After being a Star Wars fan for more than 30 years, this spring I eventually decided to buy a pair of custom-made lightsabers to do some fencing with my son (one of the upsides of being a father of a son -- you always have an excuse for buying some new toys). I've looked for a bunch of stores and stopped at UltraSabers.com because they offer a line of combat-ready sabres at bargain prices. I definitely do not want to pay 500+ bucks for a toy and can perfectly use no-sound setup if it means I'll be able to buy 4 sabres for a price of 1.
So at the 27 of June, I ordered a Dark Prophecy v3 and added a random "Grab Bag" sabre just to test my luck (I needed two sabres anyways). After almost 3 weeks (international mail makes you wait a bit) a package was delivered and I had first look at what I've got. Ta-daam!
My first impression was a clearly positive shock. These beauties felt like swords! They weighted like a sword, handled like a sword and moved like a sword. It was SO unusual after having had only a toy plastic lightsabers! But of course, those two sabres were very different from each other.
First about Aeon LE. It is very simple and straightforward in balance and handling. Basically, it is a longsword. It handles and moves like one and if I were into Longsword fencing I could not be happier with it. The only thing I would change is to switch a blade for a longer one, It seems it can really benefit from 40'' blade. Other than that everything is fine. Handle is comfortable, weight is adequate and even emitter windows do not really interfere with handling. The point of balance is two fingers in front of the emitter (with Heavy Grade blade). It's quite comfortable. The only problem is: it felt outright boring :(. Longswords are just not "my thing". So I was so happy when it turned out that my son likes it a lot and now he has his own lightsaber with his favourite blue blade.
And now we come to the Dark Prophecy. This sabre is VERY different. At first, it seems clumsy and unbalanced. With heavy blade, it is very front-heavy, almost to the point of unwieldiness. But the shape was so promising that I tried it again and again... and then discovered this kind of grip:
Instantly it becomes balanced. It is still not very nimble (I think, one-handed grip requires Mid Grade blade to be effective anyways, and possibly 32'' instead of 36'') but I have zero problems when switching between guards and it is very easy to keep a point stable and facing the opponent during movements. Basically, it works almost like a sidesword. "Almost" because long handle sometimes restricts movement and adds inertia. It is especially obvious when you try to work "from the wrist" On the other hand, having no edge alignment to worry about means you can be a bit more "creative" in your movements :). That's why at the end I'm quite happy with it.
Of course, there are still some problems. First is with a switch. Having zero knowledge about the subject I ordered a basic guarded switch and it was a big mistake. It constantly annoys me. There is no way to actively duel with a sabre without it going into the way of my palm. It is like a stone in a shoe. I will never ever order that kind of switch again.
Another problem is the Covertec wheels. They are very handy for carrying a sabre on the belt but in the duel are almost as annoying as the guarded switch. If I had an appropriate wrench I would take it off immediately but all tools I have are metric ones :(. I think I'll buy an US-standard toolset just to get rid of this thing.
I also think about getting rid of decorative retention screws "heads" and use the screws to mount a ring for my index finger. It can also work as a way to hang a sabre onto the belt with some sort of clasp.
But anyways I'm happy with a purchase. These are the best lightsabers with my life and I'm looking forward to extending my collection with more :).
May the Force be with you!