Hello all, this review is for the Dark Liberator I ordered as a present for my wife. It is a mate to the Liberator I use as my favorite spinning/dueling saber.
This one has a Black AV Switch and a Violet Amethyst blade with a v3 Obsidian soundboard and Bane's Heart Flash on Clash. Being as her favorite colors are purple and pink, it was a no-brainer! I got the stock vented pommel, but I prefer pommels with sound vents rather than a totally open end - I like to put cotton balls in the pommel to dampen the sound indoors. The pics have my Short-Grooved Bellicose Pommel on this Saber. I think it looks great, especially with the end of that pommel being Black Anodized. And it lowers the balance point to just below the lower vents while the stock pommel puts the balance point just below the emitter (with a 32" blade).
Pros: This is a great hilt for spinning or combat; one handed or two handed. The concave inner 3rd of the hilt you can put either hand into comfortably. So it makes a great combat weapon no matter your style. It's not long but it's not short either; there is plenty of room for 2 hands on this hilt and you can grip it near the emitter or under the switch.
Cons: You can't have the Emerald Driver and sound. The windows are very simple and relatively unimpressive. There are few customizable options.
Overall: This is the dark version of a hilt I know and love. It has many shortcomings especially compared to the newer v4 line. I wouldn't change anything about the hilt. BUT I do have some gripes. I don't like the Black AV Switch. It gets lost on this saber and looks cheap. A Silver AV Switch or a Purple-Illuminated Switch would have been much better. Also I think having "Bane's Heart" as the primary color and flashing to "Violet Amethyst" would have looked much more impressive. But this is for my wife and not me so I must accept her decisions!