A glitch ate an earlier version of this review as I was about to post it, losing about half my work, in particular a fair bit on the handling virtues of the Catalysts. Hopefully this will still make sense, but if not then I promise it made sense first time around!
As posts
1,000 and
2,000 were reviews, it seems fitting to make post 3,000 a review as well.
Catalyst and Dark Catalyst
Technically, I've
reviewed the Dark Catalyst before.
Technically. At the time, the review of the hilt was incredibly detailed:
"I'm impressed (and surprised) by how well it handles. The choke makes for a really comfortable grip, and even with a 36" blade (I prefer 32" blades) it was a nicely balanced and whippy hilt. It's also very light, and I'd say overall it probably handles as well as a v3 Aeon or Dominix. I'm happy to recommend the Catalyst line, then, on handling grounds."Faint praise, I damn thee with it...
I'm shocked and stunned that more of you didn't rush to the order page and clean US out of both types of Catalyst, based on such a glowing review
I'll be honest, I was never taken with the Catalyst design. I didn't like the choke – I thought it was too pronounced, and took away from the lines of the hilt. I didn't like the emitter – I thought the prongs looked too short. And I didn't like the pommel – it's a featureless cone, and I still think it would benefit from ridges like those machined into the main part of the body. I wanted the body for a project, and the rest just came with it. I could have discarded them without a second glance, had I not been intrigued by the unique (well, unique between two hilts. Twonique?) setup of the LED unit, which is screwed into the emitter without an outer casing.
So I kept coming back to the Dark Catalyst as a hilt in its own right, and a few months back I ordered a plain Catalyst. Rather than ordering it as part of a project, however, I just ordered it 'as is', making it the first time I've deliberately gone back and re-ordered a hilt I already owned.
That's how impressed I am with the Catalysts.
I’ve noted over the years that duellists wielding two lightsabres generally (although not always) have matching hilts, if not matching coloured blades. That makes sense to me – you’d want to be equally comfortable with either hilt in either hand. It makes sense to me, then, to have a pair of duelling ‘sabres to suit my preferred Jar’Kai style.
The choke is always going to be a prominent feature of this hilt, but without wishing to state the obvious, it disappears when you put your hand around it – and that's what you'll want to do when wielding a Catalyst. The choke is the optimal place to hold the hilt, as comfortable to hold for me (6 feet, big hands) as my wife (5 feet, small hands). It makes for sharp movements, and good control over the hilt in one hand without the lower section seeming too heavy - this is a light hilt, and no real effort to wield, similar to the Prophecy and Sentinel lines.
The main body of the Catalyst is comfortable enough to hold, and fine to use two-handed. Holding it there one-handed leaves the hilt feeling off balance, and in a duel would leave you vulnerable to the top of the hilt being attacked.
And there's nothing to be done about the pommel, alas
Incidentally, I can't remember if there's a direct comparison available anywhere between Pyrestone Orange and Fire Orange, so I figured I'd make one while I had the chance:
Pyrestone Orange on the bottom, Fire Orange on top.
So, onto...
The Menace
Image quality not the greatest... Do we need to say much more about the Menace? This hilt is unmistakable to those with an interest in the lightsabres of the Star Wars films, being half of the double-bladed lightsabre wielded by Darth Maul during The Phantom Menace. While the concept had appeared in the Star Wars comics – Exar Kun was the first user – it was Maul who popularised the idea prior to his abrupt end at the blade of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo. Such was Maul’s presence, and so impressive the visual he created, that virtually overnight it became commonplace for Sith Lords, Dark Jedi and even some lightsiders to carry double-bladed lightsabres.
But for Maul, the duel in Theed with Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn saw two things split in two – himself, and his trusty lightsabre. It would be almost fifteen years before we’d see either of them appear in canon again, as the Clone Wars cartoon introduced Savage Opress, staff-wielding apprentice of sorts to Assaj Ventress and Count Dooku, and brother to Darth Maul himself. Late on in the series Maul was revealed to have survived his duel with Obi-Wan. Forced into hiding and driven to madness by his failure, Maul was saved by his brother and restored to health. While his staff was lost, one end survived, functioning if not intact. All of which brings us to the Menace...
