can spring for the Li-ion setup you'll save a ton on batteries (plus get much better performance than alkalines or NiMH).  Both of those options are at the top of my recommendation list!

[Shimimaro]

Thanks again guys, just placed my order! 

Can't wait to show off my bellicose, of course I will do a review as soon as I receive it. 

[Groovidad]

Generally I recommend regular midgrade for just about any color, and if you can spring for the Li-ion setup you'll save a ton on batteries (plus get much better performance than alkalines or NiMH).  Both of those options are at the top of my recommendation list!

I'm with you on this.  I find the Midgrade to be a more "stunning" vessel for the light.  I have a FO Ultraedge blade and it just looks like a Creamsicle.  Yet, when I put my Midgrade on that hilt, the FO appears more "electric". 

[Master Nero Attoru]

Thanks again guys, just placed my order! 

Can't wait to show off my bellicose, of course I will do a review as soon as I receive it. 

Great!  I think you're gonna like the Bellicose, I've handled it myself and enjoyed using it (my buddy Artorius got one when they first came out).  The dimensions make it seem big, but it's very reasonable and quite light.

[Shimimaro]

UPDATE: just to let you guys know, my saber came in last week, here is my review:

http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=24617.00

[Dragoth]

UPDATE: just to let you guys know, my saber came in last week, here is my review:

http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=24617.00

Congrats!  Hope you're as happy with yours as I am with mine!