Saber Forum

Greetings, Saberforum. I shall be reviewing the standard Shock for you today, and though I have shot a video review which I will be posting at a later time, this shall for now be a traditional review. For you newbies and youngsters out there, that means lots of text and lots of pictures. For the old guys who know what I'm talking about, save your lols and start reading. ;)

THE BACKGROUND:
This saber was ordered for a couple reasons. I'd initially been eying a Grab Bag this time around, but I realized that was because older MHS RGB hilts were turning up. Particularly the Shock. As I came into enough unexpected cash that I should have saved but knew I wouldn't, I started looking at buying in on the Raffle. Thus with the interest I had in the Shock WAY back when I was planning my second purchase rekindled, I added it to the list. Now, that list of potential purchases had several sabers on it, especially with the facebook discount. However, it eventually came down to a matter of options. I'm spoiled and need to have em' all, so it was between the Shock and Dark Prophecy V3. I couldn't afford all the options on the Prophecy, and I do have a V2 CE already... so it was the Shock. Color was decided because it's one of the last standard colors I don't have, and as I planned the purchase with Silver in mind the Shock seemed a natural pair with it. This was because Silver ALWAYS makes me think of Corran Horn's first saber, which is one of the few character hilts (and costumes for that matter) that I have a mind to own. Thus it was decided.

THE MATCH:
On the above note, I will reiterate this was purchased speced out in an attempt to approximate the Nejaa Halcyon saber Corran Horn inherited in The Krytos Trap. Here is the description of that hilt as quoted from the book:
"Shifting his blaster to his left hand, Corran reached into the case and pulled out a thirty-centimeter long silvery cylinder. A concave dish capped it, a thickened knob served as the pommel, and a black button rode in a recessed niche precisely where his right thumb naturally rested. Pointing the cup away from himself, Corran hit the button.
A silvery white shaft of light just over a meter in length hissed to life."

Now, this to me speaks of a very simple, utilitarian, combat oriented hilt. Something designed to fight practically, and not for much else. Perhaps with just a hint of elegance to it, suggested by the almost all silver hilt and white blade which would stand out on any battlefield. In otherwords, a Clan Saber. Now, it's been long agreed that the Shock is a Clan Saber through and through. A natural counterpart to the Clan Sabers in the movies, similar to the Aeons and Standard Issues, but with JUST a hint more detail in that pretty emitter. The Shock, unfortunately, does not have a cupped emitter. It's one flaw, if you ask me. lol The hilt, being the standard shock, is all silver, so it is a perfect match for that part of the description. The switch is not recessed or black, though I could fix the color issue, I rather like it as it is and will likely leave it that way. Coming to the end of the hilt, the pommel is described a thickened knob. The Shock Pommel can fit that description. It is thicker than the rest of the hilt, but without being bulky, and is often described as a good handstop for your trailing hand on the hilt. I think it's a very fair match. It might interest readers to know, by the way, that I have measured this hilt and without a blade it comes in at 28 1/2 centimeters, so it is only a centimeter and a half short of the canon Halcyon hilt! As for the blade, it's a standard 36"er, so to be technically accurate I need to swap for a 40" blade. I plan to pick one up eventually, so that's no problem, and the color is perfect as you can see.
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Manroon/20120831_194359.jpg)

THE BLADE:
The blade is a standard Mid Grade Blade. I've used plenty of them, and though I prefer to have a good Heavy Grade, the Middies show just a little better and are quite adequately durable for a good spar. Being cheaper, I find I've got a number of them now. They are very bright, very evenly lit getting only a micro-hair dimmer in the very middle, and overall give you the same full look of a Heavy Grade Ultra Edge, but without the pastel washout the older UE blades were known for. (I will go into detail on the newer UE blades in another review, but suffice to say they are a BIG improvement!) I can tell you I have taken Middies into pitched combat against Heavies and they hold up very well, though they do scuff more against the thicker walled blades, and the scuffs show more in the thin material. Overall, the Mid Grade Blade is an excellent choice for the entry level saber enthusiast, the dedicated con-goer or cosplayer, or anyone trying to economize and save enough money to get the Buck Puck instead of the Resistor Set Up. ;)

