PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS
This is my first review (ever), of my first lighsaber (ever – I’m not counting the two MR FX sabers I once owned). So, as far as this review and my foreign language skills are concerned, I’m open for constructive criticism. I’ve been a rather silent forum member on fx-sabers for a while, which is basically what brought me here. I’ve read a good deal about lightsabers and finally decided to make my first step into the community by ordering a stunt saber (so that later I might be able to add sound to the saber myself). I compared a lot of sabers offered by different sabersmiths and finally decided to go with the UltraSabers Prophecy as my first stunt, basically because the overall design won me over. In addition, many other praised UltraSabers’ quality and customer service, so I thought I should give it a try. Apart from the obvious reasons drawing people into this hobby, I felt especially attracted by the possibility of becoming creative myself and learning the basic skills in electronics needed for this hobby.
HILT:
The Prophecy is a two-parts construction (i.e. hilt and threaded pommel) crafted from aircraft graded aluminium. The pommel is compatible to the MHS parts offered at TCSS. Since a later soundboard addition would profit from it, the MHS compatibility was an additional criterion for me to actually choose this saber.
For a stunt within this price range, the overall design is classic and superb. Additionally, the added details from the brass nuts hiding the blade retention screw, the two holes that let the LED light shine through up to the covertec wheel, give the hilt a certain elegance while maintaining its practicability.
You can wield it one-handed, but there’s also enough hilt to hold the saber with both hands. I’ve read a couple of other reviews and was finally surprised how big the hilt actually was. I expected something smaller. To me, size and weight of the hilt feel just right. Additionally, I think it's worth while mentioning that the hilt looks much more polished in person than it does on the official online-shop pictures. When I ordered it, I was a bit worried that it might not look shiny enough - but fortunately, it does.
360° view of the hilt:
BLADE(S):
The LED runs on a 4 AAA batteries setup and is quite bright. Unfortunately, I cannot say precisely, how bright the saber actually should be, for mine did not come with a blue Seoul P4, but with a RGB LED wired to blue. However, I think I will be able to tell you soon, for a replacement LED is on its way. As soon as I have it soldered, I will post an update. (Thanks to UltraSabers for the excellent customer service).
Since I wanted to see the differences between a regular UltraBlade and an UltraEdge, I ordered both. In the pictures below, you see a regular heavy-grade as well as a mid-grade UltraEdge blade. (As regards brightness, I could not spot much of a difference between the heavy-grades and the mid-grades. If there is a difference, it is hardly perceivable.) Of course, the heavy-grades have a higher durability. However, if you do not want to go out beating up oak trees or fire hydrants, a mid-grade blade should be sufficient. Still, you might want to choose wisely as regards the blade’s weight. The heavy-grades are quite a bit heavier than the mid-grades, giving the saber a whole different balance. With the Prophecy, I will personally go with the mid-grade since the heavy-grade blade gives the saber a certain top-heaviness.
The regular UltraSabers blade is a transparent polycarbon-tube of a 1” outer diameter. It comes with a light-diffusing foil glued into place. I’m not quite sure whether the rounded tip is mirrored or not. Maybe you can help me out on this one. With the LED turned off, it looks rather elegant and silverish. With the saber fired up, there is a slight “tube” or “core” effect.
The blade pictured on top is the UltraEdge blade. The polycarbon tube of the UltraEdge is of a milky-white, which IMHO looks not as good as the regular blade while the LED is turned off. However, it perceptibly diffuses the light more equally throughout the blade and gives it a stronger glow or halo effect.
Comparing the two blade types, I really cannot say which one I like better. They both look great and have their own unique character.
By daylight:
Regular heavy-grade blade in a darkened room:
UltraEdge mid-grade blade also in a darkened room:
To sum it all up – I highly recommend buying the Prophecy. If it was not for the extremely high international shipping costs, this saber would be an excellent deal. However, even if you count these costs in (I paid about $80.- for 1 hilt and 5 blades), it is still a good to very good deal. If you’re new to the hobby and you’re accustomed to let’s say the MR or Hasbro FX series, you might miss the sound. Not that you were not aware that this saber does not come with it. It’s just that you might miss it. Plainly seen, stunt sabers are expensive flashlights with translucent tubes attached to it. You might find yourself thinking that without the “life-giving element of a saber” - the flicker, the clash-sounds, the humming noise, a stunt feels somewhat off. But that’s just the way, these sabers are built. It’s their purpose. If you like stunt sabers, go for the Prophecy, for you cannot go wrong with it.
Excellent craftsmanship, high durability, a bright blade, the design and feel of the Prophecy combined with its price tag make this saber an excellent choice. Plus, the new LED mounting system is highly customizer-friendly, just in case you plan to try a different LED colour.
However, since there's always room for improvement, I give this saber 9/10.
