Just got my Reaper in today and I have to say I am very impressed. This is also my first saber with Obsidian sound and I love it so far, and I have to give thanks to Lord Vane for the Vader font, absolutely love it with this saber. So on to the review.....
Ordered 1 --> Reaper w/ Obsidian Sound, Silver illuminated AV switch with the standard included covertec wheel, blazing red led with the silver flash on clash.
Detail in hilt engraving: 10/10 - Highest I have ever seen, the detail is quite amazing. I would also not be afraid of it wearing down with too much use, it seems to be engraved in far enough that it will hold the design indefinitely. At the same time the engraving isnt that deep so it does not feel weird at all holding it.
Detail in overall design: 10/10 - I think US outdid themselves on this one, I mean from everything to the line engraving in the hilt to the removable claws is just phenomenal. The shroud that sits underneath the emitter I think adds a lot of character to the Reaper, I tried removing it to see how I like it and I feel like it is just missing something. Removing the shroud and trying to connect it all back together also leave a tiny gap where the shroud use to be, from a foot or two away you wont even be able to notice, but just thought I would mention it (not meant to be shroudless anyhow). I have never ordered the covertec wheel on any of my sabers, but after receiving this one I am sold..... all of my future ones will be receiving them, and I think US should continue to offer this as an option where we can select it or not select it, but at the same time have a set placement like the Reaper has (I don't want to pick the wrong spot, and I trust US). Love the emitter, showing the glow through the lines add so much to this. You can see my emitter has the claw attached, absolutely love the claw being there and setting against the blade as it does, brings a true sith look imo. The pommel part has the claw removed for the fact that too me, this thing is huge! It does by no means seem like its outrageous, but I have large/normal male hands and I can wrap my hand around the reaper from bottom to top 4 times just barely (largest saber hilt I have currently, and probably ever will).
Obsidian Sound - 10/10 - If you don't have sound on your saber because you are being cost effective like I was when I first got into this hobby..... its a bad choice. Ill tell you how it goes, you pull out your stunt saber and your swinging it around and you make the sound effects yourself (vroom, vroooo000m, swam)...... It sounds great in your head, until you think about it and your pretend that it didn't just happen. Anyhow, for my first time using the obsidian soundboard i am very please. Took me a minute to figure out how to get the thing to connect to my computer, but with some swearing and the good old F1 button (Pulls up the manual while in the Obsidian app), I was able to figure it out and do everything in no time. Love the customization you have with this soundboard, and with the saberforum community you can do a quick search to find some parameters other people chose to get you at a perfect balance for motion/impact sensitivity while maintaining accuracy.
LED/FOC/Blade = 10/10 - Interesting enough, some thing I didnt realize when I ordered this is that the Ultraedge blade this thing comes with is not the 32" Ultraedge blade but larger. I didn't measure it and currently am away from a tape measure but I am going with a 36" Ultraedge blade coming standard with each order. The Blazing Red LED truly is a sight to see, and puts my Vader Force FX to shame. I am still getting use to the silver Flash on Clash effect, and am figuring out if the extra $35 is worth it to put in each saber with sound. Combined with Blazing Red LED the Adegan Siver brings a sort of reddish pink on impact which looks cool and if your going for a WOW effect for dueling it is there, strays away from how the movie lightsaber effects are, but I still like it more then nothing I think.....(Still deciding)
Overall , my only quarrel with the Reaper is the size. If you read what you are ordering and can handle the fact that it is much larger(when I say much larger I mean US calls it a "Beast" at about 19" from claw to claw) then most other sabers then you are fine. I love it quite honestly, and wouldn't trade it. I knew when I ordered it that I was getting a monster saber that I could trim a inch or two by removing a claw or two. Im still weary on if I truly love the flash on clash effect, currently I have a home made saber with the ultimate fx board in it, and for some reason I love the "flicker on clash" effect that it does. I would have to end this review at
9/10 with my only want (May I add that something I want is not something everyone wants, just my two cents) being few inches cut off of this. Staring at it now, the shroud cut by an inch and maybe the pommel/emitter cut by 1/2" would put it at a more descent size for my dream reaper.
Honestly.... pretty damn good if the only complaint I can find on this Beauty is the size. Stunning piece, and now for pictures....... Lots and L0ts of Pictures!
Reaper Unlit
Reaper Bladeless
Reaper w/ Shroud Removed
Reaper Dissassembled (Showing the unscrew points since I have seen some posts unsure of where they were at, and the angled piece on the top emitter that holds the claw and the angled piece on the bottom pommel that holds the claw can be removed with an allen wrench too)
Reaper Lit Bladeless
Reaper Lit w/ Blade
Reaper Lit .... Lights out
If you have any questions let me know, and I will try and answer the best I can! Hope this helps someone out there!
