Well let's start this out by saying that this is my first review and one of my first Ultrasabers. (I did purchase a Prophecy in Adegan Silver but I don't think I can be more comprehensive that this review
http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=2346.0 ) That said, here it goes.
The Hilt:
The hilt itself is more than I expected and my expectations were fairly high. What the website does not depict is how well polished the hilt is when you receive it. I was expecting to have to do this on my own. It is lighter than I expected even with a Li-Ion set up and the Obsidian board (I highly recommend both). In my opinion the only way to make this hilt more awesome is to add an anti-vandal switch. I will say that when I received the saber there was a slight rattle in the hilt which I figured out was a result of the metal plate that the LED is attached to. The problem was quickly fixed with a bit of electrical tape. After that quick remedy the hilt is solid as a brick and begging for awesome customizations. It is a joy to spin and duel with. All together, I give it a 9/10.
The Blade:
As the heading says I ordered this saber in Guardian Blue and when US says blue, they mean it. I know that the pictures tend to make the center of the blade look almost white with the color radiating out from there, but in person, the UltraEdge mid grade blade is completely blue. Now, talking about brightness. I live on the east coast and while I did not have any power outages or flooding due to the recent hurricane, if I had needed to flag down a coast guard rescue chopper, I would've just grabbed my saber. The first time I turned it on I had a lamp on in addition to the skylight in my loft flat and this thing still lit up the whole room. I have been dueling quite heavily - I'm missing a chunk of dry wall - and the blade has not a single mark on it. So for the blade and the LED I can only give 10/10.
The Sound:
I have to admit I was not going to order a saber with sound until US came out with the Obsidian board. I love the option to customize and I've even heard we will be able to buy new fonts soon. The speaker itself is quite loud, louder than my MR, and the effects are fairly high quality. The only contention I have is that I use Macs and have yet to be able to play around with the board. So I will reserve a rating for the sound until I can fully explore the Obsidian and all of it's options, but for now know that I am satisfied.
The hilt with blade attached
Inside the hilt
The saber turned on
Whatever you do, get the AV switch, it's absolutely worth it
Even with a few lights on and the camera flash, it's still very bright
Over all I could not be happier with what I received for the money I spent. I was also amazed at how quickly the saber arrived. I ordered on a Friday morning and it was at my home in Connecticut the following Wednesday. Everything was neatly packaged and well protected. 10/10 on shipping.