A note concerning some of the rumors flying around...

[Mitth_Fisto]

Ultra & Deep, you guys have my sympathies for what has been happening between companies. I just bought my first saber recently from [blank who I have not read mentioned nor shall mention here], and hopefully in about 2013 I hope to be able to buy one from you guys now that I've found you. Especially after I found the Revan you sell.

Discussions on here make me wonder though with the flames and smoke, whether a subtitle for this thread might should become a parody of the "Good Bad and the Ugly" but leave out the good except in the handling of some of these situations. 

As an aside, since I have a legal final later this week this thread has totally had my head swimming with references and labels. If not for the fact it covers six pages I think I would quote a few and start handing out labels  jk

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

I know I am off topic but I really don't understand the aggravation that people are exhibiting towards the company.

It's not like Ultra Sabers is some after hours QVC infomercial.

If Ultra or Deep were selling (Pardon my french) Sharty products than why would there be repeat business.

If 2 years ago when I got my Liberator and it crapped out on me after 2 months I would not continue to purchase US products.

I may be just reiterating what has already been post but.....

Thank you Ultra and Deep.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to Ultra Sabers and Crew.

[Master Bluespike74]

If FX has changed it's policy, I wouldn't know.  I no longer speak to the site owner or anyone else associated with that forum, but to my knowledge, there is no litigation pending between the two of us.  

Now, I would love it if they never mentioned me again and I would be happy to return the favor.  A forum that is run by a bunch of sellers with their own profit motives is just bad mojo and I really want nothing to do with them.  It would be nice if all our satisfied customers could show their support for us on that forum, but not in it's current state.  Maybe one day when it falls under new management we can attempt to mend bridges.

As for your last point, in all honesty, I freely admit that on occasion I allow my passion for my craft to influence my responses to others.  Most of the time this is a great thing; it allows me to bond with my customers in a way they usually never experience from a business owner.  Other times, it makes me respond unkindly to those who I feel are being needlessly rude.  I understand that some people treat those in the service industry like 2nd class citizens: barking orders, issuing demands, and routinely speaking down to them - that's life and I guess some people don't know any better.  Anyone who has worked retail should know exactly what I'm talking about.

BUT... I'm here to serve customers and sell a product, so I'm supposed to be polite regardless of how I am treated.  Every service person is taught this, but I have a hard time adhering to this principle.  Perhaps it's a character flaw?  Maybe, but I think I don't adhere to it because I ultimately just don't believe in it.  I'm certain this has earned me more than a few enemies.

My philosophy of "I will treat you with as much respect as you treat me" sounds good in principle, but actually isn't what a good salesman lives by.  A good salesman says the customer is always right, kisses ass, and asks for seconds.  But alas, I am not a good salesman, and therefore must rely on the product selling itself in spite of my personality.

If the rumors were simply that I am a jerk, well, that's an opinion and I have to accept that not everyone will like me.  However, to dislike me or Deep on a personal level, warranted or not, is no excuse to try to defame our products or our company.  Am I rambling again?

Ultra, I would have to say that when the motto of "the customer is always right" was used, people did treat each other with so much more respect.  In the current "microwave age" everybody has unrealistic expectations of how life should truly function.  When I worked for a magazine company (not to be named as I do not have their permission to do such), I was amazed at the number of people that would stop running print ads after one month. When I sold them the ads, I told them that national average before the ad would receive a response would be a three month run.  I always requested business cards and passed them at trade shows with the card attached to the ad.  I watched one customer at the trade show call the owner directly and place a $500,000 order for equipment.  I called after the first month to check on my client and see if he/she wanted to extend the ad and I was told point blank that they received not one extra dime from my ad.  $500,000 order from a $500 one month ad is not bad is what I told him/her and I received a cussing tyrade like none other.  I also found it funny that he/she had placed a "fish symbol" on their card as a way to make people believe they were holier than their competitors but enough of that as I am treading toward religious discussion.  Even though I took a hit in commission, I refused to sell to this person later when his/her business was going under and needed to get new customers quickly and my magazine had the best reputation for delivering results. 

