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Author Topic: First review of the Graflex SE  (Read 929 times)
darthpewpew
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« on: June 15, 2017, 05:54:38 AM »

Hi all,

This is my review of my first Ultrasaber, the model is the Graflex SE

I did receive this item few weeks ago, and I am overall happy with it. The quality is pretty good, and there are positive and negative, like in any product.
Overall, the saber is sturdy; the metal is nice and well crafted; overall it feel well made, and when handling it, you can feel that it is well balanced overall.
Quality is good, the material is not looking cheap, and every part has been assembled carefully; I don't see defects in the metal case.

The hilt is solid metal; has some parts attached via allen screws (Imperial set); the rest seems a solid piece. Keep in mind that the Ultrasaber Graflex is not a screen accurate saber; it is inspired by the original graflex design, so you will see plenty of inconsistencies with a screen accurate model. If you are looking for a screen accurate Graflex, you should look elsewhere. I did get this because it is similar enough to the Graflex, and has its own flair, so I am happy with it. Design wise, I do not like much the power up/down button; since it is fundamentally different from a Graflex one, but once you start to use the saber, it grows on you, and you begin to enjoy it.
The 2 buttons on top and bottom of the saber does nothing; I was thinking they would be operational for secondary sound efects/lock sounds (lock, blaster deflect and such), but they are solid and there is no switch in it.

The blade is sturdy; I did opt for the standard one, and so far, I've been playing with my son (he uses a foam sword, cheap replicas that we purchased at the comicon), the blade is sturdy enough to keep up with the fight; although  I get so many marks and scuffs on it, that a cleaning is mostly needed after few fencing sessions.
It lights up pretty well, the overall blade color is uniform.

The electronics seems fine; I did recharge once the battery, so I did pull out the main board. The build quality of the internals is not exceptional; there is plenty of electric tape all over, which make it look like a homemade product, more than a commercial product. The inner part does not match the great feeling you get, from the metal hilt. Not much of a problem, since you never see that, unless you need to recharge the batteries; but I was expecting at least a frame to hold the electronic parts in place, and a more "professional" overall look for the product. Curious enough, the main sound board has been covered with black plastic material; not sure if that is for insulation purpose or to obscure the components used, but it does not  matter, it does not affect the usability of the saber.

The sound board is a bit of a let down; overall it does not feel precise when using the saber, and I've been tweaking parameters for a while, trying to find a good compromise between movements and realistic sounds. Clashes are either ignored or if you increase sensitivity, happen when swinging the saber. I believe this tie in the issue of not having the internals firmly attached to the hilt. For example, if you thrust the sword forward, like if you want to impale someone with its tip, you get the clash sound; which is weird, since I was expecting a swing sound instead. I will continue to tweak parameters, and see if I can get a good setup.

Also on the soundboard side, I must say that the companion software is atrocious; I am a software engineer and I write software, so I do have a bit of experience about such things. The UI is fine, but the hardware connection via USB is inconsistent at most. I did tell support about it, and I was told that the issue is mostly on Windows. Maybe on OSX you have better luck. The software allow you to write on the ROM of the sound board, the sounds associated with each action; and that process is pretty straightforward. Not sure why it does not use straight Wav files, but nothing too problematic to be honest.

Beware when you buy the saber; there is a choice between V3 and V4 board; the description does NOT reflect what you select; it just say what the V4 version does; so you may end up like me, reading briefly, thinking that changing the dropdown selection for the soundboard will change also the description, and getting the V3 instead of the V4 (10 dollars difference), thinking they are the same.
The V3 DOES NOT support multiple sets, so you are stuck with one set, and if you want to change it, you have to battle with the application to get the saber recognized and spend time uploading new sounds. out of 300 dollars for a saber, 10 dollars difference are really nothing, so just pick the V4 version, or save money altogether and get the saber with standard sounds. The default sounds are just fine IMO.

Speaker is loud; you can hear the sounds even if you cover the vents on the pommel; nice when you are in a crowded environment, although I wish they would add a kill switch for the speaker or a mode that turn on only the light, so you save battery and use the sound only when you want. Some fix this issue using the silent sound fonts, but if you have the V3 soundboard...you get the gist.

Overall I give it a B as grade; the quality is great, the look is fantastic and beside the quirks with the sensor, it is a great saber for both cosplay and for dueling. I believe the price paid is on par with what you get; there are different tiers for the lightsabers nowadays, so you can pick and choose what you see fit. I suggest this product, unless you are looking for a screen accurate saber.
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Isola815
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« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2017, 10:13:06 AM »

Congratulations on your first Ultra Saber!

Before continuing to post, please make sure you go to the rules thread http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=117 and read the rules then post to acknowledge you agree to and will follow these rules for the forum. Thanks Smiley
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Zren Tobas
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« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2017, 04:52:27 AM »

Do gotta agree though. Do wish a chassis was made for the soundboard electronics but at no extra cost or fairly low anyway. Maybe in the future. I still want me a GraflexIII at some point. (As in Anakin ROTS hilt colors and all) Tongue
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Sabers: Liberator V3 CG ObsV4 sound!, Graflex GB, Overlord AB, Crimson Savior BR, Bane PO, Dark Initiate V2 LE BH, Shock GB, Archon V2.1 CG, Dark Sentinel LE GB ObSLite!, Standard Issue V3 CG, Dominix V3 LE BR, Sentinel SRD, Dominix V2 FO
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