The Dark Arbiter
Tri Cree Blazing Red Colour
Midgrade Blade
Red illuminated silver AV switch
Obsidian Lite Sound
For my second ultrasaber I wanted to delve deeper and obtain a darker, more malevolent weapon. I wanted to get something big and bold and for this there were a number of good sith options available, involving everything from heavy menacing pommels, to emitters grafted with claws and blades. After searching carefully, my desire for bold destruction was to be satiated only by the dark arbiter!
Despite its above average length, the dark arbiter nevertheless has a relatively slim hilt, allowing for easy and comfortable manipulation when duelling or spinning. At 14 inches the hilt can be wielded comfortably with two hands, while its relatively light weight still allows for adept one handed use. The emitter has a standard two inch recess, meaning that when attached the 36 inch blade does not lose much of its length, effectively measuring 34 inches. Without knowledge of the length of the emitter recess I was at first worried that a 36 inch blade would look too short in relation to the longer hilt of the dark arbiter, yet this is not the result. One receives a perfect blade length, while all that is the case, is that one possesses a slightly longer hilt. All in all, the saber measures 48 inches from pommel to blade tip.
The dark arbiter is extremely customisable, as the emitter and the pommel are interchangeable with those of other sabers. All that is required is to unscrew and replace accordingly. I myself would like to attach a dark war glaive emitter in the future. This is not to say that the native dark arbiter emitter is not desirable, as that one has its own unique quality; that of being a dark, sith piece that is all the while similar in style to the rotj Luke Skywalker model.
The black and silver design of the dark arbiter combined with the illuminated red AV switch looks good with the naturally intended sith blazing red blade colour. Opting for tri cree, the colour is extremely bright when combined with a midgrade blade. I have heard that certain colours, such as fire orange and blazing red are best represented through the lighter, clearer midgrade blades, however I must admit that I do not know any better as both of my blades have been midgrade thus far. All that I know is that both tri cree and the blade combination which I have chosen, gladly produce a very bright blade indeed. For my next saber, perhaps I will try the ultraedge option and compare the results.
The obsidian lite soundboard achieves everything that I want it to, offering a great loud ignition sound, clash noise and retraction font.
And finally, in regard to customer service, there was in actuality a slight issue with my order upon delivery. The midgrade blade I had ordered had become bent some way along the long (but quick!) journey from the US to Scotland. But after a quick email, ultrasabers replied extremely swiftly and a new replacement blade was dispatched immediately. All I can say is that the customer service from ultrasabers was absolutely exemplary and it has certainly encouraged me to make future purchases. And with that then, is the conclusion of this review. Photographs below. MTFBWY
