Ultra Saber Review
The Promised Review
We, Padawan and myself, took the plunge and purchased lower-end sabers from Ultra Saber, LLC. We came across this maker of prop and dueling lightsabers when we met the gentlemen representing the company at the Western Washington Fair. After some investigation, and collecting of necessary discretionary cash, we each purchased blades to be used specifically for night parades where 'light-ups' are required. I chose the Standard Issue Battle Saber v3 (shown below). Padawan chose the Aeon saber.
Ordering was easy and quick. We chose the mid-grade blades, and no bells and whistles; basic sabers for parades and photo shoots, although I did upgrade to the arctic blue blade for an extra $5. (The cost, even with shipping, of both of these sabers was less than one of the blades we purchased from SaberForge a while back.) We ordered these on a Wednesday, received timely email confirmation and shipping information, and had them in-hand the following Monday.
From the second I ripped into the package, I was thrilled. The blade is not rigid/hard, but of thinner outer material, seemingly more flexible and featuring a silver interior, which I'm liking. The light is mostly consistent throughout the blade, fading a bit in the center, but not extreme. It is secured in the hilt with an easy single screw; we purchased the 'blade retention screw wrench' for an extra buck.
The Battle Issue hilt is a bit thicker than the Aeon hilt, and is brushed as opposed to the shiny Aeon. As far as balance, I think the Battle Issue is balanced a smidge better, but there is not a huge amount of difference between the two. Both are wonderfully balanced for twirling and dueling. They both have a good 'hand feel', and the length of the hilt and blade together is good. The switch, as you can see in the photo, is a shielded switch, which was an issue with our last saber purchase (which came without a shielded switch). We also requested covertec wheels be attached, which was done flawlessly for minimal cost.
You could easily trick these up; these basic hilts are the perfect starting point. Personally, I like a more sleek saber, and will be proud to troop with this product just as it is.
The main problem with our previous purchase of sabers was an issue of longevity...the sabers staying lit. Unfortunately, they would only remain strongly lit for under ten minutes, then would dim gradually until dark. After that, would not stay lit for more than a couple of minutes - even with fresh batteries. Frustrating, to say the least. These Ultra Sabers seem to stay lit longer and stronger, (hopefully for the duration of a lengthy parade). I am tempted to just keep mine lit to clock how long the batteries last... (which are four AAA standard batteries; I think for parades, I'll splurge on the lithium variety, just to be on the cautious side). Speaking of batteries, the pommel is a simple screw-off and the battery pack drops out easily, enabling quick and easy battery replacement.
The bottom line: I found purchasing from Ultra Saber LLC to be quick and easy. The quality of the product is good - more than acceptable. I would definitely recommend this company to any costumer looking for a standard lightsaber for trooping and moderate dueling.
We, Padawan and myself, took the plunge and purchased lower-end sabers from Ultra Saber, LLC. We came across this maker of prop and dueling lightsabers when we met the gentlemen representing the company at the Western Washington Fair. After some investigation, and collecting of necessary discretionary cash, we each purchased blades to be used specifically for night parades where 'light-ups' are required. I chose the Standard Issue Battle Saber v3 (shown below). Padawan chose the Aeon saber.
Ordering was easy and quick. We chose the mid-grade blades, and no bells and whistles; basic sabers for parades and photo shoots, although I did upgrade to the arctic blue blade for an extra $5. (The cost, even with shipping, of both of these sabers was less than one of the blades we purchased from SaberForge a while back.) We ordered these on a Wednesday, received timely email confirmation and shipping information, and had them in-hand the following Monday.
From the second I ripped into the package, I was thrilled. The blade is not rigid/hard, but of thinner outer material, seemingly more flexible and featuring a silver interior, which I'm liking. The light is mostly consistent throughout the blade, fading a bit in the center, but not extreme. It is secured in the hilt with an easy single screw; we purchased the 'blade retention screw wrench' for an extra buck.
The Battle Issue hilt is a bit thicker than the Aeon hilt, and is brushed as opposed to the shiny Aeon. As far as balance, I think the Battle Issue is balanced a smidge better, but there is not a huge amount of difference between the two. Both are wonderfully balanced for twirling and dueling. They both have a good 'hand feel', and the length of the hilt and blade together is good. The switch, as you can see in the photo, is a shielded switch, which was an issue with our last saber purchase (which came without a shielded switch). We also requested covertec wheels be attached, which was done flawlessly for minimal cost.
You could easily trick these up; these basic hilts are the perfect starting point. Personally, I like a more sleek saber, and will be proud to troop with this product just as it is.
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| Standard Issue Battle Saber v3 |
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| with attached covertec wheel |
Comments
Well written review! The only thing I would disagree with is the "nominal cost" of adding a Covertec wheel. $14 ($4 for the wheel, $10 for installation?!) isn't nominal, at least not to me, especially when the Sabers themselves (specifically the ones you mentioned) are under $70.
All in all, I haven't had any issues with UltraSabers' products but we're polar opposites when it comes to "sleek" vs. "fancy", but I agree that these are good sabers for self customization. I look at my UltraSabers Liberator sitting next to any of my Force FX Signature collectibles and the poor Liberator looks like a plain piece of metal with a button on it.
I'm thinking about experimenting with colored PVC that I can fit snugly over the base of the hilt and some belting lace to create a grip with an "earthy" feel.