Review of Consular with Premium Sound

[Draq]

This is a review of my Ultra Sabers consular with premium sound. I'm not able to do video reviews, so I'll just write something.

The Packaging

Everything was packed very well. The saber itself was rolled up in bubble wrap. The battery charger also had its own pocket of bubble wrap. The stand, Covertec clip, USB cable, wrench, and blade plug were in plastic bags. Everything was in pristine condition upon arrival.

The Saber

The Consular's hilt is indeed very similar to Qui-Gon Jinn's saber from what I can tell by feel, and this is why I chose it. I've felt a Hasbro toy version in the past and liked the grip. Being blind, it was somewhat difficult to choose a hilt, so when I heard the Consular was basically Qui-gon's saber I went with it as it was something I'm familiar with.

The aluminum is very, very smooth to the touch, and I can tell it was very well made. All parts it together seemlessly.
The guarded switch, Covertec wheel and recharge port are set into the hilt quite nicely. I chose Consular Green as the blade color with a silver flash on clash, and the standard 36-inch UltraEdge Midgrade blade. The blade feels very durable and vibrates slightly when struck against something. I imagine this vibration helps set off the clash sound as it travels up to the pommel. Anyone who gets this with a recharge port should be aware that the shroud isn't removable unless you get the recharge port put on the front. That would just be strange though.

Speaking of the sound, it's very clear. The pommel serves as the speaker guard. Removing the pommel exposes the speaker's paper (don't poke it). I have yet to attempt to slide out the speaker/battery pack/soundboard, as I have no need to do so at this time seeing as I opted for a recharge port, and the software to customize the sounds is currently inaccessible. The sounds work exactly as I've heard in the various videos about the Obsidian soundboard, which is the Obsidian V4. Thanks to the various videos, I knew exactly how to operate the saber as soon as I got it.

This is a very minor detail, but it seems that swings require a lot of force to set off the sounds. I suspect this is due to the fact that the soundboard is closer to the pommel than to the blade. Either that or I'm simply not swinging it properly. If you want the sounds to be set off with less force required, stabbing motions work nicely. Giving the saber a sharp jerk will set off the clash sounds without having to hit anything.

Overall, I'm very happy with this saber. I have no experience with the Force FX sabers or any other custom sabers, so this is the closest thing I've had to a real lightsaber. I can't stress enough how well crafted these things are. Whoever manufactures the hilts and blades does an excellent job, and while I haven't taken a peke at the electronics (not that I'll do that because I don't want to destroy the wiring by accident), everything works extremely well. RSX Engineering also makes an awesome soundboard. I'm also quite fond of the fact that sounds from the various Star Wars games can be made into sound fonts for these things.

I'll definitely recommend Ultra Sabers to anyone looking for an extremely realistic lightsaber that they can actually duel with or hang on their belt.

[BatMike90]

This is a review of my Ultra Sabers consular with premium sound. I'm not able to do video reviews, so I'll just write something.

The Packaging

Everything was packed very well. The saber itself was rolled up in bubble wrap. The battery charger also had its own pocket of bubble wrap. The stand, Covertec clip, USB cable, wrench, and blade plug were in plastic bags. Everything was in pristine condition upon arrival.

The Saber

The Consular's hilt is indeed very similar to Qui-Gon Jinn's saber from what I can tell by feel, and this is why I chose it. I've felt a Hasbro toy version in the past and liked the grip. Being blind, it was somewhat difficult to choose a hilt, so when I heard the Consular was basically Qui-gon's saber I went with it as it was something I'm familiar with.

The aluminum is very, very smooth to the touch, and I can tell it was very well made. All parts it together seemlessly.
The guarded switch, Covertec wheel and recharge port are set into the hilt quite nicely. I chose Consular Green as the blade color with a silver flash on clash, and the standard 36-inch UltraEdge Midgrade blade. The blade feels very durable and vibrates slightly when struck against something. I imagine this vibration helps set off the clash sound as it travels up to the pommel. Anyone who gets this with a recharge port should be aware that the shroud isn't removable unless you get the recharge port put on the front. That would just be strange though.