THE LED:
The LED on this saber, if I recall correctly since it's a FoC setup, is a 10 Watt. It is also wired with the Buck Puck Set Up, and due to the fact that all three things tie in to the light this sucker outputs, I'll review them in the same section. I have both Buck Puck and Resistor Set Up Obsidian Sabers, and though I will not say definitively because I don't have duplicate colors among my sound equipped hilts, I do believe there is a noticeable and appreciable difference in brightness when you go with a Buck Puck. As far as the Adegan Silver LED Color, it is most definitely NOT going to make your blade look like a light bulb. It's an AMAZING color to look at, extremely reminiscent of the original cut of ANH. If you watch the older cuts of that movie, the blue sabers are nearly white, with just a faint blue glow about them. Not at all like the more Royal Blue of ROTS. I have an undying love for the Theatrical Edition of Episode IV, so this is a great color to me and fulfills everything I wanted in a Halcyon saber. I also find that on this saber the blade tip is much less noticeable than on my other sabers, blending in more fluidly with the blade and masking the seem. I'm unsure if this is just the LED color, or the blade itself. The Flash On Clash feature is wonderful. I don't believe I'll order another sound equipped saber without it. On this hilt, I ordered a Sentinel Yellow FoC. This is because of two reasons, the first being that in the original cut of Ep IV, the sabers flashed yellow when they hit or locked up. The second is because it is a subtle change from white to yellow, and that looks more natural and less distracting to the eye in a duel. For any who are curious, the flash is sort of an orangey-yellow peach like color, since the yellow and white mix during flash. It's a great look. As I've already given you a good blade photo, I'll give you the same again with camera flash for comparison and to show you how well the color shows in light. Which reminds me, I forgot to mention this LED shows EXCELLENTLY in light!
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Manroon/20120831_194344.jpg)

THE EMITTER:
The emitter is fully MHS compatible. Shape and style are vaguely similar to the Consular or Qui-Gon Jinn's hilt, but also have a healthy mix of the Clan Saber style hilts as seen in the Prequel Trilogy. The grooves in the emitter are much deeper than you think, lending the ribs some body and substance. The lower rings stick out about as far as the top disc, and it chokes back to the body of the saber very nicely. All the grooves are wide and deep, and the sort of choke created by the ribbed section provides a nice solid grip if you need to hold the hilt high in a lockup. The disc at the top and the choke back to the body at the bottom also do a nice job of keeping your hands from accidentally slipping anywhere you don't want them without you noticing. Particularly the choke slant at the base will add an instant choke point to pretty much whatever saber you put it on. My only qualm with the emitter is that there's a lot of flat space on the top of it, which doesn't always seem right to my eye. I'd have put a very shallow cupped depression there, but that's just me. This is probably my favorite emitter at this point. I also want to note that the retention screw is hidden in the groove beneath the middle rib, and the hole for the screw only slightly crosses over into the ribs, so the screw is easy to access but very well hidden for show.
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Manroon/20120831_194156.jpg)

THE BODY:
The hilt's body is a work of art. It's simple, functional, and pleasing to the eye. The lower body has three standard grooves positioned perfectly for grip with a single or trailing hand. The Covertec is low and out of the way, positioned in a spot that lets the saber hang well on your belt if you're out for a stroll in the Crimson Corridor or heading to the Room of 1000 Fountains. Beneath the Activator there is a double groove with a single rib in it which provides a perfect locking point for the hand. (http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Manroon/20120831_194213.jpg) Just beneath the emitter there is a single groove with a rib that serves the same function. (http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Manroon/20120831_194147.jpg) The rib is positioned above the groove, also providing a functional and visually attractive choke point without actually sacrificing any of the body to do so. (http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Manroon/20120831_194224.jpg) This positioning allows the Choke to remain with most emitter styles, and also keeps the body large enough for easy access to the LED. On the other end, the battery pack fits snugly, but I have not experienced any jams and it seems well fitted and easily removable. In the middle, the AV switch is mounted securely, though the bezzel for it is actually a little loose. That causes a rattle sometimes, but I do not mind this and actually rather enjoy the personality quirk it affords the hilt. Opening the hilt up, I found the AV switch to be secured additionally on the inside with not only the standard arrangement, but a healthy dose of glue. I appreciate the extra security, and can feel that the activator on my saber isn't going ANYWHERE. However, the AV switch does take up a lot of room in the hilt, so be warned if your battery pack jams and you need to push it out, maneuvering room inside the hilt is limited to do so.

THE OBSIDIAN SOUND:
There isn't a whole lot to be said about Obsidian that hasn't been said numerous times before. I believe firmly that there can not be a better design for a combat soundboard than the Obsidian, unless it's another Obsidian Variant. They are firmly attached to the battery pack, easily accessed for font changes, which are point and click simple to do, and no matter how rough and tumble your duel gets, that board will work right through them. I've never had a problem with one. Be sure if you plug in to change fonts your batteries are freshly charged, as font changes drain them quickly and the board will need to be reset to default and reloaded with your font of choice again if it starts running out of power in a change. Otherwise, there's not much else to Obsidian. It's VERY loud, though that can change depending upon your pommel of choice, very reliable, and provides enough features to give the saber functioning detail. By that, I mean you get sounds that trigger naturally on movement, power on and off, sounds you can trigger on purpose like a lock up or force attack, and the ability to have an illuminated av switch to cover accent lighting on the hilt itself.

