Saber customizations, that make them look more like they do on screen.

[Vyk]

Update, in the list of MHS hilts, it states that only the pommel on the Bane is MHS. The Bane emitter is only removable for the sake of having quick disconnects.

You can actually see that on the Bane's product page; the emitter is depicted as separate from the hilt, and it's readily apparent that there are no screw threads on its bottom (unlike the pommel to its right).  The hole for the retaining screw is also readily visible.

As for the Flamberge, because the crossguard mechanism makes the emitter as a whole, it would be impossible to attach a bane emitter. To an omen, sure.

Can you clarify?  I wouldn't have thought any of those would use the same method of mounting the emitter.  Which ones will work together?

[GregG124]

Can you clarify?  I wouldn't have thought any of those would use the same method of mounting the emitter.  Which ones will work together?

The electronics within a crossguard would make it impossible to use a different emitter on it. You could in theory get an empty flamberge emitter and just have two holes but A flamberge could not be used with a different emitter.

The omen on the other hand can definitely house another MHS emitter. There's a user that has Manticore emitters on his Dark Omen bodies. I'll try to find that and link you to it.

EDIT: Here's a link to the thread http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=19179.0
Scroll down a bit to see the photos.

[Vyk]

The omen on the other hand can definitely house another MHS emitter. There's a user that has Manticore emitters on his Dark Omen bodies. I'll try to find that and link you to it.

EDIT: Here's a link to the thread http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=19179.0
Scroll down a bit to see the photos.

WHOA!  That is slick!  I kind of want one now. 

[Trent957]

The electronics within a crossguard would make it impossible to use a different emitter on it. You could in theory get an empty flamberge emitter and just have two holes but A flamberge could not be used with a different emitter.

The omen on the other hand can definitely house another MHS emitter. There's a user that has Manticore emitters on his Dark Omen bodies. I'll try to find that and link you to it.

EDIT: Here's a link to the thread http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=19179.0
Scroll down a bit to see the photos.

https://youtu.be/TrMKNcsmO-o?t=5m26s

you can change the emitters on the Flamberge, just not at the main crossguard, only at the main blade holders themselves as they are MHS compatible.

So if you are trying to get rid of the actual crossguard piece, then yea not going to work. But if you wanted to convert it to a singe blade saber, you can just cap off the two side emitters with slightly modified blade plugs (they need to be shorter than a standard plug) and then swap out the blade holder of the main blade with a different emitter.

If i had the spare cash lying around, i'd by two Malice emitters for the crossguards just to have something absurd looking.

[Vyk]

If i had the spare cash lying around, i'd by two Malice emitters for the crossguards just to have something absurd looking.

That would be horrifying.   

[Trent957]

That would be horrifying.   

maybe but at the same time if you could orient them where they are horizontally oriented as opposed to vertical minus the blades. Would make for an absurd traditional cross guard

actually that would be horrifying no matter how you slice it lol.

[Vyk]

Now, I'm going through my list of sabers, and trying to figure out which ones I'd like a description of.  The following came to mind.
2. Dominix, and Aeon.
3.  Initiate.
4. Apprentice.
5. Sentinel.

I'm going to go ahead and tackle all of these at once.  That's not because I'm insane (I am, but that's not the reason), but because they're all closely related.  I should also note ahead of time that I love all of these hilts, but I'll do my best to be unbiased!

So, for starters, some definitions.  To keep things simple, whenever I say "Aeon" I'll also mean the Dominix; whenever I talk about the other three I'm including their Dark counterparts.  That way I don't have to say "the Aeon, Dominix, Initiate, and Dark Initiate v2 are blah blah blah..."  I think even a screen reader would get tired of having to repeat that constantly!  "Aeon and Initiate v2" is much more manageable.  I'll only list the Dominix or Dark version separately when color matters.  Likewise, if I say "lightside saber" I mean Initiate, Aeon, Apprentice, or Sentinel; if I say "darkside saber" I mean Dark Initiate, Dominix, Dark Apprentice, and Dark Sentinel.  If I say v4, I'm including the Apprentice and Sentinel unless I specifically state "Aeon and Initiate v4".

On to colors.  One thing common among all of these sabers is the nomenclature they use for colors.  The base lightside saber is entirely polished aluminum.  The LE version of a lightside saber has the grooves filled with a gold color.  If I say "groove" you should always imagine that to be gold on an LE lightside saber; if I don't mean that it's gold, I'll call it something other than a groove!  Likewise, the base darkside saber is entirely anodized black; the LE version of a darkside saber has every groove machined to polished aluminum.