Speaking of the sound, it's very clear. The pommel serves as the speaker guard. Removing the pommel exposes the speaker's paper (don't poke it). I have yet to attempt to slide out the speaker/battery pack/soundboard, as I have no need to do so at this time seeing as I opted for a recharge port, and the software to customize the sounds is currently inaccessible. The sounds work exactly as I've heard in the various videos about the Obsidian soundboard, which is the Obsidian V4. Thanks to the various videos, I knew exactly how to operate the saber as soon as I got it.

This is a very minor detail, but it seems that swings require a lot of force to set off the sounds. I suspect this is due to the fact that the soundboard is closer to the pommel than to the blade. Either that or I'm simply not swinging it properly. If you want the sounds to be set off with less force required, stabbing motions work nicely. Giving the saber a sharp jerk will set off the clash sounds without having to hit anything.

Overall, I'm very happy with this saber. I have no experience with the Force FX sabers or any other custom sabers, so this is the closest thing I've had to a real lightsaber. I can't stress enough how well crafted these things are. Whoever manufactures the hilts and blades does an excellent job, and while I haven't taken a peke at the electronics (not that I'll do that because I don't want to destroy the wiring by accident), everything works extremely well. RSX Engineering also makes an awesome soundboard. I'm also quite fond of the fact that sounds from the various Star Wars games can be made into sound fonts for these things.

I'll definitely recommend Ultra Sabers to anyone looking for an extremely realistic lightsaber that they can actually duel with or hang on their belt.

Congrats on your first saber! Welcome to the addiction, friend!

[Lord Bladewraith]

Most excellent review, friend! Nice walk through on everything. My first saber was the Consular as well, and still look back at all the other options I could've gone with and love the choice I made. Your ability to perceive it through only touch and sound is particularly intriguing to me, and I am realizing how much I appreciate even more so the other sabers I have in my collection for subtleties that are part of each design. I never really thought about the location of the recharge port on that hilt, and I enjoy removing the shroud to customize mine, so that's a really valuable tip for anyone buying this hilt. For me being able to remove the shroud is a valuable feature, so thanks for pointing that out! Congrats on getting your saber and nice to have you here. Do you have any other sabers in mind in the near future? Oh, and I gave you a point, too. 

[Lady Agana Kath]

Excellent review! I agree with LB that your focus on the feel and sound of the saber is interesting. Also thanks for pointing out the fact that the shroud isn't removable with a recharge port, that is useful info for people looking to purchase the Consular in the future.  +1

[Draq]

Most excellent review, friend! Nice walk through on everything. My first saber was the Consular as well, and still look back at all the other options I could've gone with and love the choice I made. Your ability to perceive it through only touch and sound is particularly intriguing to me, and I am realizing how much I appreciate even more so the other sabers I have in my collection for subtleties that are part of each design. I never really thought about the location of the recharge port on that hilt, and I enjoy removing the shroud to customize mine, so that's a really valuable tip for anyone buying this hilt. For me being able to remove the shroud is a valuable feature, so thanks for pointing that out! Congrats on getting your saber and nice to have you here. Do you have any other sabers in mind in the near future? Oh, and I gave you a point, too. 

I don't know about buying another for myself yet, but definitely for other people.

[MavRick]

Excellent review . Point to you good sir. 
 I own this saber as well and agree completely, it is a GREAT saber.  I am a fan of Qui-Gon and that was the reason I got it. I love this saber!

[Therion Jinn]

Very thorough review on this, and I agree with much of what you said.
Excellent saber

[JediApprenticeChris37]

great review of your consular saber

[MavRick]

The motion censer on mine is perfect, BTW.

[Draq]

The motion censer on mine is perfect, BTW.

I'm sure mine is too. It's just if I move it mostly with my wrist instead of my whole arm, it takes a lot of motion to set the sensor off because the end with the blade is being moved more than the end with the pommel.