THE POMMEL:
Actually a part of the review I'm very excited to do. This pommel is of more or less average size, and has a good open resonance chamber. The large vent holes in the bottom, in addition to having a unique (if obvious) speaker pattern to them, provide a great clear sound and look nice. The pattern has an almost clover like shape to it that somehow seems fitting. The particular thing I want to mention here is that the pommel you see on the catalogue page of the site, and even in the parts section, is not the pommel I received! And the one I got is MUCH better! The only difference is that mine came with two grooves around it, specifically the same grooves you get on the LE or Dark pommels, only these are plain silver just as on the rest of the hilt. I do not know if this is something I heard about and forgot, or simply was never aware of, but it is definitely a change I like. It eliminates the blocky look the hilt has in the pictures on the site, and it really carries the elegance through to the end of the hilt. It reminds me of the feeling you get looking at the Monarch when you see this hilt with a grooved pommel, but without the Monarch's over the top Palpatine-esque flair. In short, it fits the saber very well.
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Manroon/20120831_194137.jpg)

MISC:
I'll clean up the end of this review by noting two misc things about this purchase. The saber came with 12 Color Discs, which have been loads of fun to play around with, and I also noticed that the batteries in this saber sport a different covering than the last set of Lith Ions I received with a repair job in April. The color discs do significantly dim your saber, but that depends a lot on the combinations you use. For example, if I put a light blue disc in my AS saber, there is no effect. If I put in Red, I get pink, if I put in Dark Purple, I get a wonderful solid purple glow around a white core. If I stick Dark Purple in a CG saber, I get a nice forest green that's about as dim as FO compared to a normal saber. I do not have much in the way of pictures to illustrate these things at this time, but hope to post some eventually. :) In the meantime, here's a pic of the set of Color Discs, and one of the Batteries to show the differences. Also, there's a pic of the nifty business cards now included with the sabers!
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Manroon/20120831_190500.jpg)
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Manroon/20120831_201610.jpg)
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Manroon/20120831_190411.jpg)
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Manroon/20120831_190434.jpg)

THE OVERALL REVIEW:
Blade: 10/10
LED: 10/10
Flash: 10/10
Emitter: 10/10
Body: 8/10
Pommel: 10/10
Sound: 10/10

Overall Rating: 9.25
The hilt is exceptional, a very solid saber with equally solid electronics. The assembly is in order and well done, and the hilt has performed most admirably in all the tests I've been able to put it through so far. I look forward to using it in combat. The points I've docked from an otherwise perfect score are for the loose bezzel, and the glue on the back of the switch. While I do not mind either of these things, and certainly I can appreciate the legitimacy and effectiveness of the glue (my mother was a crafter lol), but it does lend to the cramped interior (there's very little slack on the LED wires, in part because they seem to catch on the glue around the switch). Overall, it's one more supremely well done saber from US that I'm proud to own and will enjoy using every bit as much as my other sabers. I highly recommend the hilt to anyone considering it, and must thank all the members whose input contributed to my decision to purchase this hilt. :) Also, if you do choose to go for one of these.... get the standard Shock. I think it gets overshadowed by its siblings. I've seen them all in person, and I have to say this one really seems the most realistic to me. It is here, and it doesn't need to try. It simply does.



Please feel free to comment, ask questions, request photos, or whatever. :) There will be a video sooner or later to go along with this. lol

Great review man! That's the saber my fiancee has her eye on...VA though. I've got to say, I love the detailed text reviews best, and that was certainly an informative one. Good job, and congrats on the saber!

Thanks! VA would be GREAT on this saber, though I would definitely recommend she paint the ribs and grooves on the emitter when she goes for it. If I wasn't keeping this as a Halcyon hilt, I would have already done paint work on the Emitter. The level of detail BEGS for some copper or gold, and a little metallic accent, perhaps with red trim. Or bronze, Force Bronze trim would look good on that emitter.

I have to say, there were two things I noticed when I was researching this saber before I pulled the trigger. ALL the reviews from this year are pretty much a short blurb of text about something the poster thinks is crappy in their video, and then the review is a video. And the second thing is that there are really only a couple of other standard Shock reviews out there! None on youtube, oddly enough, except for Kham's, and then the only other was Amanita's text review from last year. lol I hope to see more reviews of this hilt. It's really much more beautiful than it looks online.

