Ordered my Grab Bag Saber on Monday the 7th, and it just got here a few hours ago. I specified a metal hilt, and I ordered a UltraEdge Heavy Grade (hereafter abbreviated UE-HG) with it as well and left the LED up to the force (though I asked to not get Orange or Silver). After looking at the hilt designs, I've come to the conclusion that I got a Liberator in Consular Green (which is cool cause I saved $25 via the Grab Bag). On to the review proper:
The Liberator is an excellent saber, well suited to both one or two handed use. It runs off 4xAAA batteries (which kinda cut down on the choice of rechargeables, but oh well), and the holes in the emitter look great. The concave section in the center makes a great one handed grip, and there's more than enough space below that for your other hand. The UE-HG is much more dense than I expected it to be, and takes much more force to spin and move around than I expected, though I s'pose I'll grow some Jedi forearm muscles and all will be well.
On to some Saber Pr0n:
Hilt and blade, unlit, lit room
Hilt and blade, lit, lit room
Hilt and blade, separate, unlit, lit room
Hilt and blade, separate, lit, dark room, with flash
Hilt, no blade, lit, dark room, with flash
Hilt and blade, lit, dark room, with flash
Hilt and blade, lit, dark room, no flash
Blade Review:
The UE-HG blade is well lit in a lighted indoor room, but when I took it outside the blade became very washed out and pale, and the color was hardly visible. The UE-HG blade is definitely only for indoor use, or when it's night out. Since this is my first saber, I have no points of comparison between this color/blade combo and other sabers, so forgive me for that. One thing I noticed about the blade is that when I shake it (i.e. change directions fast) I hear a creaking noise and can see points of brighter light along the blade. I don't know what causes this, but it doesn't bother me too much. After whacking it into things around the house, I can assure you that this blade is pretty dang sturdy and you'll have to really try in order to break this blade.
Hilt Review:
As stated above, the Liberator hilt is good whether you use one or two hands. The curved middle portion serves as a great one handed grip, and there's more than enough space to comfortably fit your other hand. It's a nice, plain hilt, elegant in it's simplicity. There are a few scuffs and whatnot (and being a grab bag I sort of expected that) however, these scratches are so fine they're hardly visible and add some classy "battle damage" to the hilt. The Consular Green, while not my absolutely most preferred saber color, looks very nice in person. I think I can learn to love it
.
So that's my review of my Grab Bag version of the Liberator. To sum up, it's a great, solidly built saber, and considering it got to my door for the normal price of the hilt alone, is a great deal. Looking at my Grab Bag saber and other reviews of them, if you're looking for a cheap saber, you can't go wrong.