It's stunning - the attention to detail is downright exceptional, considering the price of the hilt. US have no right to sell a hilt this detailed at the price they do - and it's fully MHS compatible at both ends, as well!
Guess who forgot to take a photo of the emitter... The emitter breaks down into three parts – an outer sleeve, an inner section and the ridged cap. The cap itself is MHS compatible, so could be used as an emitter for a show hilt, but would need to be drilled for retention screws for use in a duelling hilt. The inner section has three retention screws, making for a very secure hold on the blade – albeit also meaning a bit of a pain for removing the blade!
The pommel is a simple round cylinder, low profile in the sense of being in-line with the hilt, but still adding perhaps three-quarters of an inch to the length of the hilt. I like it a lot, understated as it is, and could see it being used as an alternative to the ubiquitous Shock and Catalyst pommels on the Aeons, Dominixes and Initiates when someone wants just a little more length.
With the Menace the covertec wheel is set almost opposite the activation button. For someone with large hands like me, that makes the hilt awkward to hold two handed, as your upper hand is always going to have to accommodate the covertec wheel in some way. It can be removed, if you have the right wrench, and for true verisimilitude you may want to remove it on at least one hilt when you staff it up anyway. Of course, when you staff the pair of hilts, you'll have plenty of room to move your hands around, so...
But I've quickly found that my preference for wielding the Menace is single-handed. Possibly influenced by Maul's portrayal in the Clone Wars cartoon...
...where the character is fantastically brutal and effortlessly smooth in lightsabre combat, once he regains his sanity. The balance as a one-handed hilt is spot on, whether using a 32 or 24 inch blade. My preference is for a 32 inch blade in any case, and in the Menace it allows swift movement as the hilt has a nice amount of heft to it, one-handed, to balance the blade. With dual hilts, as I'm sure I'll eventually pick a second one up, I would think that two 24 inch blades would be the way to go...
...after all, it
almost worked for Maul on
Kalakar Six.
On top is a Master Replicas static Darth Maul hilt, beneath is the Menace. While the details aren't exact - different button sizes, slightly different sculpting - it's as close as anyone is likely to produce, and coupled with US' typical excellent craftmanship makes the Menace an excellent acquisition.
In a way, it seems like reviewing a Menace is only half the story; This is a halved staff, after all, and I'm sure that as and when I pick up the other half of the staff, there'll be a second review touching on its balance and ease of use when coupled up. I may have to learn to fight with a staff for that, which I've never really got the hang of...
Until then, colours!
Blazing Red
Arctic Blue
Sentinel Yellow
Fire Orange
Sunrider's Destiny
Hot Pink
And finally...
Curved Azure Reaper I suppose the bad news for most people is that they can't buy one of these –
JediXIX and I have one from a recent raffle, and there may be others available, but these are prototypes seemingly used in the development of the Mantis.
There are clear similarities, and I reviewed my Mantis
here. I think I may be the only person with two curved hilts.
My Mantis is a large and hefty hilt, comfortable to wield but no lightweight. The curved Reaper is much lighter – not in the Catalyst/Sentinel/Prophecy class, but easily wieldable one-handed for most people, I would think.
The collar of the Reaper is well suited to wielding this hilt. The section of hilt between collar and elbow makes for a comfortable grip, allowing easy spinning and deft manoeuvring. It seems to be to be well suited to the precision sought by practitioners of Form II, allowing quick flicks and sharp changes in direction with very small hand or wrist movements.
However, I suspect my preferred opening would be frowned on by Count Dooku and other Makashi specialists – there's just something right about having this dangling almost at the rear claw, then snapping it upright and bringing your main hand up to the collar as you do. Takes a little practise, but it feels cool to nail it.
The extent of curve within the hilt seems to address a common issue with the basic Reaper hilt, where the rear claw can catch on the user's arm. By angling it away, that issue is resolved.
I wish I could say that the curved Reaper would be something you guys could get your hands on soon, but I don't know if US will ever offer it as an option, It's a really nice 'sabre to handle, and I think it'd be a hit if it were to be offered as a separate option.
*
So, there we go – 3,000 posts, and 3 of the newest entries into my collection. I'd say that I have another 1,000 posts to decide what to buy next, but chances are I'll be back here with another review quite a bit sooner than that!
Oh, and Prowl? Buy a Catalyst!