first time buyer, soo much research, maybe some questions?

[imperialknight23]

so i discovered ultrasabers maybe a month ago, and have been eagerly contemplating and researching what should be my first saber purchase (almost feels like a rite of initiation lol). lots of thoughts run though my head questions and answers. i scour the boards for most of the answers. but hopefully i get some of them out here.

what hilt i decided on was the beautiful prophecy.  its not so plain, but not too flashy.  also has that slight retro look.  i decided on a SRD as my color.  in my opinion it just seems so unique.  i had heard its sometimes bluer and sometimes greener, but either way i like both or mixed. lol

heres where i trip up a bit. i'm still trying to find a balance between my personal preference and efficiency.  i'm 5'4" and i decided to go with a 32" blade.  from research i think the overall length is about 39-40in.  i think that would be perfect as long as i dont swing in any straight down arcs too far.  the problem is with brightness, durability, and weight.

i've read the tutorial about the differences in blades, heck i even seen a review of the exact saber i'm getting, and hayduke's is heavy grade ultra edge.  i want the blade to be bright, and light.  it will be my only saber for a long while (mostly due to sentimentality) so the question of wether i'll be dueling alot is up in the air.  i hear that ultra edges can be bright, but i hear normal blades are brighter, also that ultra edges can accumilate visible scuff marks.  so far i dont see many jedis where i live (las vegas) with a dueling saber, so for the meantime lets say i wont be using my saber to be hitting much stuff, maybe more for practice.

in the end i guess its still all down to preferences. i read a post where most members happily enjoy mid-grade regulars, because they are light, bright, and still moderately durable.  on the other hand there are those who swear by heavy-grades, but would the thicker walls decrease brightness? would it be too heavy for lighter agile forms of combat? then theres the case of ultra edges.  some dislike the pastel-y look, others say regular grades bring out the truer color of whats intended in color. how noticible is the fuller vs. thinner look from a distance (unlike in review pictures).

remember this is coming in SRD color.

whew. i felt like i wrote a discourse.  i hope that wasnt too many questions. i'm just a concerned jedi who would like his first experience with an ultra-saber a perfect one.  thank you in advance for any input.

[DirtyJersey]

One fine point I can make as far as blades go, is that they are all replaceable and for the most part interchangeable(Exception being the sanded blades from FX sabers.) You're not stuck with one blade per saber. Now to break down blade choice, If you're not going to be doing alot of dueling or "hitting things" then a mid grade blade is a good solid choice. It is durable and very bright. Ultra edge brings the LED color all the way out to the edges of the blade, but in some cases may wash the color a bit making it appear lighter. This is due to the poly tube being white, whereas the "standard" blades are clear with a clear shiny film wrapped on the inside of the blade. Ultra Edge is still very bright despite all this because of the high quality LED units put into the sabers. Heavy grade blades have a more noticeable amount of blade surrounding the light. This is due to the thickness of the polycarbonate. It is still very bright, but you will see the actual poly tube.

I'm sure there is alot that I have missed, but others will also offer input to help you with your decision.

[Qui-Tom Helms]

As far as mid grade blades go, they can take some punishment, I have hit the back of my leather office chair numerous times, sometimes pretty hard.  If you are going to be hitting a tree superhard or sparing full contact then the heavy grade is the way to go.  As far a blade heaviness goes, its really not that much different, but is slightly noticeable when you swing a mid grade versus a heavy grade blade.

[imperialknight23]

seems my choice is clear. for the meantime until i find some other jedis to spar with i guess i will go with the mid-grade regulars.  the fact they are interchangeable is probably the best part.  guess when i save up again i can get one of each of the other blades.  thank you very much for the input so far. i will be ordering today, too bad though with labor day on monday i can expect it to be here hopefully by wendsday the latest thursday. hopefully.

[DirtyJersey]

seems my choice is clear. for the meantime until i find some other jedis to spar with i guess i will go with the mid-grade regulars.  the fact they are interchangeable is probably the best part.  guess when i save up again i can get one of each of the other blades.  thank you very much for the input so far. i will be ordering today, too bad though with labor day on monday i can expect it to be here hopefully by wendsday the latest thursday. hopefully.

Just so you know, the guys are at DragonCon this week and they are short staffed at the moment(I believe). Sabers will still be shipped, but it may take slightly longer. Also, sabers have to be built before they ship. This means even if you have 1 day shipping, that 1 day is after the saber gets built, not the day after you order it.

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

I prefer the extra durability of the UE blades, it's trie the color doesn't seem as bright and from dueling it does accumulate scuffs but I find it economical. Buying an extra blade is always a good idea regardless of what you choose to do with your saber. You never know when someone may want to duel or get stupid with it.

I duel a lot and have never broken or cracked a blade, the heavy is for if your really going to play rough.

If its just going to be more of a show price that you just take out and spin around the mid grade is fine, like you said it's nice and vibrant and if you acidentally hit an pot or wall it won't shatter.

Again regardless of what blade you choose, it something happens to it the cost of a new one is out weighed by how long they last.

Hope I could help.

[imperialknight23]

ah crap. haha, well i got 2 day shipping on it.  so still shouldnt take too long.  hopefully.  had i known that they also base out of california i would have gotten regular shipping.  i only live one state over in las vegas, nv.  oh and i went with the midgrade regular, but i'm sure i wont be dissapointed with the purchase no matter what i chose

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

ah crap. haha, well i got 2 day shipping on it.  so still shouldnt take too long.  hopefully.  had i known that they also base out of california i would have gotten regular shipping.  i only live one state over in las vegas, nv.  oh and i went with the midgrade regular, but i'm sure i wont be dissapointed with the purchase no matter what i chose

Exactly!

When you get it I wanna see pictures.

[imperialknight23]

Exactly!

When you get it I wanna see pictures.

im hopefully gonna get alternate blade to do a comparison.

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

im hopefully gonna get alternate blade to do a comparison.

Just leave a gap between the two other wise in the picture they will bleed into one another.

[Aelde Renn]

I have the Prophecy in SRD, and I am here to tell you that you will not be disappointed with the standard mid-grade blade!  One of the first sabers I bought was back before they started making metal hilts.  It was a Dominix with a midgrade blade.  My roommate at the time got a phantom initiate.  We went at it pretty hard several times on the balcony, and never broke a blade.  I did break a battery case at one point, though!  The beauty of the midgrade was that even though it got scuffed, it did not show much when it was not lit up.  That silver blade looks good too!
If you want to do much with the spinning and such, the lighter midgrade is going to be a boon as well.  I had a heavy grade and compared the two, it's like night and day!  The midgrade provided just enough weight to make the spin a natural motion, almost effortless.  With the heavygrade, you have to put some force on it to get it around.  Have fun with it!
I've had my Prophecy for a while now.  I know there is a modification in it, I just have not seen it yet.  I don't rush these things though, I had my Arbiter for almost a year before I decided how I wanted to mod it! 

[navajas]

I prefer the extra durability of the UE blades

Ultra Edge only alters looks, not durability.

Grade (mid or heavy) = thickness

Edge (standard or Ultra) = appearance.

Given the above you have four options from which to choose, not including length of course.

[LLTravis]

The prophecy is a cool looking hilt. I just wish they could use the Obsidian.

[Aelde Renn]

What is the LE Prohecy Redux that navajas has listed in his sig?  It's claiming an Obsidian!?!  Of course, I did not see such an option on the US site.

[ThreadJack]

What is the LE Prohecy Redux that navajas has listed in his sig?  It's claiming an Obsidian!?!  Of course, I did not see such an option on the US site.

It's not normally available. His is a custom job.