Saber Forum

Alright, here it is, my big review.  i will be covering the following sabers.  Dominix V2 and Dominix V2 staff SRD and VA; Dark Initiate V2 and Dark Initiate V2 Staff; Manticore VA; and the Flamberge and Flamberge Greatsword.  Hope you enjoy.

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the Dominix V2 i have in SRD, It was my first saber from a grab bag.  very shortly after i bought the second Dominix V2 in VA for my wife and/or staff.  the hilt is very smooth, and about 1 foot in length with a 36 UEHG on both.  The VA is about 2 inches deeper in the socket.  as a staff, it is around 7 feet, very tall but managable, as i am 6 foot.  it is light weight and very manuverable.

The Dark Initiate in BR was bought as a staff (though in individual parts) for my son.  the 24 inch MG blades are lightweight and i often think it is unbalanced as a single blade, but admitedly i prefer larger weapons.  the mid grade blades will not stand up to heavy dueling, as i discovered this past winter.  but prolonged duels in sub-zero weather will crack the blade.  as a staff, it is excelent for younglings wanting to master the staff and my son loves spinning his staff or duel wielding in equal measure.

The Manticore in VA with V3 Obsidian is my wifes Saber, our first with sound.  The Manticore is a very well balanced blade with a 36" UEHG blade.  The Emiter is absolutely gorgeous, and also a great grip.  the V3 soundboard it an amazing piece of hardware and the sound and reaction times of the board are great.

Finally, The Flamberge SE in GB with V4 Obsidian.  this saber is amazing.  prior to its release, i had decided that my next saber would be blue and was debating between the mantis and the guardian hilts.  Then came the preorder.  as soon as i could afford it, i jumped in on it.  High Polish finish with a 40 inch blade, 8 inch guard blades, V4 Obsidian, Recharge Port and Charger, and the Yari and Coupler.  my original plan was to make a greatsword with a longer blade, and use the yari as handle extension, but the handle was way to long to comfortably wield.  the idea came tio me at work that the emiter and pommel were both MHS compatible, si i threw the Yari onto the Emitter abd the blade to the other end of the Yari.  due to the length iof the yari and the open space within, the blade does have a slight wobble.  i cut a broken length of MG blade to about 14 inches and dropped it into the emitter of the main blade and dropped the 40 inch blade to meet it inside the Yari.  The vented couplers inside diameter is perfect to hold the blade in tight, but due to length and an imperfect blade joining the light is quite dimmer on the main blade in greatword setup.  At factory setting the Flamberge is big.  it has great length but the whole thing is rather heavy, about 5 lbs.    The Greatsword is about 5'9", and weighs just over 6 lbs.  It is big, and it is slow.  but on the other side, it has great reach and hits hard.  the extended hilt above the guard opens great options like half swording and using the guard as a weapon.  this option definate exists as a bastard sword as well, but is often unexrected from a greatsword.

The V4 soundboard is incredible, i love being able to switch fonts on the fly.  in addition, it has greater sound quality and volume (IMO) than the V3.

I will be doing a more detailed review on the V4 Obsidian soon, but it is late and i do work in the morning.

hope you enjoyed the review and the pics

If I understand correctly, two identical hilts with two identical blades.  If so how can the socket depth be different between the two?

Not sure why but the VA has a deeper socket.  Perhsps the SRD has a larger led module, or is wired closer to the switch,  but either way it is what it is