Review - Initiate le v4 - Fire Orange

[Darth Nevac]

Hello all, this is my first ever Ultrasaber and I thought I'd get involved by writing a quick review.

First of all, I was really impressed with the customer service when buying the saber. I live in Scotland and having ordered it on the 24th it arrived the morning of the 30th. Unbelievably fast service time. I've ordered cheeseburgers that have taken longer.

As for the saber itself, it's an Initiate le v4 in fire orange, with a 36" midgrade blade and I think it's fantastic.

Having done a little research I'm happy with the options I chose, especially the midgrade blade combined with the fire orange colour. I was worried the blade would be too long for this hilt, as the default option when ordering was 24", but I'm really happy with the length, it doesn't feel top heavy at all. The standard pommel suits me fine and I love the windowed emitter. Perhaps the only thing I'd change is the black guarded switch, maybe opting for an illuminated one instead. But hey I think I'll get that on the next one, as there will be a next one for sure.

I'm thinking the Raven in violet amethyst...

[Graz]

Great first Saber Darth Nevac, living in the UK I can tell you now the delivery on the Saber is standard for Ultra Sabers, both mine came in under 5 days including weekend dates.

Love the fire orange blade colour with round tip and your right the emitter Windows look great.

I'm upto 2 Sabers now and planning a 3rd soon. I can recommend the illuminated activation switch, it makes the Saber look really cool. Although I know a few die hard fans are against the illuminated switches, but horses for courses & all that.

Welcome to club Darth Nevac

[Darth Nevac]

Thank you Graz, yes I'm really happy with it. I like the simplicity of this hilt, while there's still plenty of detail to enjoy in the grooves and the gold banding.

I look forward to some pictures of that 3rd saber of yours once you get it 

[Graz]

I'm not actually sure what I want next, the chosen one & graflex look amazing, very much like the Saber hilts in EP 4 & 5

My main problem in selecting another blade is the list of options. I have the archon v3.1 fully loaded with the emerald Led & Obsidan 4 sound card and both are excellent features. I've changed my original blade colour from Sentinal Yellow to purple as the restricted emitter shaft leads to better darker colour option. I've pretty much stuck with the Obsidan 4 default sound option, but I have tried each of the other sound fonts & I know the Saber community here & elsewhere have loads of different fonts that can be used.
The scorpion on the other hand has a single Led in blue & basic sound. And I've not felt the need to change the colour at all.
I may opt to go for a "Grab Bag" Saber as they are amazing value, they have basic single colour light for most blade colours options for a fee or you can take pot luck & get a random colour blade for no extra cost.
These Sabers don't have sound options, so could be used to practice spinning with little worry for huge damage being done that could ruin the saber.

I'm also looking at the Prophecy, bellicose & Bain hilt as the next purchase from ultra Saber but rest assured I will be getting another Saber in the not to distant future.

[Darth Nevac]

Absolutely, I agree on the problem of choice! But, those movie inspired ones you mentioned do look fantastic 

I'm intrigued at the idea of getting a fully loaded saber myself with emerald and obsidian 4. Though I'm really quite satisfied at the moment with the lite sound and tri-cree options that my Initiate has.

For my 2nd, I face a tough decision between a DVA Raven and a BR Malice. Though after looking at your very own Scorpion, I'm super impressed with the emitter windows and the size of the metal blade. I didn't quite realise how good that saber hilt looked until I saw your pics. I must have skimmed over the main site too quickly, so thank you for that! I'm new to the forum but already it has been benefitial  Anyway, Scorpion or not, it will definitely be a darker saber than the 1st.

[Graz]

All those Sabers are great looking hilts, and if I'm honest the blade colour for me is purely personal on what I like. However saying that if I do go for a chosen one I'll get the blazing Red colour so it resembles Darth Vaders from the movies.

The emerald driver & Obsidian sound are excellent but I reckon unless you will use the 6 standard installed sound fonts or fancy paying some custom fonts or making your own then it's very much a luxury feature. The emerald driver on the other hand is amazing, but I'd maybe consider going with a more standard emitter design than the thin necked Archon as there is some lose of brightness on some colours, nothing looks shocking mind but in a straight blue comparison you can see the Scorpion just pips the archon. I'll try and get some pictures of the two together so you see.

The scorpion is a beautiful hilt, the Windows are big enough to let them be seen from a medium distance but not so big as to detract away from the Claw feature. The Claw can be removed with a wrench after shipping but having removed it I prefer it on. It's actually is a fair size lump of metal, the drilling on the back of the claw is beautiful & it adds some weight to the emitter which works well for counter balancing the hilt & blade combined.

The scorpion does seem much over looked but I have to say it's pretty fantastic all around Saber. Duelling is great & the balance lends to getting some spins off with relative ease, the pommel on the hilt is huge & those blunt teeth have brushed my forearm a few times when spinning fast. But I can recommend the Saber for action or just for display. It's worth noting that the standard blade plug is nowhere near long enough to fill the blade recess so you do need to screw the retention screws back in to stop it falling out, but it still allows the plug to slide inside the blade area.

If you want to see anything particular in close up of either Saber let me know & I'll see what can get for you.

[Darth Nevac]

Thank you Graz, you've been really welcoming and informative. I'll be sure to let everyone know if I do indeed opt for the Scorpion. And good luck with your own subsequent purchase.