So I thought that after getting another two sabers taking my collection to five, that I'd post up the reviews for them.
Lets start off with my Liberator staff in Fire Orange, I purchased this when the coupler was first released for the Liberators, and I really wanted to begin with a staff, which I also use as two individual sabers. The blades in the sabers are ultra edge 24" heavy duty, but after looking closely at my recent sabers they don't seem to have the film, so they are a little dimmer than usual sabers. The actual dimensions of the saber, by itself and as a staff are as follows:
Blade protrusion - 22"
Hilt Length - 11.5"
Combined Length - 34"
Staff Length - 67"
Staff Hilt Length - 22.5"
The first image is the staff in a dark room, camera flash. The second is the whole hilt with the coupler and the third being the saber in a lit room.
The following we have the Liberators as two sabers, shot of the two sabers lit and a closer picture of the hilts.
A quick explanation for the review styles.
First Impression - When I pulled the sabers out of the boxes and their bag.
Appearance - What I see when I take a closer look at the hilt.
Finish - How well finished the saber actually is.
Balance - This one is more personal, depending on how the saber suits my style for wielding.
Combat - How the saber performed against another, based on ease of use and also based on the above, Balance.
Now for the guts of the review.
First Impression - 9
Appearance - 8.5
Finish - 6.4 (Will clarify this when I get to it below)
Balance - 9.2
Combat - 8.9
First Impression - As soon as I opened the box and took them out and flicked the sabers on I loved them. There was a nice orange glow to them and they moved really well together. The changing between the coupler and individual pommels was quick and easy.
Appearance - After the intial rush of getting my first combat saber, I had a good look over the hilt. The part that caught my eye initially was the slight curve in the middle of the hilt which isn't something easily shown in the pictures, but it is the right width and position for gripping well. The switch is placed just above the middle "grip" and is well placed to be able to flick the LED on/off. A little mark down for the blades as once lit they don't seem as bright as any others I have recieved yet.
Finish - Here is the part some of you will really want to know about. Overall it looked very nicely done, the grooves evenly machined with no nicks over the saber. However as I later found out during my dueling with a friend, I saw there was a little red mark on my saber, to my surprise I found that there was a little blood on my saber and looking at my hands, they had thin cuts in them. The one thing overlooked was that the grooves were not filed down so they were
very sharp. This was fixed by about 30 minutes of metal filing and I haven't had any problem since.
Balance - The sabers rested in my hands quite well, and were easy to spin and keep within my grasp. Once coupled together as a staff it was very nicely balanced and again was very easy to manoeuvre around with.
Combat - As mentioned above the sabers were very easy to move with and they held their own against a 36" bladed Catalyst without much problem. I was able to move rather well with them even though I am quite a novice. The only minor issue being the blade length, the combined to make a rather short(I'm 6'1") saber staff and on their own didn't have the same reach others have had. This is going to be easily fixed with new blades I am ordering in my next purchase.
Next up, my Shock LE, Guardian Blue.
I was looking for a more distinctive hilt that was more towards my alignment, and one that would suit the colour, so I chose the Shock LE. It seemed like a good change as I had the thinner hilt, and this moved to the larger MLS hilt. And with my earlier decision for the short Liberator blades, I chose to go with the 36" Ultra edge heavy duty, giving myself a new main hand saber to wield.
Dimensions of the saber:
Blade Protrusion - 34.5"
Hilt Length - 11"
Total Length - 45.5"
First off we have the picture of the hilt, where you can see the nice chrome and matt gold finish. The second image is taken with lights on, so you can see how bright it. Finally the third image is taken in the dark(Camera flash again) showing a more true colour.
Review:
First Impression - 9.5
Appearance - 9.5
Finish - 9.4
Balance - 9.4
Combat - 9.5
First Impression - The moment I pulled the saber out I knew it was much better and going to be a better suit for myself. A much longer overall single bladed saber compared with my first.
Appearance - Taking a look over the saber, it has a nice chrome look to it and the anodized gold fits in very well with the overall hilt. The Guardian blue LED shines brightly throughout the while of the blade, with only a little diminishing effect near the end. The point for gripping/holding that I found was just above the switch at the emitter start, so it was easily usable with my ring finger.
Finish - A closer look over the hilt revealed they style that the gold was in, as well as the very nice finish of the grooves. I also ran my fingers along each edge for the grooves because of my previous sabers and was very happy to find they were smooth to the touch.
Balance - The balance point for this saber currently is 3 inches above the emitter point, so it makes for an easy saber for myself to spin at move with, whilst still being in control. It has a very good reach and is well counter balanced by the weight of the hilt.
Combat - This saber was quite well able to hold its own due to its backing weight and length of the blade, even against a Catalyst and off-hand Dark Initiate. Even with a heavier weapon it was still balanced well enough to move readily and react quickly enough to what I needed it.
Next up? Consular in Arctic Blue, Obsidian Soundboard with Illuminated Anti-Vandal Switch.
Here we have the decision to go with a saber that has sound, especially considering the price and comparison between earlier sound board options. The decision with the blade came after seeing my friends Mid-grade blade, which made for a more realistic looking saber blade. I loved how the consular looked similar to Qui-Gon's, which was the decider to get this hilt.
Dimensions of the saber:
Hilt Length - 12"
Blade Protrusion - 33"
Total Length - 45"
First up we have the face shot of the consular hilt, you can see the AV switch, that will only illuminate a guardian blue like colour when it is turned on. Second is a side shot of the hilt that gives you a look at the design of the shroud. Finally you can see the whole saber in its glory activated, with the Arctic Blue glow.
Here we have a few shots of the hilt and saber
Review:
First Impression - 9.5
Appearance - 9.6
Finish - 9.6
Balance - 9.5
Combat - 9.5
First Impression - Pulled the saber out from amongst the ones I had (Had 6 or so come in, whilst I was wearing my Jedi robe too haha
), instantly loved it. Distinct difference from the Guardian Blue and the sound was great.
Appearance - With and without the shroud the hilt is amazing. With the shroud it is a very good close image to Qui Gon's saber, and without it has a unique look with the finished anodized grooves all the way down.
Finish - The edges of the saber and the differences between points of the exposed aluminium were very well done and very cleanly too. No extremely rough edges and the blade itself sat in snugly into the emitter/hilt.
Balance - This saber had a good feel to it as soon as I unwrapped it, as it had a similar feel to the Shock LE. It was much easier to control with any spins, and easy to keep grip on the point that I found best to balance at.
Combat - This is by far the best I have used yet, the blade for myself was the best length I found, as well as the sensitivity of the soundboard when it came to clashes and swings.
If you have any questions that you want to know about the sabers I have, or requests for more detailed pictures of specific areas, don't hesitate to ask.
-Knight V
