Archon 3.1 Review from First Timer

[Kayaker]

So you want something that's a little more than a plastic light saber, but when you price out what you want, you feel a bit anxious about pressing the confirm your purchase button due to the cost. In your research, you have heard horror stories from every manufacturer out there and don't want to buy from anyone. Well, that was me a few weeks ago, and it was hard to let go my feelings and trust in the force. Yet, I did just that with ultrasabers.com and the ARchon v3.1.

I was looking for something that resembled the Obi-wan sabers and I thought that the ARchon v3.1  was a nice match to the episode 1-3 movies with that thin emitter neck. I had some questions about the options and configurations before placing my order, and my emails were answered within minutes of my inquiries with very nice and thorough responses. That made me feel at ease as I went with the obsidian sound v4 board and emerald red/green/blue/white LED configuration. I needed that v4 for Mac compatibility. I admit paying extra for Mac support rubbed me the wrong way and I think it should be the bare minimum configuration offered as far as sound choices go. But, besides that upgrade, everything else was the default choices for the ARchon v3.1 emerald with sound configuration, and I took a deep breath and hit the purchase button.

A day later, the saber had shipped, three days more, it made it to my front door. Opening the box and removing the saber, my only thought was wow! This thing is a piece of art--looking and feeling great!

THis saber is build solid which makes it quite heavy. The balance point is about 4" up the blade from the tip of the emitter, which in a real weapon would not be a good design, so it has an unnatural balance in the hands. The workmanship on the details is stunning. I did not find any sharp edges in the craftsmanship.

The modular nature of the emitter and pommel is solidly built as well. Nothing feels loose on the hilt. Access to the batteries and USB ports for the boards is straight forward, although the batteries are very very tight in the holder and are difficult to remove without a tool to get some leverage.

Here's my biggest criticism. In the ARchon v3.1 introduction video, they mention that this saber can be used for dueling. I disagree with this statement. I can feel a very noticeable wobble in the blade just by swinging it quickly that I find disconcerting. I do not thing this would hold up well under impact. But this is due to the physics involved. The stress on the insertion point of the blade to the emitter is not very deep at all, and the torque produced by a 36" lever on that joint is a lot of force to take.
One other minor complaint is that the motion sensor circuitry seems to be located close to the fulcrum point of the saber. This means that more subtle waves of the tip won't generate sound effects because not enough motion is generated. I've even tried making it as sensitive as possible and for certain wrist moves, the effects won't trigger.

What's the bottom-line? I'm not disappointed with my newbie purchase experience. I think the v3.1 emitter is gorgeous, but not suitable for dueling. The emerald and obsidian sound board are excellent and the overall quality of the saber is a work of art. Since my purchase of the Archon v3.1 is more for show, I am very happy with the saber. If I were expecting to duel with it though, I'd be a bit disappointed and concerned about the wobble.

And finally, if you have any fears about placing an order with Ultrasabers.com, I hope my tale helps alleviate some of the apprehension. I'd certainly order from them again in the future.

[Lord Japarco]

Congrats, +1

[BatMike90]

Congrats. +1.

[Kai-Yen]

I agree Kayaker.  This particular Archon hilt is most definitely more of a showcase piece as part of your Ultrasabers collection which will no doubt grow over time.  All reviews seem to gloss things over highlighting just a "subtle" blade wobble.  I found the wobble to be significant as well w each swing.

That being said - this is a gorgeous hilt and still illuminates the blade nicely as many folks recommend Tri-Cree to accommodate the thin neck.

A very nice review Kayaker!  Pt for sharing.
K

[CyberKyber]

Nice review +1!

I agree with you on the fact that it is not made for "dueling". Now "dueling" here means actual heavy dueling, full force. It would definitely not resist such a hard hit, but from experience, it's good for light to mid dueling (I got the archon V3 too, probably should have started with that XD). I also got a V2 emitter for it for whenever I want to use it for heavy dueling, and I actually don't mind the look of the neck of the V2 emitter, I quite like it, but the top of the emitter isn't exactly like the original saber though (I'd love if US made a V2 emitter with a V3 top). About the wobble, the only way I've found to get rid of it is to tape the part of the blade that goes into the emitter, just enough for you to find it difficult to push the blade in, but possible. Screw it in and there should be no more wobbling, which certainly makes it feel safer.
Now, one other criticism that I have about this saber is the loss of luminosity due to the thin neck. I mean, it's unavoidable, the light has to travel through that neck to get to the blade, so it has to lose some light. Mine's Consular Green with silver FoC, so it's not TRI Green, which would probably help a bit. However, I'm going to try to solve this by installing a custom TRI CREE Green/Green/White (I just can't give up on flash on clash), see if an extra green LED does the trick.

Apart from this, the saber is gorgeous, and currently my favourite! I hope you enjoy it! And might I suggest you get an archon V2 emitter for it in case of heavy dueling? Or even an arbiter or overlord emitter, they both look great on the archon too!

[Rapine]

Hey Kayaker,

Yes, unfortunately you opted for the one and only saber that isn't quite as robust as the others, and has the shallowest blade holder as well.  It is a bit more of a showpiece. 

You mentioned likely buying from US again though, and I can't say that's a bad idea.  Any other hilt is very battle ready. 

One thing: The lithium batteries are in there pretty solid.  It's to prevent them from shaking loose.

DO NOT use a metal, or sharp tool to pry them out. I use a guitar pick.

