Saber Forum

OK, this isn't quite going to get the grandeur of my Electrum Wind review, but I got my new coupler today.  Yes, it's the quick release.  I've gotta say, this is a game changer.  I don't see any other saber smiths being able to touch this bad boy anytime soon.  It literally takes a second or two to detach or re-attach your staff parts, not the couple minutes it takes when fooling around with the unscrewing and screwing a standard coupler.  (I'm sure speedy people can do it in less than a minute, but still not as quick as the QR coupler)  Anywho, onto the pics:


I'm sure somebody was going to request seeing the Electrum Wind coupled to something.  If not, I'd have been disappointed because I sure wanted to see it.


I also got one of these cool circle blade plugs with this order.  Since I don't want to start a thread just for that, here it is:


So, yeah, this coupler is freaking amazing.  Not only that, but mine was free, because I paid for the order mostly with reward points.  I paid nothing for the coupler and $1 for the plug. (or the opposite, depending on your POV)  I cheaped out on the shipping and went with the $6 USPS option.  I guess, when you do that, you don't even get a shipping notification.  But, no worries.  It was a nice surprise when I got the mail today.  8)

Good info on the new coupler, SFD.

How freely do the sabers rotate when using them for strikes, spins, etc.?

Thanks Landen.  It rotates really freely.  The slightest touch makes the hilts rotate.  And that's just twirling the hilts around in my hands with no blades in them.  I have to get ready to go to work in a few minutes, so I don't have time for extensive testing right now, but I'd imagine it would rotate even more when handling a staff in battle or spinning.

Oh, and the sound is LOUD.  I have a piece of cloth stuffed in the pommel of my Electrum Wind so that I don't disturb others while messing around with it, of which I've been doing a lot.  (first time with sound)  So, when I put the QR coupler on and activated it, it startled me. ;)

That's disappointing to hear.  Looks like I'll be skipping over this.

Yeah, that was my concern to.

Thanks for the info, SFD.

No problem, guys.  Sorry it was bad news.  But, it's always better to find this stuff out before you buy.  The connection is made with ball bearinga that go into a channel in the skinny part. So, even though the connection is strong, it rolls around.  With the way you spin, Samhain, it would definitely be moving a lot.  And, I'd imagine it would also move around on you in combat, Landen.  :(

Yeah, I have experience with couplers like this, but it's mostly through hoses. When the hoses are under pressure, whether it be with fluid or air, the pressure holds the two pieces together very strong, and they don't move as much. When there's no pressure, they move a lot. In the product video Emory did, I thought they moved very easily.

But, if going for a quick change from staff to dual wield is what you're after, then this hits the mark beautifully.

Indeed.  I'm certainly not a martial artist like you or a spinner like Samhain, so it's cool to me.  I'm more of a single wielder anyway, I just got it because I can and because it looks cool and is a great piece of engineering for the saber world.

The cosplay benefits of being somewhere with a staff you can easily detach are obvious.  It's certainly better than lugging a couple pommels around with you at a party or con.  ;)  Plus, as Emory pointed out in the video, it's easy to line up those switches for photo ops.

I can for sure see the cosplay benefits for this.  If I ever do an OC character cosplay I'd probably want this for my DSI set.  But for a spinning demonstration I don't think I'd use this to switch it up on the fly.

We really want to see the Electrum Staff, but that there looks pretty freakin' sweet as is!  QR coupler is definitely on my list of wants now. Think I would use it in spinning or combat in spite of the rotation thing at least to see how it holds up and get an idea for how the hilts turning would affect things.

I agree with both of these.

I'm not sure if users have actually tried spinning with this coupler or just make posts about it.  But myself and numerous other have used this coupler both in spinning and in combat and the ability for the hilts to turn effect both 0%.  We make combat ready products, we wouldn't have released this coupler if it was not made for combat.  If you plan to use your double sided saber as a baseball bat then perhaps this will get you jammed up at the plate.  But if you plan to use it like a staff then you will have no issues at all and the quick release will be a joy.

