Alright, I stumbled upon Ultrasaber's website about a month ago and had been mesmerized by all the awesome reviews here. But given that I live all the way in Hong Kong, I figured that it would be a real hassle to make such an order, so I had to be really careful with my research just to make sure that I get exactly what I want. Upon reading up a lot of things all over the place, I finally made my first purchase order for a Mystery Box, just to test the waters.
Initially I thought the purchase would arrive within a week or so, but I guess the holiday seasons rush was still piling up for Ultrasaber staff, I waited patiently for my little childhood dream toy to arrive my doorsteps. And then there was the Chinese New Year holiday non-service week for FedEx China, my MB didn't arrive until Yesterday... and here is what arrived:
Despite being exhausted after my 4 hours long Iaido class at 12am, the excitement of seeing the box absolutely overwhelmed me.
Saw something white on the wrapping and I was like... uh oh... is this the well-rumored "congratulations tag"?
And...
SCOREEEEEEEE!!! Happy Chinese New Year gift from Ultrasabers! (Big thanks to "Mike" too!!!)
The saber turned out to be the Bellicose with Guardian Blue, Premium Sound and Silver AV switch.
Now, down with the review:
Structure: The aluminum finish is very sturdy with a lot of details on the hilt, the buttons are also set up at the right positions to avoid discomfort for two hands handle. The slits in between provide a lot firmer grip, but they are also less comfy on the hand for people with thinner or softer skin. (This should become better after frequent usage.)
Blade: Since I am practicing Iaido, there is a good chance that my dojo friends are gonna use this for combat, hence I went for the heavy grade UltraEdge. This adds up a lot of weight to the overall saber. The very long length makes the whole structure very heavy on the hand. This should be around the same weight as my actual katana, and is sturdy enough to take a couple hits.
Light and Sound: The blade is not as noisy as I thought it would be and is just right. As i have read on a couple of posts, the light looks great on video and photos, but is actually a lot less lightsaber-ish under daylight conditions. Once you turn off the lights though... the vibrancy shoots through the roof. I would highly recommend anyone purchasing their sabers to at least get one with sound, it just can't go wrong!
The Mystery Box is most definitely a great addition if you are a first timer, highly recommended. All my dojo friends who saw the pictures are already itching to get one themselves. Overall, I am more than satisfied with my first purchase, and I am likely to further buy from Ultrasabers in the future. (The Graflex... I am sooooo in love...)
