Saber Forum

Alright, I'll start off by saying I've had this saber for two days now and I haven't been able to write a review because.......

I haven't been able to put the frickin' thing down for even a minute!
I've been swinging it around non-stop and it's just awesome!

So, I got the short pommel version with a bronze button, black blade holder, li-ion battery setup, quick disconnect,
and the obsidian soundboard with the illuminated AV switch.

Now, this saber's a big one. Measures 13.5" from the pommel to the top of the emitter.
Regardless, I still find it to work and be enjoyable, even if not 100% practical, as a one-hand hilt.
The pommel is MHS compatible, and I picked the short groove version. It provides the hilt with awesome resonance for the sounds.
Especially the idle humming sounds PERFECT. The Obsidian board has very accurate swing/clash sensors right out of the box, but I think I'm gonna up the swing sensitivity a bit.
The sound quality is better than I could imagine, and the sounds are awesome. I especially like the power-on sound, which is just the way I want it!

Aesthetically, it's a great-looking saber. The slanted shroud-like emitter gives a very 'Star Wars'-y feel and upon holding the saber for the first time,
I couldn't help thinking of Luke holding his father's Graflex-hilt saber for the first time while Ben Kenobi went on about this 'elegant weapon from a more civilized age'.

The blank aluminum combined with the black grooves and all-black ribbed grip section makes for a saber that would look good in the hands of both Jedi and Sith alike.


Here's the Bellicose with Consular Green LED next to my other ultrasabers; a Dark Prophecy with Blazing Red and a Shock LE with Guardian Blue.
(http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/9100/dsc00791yb.jpg)
(http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/8075/dsc00794sl.jpg)

And here's a close-up of the illuminated switch and the accessory button.
(http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/4990/dsc00799r.jpg)

I picked the black blade holder, because I felt it looked better that way. Kind of like a continuation of the pattern the black grooves provided.

I also went with the illuminated AV switch, because I feel the standard switches get in the way.
The fact that it looks really great is just a nice bonus.

In order to pick the accessory button I wanted, I photoshopped the photos from the US website to get an idea of how the different buttons would look.

(http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5754/buttonyn.jpg)

My first thought was that it had to be one of the shiny, metallic ones. But chrome blended too well with the aluminum. Gold kind of stood out, but not enough to give
any reasonable contrast against the rest of the hilt. Bronze, on the other hand, was just what I wanted. It stands out, but still looks like it fits right in.


When I got to the battery option, I decided to get the Li-Ion setup with included charger.
Since I live in Sweden and don't have the wall outlets to use the supplied power cord, I picked up a C7(figure 8.) connector power cord I have with the same stated current
and voltage ratings as the one provided with the charger. Since the label on the charger says it takes up to 240V, I figured my 230V wall outlets would be safe to use.
Now, I don't know if this is because of my power cord or if there's even anything wrong, but while using the charger it gives off a very loud whistling sound.
I'm gonna look for a converter/adapter to use the supplied power cord and choke the voltage down to 110V, and hopefully get rid of the whistling.
The charger seems to do its job though. It took around 2.5hrs to fully charge the batteries.

I bought the saber with Quick Disconnect and a Consular Green MLS unit installed, and with Blazing Red and Violet Amethyst ones on the side(with two more on the way).
I got the two MLS units with the two-pin inlet, and I also got the corresponding connector hooked up to two 10" cables (I'm guessing this is for DIYers).

(http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/1314/20110731001220.jpg)

When swapping LEDs I found that the wires in the hilt with the connector were a little bit short.
But it's still enough to let you swap the MLS units without putting too much strain on the wires, so no biggie.

(http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/3966/mlsconnector.jpg)

When using the saber I found that, because of the length of the hilt, my 36" midgrade UltraEdge blade felt a little short. I usually want the visible length of the blade to be around
three times the length of the hilt (like with my Shock LE sabers). Other than that, it handles beautifully. With the UE blade the balance point is right where the blade holder is which makes it
comfortable for me to one-hand wield with the accessory button between my index and middle finger, placing the pinky in perfect position to use the switch.

Finally, before showing you guys some more pics and a video of this saber, I give it:

Design: 10/10

Craftsmanship: 10/10

Handling and Comfortability: 9/10, feels good in hand and worn on belt using Covertec clip. Lost a point because of the blade length issue. (Not a problem with the hilt itself).

Obsidian board: 10/10

LEDs: 10/10

MLS units and Quick Disconnect: 8/10, the quick disconnect feature is awesome. The two lost points are because of the issue noted at the very bottom of this post. Other people may or may not experience the same problem. Solved by putting electrical tape on the wires, keeping them together and preventing them from getting stuck.

All in all: 9.5/10.
I strongly recommend this saber for anyone ;)
Unless you only like tiny little sabers, that is ;)


Here are some photos of it!

