Yeah, there are a lot of old threads they posted in that were quite good and loaded with awesome info. Particularly Novastar, I think he had a lot of very sweet shop talk about fighting as I remember.
On the MHS thing.... I've heard a little about this rumor, but not much. I'll admit to being a little curious, but as has been said, the business of the business is the owner's business.
Or in otherwords, those sorts of problems are between Ultra and whoever has the problem with him. I'm good with whatever level of info he decides/feels is right for him to share. I should also think that TCSS wouldn't have a problem with him making and selling MHS compatible parts, as long as he's not selling or machining his own copies of their exact parts. I mean, he doesn't specialize in selling just parts (though he is kind enough to make his original parts available to us as separate sale items), he specializes in selling the whole saber. That's a different niche than TCSS, and most importantly I have to point out that Ultra's MHS parts PROMOTE the stuff at TCSS! I mean, look at this: I bought an Ultrasabers Archon V2. I LOVED it, and wanted to make it my own unique saber, so I ran over to TCSS and bought a new choke, a box, and an adapter. BAM! New saber! Both companies got my money, both should be happy, and neither lost a sale to the other! And I know I'm not the only one to have put some TCSS parts on my US hilt.
lol
On Caine's video and the bashing crap that's been going on, as I said before. This is low and pathetic. If you have a problem with a man and his company, fine. Talk to him. When that is exhausted and if it has yielded no results, tell your friends. Sure, make a video even. Explain why in a logical, reasonable, MATURE manner why you believe it's a bad place to shop. Provide what evidence you can, and if you can't get any, SAY SO, and let us know it's all just your opinion, that you can't give evidence, it's just your experience, belief, opinion, or whatever. But don't throw the poo at a guy because you don't like him. Don't do it publicly, and don't do it without a shred of evidence to back your statements up, leading people on like it's written in stone on top of the mountain of justice or something. And ESPECIALLY don't go insulting the man's customers.
To Caine, I would say this. Insult Ultra and his company in the fashion you have and you are low and immature, I would say a small man as well. Insult his customers, and I say you are lower still. Insult ME... and I can take that, though I will be angered, because I try to hold myself to something and be 'the better man' as best I can. I'm fine taking hits. However, call out the forum.... insult a group including people you've never met or talked to, insult my FRIENDS, some of whom I've known for a long time, some whom I even know IN REAL LIFE..... insult people I care for and about (not to mention to wage war like this on Ultra, whom I've come to respect) and YOU, sir, are the one who has crossed a line. Caine's behavior is unacceptable to me. He has not only insulted a company I respect, not only a man I respect, workers I respect, online friends, but my close long time real life friends who frequent the ultrasabers site the same as I do. People he doesn't know. And to use the term cultists is BEYOND insulting. I'm a christian man, and not the only one on this site I know, and all anger aside, I'm no cultist. Don't use a word you don't know the definition of, and don't say what you don't mean, Caine. There's much more I could say, but doing so would be uncalled for, and would only be angry ranting on my part. I will simply say anyone behaving like Caine is, well, he's no man.
Also, Caine should make a point to preach a cleaner act to his own followers. If there are people on his side of this little ordeal going around posting insulting comments on US customer's youtube videos, then as the figure he is in this hobby and making known his position on this issue as he does, he shares a measure of responsibility in that. If he didn't call for such behavior, then he is still responsible to call against it. Ultra has repeatedly asked us, his customers, not to get ourselves involved in this. Said that if we wish to support him, use good words about him and keep buying, specifically even NOT to downtalk those standing against him, and heck, I haven't heard him discourage anyone from buying Nova's CD's either. Meanwhile Caine bashes away like this, provides no evidence or meat of information to back himself up from what I've seen, and takes no action apparently to keep those who share his opinions from outright attacking US consumers. Sorry, but that's just bogus. The guy needs to get his act together, and so do those others attacking Ultra. There's proper ways to speak out against a person or company, and these are not those ways.
All that stated, I encourage everyone to do as Ultra has asked in the past. If you want to get active on this issue, use positive words. Not negative ones. And if you get the chance, I'd say encourage the opposing side to take up the same tactic. It sure seems to be working for Ultra.
People respect people who count ten before they speak.
