Guardian Blue Monarch (Raffle 1st prize)

[Master Nero Attoru]

To my surprise and delight, my new nickel plated Monarch came in last night!  I say surprise because I had to sign for my Dark Prophecy (UPS being a pain as usual), but in this case it wasn't necessary... so here's a review!

Despite having gotten a few sabers recently, my first impression upon opening it was the packaging.  First off, they no longer use packing peanuts (which made a mess) and instead use an intense amount of bubble wrap.  Much neater and still VERY secure in that box... it was flawless when it came out.  Not to mention they package your charger in a handy little bag, and even include Ultrasabers business cards.  Pretty cool!

Ok so let's get to the saber.  My first impression on the saber itself was very pretty - the curves of the thing make it very elegant looking, and the nickel plating gives it a very unique and attractive finish.  Despite its length (11" IIRC), this thing has some serious heft!  The bulbous section in the upper half is fairly thick, but surprisingly comfortable to grip.  Not to mention the pseudo choke point towards the top gives a nice spot for your index finger, while the bottom section provides a very good grip for your second hand.  In short, I feel like this would make a solid two handed saber!

I don't think I need to rant any more about Guardian Blue, I've mentioned time and again what a great color it is.  It's VERY bright and a perfectly deep shade of blue, the perfect pick for any Jedi hero... or recently turned Sith Lord who needs to purge a temple

I intend to take several pictures for you guys, and even make a video review.  In addition, once I use it a bit more for combat I'll add some of my thoughts on that topic - after all, that's what they make these things for!  Until then, I hope this was informative for you all... let me know if you have any questions about the hilt or anything.

EDIT:  Snapped a pic!

[Sandtracker]

Nice review! I have to agree about the hilt being heavy.

[ThreadJack]

You realize I hate you for this, right?

[NinjaJesus]

Awesome saber, man.  I alwas liked the look of the Monarch.  It looks like something someone of royalty would use.

I got my raffle saber in the mail yesterday too.  The Dominix V3.  It's a cool looking saber. LOVE the choke points on it.  However, when I go to light it up, the LED didn't work.  Something must've happened at some point, I'm not really sure.  I'm just really bummed about it.

And THEN, last night, something happened to my Bane that now the LED and the AV switch don't light up any more.  It just seems like luck isn't at all on my side as of late. 

I did email Emory about it, but they're obviously at DragonCon, so nothing can be done as of now.  Now, all I have is my Bellicose, which is great, but I still wish my others worked. 

[Zren Tobas]

Nice saber. The Monarch as a Jedi saber though? Looks more Sith to me. But that's just me. Even the silver/nickle plated version looks Sith to me.

[Master Nero Attoru]

Nice saber. The Monarch as a Jedi saber though? Looks more Sith to me. But that's just me. Even the silver/nickle plated version looks Sith to me.

Hmmm idk.  It seems pretty Jedi to me, but ultimately that's a personal opinion thing I think.  To me, the lack of sharp and aggressive features is what makes it more Jedi (as opposed to hilts with slanted emitters and sharper angles like my Dark Prophecy).  Still, it could definitely work well for either!  This is one of those hilts that would look great in a LOT of colors... I'm actually considering grabbing a VA LED module for it, since I think it would look killer in purple.

Awesome saber, man.  I alwas liked the look of the Monarch.  It looks like something someone of royalty would use.

I got my raffle saber in the mail yesterday too.  The Dominix V3.  It's a cool looking saber. LOVE the choke points on it.  However, when I go to light it up, the LED didn't work.  Something must've happened at some point, I'm not really sure.  I'm just really bummed about it.

And THEN, last night, something happened to my Bane that now the LED and the AV switch don't light up any more.  It just seems like luck isn't at all on my side as of late. 

I did email Emory about it, but they're obviously at DragonCon, so nothing can be done as of now.  Now, all I have is my Bellicose, which is great, but I still wish my others worked. 

Awwww sorry man   That's like the ultimate series of bad luck.  The LEDs are the only thing not working?  The sound comes on ok then?  PM me and maybe we can troubleshoot this until they get back from Dragoncon.

[Zren Tobas]

I agree with you Nero. Get a VA MLS. ;o

[Deep]

Awesome saber, man.  I alwas liked the look of the Monarch.  It looks like something someone of royalty would use.