On a related note, one thing I discovered--slightly to my dismay--is that the gold color is not identical on different generations of saber.  The gold on my Aeon LE v2 is pale compared to the gold on my Initiate LE v3; this is somewhat unfortunate, because to me it makes them look like they're trying to match but failing.  If I'm carrying both, it's like I'm wearing one black sock and one navy blue sock.    I believe that the same is true between the v3 and v4--the golds are not quite the same.  All sabers within a generation, though, match in color.  Of course, this is not a concern with darkside sabers.

So, the first thing to realize about these sabers is that the Initiate is a smaller Aeon, and an Apprentice is a smaller Sentinel.  As a rule, the emitters and pommels are identical; the overall diameter is identical; the rest of the saber differs only in small details, which I'll point out in each description.  What this means is that if somebody is holding an Aeon and an Initiate of the same generation, nobody would take them as anything other than a matching pair; they look the same and they feel the same, just one is shorter.  To match their smaller size, an Initiate or Apprentice comes with a 24 inch blade, rather than the 36 inch of most sabers.  Initiates and Apprentices aren't tiny; I'm an adult male, and I find that my Initiate v3 can fit both of my hands, but if you have especially large hands or like more spacing between them, the same might not be true for you.

One more important thing about all of these sabers is that the pommel is the only part that can be changed.  The emitter is a single piece with the hilt.  If you want a fancier emitter, you're going to have to get creative, probably in a way involving serious machining equipment.  On the v2s, even the pommel cannot be changed; it is what it is.

I'm going to break this up into six separate posts: this one, one each for the Aeon and Initiate v2, v3, and v4, one for the Sentinel and Apprentice, and probably a short wrap-up.  Some of these posts have been pretty long, so in general I'm going to try to cover less in each one to make them more manageable.

[Vyk]

So, we'll begin at the beginning: the Aeon and Initiate v2.  There were actually a Dominix and Initiate v1; they were some of Ultrasabers' earliest products, and were made of PVC instead of aluminum.  The Aeon name was new to refer to the polished aluminum v2, and for quite some time, the Aeon didn't technically have v2 after its name since there hadn't been an aluminum Aeon; Ultrasabers finally added it since everybody called it that anyway.

The v2s differ from the later sabers in a few crucial ways.  First, they cannot have lithium-ion batteries, cannot have sound, and cannot have Emerald.  I've hacked sound into my Aeon v2; it was an ugly project and not really worth the effort.  This also means they cannot have flash on clash, and can only have guarded switches and not AV switches.  Second, the Aeon and Dominix v2 are the only entry-level sabers that are available with the RGB option.  RGB versions are the same length as non-RGB versions; the switch housing is longer, and the rest of the hilt is shortened to compensate, but I'm not going to spell out the exact hilt changes for the RGB sabers in my description unless you ask me to.  Unlike most other RGB sabers, they do not have a master switch, just the red, green, and blue switches; if you decide to get an RGB saber and want to get a color that combines those you'll either need to do it offscreen or get good at hitting multiple buttons at once.  Third, they are not MHS-compatible; there is no way to put on a different pommel.  Finally, a purely aesthetic difference: the v2 sabers were Ultrasabers' earliest aluminum hilts, and the machining is relatively simple.  I've seen them described on a competitor's forum as "looking like glorified flashlights," and while I think that's a bit harsh, it is true that they're very simple in appearance compared to most sabers.

The Initiate v2 is 9 inches long; the Aeon v2 is 12 inches long.  They are a constant 1.25 inches in diameter at their emitter and switch housing, and slightly smaller at the choke point and grip.  The emitter is a simple cylinder 2 inches long with no detailing.  This steps down slightly to a choke point about an inch and a half long with three grooves in it.  Below this it steps back up to another smooth cylinder about 2 inches long; in the center of this is the activation switch.  Below this the sabers step down to a grip section.  Everything from here up is identical on the Aeon and Initiate.  Below this is where the difference lies; the Initiate has a short grip section with four grooves; it's basically just long enough to contain the AAA battery pack.  The Aeon's grip section is approximately twice the length, with eight grooves; about half of this inside the hilt is empty space.  Finally, the pommel is a simple knurled knob, flat on the bottom.  As I stated earlier, other pommels will not fit.  Note that the choke point and grip section are constant diameter aside from their grooves, and are the same diameter as each other.

As you can see from the descriptions, the v2s are very simple.  This is reflected in their price; the Initiate v2s are the only Ultrasabers that cost less than a grab bag.  (Not much less, mind you; cheaper by exactly one cent, but still technically cheaper!)  Despite--or maybe because of--their simplicity, they're well-balanced and quite comfortable to wield.  If you have some extras or minor characters who just need to be holding glowing swords and maybe smacking people with them in the background, the v2s may be the perfect solution.

