Review of my initial purchases from UltraSabers. I am sure that I was or am like most after locating the US website, I debated for about a month and a half of what I actually wanted to get. I thought I wanted to get a single saber with sound and wanted to get a staff with sound. After many combinations that I put together and added to my cart, I would then clear out the cart and do it again.
As my birthday rolled around in March, I told my wife that I wanted to get a saber. She said, you should get two so you can duel with someone if you want(how cool is she?). After getting in on the forums and doing some more research, here is what I got for my first sabers:
Guardian, Blue Av Switch, Dark Violet Amethyst, Ultra Edge Heavy Grade blade 36, and Obsidian Sound.
Bellicose, Red AV Switch, Banes Heart, Ultra Edge Heavy Grade blade 36, and Obsidian Sound
Raven, Red AV Switch, RGB, Ultra Edge Heave Grade blade 36, and Obsidian Sound, with Standard Claws
Phantom LE V2, Blazing Red, 32" mid grade blades
I will apologize ahead of time, that this might be lengthy, but I will discuss the pros and cons that I found with each and go over some concerns that I had before buying, so as to hopefully help other first time saber purchasers looking to get a US. All of the US hilts are awesome looking and it is so hard to decide on that first one. I am not quite sure how many times I watched some of the videos and such, of several of the sabers. The forums were found to be an awesome place and people willing to help answer questions I had.
Each time I came back to trying to decide on a hilt, I kept steering toward the Guardian and Raven, and in the back of my mind I kept thinking about an RGB saber. Since the Guardian does not have RGB, I figured it would probably end up me getting it in the Raven since I was so undecided on what color to get. However it concerned me a lot about having that many switches on the hilt and how it would effect my grip. I PMd several people that had posted to get a better idea.
I will begin with the Raven:
I love the look of this hilt and the grip is very nice. It is long but not terribly heavy as you might suspect. I did get this in RGB, because I was somewhat indecisive on what color I wanted, and liked the idea of being able to change to any of the seven colors it can make. Even after ordering I still was not sure how I would like having the four switches on it. The thing that I do like in that I chose a RGB is that I have seen the colors first hand and it will make it easier for me to choose for future purchases. I found that when wielding, you definitely know that the switches are there. I had to modify my grip on it slightly, turning the switches out toward the way my fingers were pointing so that during the spin they were not catching or rubbing against my thumb or palm. I do not have large hands and can make it work. Now having owned a RGB, I would probably not get another and will at sometime probably order me another Raven with a single switch, quick disconnect, for if I ever wanted to change the color. Do not get me wrong on this, nothing bad on the part of US making the RGB, but I found one is enough for me. I would probably use the money to get a grab bag saber or something instead.
The sound on the Raven is nice and loud. The only slight issue is the the small piece they put below the AV switch to make it appear more flush mounted, is slightly loose and rattles around at times. Other than that, the Raven is great.
The Bellicose:
This hilt is great as well. It is much lighter than you would imagine. I find it much lighter than the other two, and with the heavy blade is balanced a bit more toward the blade side. This however is not a negative, just noticeable when I pick it up compared to the others. The Bellicose is comfortable in hand and the covertec wheel never gets in my way. I actually forget it is there most of the time because my grip is higher up. Like the Raven, the sound on the Bellicose is nice and loud. I think this is due to the pommel being shallower and the speaker sitting fairly close to the cuts in the bottom. The only mild negative I have to say is that again the piece under the AV switch is slightly loose and rattles from time to time.
The Guardian:
This is definitely the heavier of the three in my opinion, but it feels balanced really well with the heavy grade blade. I really have nothing bad to say about the Guardian and would probably say that it is my favorite of the three at the moment. The sound is slightly lessened by the longer pommel and the speaker being back a bit from the openings at the bottom, but still really loud. Despite it being heavy, I can still spin it fairly well and actually the weight of the hilt sometimes aids me in spinning because the momentum seems to help me bring the blade back around. I am no means an expert wielder or spinner with these things, but am okay at it.
With the reward points I earned from purchasing these three sabers, I decided to get a stunt staff. After asking on the forums, because I was torn between the initiate size or full length hilts, I went with the Phantom LE V2 hilts. I am glad that I did go with the full length, because it gives me plenty of room to work with when using as a staff. For me the initiate might have been a bit too short for my liking. I got them with 32 mid grade blades in Blazing Red. As a staff, it is the perfect size for me, as I am 511. I can move it around with ease and not worried too much about t hitting the ground with it. Now ceiling fans and lights in the house are another story. These definitely making spinning much easier when duel wielding due to the smaller diameter. The LE hilts look great and have a good feel. I did take the blade out and measure it because it seemed short to me. The whole blade is 30.5 instead of 32, so when mounted in the hilt they are sticking out only 28.5. No complaints here about that though, because it makes it slightly better length for me. Maybe US was reading my mind and made it for me that way. LOL
Overall I have been very pleased with all of these sabers I purchased from US. I would recommended any of these to anyone looking to buy a great looking, working, dueling, playing, or displaying saber or staff. If anyone has any further questions about any of these sabers I have, feel free to PM me. Happy Sabering!