I got my raffle saber in the mail yesterday too.  The Dominix V3.  It's a cool looking saber. LOVE the choke points on it.  However, when I go to light it up, the LED didn't work.  Something must've happened at some point, I'm not really sure.  I'm just really bummed about it.

And THEN, last night, something happened to my Bane that now the LED and the AV switch don't light up any more.  It just seems like luck isn't at all on my side as of late. 

I did email Emory about it, but they're obviously at DragonCon, so nothing can be done as of now.  Now, all I have is my Bellicose, which is great, but I still wish my others worked. 

These are all CLASSIC signs of a voltage drop or also called battery issues.  Please charge your Lithium Ion batteries and do NOT use regular AA batteries.  The LED requires more power than the soundboard, so sound will still work but the LED will not when the batteries are drained.  If charging the batteries does not help then you probably have a fully dead Li-Ion battery cell that needs to be replaced.

If you need further assistance with all this please email us at info@ultrasabers.com and we will get back to you as soon as we possibly can.

[reiperx]

I agree with the hilt being very heavy, but I cannot find a comfortable grip on it.

I can get a decently comfortable one with a reverse grip (not that I'd ever use that with a full length weapon when fighting) but its just not comfortable to me.

Will have an actual review on my two new sabers up soon with pics and maybe video.

I'll also get a few friends to try it out since I have small hands, and maybe their bigger hands will find a better fit.

[Master Nero Attoru]

I agree with the hilt being very heavy, but I cannot find a comfortable grip on it.

I can get a decently comfortable one with a reverse grip (not that I'd ever use that with a full length weapon when fighting) but its just not comfortable to me.

Will have an actual review on my two new sabers up soon with pics and maybe video.

I'll also get a few friends to try it out since I have small hands, and maybe their bigger hands will find a better fit.

Yeah I think perhaps my bigger hands help a bit, because I can find some fairly comfy spots to grip.  Two handed is pretty fine, because I use the choke point and lower section, but single handed becomes somewhat difficult due to the weight and shape.  Of course, when I take the heavy grade blade off it becomes a lot easier!

Still, I couldn't dream of complaining.  This thing is awesome and I got it for free courtesy of the awesome folks at Ultrasabers.  Thanks a lot guys!

[reiperx]

Yeah I think perhaps my bigger hands help a bit, because I can find some fairly comfy spots to grip.  Two handed is pretty fine, because I use the choke point and lower section, but single handed becomes somewhat difficult due to the weight and shape.  Of course, when I take the heavy grade blade off it becomes a lot easier!

Still, I couldn't dream of complaining.  This thing is awesome and I got it for free courtesy of the awesome folks at Ultrasabers.  Thanks a lot guys!

Yeah its still an absolute beauty.

Quick question, is your sound a little lower in this than the others? Mine is, I think its the casing though. Its still pretty loud, and love it just not as loud as my overlord.

[Master Nero Attoru]

Yeah its still an absolute beauty.

Quick question, is your sound a little lower in this than the others? Mine is, I think its the casing though. Its still pretty loud, and love it just not as loud as my overlord.

Good question... I didn't notice it before, but it is a little bit lower in volume.  Of course at this point I'm used to my Prophecy, which basically has an open hole for a pommel... so needless to say the Monarch is still VERY loud lol

[Longdong]

Hi, reckon you could post a pic of the monarch without the led on to get a better look of the finish?
In deep's vid, he says how shinny the nikel is, but all the other pics of this look a bit matt somehow.
how is it for spinning?
thanks

[Master Nero Attoru]

Hi, reckon you could post a pic of the monarch without the led on to get a better look of the finish?
In deep's vid, he says how shinny the nikel is, but all the other pics of this look a bit matt somehow.
how is it for spinning?
thanks

Yeah sure, I took a few pics a while back actually.







It's a little more matte than you'd expect, at least this one is, but that's not a bad thing at all.  Gives it a VERY unique finish that I really love.

It's not bad for spinning really, although the curves of it can make it tough to grip for people with smaller hands.  I find it pretty easy though.

[RogueLeader]

Argh, I know what you mean. I got a GB Monarch for my birthday back in May. I couldn't grip it comfortably at all and it was way too heavy to actually fight with, so I would up giving it to my dad for Father's day and buying myself a Liberator, which is much easier to grip.