Hi, folks! I got this as part of the 2019 Halloween Giveaway sale, and I just didn’t get around to reviewing it until today. Sorry for the delay, but here is my short (about seven and a half minutes) review of the Dark Apprentice LE v5 in Adegan Silver. (Yes, I know I said it ran on four DOUBLE-A batteries instead of four TRIPLE-A batteries. I’m sorry.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ban3QWMnVCs#And by the way, what is the correct pronunciation? AD-uh-gun? ah-DEE-gun? Something else entirely? Please help.
The TL;DW version is as follows:
Specs:The hilt is 10” or 25.4 cm long from stem to stern, as listed on the UltraSabers website. The hilt is 1.45” in diameter, also as listed on the UltraSabers website. My measurements confirm both these listings, within the tolerances of my measuring tools. (Gee, what a shock, right? The folks with the machining specifications know what the measurements are!). Given my setup of stunt configuration with a 24-inch Adegan Silver UltraEdge MidGrade blade and 4xAAA power source, the weight was 17-1/2 oz, or 498g.
Impressions:This doesn’t match the order I mentioned these things in the video, but I was really impressed by the v5 re-design in general, and the silver and black color scheme of the Dark Apprentice LE in particular.
The fact that the windowed emitter is now standard, and that the v5 windows align with the main axis of the cylinder instead of being perpendicular to it as in the v4, REALLY make the blade color “pop” through the body of the hilt, and that just looks SO COOL to me! I don’t care what color blade you put in there, the group of three longitudinal windows really show off the light nicely, with the silver inner border and the black all around the outside. I’ve used several (nearly all) of the color discs I ordered with the blade, and it doesn’t matter what color the blade is, those windows really show it off well. I took the advice of several folks on here and ordered a LEE color filter swatch book, and when I get the 1” round punch from the craft store, I’ll start playing with those, too. UltraSabers did a really good job of balancing the black and silver on this hilt; like I say in the video, this hilt would not look the slightest bit out of place as part of the livery for the Guard for the City of Gondor.
Speaking of the windows in the emitter, I do need to mention the part about how some folks have complained that the edges here are too sharp. I can definitely see where the precisely-cut edges could tear up your hands if you grip the hilt at what is undeniably a natural choke point. If you do a lot of spinning, I hear that this would be the natural spot to grab. Since I don’t spin (at least, not yet), I don’t hold the saber there; I hold it lower, whether I’m using one hand or two, so to me, this is not an issue, but I definitely see where other folks are coming from on this. So if you DO grab the saber there, I suggest what I have seen other folks suggest; either wear gloves, or file/grind down the corners a little bit. On the black parts, that means you’ll get a little extra thin spot of silver, so it ain’t all bad, as they say.
Keeping with the black and silver appearance, but moving further down the hilt towards the pommel, we reach the ribbed portion of the hilt, and this is just NUTS! The top set of ribs is a set of five fairly wide v-shaped grooves set JUST far enough apart that there is a thin black line in between each, so you have four ridges in the middle of these five grooves. Below the switch, this pattern is repeated with 20 grooves and 19 ridges. At the points of a six-pointed star (symbol of the Empire, anyone?), the ridges have been sliced flat, leaving a “pointed-oval,” or lens-shaped flat spot that, even though it is NOT anodized black, but is actually silver, almost always looks like it’s black. Holy optics, Batman! I don’t know if this is what they were trying to do or not, but that is one visually impressive feat! Every time I pick up this hilt, I marvel at that just a little bit.
The AV switch is just plain cool; there’s no two ways about it. The thing is nearly silent, especially as compared to the protected switch, and the fact that it is a “forward-clicky”-style switch means that you can momentarily activate the blade by half-pressing the switch, which allows for some neat effects, if you have a talented finger or thumb. (Morse code, anyone?) Even though the default is a NON-illuminated switch, this is a very nice upgrade to have as standard with the V5 hilts. I opted not to upgrade to the illuminated version, and I’m quite happy with the results. I now have two sabers with the AV switch, and the other one is illuminated. I’m pretty sure I will always opt for the AV switch, even if I need to pay for it (which is not required on any V5 hilt), but the decision to have an illuminated AV switch or not will depend on the saber; both options have their advantages.
All in all, I have to say that I am very pleased with this saber, and I look forward to it earning some battle scars as I use it.
Great vid, Cyclops! I have the Apprentice v4 for my offand shoto and was seriously thinking of getting the v5 in the near future. I'm partial to the illuminate AV switches myself, at least for the dual-wielding set that I favor