Grab Bag Standard Issue

Sorry I don't have pics yet. I'll add them as soon as I get a chance to upload 'em. Anyways...

Shipping
I ordered with only the blade and hilt specified, leaving the style and color up to Ultra's crew to decide. I noted on the store that it said "ships in 1-2 weeks", so I wasn't expecting it to show up for a while yet. Clearly, I underestimated them, as I discovered when it showed up on my doorstep 4 business days later. I immediately ripped into the package, tearing out the sheet of foam and scattering packing peanuts in my eagerness to discover what I'd received. The saber itself was further contained in a clear plastic bag, with several layers of plastic wrap holding the color disks I'd requested firmly in place. My only complaint with the shipping is that it showed up right as I was leaving for college class, so I couldn't fully enjoy it until I returned 4 hours later.

The Blade
I ordered the standard heavy grade with this saber, to get some contrast against my other UE-HG blades, and Ultra did not disappoint. It's about the same brightness as the UE-HG blades, with no discernible difference in color either. The greatest difference I noticed to that effect was that the standard HG tends not to 'wash out' as easily as the UltraEdge under brighter lights. It's also surprisingly long, with a 36" blade instead of the 32" blades I'm used to, but that's not too much of a problem. It even helps to even the odds when I'm in 2v1 duel. I also like the look of the thinner blade, as I think it's a more realistic version of the blades. It looks better when hanging from a belt as part of a costume, and less like I'm carrying a fluorescent light with my saber. The tip, I noticed, is apparently universal, so I don't have to worry about getting it mixed up with my UE-HG blade tips.

The Hilt
Since this is a Grab Bag saber, I didn't know what hilt was going to be under that plastic wrap and foam packing. As I opened the box, all I could see were glints of silver shining through the foam, so I grabbed it by the blade and pulled it the rest of the way out. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I'd been sent a Standard Issue. The smooth contours of this saber are very sleek, making it more aerodynamic so there is minimal drag when the saber enthusiast whips it around. Surprisingly unlike my Aeons, the hilt's grooves are very shallow, enhancing the sleek look this saber emanates. The angled emitter is about the same length as my Aeons, with the sharp upper edge a few centimeters above the Aeon's, and it's lower bevel an inch or so below it. Although this is a Grab Bag saber, and the possibility of the hilt being slightly flawed was present, after a thorough inspection there were no visible defects to be found. I noticed that one of the upper grooves is a little further from it's brethren than the others, but I'm not sure if this is intentional or not, because the groove is otherwise flawless.

Handling, color, and modification
It handles like a dream. The smoothness of the hilt allows for an immensely comfortable two-handed grip, and flows from hand to hand effortlessly when I pass it during a twirl. The balance is a few inches forward of the emitter, due to the longer, thicker blade, right about where I like it. The extra length also allows for me to get in a hit or two extra before they get within their striking distance. Also, the hilt is grippier than I expected from so smooth a saber.

Well, this was fun. It came as a green saber, which, while one of my favorite colors, didn't fit the saber. The 'sophisticated' look of the saber just seemed to call for a 'colder' hue. And, since Ultra recently started using the LED modules, the LED was easily accessed and soldered to blue. I kept that color for a whole... two hours. Then I went back and spliced in the green, resulting in an unresistored version of the Arctic Blue. Then, with the aid of the color disks I'd received, I further tweaked the color to a pale SRD teal color, which I have dubbed "Kaiden's Arctic Destiny". Further, I found some automobile paint in my basement, and painted the grooves a teal to reflect the blade.