If you reinforce bad behavior, you will continue to receive bad behavior.  It is the mark of insanity to believe that if you continue to treat a jerk nice that he/she will come to play nice in time.  My motto is in my signature how I feel about respect.  As many have stated, you have shown great restraint and great respect toward your critics but I also admire the fact that you do not allow rude behavior as well.  The motto of "the customer is always right regardless" has gone the way of the pay phone.  It was good for its time but totally unnecessary today. 

You have a loyal following that will return the respect you have shown to us by giving you word of mouth referrals and repeat business.  My Archon V1 will probably be taken by my wife as she has fallen in love with the present she bought for me.  I look forward to my purchase of an Archon V2 in the future as well as a V3, V4, or however long you decide to keep making them.  Your passion shows in the work that you and your employees do. 

I tend to type very long winded so I will end here before I crash a server.  Have a great day.

[Ultra]

Wow, I really appreciate the out-pouring of support and understanding during all this.  It really lifts my spirits, something that is most appreciated at this particular point in my life... I'll discuss that later. 

All this unpleasantness that had occurred during the last couple months had given me a very sour taste for this hobby in general, but this community has renewed my faith and showed me why I love doing what I do.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and stories with me, and feel free to continue.  I certainly enjoy getting to know the members of the community and I hope this thread has given you a chance to get to know me better as well.

[kewlkev360]

I really don't have much to add but I just wanted to say this: Don't let them get you down Ultra!

[Master Bluespike74]

I really don't have much to add but I just wanted to say this: Don't let them get you down Ultra!

A powerful statement made in few words.  How I envy your power.  Points to you.

[Amanita]

As I don't post on the FX sabers forum anymore, I didn't know what was going on over there. It saddens me to see this sort of drama, because in the end, who does it help?
It only screws everyone in the end, and makes things worse for us. Are we forced to choose sides? If both sides have something to offer, it sucks to feel like I'm in the middle somehow.
I love my Ultra sabers, the craftsmanship is great and the hilt designs have only been getting better. (The guardian is one of the best yet!)
As far as options for customization go (sound boards, fonts, etc), the more options the better! It kinda sucks that I do feel a bit caught in the middle, where the sound fonts are concerned. I would love to purchase some custom fonts, but am not sure if they are compatible with the obsidian board in my new saber. I hesitate to ask here, lest somebody get mad at me for thinking of giving an "enemy" any business. And I am hesitant to ask elsewhere, because I don't want to deal with "Oh, you're an Ultra fangirl, go away!"
Disputes and drama only hurt us all, it truly sucks.

[Master Bluespike74]

Amanita,

I doubt anyone would get mad at you for asking.  Business is business after all.  People still want to make sales.  False accusations made by person/people that are unaware of all the details was what caused the hard feelings. 

I am personally not aware of all the details.  I do not feel caught in the middle of anything.  What got my blood personally boiling was people pretending to be journalists and posting outright biased information for the sake of causing conflict. 

I also did not like someone failing to provide his/her "source" of information when the person that contacted me did not know me and I did not know them.  I am not sure what this person/people personal gain was intended to be but having worked for a magazine, I hate shoddy journalism.  If someone sends me something claiming to be true and I ask for a source and am told to basically get lost, then this is where I have a problem.

I remember the young men that worked in New York claiming to interview all these high profile foreign dignitaries when they were actually sitting in hotel rooms making crap up and getting paid major money for doing such.  After that fall out, very few people trusted anyone working in the media and therefore I had to look for other work.

I support anyone who makes a fine product and backs it with good customer service.  Price is the personal decision of the individual making said purchase. 

So I will certainly assure you that you will have zero problems from me if you ask a question.  I seriously doubt that if you want to purchase something, someone will have a problem asking about compatibility problems. 

Not to get long winded (which I sometimes do), I'll borrow a line:  Business is Business.  Personal is Personal.  These two should never meet.

[ThreadJack]

As I don't post on the FX sabers forum anymore, I didn't know what was going on over there. It saddens me to see this sort of drama, because in the end, who does it help?
It only screws everyone in the end, and makes things worse for us. Are we forced to choose sides? If both sides have something to offer, it sucks to feel like I'm in the middle somehow.
I love my Ultra sabers, the craftsmanship is great and the hilt designs have only been getting better. (The guardian is one of the best yet!)
As far as options for customization go (sound boards, fonts, etc), the more options the better! It kinda sucks that I do feel a bit caught in the middle, where the sound fonts are concerned. I would love to purchase some custom fonts, but am not sure if they are compatible with the obsidian board in my new saber. I hesitate to ask here, lest somebody get mad at me for thinking of giving an "enemy" any business. And I am hesitant to ask elsewhere, because I don't want to deal with "Oh, you're an Ultra fangirl, go away!"
Disputes and drama only hurt us all, it truly sucks.