Oh yeah, I think painting the grooves would be a given...she loves purple for sure lol. I'm thinking that the savings plan I have been talking about will go toward getting her that saber...when I've got the money for it of course...then I'll research the process of painting it and surprise her with it. Anyway, I'm derailing.

You're right, there is a sever lack of text based reviews. I know I've tried to make mine mostly text based because that's what I like reading, and I know I can't be the only one. Again though, good job man. You really make me want to look into getting one for myself too ;)

Again, thanks. ;)

That sounds like a really sweet idea. A customized saber is a pretty personal gift, she'll love it.

Back on topic, you should have been here in the early days. ALL the reviews were text based back when the forum started. The only videos that turned up were the official ones US put out and a couple of some full out custom pieces a couple of insane collectors had. lol I love the text reviews, so I'm right with you wanting to do them detailed. It's nice, cause that tends to carry over to my videos I think as well. :)

Adegan Silver is easily my favorite saber color. Nobody expects it!  :)

It's definitely a closet classic. ;)

VIDEO REVIEW IS LIVE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU6Hajke9lg# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU6Hajke9lg#)

It's still being processed, so you might have to wait a little while before it will play. lol

great review Manroon. I never really noticed the shock, but seeing it in AS has blown my mind. I didn't really want an AS saber, but I know what hilt I'm getting when I get that color.

Great reviews Manroon. Since you convinced me to get a Bellicose, I might have to get a Shock because your reviews are the most detailed. AS is a great saber color, it actually was my first saber color from US.

Very good taste, my man, that thing looks even more stunning than I anticipated.  PERFECT in Adegan Silver too, it seems to work really well as a Halcyon hilt.  I'll be honest - I've always wanted a Shock.  I may get one in the future, but for now I'll just live vicariously through you ;)

Also, the bezel looseness seems to be a normal thing - my Dark Prophecy and Consular both have that issue too.  Like you said though, it's really not a big deal... the thing still functions perfectly as a combat saber (after all, it's an Ultrasaber!).

@BenPass - what is it with girls and purple lightsabers?  Must be the Mara Jade influence... soooooo many girls I know prefer that color.  Great choice though!  This thing would be absolutely sexy in VA.  I might have to call shotgun on the Luke/Mara cosplay though... the gf and I have been planning on that for a while ;)

Great review, I'm glad the shock is catching people's eye.

My shock doesn't have a pommel with the grooves though so I'm jealous. lol

Nice saber. So when you upload thee stock Obsidian font, do you have to have all the motions? I noticed some of them had double swings like a double bladed saber or like moving really fast like Starkiller style. How do you like the non illuminated av switch?

You don't have to put all of the files in there, as long as you have at least one of each type, it will work fine. I actually haven't changed the fonts on this one yet, though I think I will. I like the stock Obsidian font a lot, but I want to put something a little more appropriate on there. Perhaps the EpIV font, or the EpV. Something heavily Vader, as this saber is described as having a deeper sound, and to me it's a hilt that should bridge the OT and PT styles. Perhaps Obi-Ani would be a good fit for it as well. I'll have to play around with it. :)

Also, I have to give you a shoutout, Zren. You're the one that turned me on to the non-illuminated AV switches as I recall, and that choice just finished this hilt off perfectly. Non of the other offered switches would have been right for this. ;)

Kham, I won't deny I love that pommel. It looks SO much better than the pics I've seen of the plain one. lol You should see if you can pick one up.

It didn't used to bother me before but the more stuff I do to the hilt the more the plain one breaks up the pattern.

Yeah. When I ordered mine, I was thinking I'd go back later and pick up a Raven pommel or something with some all silver grooves to finish it off better, or that perhaps I'd swap pommels with my Arbiter, but this grooved one just fits wonderfully. :)

I'm still trying to figure out a good full font for my Bellicose. I might also do a full Vader/deeper style font. ep.V is on my list in that area.When I do that font I'll upload a video. Glad I helped you get into the non illuminated switches. =] They really do look nice on certain hilts. Hence why I got one for my Bellicose. Maybe even Blackstar would go good for my Bellicose yeah?

You know, I've never been a fan of the Blackstar font so much. Everyone was raving about it, and when I finally looked at it.... it just didn't do much for me. I like the Ep fonts the best. For me, I usually try mixing elements of them. My favorite is the Ep VI power on, with I think it was the Ep V power down, a mix of lockups taken from at least one OT Ep and Ep 1 or 2, and then hum from IV or V and swings from II and V, with at least one or two from IV thrown in for good measure. That's sort of the rough make up of the font I have on my Bellicose, but I wasn't smart enough to save what I did anywhere when I loaded it, so I have to go from memory and reverse engineer it if I want to swap it out in the future. lol

I'm using Blackstar for my bellicose, but only because I have a non-traditional color in it right now and i think it matches nicely as a unique saber that way.

well as you know my Bellicose is Guardian blue so I'm still trying to find the right font for mine. I want the saber to have a classic feel/sound to it. So what would be a good Episode font to use then? too bad there wasn't multiple power ons for like Episode 5 and 6. Episode 6 is more Vader based I think.

