Received my Prophecy v3 a week ago, and I think I've swung it around long enough to do a little review.
I got it as a stunt for now, with the intention of upgrading it later on. So I took what options would allow me to enjoy it in the meantime. I got Tri Consular Green, and a silver non-illuminated switch. The plan was to get the sound and battery upgrade at the same time in the future. On a side note, this plan has since been foiled with the release of the Emperor's Hand, which I fell in love with.
Anyway, I'll be reviewing this in a similar way I reviewed my Aeon v4 LE, thus make some comparisons along the way as well. For now, here's my new saber.
HILTOne reason I chose the Prophecy was that I feld it just had the right amount of detail. I like how it's not as fancy as the other sabers, but a closer look can make you say "oh, this is actuall pretty nice." The gold thumb screws, for example, are simple yet provide a great accent. One of the most underrated pieces here IMO is the pommel. I just love the pommel. It's so low-profile but gives a really nice accent to the grooved part of the hilt. I wish there was a vented version of this that wasn't completely open. The lack of this was actually the main reason I opted to hold off on the sound in the meantime.
I noticed that it was very shiny in person, but doesn't look like it in photos - a contrast to my Aeon which looked really shiny on camera but a little less stellar in person. I also expected it to be lightweight, but it feels just as heavy, if not heavier, than my Aeon. Suffice to say I just love the design on this thing.
ELECTRONICS AND BATTERY LIFENormally, the first thing one would do is to fire it up. The first thing I did was shake the hilt violently. I became very paranoid with the rattling in my Aeon, and I heard none here. Perhaps it's the size of the hilt, but the LED and the battery pack were snug.
Regarding the batteries, my Aeon's stock batteries are still kicking, albeit the light is getting dimmer now. With the Prophecy having a Tri-LED, batteries do seem to get eaten quickly, as I've seen a slight dimming over a week. Still, no complaints so far on that account.
BLADE AND COLORI got the 32" blade this time. Still UE, since I am planning on getting all UE versions before regular grade blades. After getting used to the 36" blade on my longer Aeon, spinning the 32" blade on a shorter Prophecy felt a little awkward at first. I will probably go back to the 36" in the future. In fact, I've tried switching the blades out with my Aeon. While the Prophecy looked fine with the 36" blade, I thought the Aeon looked a bit odd with the shorter one. I always thought of and got used to the Aeon as a two-hander, so I'll keep the longer blade on it.
Another reason I kept the shorter blade on the Prophecy is, well, just in case it's not noticeable,
the blade I got was slightly BENT.
This annoyed me at first, until I realized that with the design of the Prophecy and its slanted emitter, you can clearly tell where the front and the back of the saber was. So I turned the blade a few degrees. Now I have my little katana saber. Which is great because I remembered this great review, where the Prophecy sat side by side an actual katana - and the measurements line up:
http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=31707.0
With the color, I have no complaines. The Tri-LED is extremely bright. I am now very curious as to how bright it would be if I had Li-Ion I've heard it's even brighter, though more power-hungry. For now, it looks amazing, and can really light up a pitch-dark room.
GRIP, COMFORT, AND HANDLINGI read that when it comes to comfort, it almost always boils down to the Prophecies, the Sentinels (or their smaller siblings), and the Aeonv2s and v3s. I only have the Prophecy (for now), and I can confirm its comfort. The first time I held it, the hand just slid into place. Some might be bothered with the thumb screws for spinning, but I personally do not have any trouble with them as I have smaller hands and my grip rarely goes up that high.
The covertec wheel, however, is another story. I requested it to be installed to the right of the switch, but it was left at its default...err.. left side. It's a bummer, since it does get in the way of the hand when going two-handed. Then again, it's not something I can't work around. With my Aeon, I found myself gripping the saber in a way that my pinkie or ring finger rests on and activates the switch. I can probably do the same with this when I decide to go two-handed. For now, it's a one-hander for me.
The handling is excellent. I expected the hilt to be lightweight since that's all I hear about with the Prophecy. But for some reason, and maybe this is just me, it feels heavy. Maybe it's because it's just compact, so it feels more solid.
VERDICTCovertec placement and bent blade aside, I love this thing. This was one of the hilts I always wanted, and I promized to myself that when I finally get this I can stop getting sabers. Its price point was going to be the farthest I could go too, with sound and all. But then US had other plans and just had to the release the EH. But that's a topic for another
review time.
