Hey guys!
So, I've been swinging my new Dark Sentinel V5 LE around a lot the last couple of weeks and have started using it for some kata practice and sparring, where it displaced my Dark Catalyst. And I noticed something, that I decided to investigate: The reach seemed to be the same.
Now, this might not seem odd at first, but consider this: I have a 32" blade installed on the Cat, and a 36" blade installed on the V5. Yet they seem to reach about the same in my dueling. Now, I know the Cat has a comparatively shallow emitter socket for the blade to sit in. That shallow socket has gotten some bad press over the years and was the main reason I shied away from this excellent hilt for so long. It was also why I purchased and use a 32" blade. The longer 36" blade just feels insecure while the 32" blade feels normal and secure. Also, the hilt balances so well with the 32" blade that I never even seriously considered going back to 36" after a brief test drive.
So, is that it? Just the socket depth?
It seemed to easy, so I laid them out. With the emitters even, I noticed that the V5 is a bit longer, both in blade length AND hilt length. Its just a bigger, longer, heavier hilt all around, even with the Scorpion pommel on my Cat. (Ironically, I have a Dark Catalyst pommel installed on the V5. I chuckled when I realized that...)
Here, take a look:
The difference isn't 4 inches, but its still considerable. A little more than 3" actually.
Now I was puzzled. There was a very clear difference in length. So I swung them both around a bit. They still felt the same. Then it dawned on me: The pivot point on the hilt isn't the end of the emitter. Its the choke point! I grip both hilts at the forward choke. On the Cat this is the very obvious choke behind the emitter. On the V5 I find I am gripping the smaller forward choke where the big windows are, much the same way I grip the Aeon at the forward "window" choke.
So, I lined up the choke points and looked again:
(I apologize for the poor quality of this pic)
Note how the ends of the emitters have shifted. The choke point on the Cat is over 2 inches further back than the one on the V5. Ironically, the AV switches line up when you line up the chokes. :-) And the EFFECTIVE blade length is only about an inch different.
And mystery solved. But it brings up a good point: The 36" vs 32" blade debate comes up a lot, but there's more to it than just the length of the blade tube. The socket depth and the grip point on the hilt will factor in to how you use it and the effective reach of the blade during spinning and sparring.
So, consider carefully! And saber on!
Karmack
