This is my first saber and my first review; coincidentally it’s also my 100th post.
Overlord
http://www.ultrasabers.com/product-p/stunt-overlord.htmStandard edge, Mid-grade
Sith (Sentinel) Yellow
Silver Flash on Clash
Obsidian Sound with Lithium-Ion Setup
Red Illuminated Anti-vandal Switch
Nickel Plating
Quick Disconnect
Pros:
Elegant look, great balance, one- or two-handed wielding, very bright, very loud, durable feel.
Cons:
Minor anodizing error on upper grip, slightly inconsistent blade colour, AV switch doesn’t sit well.
Gallery follows full review below...
This was my first saber and I must say I’m very impressed. I spent quite a bit of time poring over the Ultra Sabers site and the Saber Forums before making up my mind on my first Ultra Saber. I was initially looking for a Sith saber, like a Master Replicas Darth Vader. Imagine my surprise when I came across a site that offered some interesting designs (I didn’t actually want
Vader’s saber, I wanted
my saber) and a yellow blade option, which to me is a great Sithy colour. I knew I wanted a dark hilt and the classy windowed emitter on the Overlord is what finally sold me on the style... and trust me, the emitter looks absolutely gorgeous with the nickel plating.
The Saber shipped the morning after I ordered it (I opted for the quick-ship option, I knew if I had to wait too long I’d be kicking myself for not dropping five extra dollars). I’m in Toronto, Canada, and the saber took about a week to arrive. There were no duty or customs charges owing.
The saber was wrapped securely in bubble-wrap and some packing peanuts and everything arrived safely. Based on what I’d read, I didn’t want to be disappointed with minimally charged batteries so I fully charged the batteries with the included charger before igniting the saber for the first time.
As everyone else has already said 100 times before the blade is very bright. I have a Master Replicas RoTS Anakin and its blue blade casts a blue glow in my bedroom with the lights off, but the Sentinel Yellow US lights up the whole room like a lamp. The flash on clash feature is great, I’m glad I spent the extra cash to get it. If I could tweak it a bit however, I would have it flicker rapidly on clash instead of a solid colour change (it stays a solid white for just a fraction of a second too long in my opinion, but no biggie). Despite listing “inconsistent blade colour” as a con, I really do like the yellow. It’s the hue I had hoped it would be (I fell in love with yellow sabers after playing Force Unleashed); the pictures (as always) don’t capture the true colour. It’s... how do I say this,
yellower than it appears in my pics and a little more... this sounds weird but, ‘cartoony’ in real life. I realise that forum colours are offered only through special request for a reason; Ultra and team are still fine-tuning them and as an example my Sentinel Yellow has a greenish tinge near the last quarter of the blade (the yellow is created by a red and green LED shining simultaneously). It’s not a deal-breaker by any stretch and don’t let it scare you off purchasing a Sentinel Yellow saber, but I can see how a first-time buyer who’s not done their research in the forums might be less impressed with it than they would a stronger, standard colour like a Consular Green or Guardian Blue.
I went with a standard edge blade over the Ultra Edge because I like the ‘core’ effect and didn’t want to risk diluting the yellow into something lighter. The mid-grade feels sturdy, it has some flex if you snap your wrist quickly or hit hard, but it doesn’t feel like it’s in any danger of breaking. The blade sits very far down inside the emitter and I can’t see any circumstance where it could come free while the retention screw is in place. Solid.
I had my sound font customized and ready to go before my saber arrived (the Obsidian software was easy to use) and I was able to load my sounds onto the saber without any problem, I even made a custom start-up sound from a wav file which worked great. It’s super loud and drowns out the sound from my MR Anakin saber with ease. I didn’t mess with the accelerometer sensitivity and by default it activates swings and clashes with appropriate frequency. The battery pack and sound board are very tight in the body, and rightfully so – the electronics don’t rattle or budge at all when the saber is in use.
The hilt has a great weight; maybe a little lighter than I anticipated, but I was worried it might be heavier than I wanted so it worked out perfectly. I guess my point is that it’s a little lighter than it looks (it’s aluminum after all). The machining of the emitter and pommel cap is flawless; they really elevate this saber to the next level. The black anodizing of the main body is great, but there is a minor flaw in the way the anodizing was applied (or removed, I’m not sure on the process) from the upper grip. For about an inch the black colour dips into the silver groove – it creates the illusion that the groove has a slight wave in it. The lower grooves however are perfect. I ordered a few weeks before the introduction of the A/V switch bezel so although my switch sits a little awkwardly in the body, any saber ordered recently or from here on out won’t have that problem. Finally the Covertec wheel is machined nicely and attached firmly.
Overall this is an amazing saber and I’m very pleased with my purchase. If you’re considering an Overlord, don’t hesitate – it feels great in the hand and looks great on the belt. It’s a joy to twirl and spin and can be easily wielded with one hand or two. If you pick one up, do yourself a huge favour; spend the extra 15 bones on the nickel plating, you won’t regret it.
One hand or two?
This emitter is truly a thing of beauty.
Check out how high the dimple is; this blade sits deep.
The simple yet elegant venting lets out ample sound.
With the new A/V bezel you WON’T get a switch like this.
The black dips a little low to the right of the raised sections and into the grooves.
I took this with a camera setting that uses a slow shutter speed but follows up with a flash.
The next two are just various shutter speeds in the dark.
Here’s how it compares to my US Violet Amethyst Catalyst and my Master Replicas Anakin; note the lack of reflection from beneath the MR blade near the emitter.
And finally, an Easter egg if you will; SY turns Red for few a moments just as the battery is dying, proving that yellow is a Sith colour at heart.
I hope you enjoyed my review, thanks for reading!