[KraytDragonPearl]

The Archon V3 is a great saber and can take sone light dueling, however if you want to really use it to its fullest potential you may want to look at getting the V2.1 emitter/neck.  its thicker and will allow the blade to sit further in the emitter.   

[Kayaker]

The idea of using the Archon v2.1 emitter for dueling seems like a good option. But in my opinion, the v3.1 intro video is misleading when it comes to representing the actual strength of the v3.1 emitter and blade combination and should be corrected. Fortunately, I’m using the v3.1 for show rather than  for duels, but I gave that statement a lot of weight in my decision to select the archon v3.1.

Followup question, if I get the v2.1 emitter, do you think I should downgrade the blade from the heavy to medium version, or doesn’t it matter?

One last addition to my initial post, after having the saber for a few weeks now, I wish I had opted for the recharging port. I think the convenience of that feature would justify the upgrade price and would be helpful to preserve the life of the Li batteries. So consider that option as a long term investment for your battery life.

[KraytDragonPearl]

The idea of using the Archon v2.1 emitter for dueling seems like a good option. But in my opinion, the v3.1 intro video is misleading when it comes to representing the actual strength of the v3.1 emitter and blade combination and should be corrected. Fortunately, I’m using the v3.1 for show rather than  for duels, but I gave that statement a lot of weight in my decision to select the archon v3.1.

Followup question, if I get the v2.1 emitter, do you think I should downgrade the blade from the heavy to medium version, or doesn’t it matter?

One last addition to my initial post, after having the saber for a few weeks now, I wish I had opted for the recharging port. I think the convenience of that feature would justify the upgrade price and would be helpful to preserve the life of the Li batteries. So consider that option as a long term investment for your battery life.

For me, i prefer the heavy grade blades.  My son and I duel pretty hard and so we have almost completely switched over to the HG blades.  I still have many MG blades and they are still good, but I see no reason to switch, other than its lighter.  If you plan on taking it with you and put the blade on (like for a con or something) then get a MG blade.  I agree about the recharge port as well.  My Guardian has it and when I get my Fulcrum and Lost Gray they will too.

[ithekro]

One suggestion I had told to me was to put a second set screw in at 90 degrees from the first one to secure the blade better.    Though I have found that the blade if secured by the set screw, does not come out.

[Tsafan]

Hi Kayaker
I just upgraded my Archon V2.1 to a V3... and I have to agree with you, the hilt looks stunning, but the slight wobble was there with the blade.  I would suggest getting a separate emitter for duelling (you could chose something to make it look completely different - I went with an Overlord one myself, and it looks like a completely different saber with that emitter on it).    That said, the V2.1 emitter works perfectly (even with a heavy blade), and has no wobble whatsoever.
Good choice on the V3 though, as it looks amazing!

[Dude]

The Archon V3 is a great saber and can take sone light dueling, however if you want to really use it to its fullest potential you may want to look at getting the V2.1 emitter/neck.  its thicker and will allow the blade to sit further in the emitter.   

Is the v2.1 better for heavy dueling ??

[Kayaker]

I exacerbated the wobble problem on the v3.1 by removing the blade. When I went to return the blade, the wobble was about three times worse. Upon inspection of the blade, the screw was so tight, it dug a divot into the blade’s plastic. I was extremely frustrated at this point. So, I took some of the forum’s advice and wrapped about two layers of scotch tape around the base of the blade to make the blade fit much more snuggly into the emitter. And, I’m pleased to report that it was a significant improvement. If the wobble was like this out of the box, I’d have not have complained. That was an easy fix and I’m a little disappointed ultra sabers.com didn’t take the time to improve this before shipping the blade. I think they should try adding a second or third screw into the emitter, or add some additional tape at the base of the blade to help prevent the wobble. It reminds me of trying to hold up a Xmas tree in a stand with only one screw. Bad idea. Come on US, prototype an emitter with additional screws!!

So, I want to move onto the accelerometers on the sabers. Is it just me, or do they really stink? Here’s a test for you to try. Take your saber and hold it parallel to the ground. Move it straight down as if it were an elevator, moving the tip and pommel the same vertical distance. Notice it will trigger the swish sounds. Try the same test at the same speed moving horizontally. It won’t trigger. I think the firmware for this is very poor. Am I the only one who sees this behavior? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

Send me the code for that sound board and I’ll write a better routine.

I’d like to thank everyone here  for the helpful replies to this thread so far. It has made my experience so much better.

[Rapine]

Hey Kayaker,

All of my sabers work just fine when doing a stabbing/thrusting motion.

The sensitivity of the detector can be changed via your computer.  Motion threshold is the value, I think, but I'm not exactly sure whether it should increase or decrease.

[Kayaker]

Hi,

The “stab” motion triggers the impact clash sfx for me (I consider that the Z axis of motion). What I am talking about is the amount of motion required to trigger the “vrrrrrrom” (yes, that’s the technical term for it) swishing sounds. It is inconsistent in the Y vs X axis. And yes, I’ve already played with the settings in the app. Again, keeping the saber parallel to the ground, move the saber in a square motion with a constant speed, as if you were moving it around the sides of the box it shipped in.. Notice that horizontal motions are silent and vertical motions will swoosh. Considering how, what’s the PC term to use here…, um.. geeky we are, this detail should be coded into the firmware. I can’t believe we don’t have independent settings for each xyz axis. No one has disassembled the firmware for the sound driver yet? Think there’s a lot of room for improvement here.