[Vyk]

As noted in my previous post, the v2s are very limited compared to most Ultrasabers.  To produce an entry-level saber that was less limited, Ultrasabers introduced the Aeon, Dominix, and Initiate v3s.  These hilts have MHS-compatible pommels, so you can switch them out for a fancier option.  They can have lithium-ion batteries.  They can have sound boards or Emerald; however, a single saber can only have one of those, not both, so if you want to be able to change the blade color, you will not have sound or flash on clash.  If you do get a sound board, they can have AV switches and flash on clash.  They are also a slightly more complex hilt in appearance; still an entry-level hilt, but with some smoother machining and a few extra details.  If you were looking to bash Ultrasabers, you could still call one a glorified flashlight; on the other hand, they're possibly my favorite hilts due to what I consider to be elegant simplicity.

The v3s are slightly larger than the v2s.  They are 1.45 inches in diameter instead of 1.25 inches.  Each is about half an inch longer than its v2 counterpart.  The emitter is about 3 inches long on the Aeon and about 2 inches long on the Initiate; the Aeon has three grooves near the top, where the Initiate has two grooves, and they are otherwise a constant 1.45 inches in diameter.  Below the emitter, they taper smoothly down to a choke point; the taper is slightly concave rather than being exactly conical.  On the Initiate, there is a single groove here before it tapers back up to the original diameter; on the Aeon, there are two grooves and the saber is a constant diameter between them, tapering back up below the second groove.  The switch housing is smooth, about an inch long, and again a constant 1.45 inches.  Below this there is a second choke point; on the Initiate, it is essentially identical to the upper choke point, while the Aeon's is longer, with a slower taper than the upper choke point and a little more space between the grooves.  Below this choke point, the two sabers are identical, having four grooves and the standard 1.45 inch diameter.  The pommel is a simple knurled knob with a flat bottom; if you get a saber with sound, the standard pommel has a single large hole bored in the bottom of almost the same diameter as the speaker.

Compared to the v2s, the smooth tapers make the v3s more comfortable to wield, and the grooves near the blade add some much-needed detail to the previously featureless emitter.  The matching choke points above and below the emitter and the otherwise constant diameter give the hilts a symmetry that the v2s lacked.  Again, a simple hilt, but in my opinion much more attractive than the v2s.

[BlindJedi]

Once again, amazing descriptions. Don't think I'll be getting anything in V2 though.

[Vyk]

The Aeon and Initiate v4 are a further development of the v3.  Stylistically, the biggest change is the addition of a machined emitter; it is still not replaceable, being one piece with the hilt, but it is no longer a simple cylinder.  Electronically, you can have both Obsidian and Emerald, making this the only Aeon or Initiate that can change blade color and have a pulsing blade and also have sound and flash on clash.  Like its predecessor, the pommel is MHS compatible.  Overall, the design is more complex; anybody calling this a glorified flashlight is either full of it or has seen some very weird flashlights!

In terms of size, they are almost identical to the v3s, tacking on three eighths of an inch to the Initiates and a mere one eighth of an inch to the Aeon and Dominix.  Outer diameter is identical.

As I stated, the emitter is the biggest change on these sabers.  It starts as a truncated cone, tapering quickly up to the full diameter of the hilt.  This is also the sole exception in the Aeon, Dominix, and Initiate product lines to a rule I stated earlier.  On the Dominix LE and Dark Initiate LE, this has been machined to polished aluminum.  However, in every other case, what is bare aluminum on the darkside LEs is gold on the lightside LEs, but this is not gold on the Aeon LE and Initiate LE; instead, it is the same polished aluminum as most of the rest of the saber.  Not a major difference, but one worth noting, especially since I think the silver here on the darkside sabers looks great while gold might look silly on the lightside sabers.  

The emitter stays the full diameter of the hilt for about a quarter inch before turning into a short concave section about an inch long.  Optionally, you can get emitter windows here; they are 6 slots spaced evenly around the hilt, and make the emitter look great; on the other hand, I've heard that some people find this a good place to put a finger for control, and the edges of the slots can be uncomfortable.