Well, like I told Landen earlier, I didn't have much time to test it this morning.  I can put some blades in and give it some swings when I get home.

I have every confidence in its ability to stand up to combat without breaking or becoming detached.

I've used couplers like that on my scuba gear and trusted them with my life in 100+ feet of water. I know the technology is solid.

I think we need to get some videos of people dueling and spinning with a shot of the button alignment before and after, and that would help a lot of potential buyers.

I didn't mean to question its durability or like if the saber would go flying off or something ridiculous.  I only meant the hilts rotating on the coupler sounds like something that I wouldn't be crazy about if it's as sensitive as Scifidude79 made it sound.  I look forward to seeing some demonstrations of it once enough people have gotten their hands on one.

Is either of the hilts rotating that big of a deal? Would it negatively affect the grip or the ability to wield a staff in general?

Or is the button alignment always changing the real issue?

Combat - Think of grip. You go to make a swing, and the hilt rotates causing your wrist to extend or flex, which would change the angle of the hilt in relation to your hand when contact is made. It could cause your hand to be in a weaker position and cause the hilt to slip. A very common staff strike is almost like a punch, and the force of the hilt gets directed into your palm and forearm. If the saber rotates and your wrist flexes, then the force would be directed towards your thumb. Not as strong. If your wrist extends in the same type of strike, then the force could cause your wrist to hyper extend.

Spinning - I'm thinking of sabers with a lot of accent pieces like the Menace, Graflex, etc. If the hilt rotates and your hand comes down on one of those accessories, it could cause a miss.

So, yes, in theory, it could have a negative effect. Practice could also help overcome this, as could the proper choice of sabers.

But, according to Deep, it's not an issue. And like he said, he's actually done it.

Well, Emory said they extensively tested it and it works for them.  We know they battle test all of their products and they're rock solid.

I, on the other hand, opened it up, played around a few minutes, took pics and posted this quick review and then took a shower and went to work.  I spun it a tiny bit with my Aeon V3 and Sentinel hilts connected.  They did move some, but that can hardly be considered a conclusive test.

Anyway, I'll be home in about an hour and I'll connect my Sentinel and Dark Sentinel (for balance) with some 32-inch blades and give it a more extensive test.  Though, for actual combat, you're going to need a staff wielder to use one and test it.

I plan on getting one of these for my Dominix v4s....the..twisting..shouldnt be THAT much of an issue right? if it was for other sabers that have parts jutting from the hilt that would be more of an issue...but the dominix v4s are mostly flat except for the recharge ports, belt clips and the activation buttons.

OK, bear in mind I have little combat training with this type of weapon.  However, I tried some basic staff stuff similar to what I remember from my Army days and what I've seen in TPLA videos.  Yes, the hilts rotated.  Was that an issue?  Not really.  Though, again, I'm not the best person to judge. However, going through the basic moves, I didn't notice the rotation until I looked at my switches.

If you want more than that, you're going to have to wait.  I'm hardly about to start spinning a staff this long around in the house and it's dark and raining outside.  Plus, I have to work again tomorrow, so I'm done for the night.  Maybe some staff spinners and duelers will try these out soon and post reviews.  Or, take Emory's word for it.  I'm sure he's a much better saber fighter than me.  Or, take a chance and buy one.  They're only $35.

Hey SFD . . . any chance you could do a little experiment for us ?

I had an idea about the rotation that some have mentioned, and thought an o-ring the right size at the base of the male part (skinny part) could put a little back pressure against the female part to minimise any rotation ? . . . It wouldn't need to be much, just enough to grip . . . Would there be any chance you could find a few o-rings to test out this idea ?

EDIT : I'd guess the right diameter o-ring, maybe 1/16" thick could do the job . . . you wouldn't want it to put too much pressure against the bearings . . . just a first guess though ?

Not tonight but I can see what we have at work tomorrow.