Sweet score there, Rev
As promised here are my entry and prize sabers with some initial thoughts on each:
The Non-winning Entry|
Shock LE - Sentinel Yellow/Silver FoC - Quick Disconnects - Obsidian V4 Sound - 32" UE Midgrade Blade - AV Switch |
I absolutely adore the look and feel of this hilt, but there are two minor issues. Whoever tapped the retention screw thread was a bit rough and some of the anodizing has been taken off around the hole, almost like they went to drill it, missed, and had a second go. Whoops! And secondly, it has a faulty AV switch. It's sunken and doesn't work most times it's pressed. I think whoever installed it threw way too much heat into it when soldering the wires in to the pins. That's one reason I never solder wires when they can be securely screwed in. Whoops whoops! I'll buy a new one next time I place an order if they let me order one of this style of switch on it's own, or I'll just swap it out for a different switch if they don't sell these switches separately. And at least I can always buy a new emitter down the road too if the damage keeps me up at night lol
Once this hilt is working properly I can see it climbing to the top of my most frequented spinning sabers. The weight, length and balance are exceptional and the default covertec wheel is not in the way for me personally. I love how well the design of the pommel works even though it is so simple in its execution. I waited a long time for this hilt to come back in to stock and I'm really pleased that I was finally able to buy it. The Sentinel Yellow and Adegan Silver perfectly complement the gold and silver of the hilt. I'm almost tempted to buy another one and make a Sentinel staff out of them. It's just that nice! And even though I say "non-winning entry" this saber is a total win and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good all-rounder with full MHS compatibility
6/10 (But only because of the damage. It's an easy 10 once it's fixed!)
The Winning Entry|
Dark Omen - Tri Arctic Blue - Quick Disconnects - Obsidian LITE Sound - Blank Discs - 16" UE Midgrade Blade - AV Switch/Bezel Switcheroo |
I'm not really a Thundercats fan. Never much watched it. Never really thought much of this hilt either to be honest, until I realized you don't need to keep the emitter. I bought this saber with the plan to put a different emitter on it as soon as I opened the box. And then I opened the box. Wow! As you can see - I put the emitter on. This is another one of those sabers that as soon as I saw it in person my opinion of it changed instantly. Then I put the emitter on and the good vibes just kept on coming! This saber is lots of fun to wield due to it being top heavy and feeling more sword like. It has a really cool presence about it and I was glad to be wrong about this saber!
I opted for the switch bezel switcheroo to drag the black/silver theme over the switch area as well, and now that I'll be keeping the black and silver emitter on there I'm even more pleased that I opted for that combo.
Lite sound is fantastic and I'm really glad that I scored a mystery box with lite sound so I could test it without preconceived notions. I'm happy with the default Obsidian font and use it on several of my V4 sabers. Having no mute is a bit of a deal breaker for some people, but for something like The Omen which looks just as impressive off as it does on... I just didn't think it was needed.
I think I'm going to have to go around the edges of those claws with some fine sandpaper though. I did have warning from Darth Cephalus that spinning this saber is kind of asking for trouble, and he was right because I managed to scratch my forearm almost instantly by not having the claws aligned properly when doing a backwards spin. This saber is too much fun to NOT use though, so I'm going to smooth out the bitey parts and enjoy it to the full extent!
8/10 (Not an every day saber, but tons of fun!)
The EMERALD PRIZE SabersI was able to chose any two hilts from the Ultra Sabers line up and have them outfitted with the Emerald Driver and Obsidian Premium Sound (v3). The sabers come as they would without choosing any extras in the store, and if you would like upgrades you are able to pay for them. I have listed the optional extras I picked.
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The Malice - Emerald Driver - Large Claws - Square Pommel - Upgrade: Obsidian V4 Sound - Upgrade: side mounted Activation Box with AV switch - Upgrade: 40" UE Heavy Grade Blade - Upgrade: Bronze Button - currently set to VA(pulse to)DVA |
I don't even know were to start with this big girl. I knew The Malice looked cool, I knew it seemed cool, and I've wanted one for quite a while. I was waiting for the black and silver square pommels to come back in to stock though... but... when the option came up to outfit a Malice with Emerald I kind of felt like I'd be stupid NOT to do it. I honestly felt a bit greedy picking such an expensive hilt, so much so that I even said in my e-mail to US that if there are any problems with my hilt choices just let me know. But they were totally cool with me choosing it as one of my two and that just goes to show how generous this team really is to their customers.
