Dark Shock saber questions

[Darth Sicarius]

Hello out there, im a little new to ultra sabers in pretty much every aspect, and ive been trying to make a choice for my first ultra saber. Now most posts ive read would suggest something like the initiate, but when i saw the dark shock, it had my name written all over it. So i want to find out as much about it as possible before i make my final decision. Ill begin by asking these questions; can you wield it with one or two hands comfortably? What blade type goes best with it? and is it a good saber for quick paced choreography?

If you can answer these questions, it would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Imo the Shock has some of the nicest ergonomics of any MHS saber out there.

It can be held very comfortably with one or two hands; the leading (right) hand positioned with thumb and forefinger wrapped around forward of the large rounded forward ring and the rest wrapped around the switch section, the switch nicely fitting in the natural 'gap' between the swell of the palm and fingers. In this position the switch can still be easily reached by thumb or fingers. And the forward ring and rear angle of the emitter make a nice choke point for one-handed spinning even though they are not reduced diameter.

Then wrap the trailing (left) hand around the rear grip area with thumb and forefinger behind the middle rounded ring and other fingers wrapped around with the covertec wheel fitting in the natural 'gap' between the swell of the palm and fingers and you have a very secure two handed dueling grip that will be quite familiar and natural to anyone who ever played baseball and which is much like Kit Fisto's Shii-Cho grip...excellent for balanced lever-fulcrum handling dynamics.

Alternatively for those who prefer a two handed grip with hands more widely separated Djem So style for more leverage [natural to ol Canucklehead hockey players like me eh?] one can wrap the trailing hand further back with the ring and pinky fingers around the long pommel [the pommel grooves are nicely placed to aid security with this] and the thumb and forefingers wrapped around the covertec wheel.

All in all this saber handles GREAT. I'm very impressed with its ergonomics, kudos to Ultrasabers for that. Try it and I think you'll like it too.

[Darth Sicarius]

Thank you, you've been a great help. And a vivid description I might add. I practically felt like i was holding it! My last question is, what type of blade goes best with it?

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Any blade should work well, its mostly a matter of personal preference...what colour LED were you planning on using? Personally I like Ultraedge for Guardian Blue, SRD and Adegan Silver and normal Mid Grade Ultrablade for Blazing Red, Fire Orange and Violet Amethyst but your mileage may vary.

[Darth Sicarius]

I was planning on getting blazing red with an ultra edge blade no matter what, but i didnt know if i should get mid grade or heavy grade. I want to be able to conduct fast paced choreography but i also want something that will last. So i guess what im getting at is, how much weight does the heavy grade add on, and is the mid grade fairly durable even compared to the heavy grade? or is there a major difference?

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Yes there is a significant difference in weight...the heavy grade wall thickness is twice that of the mid grade so it is twice the weight for equal length.

Since your purpose is "fast paced choreography" I would stick with the mid grade...it will be faster and the heavy grade is really more suitable for 'gorilla' duelists. The difference in weight is significant but the lighter mid grade blade is by no means weak...polycarbonate is a tough impact resistant material used in Apollo astronaut space helmet visors and bulletproof glass so innately quite shock resistant and even a mid grade Ultrablade is thicker and far more durable than the thin Master Replicas/Hasbro kind. I have never broken any of my mid grade Ultrablades whether normal or ultraedge...admittedly I am not a 'gorilla' dueler and if I was then I'd probably choose one of my heavy grade blades [or if I needed to k.o. a burglar lol] but otherwise the mid grade is plenty strong...and for your intended use will be faster.

Hope that helps.  Enjoy your Ultrasaber and MTFBWY.

[Darth Sicarius]

Thank you for your wisdom Master

(bows head)

You've been a terrific help. Thank you so much.

[Warlock Umbra]

Great description Onli-Won!!! I love my Dark Shock in Blazing Red! I think the Shock is a very elegant & traditional design. Also, the Dark version is very Sith-looking, IMO!

And, I was the same as you. When I saw the Dark Shock, I knew I was done deciding! As one of the guys put it on here: "when the saber calls, one must answer!"