I got my first curved lightsaber, a stunt Mantis CE in Sunrider's Destiny. I opted for the quick-disconnect LED and also purchased a red LED module with it. I will give an opinion and an indisputable fact: I like the curved lightsaber. The Mantis is the best curved lightsaber on the Ultrasabers site.
The Mantis is the most complicated saber I own, in terms of what's going on with the hilt. It is overbuilt, meaning it is big and bulky. It has a lot of sharp edges, which are a turn-off. The very first thing I did, in fact, was to remove the shroud between the activation switch and the emitter, because it added unnecessary grip diameter and it had the sharpest edges on the whole saber. As soon as I took this off, the saber became very comfortable in my hands. I love the texture on the grip, and the curve feels very natural in the hand. I like holding it above the curve for spinning, just behind the curve for Makashi, and it has some interesting leverage when used two-handed.
The next thing I noticed is how pommel-heavy the Mantis is. When I was spinning, the saber almost felt like it had a stabilizer on that was trying to return to its upright position. I took off the Mantis pommel and put on an Aeon v4 pommel, and the saber became much better balanced. Now, the pommel is a bit thinner than the hilt, but that's not a huge issue. It's also not a huge issue that the mantis pommel is a little big on the Aeon v4. However, the fact that these parts are supposed to be compatible with each other means, in my opinion, that they should work together well.
The Mantis still has the stock emitter (with no claws), which is very long and contains some sharp edges. I would like to try a different emitter on it, but I am worried that a shorter emitter would have problems with balance again.
My overall impression is that the Mantis is a beautiful saber that should be a display queen. For either dueling or spinning, I could see the value in a curved lightsaber, but the Mantis isn't one I want for either situation. For now, it is my niche curved-hilt saber, but I can't really see myself getting another one of these (for example, a Diamond mantis or a different color hilt). What it has taught me is that if there was a no-frills style curved-hilt lightsaber released by Ultrasabers, like a curved Sentinel, for example, I will jump on that new item in a heartbeat.
Onto one last complaint - the quick disconnect LED. There are two versions of the quick disconnect LED module. The link on the Mantis options that says "purchase additional MLS units here" takes you to the wrong module. To be fair, the item description says which sabers it fits, and the Mantis is not included. However, I did not read the description, as I had assumed the link from the Mantis would take me to the correct item.
Now, I still can swap LEDs...but I have to not only unplug the LED module, but I also have to swap the LED itself from one module to the other. So if Module A came with the saber and Module B is the extra, I have to take the red LED out of Module B and put it into Module A if I want to change colors.
I went into this purchase having read reviews that the Mantis is bigger than it needs to be, that it has a bunch of sharp edges, and that it is a beautiful saber. I have to say, as far as a functional saber, it's pretty darn terrible. It's horribly balanced, bulky, heavy, uncomfortable in the hand, and has a ton of sharp edges. It is also the best-looking saber I own, and I've got myself a nice collection going already. I would have to agree with the other reviews I've read: the Mantis is gorgeous, but it is only the best curved-hilt lightsaber Ultrasabers offers because...well, it's the only one.
If I had two suggestions for Ultrasabers after my experience here, it would be this:
- Release a lightsaber that is a much more stripped-down curved hilt lightsaber, something maybe not quite as pretty as the Mantis, but much more usable
- Go through your links on any saber with a quick-disconnect LED and make sure they're all pointing to the correct MLS unit for that particular saber. Also link the 2 MLS units to each other so you can say "click here if your saber isn't listed."
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Parting thoughts: Ultrasabers, I do feel a bit bad for posting this review, as I love your products and I have several sabers from you I'm very happy with. I don't want to leave a negative review on your products, but I felt in this case it was warranted. There is definitely some room for improvement here.