Below the concave section, the hilt returns to full diameter.  On the Aeon, this is about an inch and a half long, containing four tightly-spaced grooves in this space; the Initiate is more like three quarters of an inch and has two grooves.  It then steps down to a small choke point before tapering quickly up to the full diameter for the activation switch.  Below the activation switch is the one place where the Initiate and Aeon diverge considerably.  On the Initiate, this is another step down to a short choke point, shallower than the first, followed by a quick taper up; while on the Aeon, this is a long taper, a constant smaller diameter section of about an inch, then a long taper back up.  In appearance, it's pretty similar to the Aeon v3's choke points, but without having grooves in the low section.  Below these choke points, all sabers have a full-diameter section with 5 grooves, below which is a small band that is slightly smaller diameter.  Finally, about an inch of bare metal, and then the pommel; like the others, the pommel is a simple knurled knob, except that this one also has a short conical section below that, echoing the cone at the top of the emitter.  (This is not silver on a Dominix LE or Dark Initiate LE, though, unlike the emitter tip.)  Like the others, there is a single large hole in the pommel if you get a saber with sound.

Overall, the Aeon and Initiate v4 are much more complex in appearance than their predecessors, looking like much fancier hilts.  That said, they aren't perfect.  For one thing--and this is definitely a personal-preference issue--I feel that the details can be a little too crowded, especially on the Initiates.  Between the length needed by the emitter and the longer lower grip needed to fit both Obsidian and Emerald, the choke points are merely small recesses as opposed to the elegant curves of the Initiate v3s.  The Aeon and Dominix have less of a problem with this, but I still feel that they are less graceful than their predecessors.  Beyond this, the emitter is both a strength and a weakness.  It has the more complex curves, and optionally even emitter windows, of a much more expensive saber, but there's a key difference: many higher-end sabers have an emitter that is larger diameter than the rest of the hilt; because the Aeon, Dominix, and Initiate emitters are machined from the same blank as the rest of the hilt, they can be no larger in diameter.  I still think the new emitter is a very nice-looking feature, but the limited diameter does lessen the impact.

[Vyk]

In terms of features, the Sentinel and Apprentice are identical to the Aeon and Initiate v4, with the capability to have both Obsidian and Emerald and with MHS pommels.  Stylistically, however, they are considerably different.  In many ways, the Aeon and Initiate v4 are a design evolution of the v3, while the Sentinel and Apprentice are closer to evolutions of the v2, with much simpler, more squared-off designs.

The emitters are the first place we see this, being much like a reimagining of the v2 emitter.  They start off with a cone like the other v4s; once again, this is machined to silver on the darkside LEs but the color of the body on the other color options.  The rest of the emitter is a constant diameter cylinder, with total emitter length about an inch and a half long.  Unlike the v2, however, this is not featureless.  There are two grooves machined in the emitter; optionally, you can get emitter windows between these grooves.  There are six oval emitter windows, and they are circumferential rather than longitudinal as on the Aeon and Initiate v4.  Below this is a choke point; it isn't a sheer step like the v2, but instead a very fast taper, giving a similar look but being more comfortable.  This choke point is constant diameter with no grooves or other features, and is around an inch on the Apprentice but closer to two inches on the Sentinel.  Another fast taper back to full diameter gives us the switch housing.  Below this, the sabers diverge; the Sentinel has a second choke point before the grip section, while the Apprentice goes straight to the grip section.  The Sentinel's lower choke point is similar to the upper one, with very quick tapers and being otherwise featureless.  The grip sections are full diameter and contain a very large number of closely-spaced circumferential grooves; I counted about 20, but I'm not going to try too hard to be perfectly accurate there!  Finally, both hilts have a featureless section of about an inch, followed by the pommel.  The pommel is like the other v4s, with a knurled edge and a short tapered cone, leading to a flat surface for a stunt saber and a big hole for an Obsidian saber.

As I said, the Sentinel and Apprentice seem much like an effort to keep the simplicity of the v2 while adding new features like a stylish emitter and enough room for electronics.  Compared to the Aeon and Initiate v4, they are much less cluttered, maintaing a simple appearance but without looking like a flashlight.  The emitter, while simpler, actually looks nicer than the other v4s, in my opinion, because it doesn't look like it wants more diameter but doesn't have it.  I've also heard that they are very comfortable to wield.  All in all, the Sentinel and Apprentice are very nice sabers both to look at and to use.

[Vyk]

There are some common trends across the Aeon, Dominix, Initiate, Sentinel, and Apprentice lines.  They are axisymmetric hilts--no angled emitters or anything like that.  There is a clear progression as Ultrasabers got better machining capability; however, they are all relatively simple designs, being one piece other than the pommel.  All have good reputations for comfort and handling, but lack features like Covertec wheels (although you can add those).  Basically, if you're looking for a fancy hilt, look elsewhere; if you're looking for a competent basic hilt, you're looking in the right area.