I don't think anyone will get mad at you for asking a simple, and very valid question. I would encourage you to post. Judging by the way I see things work here, the worst that will likely happen is the thread is ignored, or gets locked.

[Manroon]

I would also imagine btw, that any custom sound font would be obsidian compatible as long as you could run it through the LSU converter, assuming it wasn't an LSU already.

[Qui-Tom Helms]

And as far as different obsidian sound fonts go, I sure once the new website is in operation plenty of people will be contributing, and there will be more sounds than you can shake a lightsaber at

[Ultra]

I would also imagine btw, that any custom sound font would be obsidian compatible as long as you could run it through the LSU converter, assuming it wasn't an LSU already.

This.

Any font can be put on the Obsidian, it just has to be converted to 16 bit mono @ 48K .wav and then run through the LSU converter software, which has been released to the community for free.  I do not care where you get your fonts and if the font maker you are purchasing from has a problem with you putting the font you paid for on an Obsidian, then frankly, they don't deserve your business anyway.

I'm not the kind of guy to make you choose sides; this is not your battle so I do not shun people for buying from others.  Plenty of people here have sabers made by others or themselves and they are equally welcomed here.  I ask that people don't advertise here and link to my competition, but come one, that's just common courtesy.

In evidence of that, when I open up the customization section of Ultra Sabers, you will be able to send in any saber with any board in it for custom work.  I do not discriminate against people for the weaponry they choose to own.

Strange thing is, in every hobby I have ever been involved in, I have seen the EXACT same type of behavior from some of the vendors.  Paintball, drag racing, motocross, R/C, and now sabers - they all had these stupid political games going on between certain vendors and the customers were asked to choose sides or face ridicule.  I always thought it was stupid.  In-fighting did nothing to help the customers, it just hurt them and forced them to limit their options.

Therefore, I have decided that I am not going to allow this hobby, the hobby I love the most, to go the same way.  Not to sound like I'm full of myself, but I feel Ultra Sabers is a leader in this hobby, and as such, we must set the example.  

I'm not going to use my customers for my own seedy purposes.  I will not ask anyone to slander another company or "spread the word" about how bad another vendor is.  I don't care if I hate that person's guts, I will not ask any of you to go fight my own personal battles for me nor will I use my position in this community to spread animosity against those who I feel have wronged me.  

When vendors go to battle in a capitalist society, it should be YOU, the customer, who always wins.  More options, better products, lower prices, better service - that should be the product of competition.  The customer should never suffer because of competition!  Plus, the customer should never be asked to put themselves at legal risk by getting involved in a smear campaign!  That type of behavior should be strongly discouraged.

So here's my pledge:

The only support I will ask of any of you is positive support of Ultra Sabers and I highly discourage any of you getting involved in negative activity towards a competing company.

I call on every vendor to make the same pledge.

[Qui-Tom Helms]

In evidence of that, when I open up the customization section of Ultra Sabers, you will be able to send in any saber with any board in it for custom work.  I do not discriminate against people for the weaponry they choose to own.

You are going to be soooooo busy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will be happily awaiting that glorious day

[Manroon]

As will I! The words Ultra and Custom used in the same sentence send many people into joy-shock. XD

Ultra, I've said it before and I'll say it again, that is the way to run a business. Speak of and prove the positive aspects of your own products and services, don't go pointing out the faults of everyone else's products. YOU ROCK! Were that all business man were so inclined to practice. *is shakespearean*

[Amanita]

Awesome, glad to hear it Ultra!
I feel better now. I'm in the process of turning my new fire-orange, purple-flashing Consular into a Phoenix-blade, and I'm aiming to make it look (and sound) like it's either channeling the spirit of the Phoenix, or formed of psionic fire. The more options I have for doing this, the better:)