Hello! Long post ahead. I've had this saber for almost a month now. I could have made this review when I got it, but I felt that it would have been more of a first impressions. So I waited to see if those first impressions lasted.
Let me preface this review by saying I've heard of Ultrasabers for a long time and have seen videos of, heard, and read a lot of bad things about them. But considering they were the fastest manufacturers, and the most accessible for me financially, I took a leap of faith and got one. I ordered from a local reseller.
My skepticism with US made me choose to NOT buy the saber I wanted. Instead, I lurked around the forums, found out what most people recommended, and went the other direction. For example, my first choice was the Sentinel in either blue or green, but I let my wife choose the hilt and color instead. Fortunately, she didn't choose the same thing I wanted. So for me, it became more about seeing how Ultrasabers can impress if I bought bought something else other than what I initially wanted.
So I got:
-Aeon LE v4 stunt
-Blazing Red
-36" UE Midgrade
-Windowed emitter
-Standard battery setupPretty basic stuff. Again, not my first choice for the hilt nor color, but I went with it half-expecting to get disappointed.
HILTThe hilt was far larger than expected. I never paid attention to the product specs, so I was surprised when I saw a hilt that would pass for an actual sword if it wasn't hollow and housed an actual sharp blade. If I squint my eyes and intentionally blur my vision, it does give a very sword-like silhouette. It was also heavier than I expected, which I found nice since it leans more towards being an actual weapon and away from being a toy as it reminded me of a collapsible baton I used to have and love.
The small disappointment I have is that the gold grooves weren't as golden as I hoped. It's hard to describe, but it's almost a washed out gold in person yet comes out shinier on camera (see pic above). Minor cosmetic detail that can be overlooked, and doesn't really take away from the overall looks of the saber.
TLDR: Expected a small flashlight toy, got a big and weighty (for me) saber hilt. Gold grooves don't look that gold in person.ELECTRONICS AND BATTERY LIFEMost of what I read about US products is that their wiring is "shoddy." So the first thing I did when I got home was open up the battery pack and inspect the wires. I could not find anything wrong with it, so I'm either lucky or those who had issues were just unlucky.
The only thing that worried me was a little rattling. Now this, I expected, but I knew how to take care of it so I put it off for later. That is, until someone was playing with the saber and did a quick stabbing motion. It was followed by a loud CLUNK. I knew that was the battery pack either slamming down the pommel, or up the hilt. Horrified, I quickly grabbed the first thing I found (a zip tie) to stuff into the hilt to keep the battery pack in place. This was the messy result, but it got the job done quite well.
I imagine that if I left it alone, the loose battery pack jangling around the roomy hilt would have bent and twisted the wires and cause issues over time. I could be wrong, though, but I wanted to be safe. I also can't speak for sabers with sound, and will probably open another topic with that question.
As for battery life, I pick the saber up and do some spins for about 20-30 minutes every day since I got it a week ago. Based on my forum-lurking experience, I reckon battery life lasts about 2-3 hours, or 5-6 hours tops, for standard setups. I think I've passed the 3-hour mark already, yet I've only seen a slight dimming on the saber. Overall, I like how I haven't used my rechargeable batteries yet.
TLDR: Wiring is okay. Rattling is concerning but expected and easy to fix. Pre-loaded batteries still kicking.BLADE AND COLORIt's always been suggested that the 32" blade is perfect for smaller people. I'm one of those smaller guys, at 5'4". But as I was setting myself up for disappointment, I got the 36" instead. As expected, it was too long. However, after a few days of trying a few spinning maneouvers, I actually adapted to the length. Part of it was finally being able to find my grip, which I will talk about in a bit.
Another reason I got the 36" was I wanted to see if the light did carry up to the tip at that length. Was glad to see that it did, on full batteries anyway.
True to the theme of trying to disappoint myself, I got the Ultraedge blade. Most forumers would say that BR looked better in standard blades, so I went the other way and got myself the UE blade. I also knew the blades looked like real lightsabers on camera, but nothing like it in person. I also read that BR is a deep red, but with a pastel look due to the UE blade.
Then again, there are others who say that while it does not look like a real lightsaber in person, it looks better in person. The problem is, red has been notoriously hard to capture on camera and looks orange, so you can't really know until you see it with your own eyes.
This is NOT how it looks like in person.
That being said, I consider myself a very manly guy. But when the reseller ignited the saber in front of me for the first time, I almost let out a very girly squeal. It looks amazing. I now understand what people have been saying all this time: photos and videos do not do the colors justice. As long as you do not expect it to have a white core with a colored glow, you won't be disappointed with Blazing Red.
Perhaps it does look better in standard midgrade, and I might look for that blade in the future. For now, I like how it looks in ultraedge.
The blade itself seems very flimsy the first time I touched it. But after swinging it around and hitting the floor, the wall, and a lot of other random objects (someone actually broke some lights not 20 seconds after I handed them the saber), I see no dents in it. Perhaps there's a few scratches near the tip, but I think that's one of my cats getting tempted by the dark side. (A Cait Sith lord.. get it? get it? no? okay..)
TLDR: It will never look like the lightsabers in the movies, but how it looked in person was a very pleasant surprise. Blade seems sturdy enough to withstand accidental hits.GRIP, COMFORT, AND HANDLING
I read that the best choke point for the Aeon/Dominix v4 models is on the emitter, where the windows are drilled into. Most of what I read advised against windows as it made the choke point uncomfortable. So I got them. Not just beause I wanted to see for myself how uncomfortable they are, but also because windows are cool.
I disagree with the general consensus for the most part.
I didn't find the windows uncomfortable at all. But I didn't find that particular choke point comfortable either, so I wouldn't have had my grip there even without windows.
It took me a long time to find my grip. For some reason, gripping the smaller choke point above the switch was even more uncomfortable for me. I actually felt the most comfort gripping the grooves between the emitter and the small choke point (where my ring finger and pinkie would rest). The choke below the switch is definitely for my other hand when two-hand wielding.
I guess that's the beauty of this hilt. It seemed so wonky when I first held it in my hands, but ultimately offered a lot of options on where to grip. You can break the rules, ignore the pre-set choke points and grip the saber wherever you like. Whether this is the same with other hilts, I do not know. But I'd love to hear more about it.
TLDR:Got windows to make it uncomfortable for myself, found my own grip. There might be a hidden genius to the Aeon/Dominix v4 design.VERDICTI expected a lot of disappointment with the product, but Ultrasabers has proven me wrong for the most part. While I wasn't exactly blown away, I'm quite pleased with the saber and am already planning my next purchase (with sound this time, perhaps it WILL blow me away). I'm now debating buying from the reseller (who's really cool) or purchasing from US myself. Do I support the guy who is promoting Ultrasabers and the local saber community or be selfish and take advantage of rewards points and possible raffle winnings? I swear that red blade is turning me to the dark side.