That said, there are differences that set the various generations apart.  If you need all the electronics, you need to go with a v4.  If you need sound but not Emerald, or vice versa, you need at least v3.  If you wanted RGB, you would have to go with v2; to be honest, though, I'd just go for a higher-end RGB saber like the Bellicose.  The v2s are very simple in appearance.  The v3s are a little bit more comfortable and a little bit more elegant, but it's a simple elegance; you're not going to awe anybody with your v3.  The v4s aren't going to fool anybody into thinking they are thousand-dollar sabers, but they do have, for lack of better term, a lot more meat to them.  If I wanted to impress somebody with any generation of Aeon, it would have to be a v4.

...and now I can't help but editorialize a bit.  First, if you're going to see any of these sabers up close, I strongly recommend the LE version, especially for darkside sabers.  Darkside LE sabers are visually interesting, while an all-black saber can seem kind of featureless, especially on film or when seen quickly.  The lightside sabers have a little bit less problem with that, but I still think the LEs look a little nicer as long as you like the color gold.  In terms of appearance, I've already proclaimed my love for the v3s, but they aren't particularly fancy.  The Aeon, Dominix, and Initiate v4s are much more complex, and if I wanted to hold out a hilt and have it instantly recognizable as a lightsaber, I'd choose them over the v3.  If I were actually using it, though, I think I might prefer the v3.  The Sentinel and Apprentice are the real winners--they seem to have struck a near-perfect balance of features and simplicity.  Will I be rushing out to buy one?  Actually, no; despite what I just said, my next saber will be a Dominix v4, not a Dark Sentinel.  The thing is, I couldn't really tell you why; I feel like I should like the Sentinel better, and yet somehow I prefer the Dominix.

And what about the v2?  I have strong feelings about this one.  My first non-toy saber was an Aeon LE v2.  I love it.  It fits my hand well, the balance is good, and despite the simplicity, I quite like its looks.  I'm glad I bought it.  Would I recommend it?  Well, no.  The problem is that anything positive that I can say about it, I could say about the Aeon v3 or Sentinel, plus so much more.  There's a mere 5 dollar price difference between the v2s and the later hilts; if I had to, I'd go without my morning coffee or eat ramen for dinner to make up the difference.  I stand by what I said before: if I needed a saber in the background, a v2 would be great.  If I had to outfit 1000 Jedi for a big fight scene, you can bet that 990 of them would have Aeon v2s.  Not one of those sabers would ever be seen up close, though, and if I were choosing what to carry on my belt to a con, I'd take almost anything else.  The v2 is a solid basic saber, and when aluminum sabers were still new, it was a bargain.  Now, though, the v3s and v4s have left the v2 behind.  As Obi-wan might say, it's a less elegant weapon of a less civilized age.

Once again, amazing descriptions. Don't think I'll be getting anything in V2 though.

You have anticipated me!  As you may have gathered, I agree with that decision one hundred percent.

[BlindJedi]

Really awesome descriptions, even if the sabers aren't the most interesting.  I think with all of them I'd stick to the LE versions, just for the more interesting look.
I have a couple characters who carry three or more sabers with them.  One has two single blades, which I was concidering the Sentinal LE for, and a staff that I was thinking the Apprentice would be perfect for.
Then I have another character who carries six sabers, four singles and two staffs.  I was thinking of using the Aeon for the singles, both the V3 and V4 versions, and the Iniciates for the staffs, again the V3 and V4 versions.
Yes these two characters are a little too armed, but why the saber not.
All of my other characters have either one single saber, two single sabers, or a staff.
One of my villains has a Prophecy staff, but I might have to beg the US crew to do some anadizing on it for me, leaving the thicker sections silver and the thinner sections black.
Reading the last few posts about the Omen, and cross guard sabers gave me an idea.  What does the Omen look like, and what would it look like with a dark Manticore emitter?
I'd like to use the two cross guard  sabers in the films some where, but they can't be too obvious, and I'm not entirely sure what they look like. 
Again incredible descriptions thus far Vyk.  Might have to send you a copy of the trilogy when it is completed.  Better phrase would be, if it is completed.

[BlindJedi]

I was looking through all of the wonderful descriptions and realized there is a saber I overlooked, a saber that I assigned to my main Villain, a saber that lead me to US in the first place.  That saber is the Raven.  Funny thing is I originally thought it was the saber from the Force Unleashed 2 and that Starkiller had two of them.  SO I assigned my main Villain two of these sabers.  One in blood red, and one in amber.
So I'm hoping you fine folks wouldn't mind describing this saber for me.
Thanks again.
I'd cast all of you in my film if I could.