which saber is the BEST for dueling?

[haldir]

more specifically, which saber balances the best with the 36'' heavy grade blade?

[Master Bluespike74]

I can only comment on the two sabers that I own that have Heavy Grade Blades.  The Overlord with sound and the War Glaive Pommel places the balance point right where the screw retention slow on the emitter is located.  My War Glaive with sound has a balance point in the middle of the claws. 

Of these two, I would recommend the Overlord with a pommel other than the one that comes with it. 

[Moderator Nightwing]

Concerning the question in the subject:
Not trying to be rude at all, so please don't take offense, but there is no way that question can be answered by someone else for you.  It all depends on how you duel.  I know I personally love to spin my saber, so I need a good choke point.  I use one-handed swings, as well as two-handed, so I need a saber light enough to be able to control with one hand, but long enough for me to grab it with two hands.  Also, I enjoy using reverse grip, so based on all of those, I would recommend the Raven as the best saber for dueling.
However, I strongly suggest the Prophecy based on it being a very practical saber, as well as generally positive feedback from the forum (high points being its smaller size. weight, and good choke for spinning).

Concerning your question about the 36 in blade, that is also a tough one to answer.  Each saber has a different depth for the blade socket, so there is not standard (one saber may have a 5 inch depth, while another may have a 2 inch depth, leaving a difference of 3 inches (yay math!  )). 


So again, I really do not mean to be rude, and I am sorry if that is how my response comes across, but I have seen many threads like this, as well as asked this question myself.  My suggestion is to look in the reviews section for a saber that interest you and see what people have to say.  I hope you find a saber that fits you perfectly!

[Master VorNach]

more specifically, which saber balances the best with the 36'' heavy grade blade?

Moderator Nightwing raises a number of really good points.
In the end "what is a good balance" is very subjective.
Generally speaking a swords balance point will be some number of inches in front of the cross guard (emitter in this case). I have not seen any indication that there is a "right" distance for all swords because they are all so different.

Sadly for your question unless you can get your hands on some light-sabers (maybe you live near some other US Forum members or some of the Light-saber groups around the country?) to actually try out there is no real way to answer your question.

Keep in mind that with the pommel and emitter variations available you could easily alter the balance point of whichever you do end up with, in case you are not satisfied.

Aside from balance some other questions to consider:
Do you want to practice with one hand or two on your weapon?
How large/small are your hands? How long are you fingers in relation to your hands?
As different sabers have different lengths and diameters these factors may also impact how well a saber will work in your hands. 

[haldir]

which hilt balances  around the emmiter with the 36" heavy grade blade?

i have 2 initiate V3 that I like to use initiate mid grades when im staff spinning.  for dueling i usually separate them and use one. I like to duel with the heavy grade blades and the initiate v3 works great for single handed use or spinning but it handles the best in my opinion with the 32'' mid grade blade.  with the 32'' mid grade blade the initiate v3 feels perfectly balanced to me. im looking for a hilt that feels the same with the 36" heavy grade blade

i also have the gaurdian and while that hilt handles great with the 36"heavy grade blade the hilt itself is fairly large and heavy so for me it handles the best with two hands. i want my next hilt to be more versatile. I want to get a hilt that not only balances the 36'' heavy grade blade but is also wieldable with one hand.

thanks for the replies, i hope i cleared up my question a little better, also  if anyone wants to post why they think any saber handles the best for them i would enjoy reading

[Veldryne]

guardian and dominix v3 in heavy balance very well

as does an arbiter, the dark prophecy with a 36" heavy i find very blade heavy

graflex definately feels off with a heavygrade, but its amazing with a mid (and the mid definately hold up to dueling)

[Big Andy]

This is just me, but I find that with my style of fighting that a bigger saber such as the bane for example fits really well with a 36" heavy grade.

[haldir]

thanks veldryne.  the guardian does handle the 36'' heavy grade blade pretty well but im looking for a saber that can be used with one hand just as well as two.  the dominix and the arbiter are the two sabers im considering the most at the moment. also, i do like the mid grade blades and prefer those if i have no gloves on but otherwise i like the feel of the heavy grade because they dont have as much bend, they just feel so much more solid when you make contact and to me that is part of the fun lol ya i love ultra sabers

[Veldryne]

if thats the case and you want to use it one handed, id suggest at most a 32 inch blade a 36 is going to be way too blade heavy to be really really comfortable wiht one hand

[Master VorNach]

also, i do like the mid grade blades and prefer those if i have no gloves on

I don't know if you're talking about sparring without gloves or not. Just in case though and for the sake of the last 2 people on the forum who have not heard me talking about this before:

[soapbox]
Always wear padded gloves when sparring or even working 2 person drills, even with mid-grade blades.
And at least quality eye protection, though preferably full head protection.
[/soapbox]

I may sound a bit preachy about this but I want everyone who's having fun with sabers to be able to keep on having fun for a very long time and not have it cut short by an an avoidable accident.

[Master VorNach]

if thats the case and you want to use it one handed, id suggest at most a 32 inch blade a 36 is going to be way too blade heavy to be really really comfortable wiht one hand

That may depend on the person using it. So far I've been happy with the one-handed work I've been able to do using an Initiate and my Dominix, both with heavy grade, 36" blades.
It may something to train up to for some people but it's feasible.

However I have not tried a 32" blade and I haven't tried a mid-grade blade so I may be missing out on the opportunity for some improved performance in terms of speed and responsiveness of the weapon.
Veldryne has experience with a wider variety of saber equipment combinations and so I do not mean to discount what he says.
I've been swinging a variety of different weapons for a long time so my personal experience is going to be quite different.

[Big Andy]

The liberator is a great saber for both two handed and single handed dueling. I would recommend that if you plan to primarily single hand it the you use a 32" heavy instead of a 36" heavy.

[Master Nero Attoru]

if thats the case and you want to use it one handed, id suggest at most a 32 inch blade a 36 is going to be way too blade heavy to be really really comfortable wiht one hand

The 32" blade is really perfect for single handed dueling, but the 36" is perfectly wieldable too.  Most of my hilts have the latter, and I use one hand the vast majority of the time.

I don't know if you're talking about sparring without gloves or not. Just in case though and for the sake of the last 2 people on the forum who have not heard me talking about this before:

[soapbox]
Always wear padded gloves when sparring or even working 2 person drills, even with mid-grade blades.
And at least quality eye protection, though preferably full head protection.
[/soapbox]

I may sound a bit preachy about this but I want everyone who's having fun with sabers to be able to keep on having fun for a very long time and not have it cut short by an an avoidable accident.

Good safety plug VorNach.  It's the most important thing to remember!