Saber Forum

So, we got our order just the other day, did the un-boxing video (to be posted later tonight I hope) and then I sat down and did a video review.  Before I post any of those, I wanted to ask the forum a serious question.  A serious question in regards to the Spectre specifically.
  I want to first say that I think it is a beautifully made hilt.  The details, the profile, guard.... it is beautiful.  But it is incredibly uncomfortable to swing and duel with.  Don't get me wrong, I still love it.  But I wanted a beautiful saber that I can go in the back yard with my kids and swing around for hours.  Sure I can go swing it in the back yard with them, and I've already stated the beauty of the saber, but I can't find a comfortable grip.  I did go with the angled activation box, and after a few days of it in my hand I'm afraid that the square would of been worse.  The D-ring at the end only lasted about 20 minutes before I took it off.  The clattering made me feel that the batteries were loose inside.
  Maybe someone has already brought this up in a previous thread, but I couldn't find it.  From a collectors view, this is going in a place of honor in my office.  From a stunt user/dueling view, I wish that my 7 year old would trade me for his Sentinel V4.  Anyone else feel the same?
  I will always praise Ultrasabers quality and customer service.  But, I feel that an honest review of this saber is needed.  If I had known what I know now before we made our purchase, I would of went with something else as my 1st saber.  Still placed an order yesterday so there's that I guess. And I will never sell or give my Spectre away.  I still love it.  I just don't like the way it binds up and feels awkward in the hand when using it.

DCE, thank you for the review!

I understand your feelings.   I spent several years wishing for a Guardian, only to be disappointed in it when I finally had one.  It was just to big around to be a comfortable dueling saber.   Others disagree with me, some vehemently.   :-)  You'll find many that have Spectres that think they're great duelers.  Others will agree with you.   None of it matters, ultimately, because its YOUR saber, so you need to be comfortable with it.

If you're looking for a dueling hilt, especially a stunt, I would highly recommend ANY Aeon, v2-v5 (minus the front claws).  The V2 is actually EXTREMELY comfortable and very sturdy.   The V3 and V4 are elegant and graceful.   Another great option is the Sentinel line, which you already have some experience with.   My own "new" favorite is my Dark Sentinel V5, equipped with a Dark War Glaive pommel.   I just had to bevel the edges of the forward window to make handling it easier as I tend to grip in that forward choke point over the windows.

At any rate, I hope you find your dueling hilt soon!   Good luck!

Thank you for your input.  And you are right, the only opinion that matters is mine when it comes down to my saber.  Now that I know what to look for in a dueling and 'functional' saber, the Aeon and the Sentinel frames have become part of my 'short list'.  I'm also going to be trying out the 36" blade with this next order.  I got the 32" last order, and I felt that it was too short, but was still comfortable. 
Everyone has different tastes, especially when the topic of 'comfort' is involved.  Beds can be too soft or too firm.  Drinks can be too cold or too hot.  My wife likes the shower water to be 1 step away from lava and I like to keep my skin solid and on my body not in a puddle on the floor.  Wish I lived closer to the Ultrasabers show room so I could 'try them out' prior to buying on.  See how they feel in the hand.  How is the grip, the activation button, etc.  Till then I guess I will keep up with making my orders and trying them out until I either own every saber they offer, or find the perfect saber.

The funny thing is the more an US saber is close to an actual Star Wars saber it seem more uncomfortable. Not saying all but a lot. I think it is the details that go into these sabers that make them uncomfortable. Take the Butcher for instance, while beautiful the details make it pretty much useless as a spinning saber.

I feel like most that have been around and have a couple sabers or more know that certain ones are great lookers while others are great in battle.

Maybe a good idea is to actually have a number system in the specs of the saber with a dueling rating.

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Dueling/spinning rating...   Hmm.....

I like it.  Decide on 5-8 characteristics that we could find in every hilt.  Scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best.  Design, comfort, spinning, control (being able to comfortably hold without needing to change your grip), etc.  Similar to what you might find when choosing a weapon in a video game (Accuracy, range, damage, fire rate, etc.).
 I think you might be on to something.  And as for your comment about the Butcher.  I thought that was a beautiful saber, but was wondering if it was named the Butcher because of what it would do to your hands the first time you tried to actually use it.  Looks great.  But, those can only go so far. 

I haven't tried actually dueling with my kids with either of our Spectres, but I have done a reasonable amount of spinning and shadow fighting.  
What works for me is holding it just under the tsuba, where it thins out, with the activation box facing away from me. Keeping a loose grip in the webbing between my thumb and finger.

(https://i.imgur.com/qSx9WNf.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/b3nyPmF.jpg)

Another thing that might help is to wear gloves with it.

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Love it! As for dueling I can agree with the Aeon and Sentinel from experience. I've been swinging the two sentinels I just got (v4 and v5) and they do handle well, however my Aeon v4 is quite a bit better at spinning (it's a neat trick). I believe it's because of  its curved choke points. It flows quite well in the hand. The Aeon is also a little blade heavy even with a mid grade standard length blade which helps the momentum in a swing or spin, but it also feels slightly unwieldy in normal defensive and offensive maneuvers. I'm going to try a different pommel to try to pull just a bit more weight to the bottom and then it will be perfect.

TL,DR - try an Aeon v4 lol
 

One of my favorite sabers, period.