I think VI is more Luke based, as I remember. I know the power on was his. It's hard to tell though, as his Ep VI saber had a deeper tone than the Ep IV hilt did. For a GB Bellicose.... I would recommend you lean heavily towards a mix of Eps I and V. It should give you a nice balance of light and dark tone, with an overall classic feel, but one that matches the elegant look of the hilt. I'd recommend you go Ep V on the lockup particularly, and perhaps Ep I on the power on, then back to V for the power off. Mix swings and clashes as you wish with the hum of your choice from either base font, and bake till golden brown. lol

I personally like the Old Republic Jedi font as my "Jedi style" soundset.  The default Obsidian works nicely too, especially for any Luke ROTJ themed hilt (given the ignition sound).

I think episode 6 is full Luke based. I will load it onto my board though and see. I kinda like the deep sound though. Makes the saber sound more powerful you know.

Indeed. One of my.first two sabers was a Vader fx, so I do also tend to favor.some darker tones in my sabers.

Awesome man! Loving it, and this just once again confirms that I really really really need to get an AS saber. ;D

Well I think the Episode 6 font is corrupted for me. D: It didn't go all the way through the memory check. So I think something is messed up on that font. So I'm just using stock Obsidian power on, off, and hum since they are Luke based anyway just on a more custom side. Then mixed with ORJ sounds as well. ORJ motion, impact, and blade lock up. So its all good. How does Episode 4 and 5 sound though on Obsidian? Are they both Luke based Or more Vader based, or mixed like Episode 6?

Manroon, what do you think of the Classic (Ep.4) font? I think it's a mix of Luke's and Obi-wan's sabers. I didn't hear any Vader based fonts. Or was Classic another Ultra Sabers custom font?

I have that font on my new Monarch.  I like it but the hum change during clashes really annoys me, I think I'm gonna try another one out to be honest.  It's definitely Jedi though, either Luke or Obi-Wan inspired.

I think we're getting a bit off topic, but I'll let Manroon make the call on that.

I'm sure he doesn't mind font talk. :P Episode 6 might be corrupted for everyone though. Kinda sucks. I'll have to try the Classic font. You know me I'm a Luke and Obi-wan fan. How does the Monarch feel by the way with those weird looking rings in the middle? Just looks kinda awkward to hold to me. o_o

I don't mind the font talk at all. ;) I'm not sure about Ep VI being corrupted for everyone... I've never used the whole thing, and to be honest, my copy is from that download that was out the first day of the whole Novastar thing, so I dunno if that affects it at all either.

It's been a long time since I've listened to all the straight fonts. I thought I remembered Ep IV being largely Obi and Vader based.... but I guess it was largely Obi based and I was recognizing the clashes and lockups from the Vader duel, since their the only ones in that movie. lol

The Classic font actually isn't that bad. I just did a video so I'll post it. I think its more Luke based maybe with some Obi-wan mixed in.

I'd have to watch ANH again to line up the sounds.  For me, it's less specific and more thematic... the sounds themselves incite a sort of emotional feel.  A calmer, more even hum makes me think of the Jedi, while the more high energy or deep, sinister hums remind me of the Sith.  For ignition, I find there are three main sounds - your Jedi, your Sith, and your Luke ROTJ.  Not really sure if there's a proper name for the third, so we'll go with that for now... since it's most commonly associated with Luke's second lightsaber.  That's why I generally think of the Obsidian font as Jedi themed... the calm hum and Luke style ignition make me think of an older, Jedi Master Luke.

As for the Monarch, the rings don't make it too awkward at all.  If anything the size and weight of the thing make it somewhat difficult, but once you find a good way to hold it you're fine.  I quite like the emitter, and find that the rings toward the bottom give a good place for your second hand to grasp.

I actually just posted a demo of the Classic font so check it out and decide for yourself. =] I think its all Jedi based to be honest. Love the Drone blaster effect. :P Han: I call it luck. Just love that part.

manroon, could you pop out the blade, and take off the emitter?

id like to see a picture of the led setup, and then the inside of the emitter, the shock I got in my grab bag has some weirdness going on lol

I'll see what I can do for ya. :)