There was no way I wasn't going to get this without making it as big as possible, so the large claws were a definite. The 40" blade was a definite and I knew there was no point getting a mid grade, so I paid for the upgrade to a UE Heavy. I was going to go for a silver switch on a black box, but then decided to ask for something that's not even a normal option. I asked for silver box screws on a black box so I could also get a black switch. I feel it draws less attention to the activation box than a silver switch would. It's still noticeable, but you don't linger on it. I will be waiting patiently for the black and silver square pommels to come back in to stock as that was the only option I wanted that I couldn't have.
I paid to change to a bronze button because I wanted a color that I felt would work with every blade color seeing as this saber is equipped with the Emerald driver. This decision has now set in stone my resolution to also get a bronze button on a Bellicose when I buy one of them because it looks AMAZING!
I cannot fault this saber in any way. It exceeded all my expectations and then some. It's big, it's long, it's thick, it's heavy and it looks like Death himself would turn tail and run from whomsoever wields it.
10/10 (Just get one)
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Curved Reaper - Emerald Driver - Upgrade: Obsidian V4 Sound - Upgrade: 32" Heavy Blade - Upgrade: AV Switch/Bezel Switcheroo - currently set to AB(pulse to)AS |
So first off - THANK YOU SO MUCH, ULTRA SABERS!!! Being a U.S.A. con exclusive, and me living in Australia I honestly thought there was no way I was ever going to get my hands on one of these hilts. I am a huge fan of The Reaper and was lusting after the Curved Reaper greatly. When I sent my e-mail asking if there was any chance at all I could pick this hilt I was honestly expecting, and prepared for a "No, it's a con only exclusive." reply. So much so that I was already looking through the catalogue trying to find two hilts to pick and almost settling for twin standard Reapers. However, Marlena replied and told me that YES I could in fact have a Curved Reaper as one of my hilts!
I chose again a switch/bezel switeroo to add some silver to the bent neck section as the Curved Reaper is not etched like the standard Reaper. At first I was debating on having the switch section engraving professionally added to the Curved Reaper but upon seeing it in person I feel the silver ring is enough. It looks just different enough to have its' own style, but is unmistakably still a Reaper at heart.
I did ask for a black covertec wheel but they must have been out of stock because I got a silver one, so when I order a matching Emerald standard Reaper to be this saber's companion hilt, I will check to see if the black wheels are back in stock then and order one to swap it out. The idea was to mimic the switch/bezel silver on black theme and have a black covertec wheel with a silver center screw. For now I will steal the one off my Dark Mantis.
Some idiot (me, I'm the idiot) typed "32 inch heavy grade blade" into the e-mail instead of "32 inch ULTRA EDGE heavy grade blade" so I will have to make sure to remember to order the correct blade with my next purchase. A fool and his money, as they say
I will add it to someone's gift saber some time so they can have a more durable blade.
I'm both proud and excited to own a Curved Reaper, and again cannot fault this hilt. It's just as comfortable as a Mantis, but has that little bit extra flair that only the Reapers have. This will be a fun dual wield hilt with my Dark Mantis!
10/10 (Anyone who has the opportunity to buy one of these, you'd be crazy not to)
Ultra Sabers also included a black and silver vented coupler so I can staff these hilts together, but I'm having way too much fun with all these hilts in solo form yet and have not tried joining them as yet. When I get around to trying out some staff combos I'll add photos in one of the Gallery threads.
"The Winner's Circle" everything that came in the winning entry box!
Even though they are now in my hands I am still having trouble believing that I won, this is an amazing feeling. Ultra Sabers, you have added two of my most desired sabers to my collection, they will be enjoyed immensely and cherished. I cannot possibly thank you enough for my wonderful prizes!
Congratulations to everyone else who won something, and thank you to everyone who entered the Summer Raffle to help support Ultra Sabers. It's great to see the love going both ways within this community!