Saber Forum

OK, I have my first sabers!  Two or three, depending on how you count them.  :-) 

First, let me say that they are pure awesomeness.  I know there are may "premium" hilts in the US inventory and I may even purchase one of them one day, but since I first found their site a few months ago I have had eyes for one saber: The Dominix V3 and its twin the Aeon V3, as well as the staff version, the Phantom V3.

The 10% off and free initiate offer broke my resistance at last and my order was placed on the 14th.  The sabers arrived today, and they are living up to the billing.  :-)
First, the Initiate.  I recieved a Dark Initiate V3 in Guardian Blue.  I like this blade a lot more than I thought I would.  After a few initial test swings and spins, I am very tempted to keep this one for myself rather than gift it as I intended ... but no, it will find a most excellent home with my daughter.  After all, I can't spar if my sparring partner is not armed, right?  :)

The initiate blade is a bit short for my tastes as a primary weapon, but that is to be expected.  As a second blade for off-hand weilding or as part of a staff it will be excellent.  :-)

Which brings me to my "main" purchase: The Phantom V3.

First, the staff is actually quite heavy.  I purchased HG blades, so they have some bulk to them and I also purchased 36" blades.  That makes the entire package 8 feet long with the black vented adjustable coupler isntalled.  This is a bit longer than I had anticipated, but I plan to give it a whirl (literally) in some open space before I pass judgement on it.  My initial impression, however, is that it may have been expedient to go with the shorter blades for the staff.  Which just means I will be purchasing a few spare blades soon to do a side-by-side comparison.  :)

Despite the heft, the staff is very well balanced and once you do get it moving it is impressive and has a lot of power.  In a duel that power could be a decisive advantage, and at 6'4" I am tall enough and powerful enough to manage the longer blades and greater momentum.

The best feel, though, is of the single Dominix/36" blade combo.  The balance is utterly perfect, with the center of gravity for the saber being just under an inch beyond the emitter, making the saber just slightly blade-heavy.  This tracks with the "real" weapons I've handled and the balance is so close to my katana that I anticipate very little notice in switching from one to the other.

The blade colors are also very bright.  My staff is Sentinel Yellow, which is by nature a fairly pale color, but in daylight the blade still lights noticably and in a darkened room it is quite spectacular.  The Guardian Blue in the Initiate is brilliant of course and looks amazing as well.  :-)

A few test swings and impacts with inanimate objects used as targets (as well as one good solid hit on a wall that jumped in the way of a whirling blade) have proven that they are indeed as resiliant as advertized.  I cannot wait to put them to the test.

And a couple of quick photos:

(http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/ag230/Michael_Pfister/HappyFamily_zpsbdc3e401.jpg) (http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/Michael_Pfister/media/HappyFamily_zpsbdc3e401.jpg.html)

(http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/ag230/Michael_Pfister/Lit_zps884ea374.jpg) (http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/Michael_Pfister/media/Lit_zps884ea374.jpg.html)

Is it just me, or do those switches look gray/silver instead of black?

The silver ones are latching switches (on stunt sabers), the black ones momentary switches (on sabers with sound).

That's right.  Two of the hilts do not have sound.  The Initiate V3 is a standard set-up, stunt-saber all the way.  My second Dominix has the Li-Ion battery with buckpuck and is just like the other but lacks a covertek wheel and has no sound.  I just couldn't quite afford to equip both with sound at this time, hence the slight difference.

One note on the momentary switch: It caused me a bit of consternation when I tried to turn the saber off for the first time.  I hit the switch and instead of shutting down it went into "clash".  :)  After couple more attempts it occurred to me that it may simply need to be held a moment longer, so I pressed and held until the familiar shut-down sounds occured and the blade dimmed.   

I may eventually work in some silver highlights on the hilts, but I have to admit I love them as-is.  Also thought of adding yellow stripes in the grooves and calling them "bee" and "sting", but that seems corney even to me.  :-)

I have re-arranged the blades.  The Initiate now sports the 36" HG blade and the second Dominix is equipped with the 28" initiate blade for off-hand duel weilding.  :)  Bugger is FAST with that short blade...

My free Initiate just came with a black one, not a silver one. But it doesn't have sound or anything, so wouldn't it be considered a stunt saber?

Just to be clear, I am not talking about the button itself, but the casing/housing thing around it. They look gray/silver in those pics, which I've never seen before (other than with the AV switches, obviously).

Ah, that's something different.
Well, the gray/silver appearance might just be an illusion. Normally the guard around the switch (what you call the "housing") is black. Maybe just a reflection of light...

That's right, Racona.  They're black, the gray look is just the lighting.  Though coloring it silver is one of the highlights I was considering, or using a dremel to polish the guard down to metal.  :-)

I need to get some more pictures.  I took the staff outside with the XL blades on and swung it around.  Its managable, but only because I'm a big guy, but it handles slower than my bo staff, which is 6'.  Of course, this monster is nearl 8' with those 36" blades installed.  I will be ordering a pair of 28" MG blades soon as an alternative.

On the other hand, using my existing initiate blade as an off-hand weapon with the full size primary looks sooooo cool.  Definately need pictures...  :-)

Nice sabers, Karmack. My 4 year old brother has an initiate with a UEMG initiate blade and my 18 year old brother has an Aeon with a 36" MG blade it makes an interesting staff.

LOL   I just realized I neglected to post any pictures of the actual staff.
Here's one by itself, and one with the Dark Initiate for comparison.

No blades, sorry.   Batteries were charging...  :-)

(http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/ag230/Michael_Pfister/JoinedStaff_zps9c6008b4.jpg) (http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/Michael_Pfister/media/JoinedStaff_zps9c6008b4.jpg.html)

(http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/ag230/Michael_Pfister/StaffandInitiate_zps38e4ad93.jpg) (http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/Michael_Pfister/media/StaffandInitiate_zps38e4ad93.jpg.html)