(http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/4358/dsc00817yn.jpg)

(http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/8615/dsc00816k.jpg)

(http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/6433/dsc00814.jpg)

(http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/5203/dsc00813em.jpg)

(http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/4818/dsc00812sq.jpg)

(http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/9889/dsc00802n.jpg)

(http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/7283/dsc00808tk.jpg)

(http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2938/dsc00807n.jpg)

(http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/6561/dsc00809qh.jpg)




Alright, I made kind of a video review. Now, I'm from Sweden and english isn't my native language..
I'm literally trying every second not to get my tongue tied up in a knot.. So be nice!
Here it is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCGOtEtI_14#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCGOtEtI_14#ws)

One thing I don't mention in the video when changing the MLS units, is that in the hilt there's like a sharp edge. Kind of like a joint, which is possibly there to keep the MLS unit in place and stop it from going further down into the hilt. Anyhow, the heat-shrink on the cables of my Violet Amethyst MLS unit (there's 3 cables on it instead of just 2) get stuck there every time I try to get it in there. I have to wiggle it around and push harder than I want to to get it down there. I wanted to show the VA instead of the BR in the vid, but now there's a tiny hole in the heat-shrink and I don't wanna risk a short. Does anyone know how to cover it? Could I just use some electrical tape?

Congrats Nyte!

Sweet Sabers Man!

Very Very Nice My Brother of the Darkness  ;D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and Great Video Review as well ;)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks! My batteries just died, which means I got like an hour or two from a full charge (with a lot of 'on-off-on-off-on-off' moments).
How long were the Li-Ion batteries supposed to last from a full charge? It's possible that I've been playing a lot more with it than I think, but.. doesn't feel like they should be dead already.
I'll add that during the first charge it took less than an hour before the indicator lights on the charger turned green.
Anyhow, they're recharging again, so I should be doing the happy saber-dance again in a couple of hours!

The 14500's are 900mah, so they should give you about an hour run time, give or take.

Alright, seems about right! Thanks for pointing it out! :)

Nice review.  For the shrink wrap, I think electrical tape would work fine.  I know they use to make a kind that is not made of plastic, but of cloth and has some texture to it.  If you can get ahold of that kind I would use it verus the plastic tape.

BTW, I have a saber that is also hard to get the mls unit back in.  But it's not like your changing the units out a lot.

I already put some electrical tape on it, and not only does it cover the hole, but it keeps the cables in place. Now they don't get in the way, so it's a lot easier to get the unit down into the hilt!

Just edited the first post, adding a full written review ;)

How long did it take to arrive? ie. shipping time?

Nice to meet someone else from the north.. (FIN here  ;))


Cool sabers. (And a nice PC mouse  ;D)

It took a week from getting shipping confirmation until I had the saber in my hand.
One week shipping time for every order I've placed.

nice sabers nyte! your bellicose is awesome. all the colors look really good on your saber

Magnificently Beautiful Saber ;)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amazing Review  ;D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This gives me lots of ideas for my Bellicose ;)!!!!!

Is this a DIY saber? I was wondering how you got the blue illuminated switch into there. Or does it replace the standard switch when you get it with the obsidian w/ blue illuminated switch option?

No, it's not a DIY saber. I don't know crap about wiring and soldering and stuff, so a DIY LED saber is a no-go for me right now. ^^

Yeah the blue illuminated switch  replaces the standard switch if you chose to get the sound board and switch for an extra $100

Anyways nice review Nyte and awesome collection too. Planning to get a Bellicose soon too but with a RGB setup though. =D

lets say you are putting a anti vandall switch in urself, how much bigger does the whole have to be if its a 9/16 pressfit hole? just curious before i get my switch?

Nice saber dude! :) Very good review of it also. Bet you are terrorizing the neighborhood now lol. With the obsidian sound board i bet they can hear you coming too hehe.

Very nice review and a very nice saber. The bronze button really looks the best in my opinion. If ever I will get me a Bellicose, I'll also choose bronze :)

Nice Bellicose. I'm also getting one but in Blazing Red, Ultra Edge Heavy Grade blade, gold button, red av button, short grooved pommel, black blade holder, and the li-ion batt set up. The Blazing Red looks good on the Bellicose saber. I'm getting mine in 2 weeks. Oh also it will have Obsidian sound in it too. =]

Oh that's so nice, great choice. Hope you have fun with it.

I also have to say, THANK YOU! For posting pics of the Quick Dis, now I know what it looks like. I was on the fence because I didn't want to open up a saber to get in there for fear of hurting it.

This is most awesome. Almost exactly the setup I plan to get once I can afford the Bellicose for myself. *want*

I'm actually getting my Bellicse with Consular Green, bronze button, and blue lighted button. Your video made me want the Bellicose saber like that even more. xp It will still have a Heavy Grade blade, black blade holder, short pommel, and li-ion batts, though.

WOW! This is the exact saber I am currently waiting on!!
These photos and video review get me so excited for it now.
Only difference is I am getting, gold button, red and blue MLS and the heavy grade blade!

SO EXCITED  :o  I just hope it comes soon  :'(

Thanks for sharing!