I know I'm late to chime in here; but I'm very surprised to hear bad things about Ultrasabers. I had a great experience with them. I absolutely love my Saber that I purchased from them! It is exactly what I wanted, I received it in less than a week, and their customer service always answered my (many!) emails within an hour of sending it. I even called them twice; someone did answer the phone, and they were both polite and helpful. I don't see how anyone can have a bad purchase experience with them. 🤔
I honestly don’t understand the hate for Ultrasabers. To me they are a great way to start the hobby. I have 5 Ultrasabers and they work great, nothing has happened to them. So yeah honestly if you want to start the hobby then go for it.
Very informative video. Subscribed. Appreciate the non biased view on this topic. I was an active member of the custom saber community in the early days when most of the community was on FX-Sabers, Prop Replica Forums, and TCSS. At first everyone was using EL wires to light up the blades and eventually the single in hilt LEDs like Luxeon I, Luxeon III, and Luxeon V's became the standard. It's nice to see a breakdown of the history. Other notable innovators were Corbin Das, Tim(Stryder) the founder the Custom Saber Shop, Do Clo, Ultra SWG, Erv Plecter, Meridian(now known as Yoda, the FX Sabers administrator), and many others Im certainly not remembering. It's just too bad most of the community has moved away from the message boards and onto Facebook, which I swore off awhile ago.
I have a scorpion just like the one shown here and i love it. Never had an issue with batteries so far and its been since 2015 now and still work like a charm on original batteries! Just keep it plug in, and it will work everytime no problem. My blade change color from Blue to Green with sound. When i lend it to someone, they are amaze by its weight and potential as an actual weapon considering the claw and weight! lol. They always say to me ''You can defend your home with this thing!!!'' ;)
Just got my first 2 sabers, both used basic ultrasabers (no sound). They seem well built for movie props, and are really brighter than expected. Yes they are kind of basic; but... I am very happy to have them! I was very sorry to hear of the sound copying issue, that is the type of thing that is underhanded, it is a shame to see that sort of thing.
Whatever, I like my Ultrasaber. On a side note, you all forgetting the fact that ALL OF THIS is Lucas Films intellectual property. If Disney wanted to push the issue, all of these companies would be in hot water.
I've bought about nine US products, but I think I'm done with them. There are a few problems, but the big two are hilt design and their website. I've had two lightsabers that said the hilt was in stock, only for them to tell me that they weren't. This was less than two years ago. This should not happen, especially when it takes 6-9 weeks for them to get product back in stock when it's sold out. The second thing is design. There are several good designs, and I've bought them. There are a few problems with them though. First, they're incredibly plain. That wouldn't necessarily be a problem, as Saberforge and VV and several other companies have very plain hilts. The thing with US is that they don't look like they would be in Star Wars. They feel good to use, which is the sole focus of US, but they don't look like real lightsabers. Also the hilts are very big. Not a problem for me necessarily since I have huge hands (I'm 6'2 and with fingers spread my hand is 5.5"), but even with that I don't like how thick the hilts are. Also they hilts are increeeeeeeeeeedibly long. The Electrum Wind, which I love, is actually like a longsword length. But that's not good if you want something that's smaller and/or more screen accurate. That comes down to personal preference though. A third problem, which I'd actually say is bigger than the other two, is the price. Sure, the hilts and stunt sabers that are very cheap, but the prices (like you said) are outdated and the add-ons are just ridiculous. For example: I'm going to be ordering the Progenitor from Saberforge for my first saber from them this week (using their Etsy store, obviously). Here are the stats if you care: Deep sleep mode Light up metal AV switches Brand new soundboard New Accelerometer New speaker and sound processor Blaster deflect blade shimmer Lockup blade shimmer Flash on Clash shimmer New LED lens V4 Infinity Edge blades. In hilt recharge with 18650 I'm going to get it for only 105 dollars. To get the same options for Ultrasabers - well here. First, you have to get the cheapest hilt that even has the option for a recharge. Now the SF technically has one sound font, but it also has a mute so you automatically would need to get the premium sound from US. Now I'm getting my SF in blue or green, so we don't need to worry about extra charges for the blade color. Okay here we go. Starting price (hilt/stunt saber) - $85.00 Premium sound add-on - $140.00 Flash on clash - $35.00 0.2A recharge port - $75.00 Blade is 32" with SF so no extra charge. Illuminated switch - $25.00 Pointed tip - $5.00 Blade retention screw - $1.00 Standard blade plug - $8.00 (not mentioned earlier but standard with SF). So, before shipping and taxes, the US is $374.00. With shipping and taxes the SF, if ordered from the site, is $125.00. The US would be $421.43. Now I actually have this US saber, just without all the the upgrades. But the fact that I can get these features on the SF for only 105 dollars goes to show that the US prices are severely outdated, as stated in the video. Now obviously the lightsaber game is always changing, but generally you get what you pay for, and most companies are around the same price range, save the super high end ones. Also I'm not saying I hate US, I just don't want to do business with them anymore. This might change based on what they release, but for now I'm going to look at SF. US are very good for starting your collection, and again there are many good designs that are especially good for combat. But given all the cons, I'm not going to be ordering anything from them any time soon.
Last week, I received my first non US saber; a Prizm v5.1 Graflex installed by RGV Custom Sabers. Prior to this, I loved US. Now, I just don't feel the same. Without talking about the company, my issues with US are: No chassis. Such an issue for me; the soundcard is covered in I don't even know what, and glued to a battery pack. Would look, and BE 10x better with a simple chassis. No LED retention screw. Probably one of my biggest issues; the LED rattles around and ruins the immersion of dueling. Super insensitive soundboard. I can practically breathe on my Graflex, and it'll clash. My US? I have to slam it against something to get a clash. Now, there are some pros. Super cheap, and you can duel with them. The hilts are FOR dueling. They won't break. They're bright, and loud, and a great intro company. I know there's some shoddy history with the company itself, but every company does; Phil calls his customers cunts for giving poor reviews, has threatened to steal designs, and is generally dickish. Even Vader's Vault has some unusual practices; including utter refusal to accept any criticism. (I've witnessed Diana literally dig through 100+ replies to a comment, finding the one person who criticized a VV saber, in order to argue with them).
My only real complaint with Ultrasabers is the hilts are oversized. It's not a problem if it is an original design, such as the Crimson Reaper I have which I love. But, my Guardian (their Phantom Menace Obi-Wan saber) is easily 25-30% larger than the movie prop. Same with the Fulcrum (their Ashoka Tano hilt), it is too large, so I went with Saberforge's version instead. But I have not had any quality control with my two Ultrasaber hilts and the company is very fast.
Only issue I have with US is the lack of retention screw for the LED housing. Otherwise for the price.. the finish on mine was smooth and there was no imperfections. In my opinion it's a perfect starter saber to mod. That being said I would have grabbed a Sabertrino Skyler had I looked deeper into them.
I cant say I am a Saberforge hater, but I was VERY disappointed. My first saber was purchased through Saberforge, it was going to run me around $430.00 or so. It was more money than I would normally spend on any collectible item, but hey it's a light saber. So...I waited and waited and waited, I was never emailed or contacted, the status never updated. I had contacted them 3 times via email, with no response. So finally I got sick of waiting, well over a month and a half, and I opted for a refund. As soon as I asked for a refund, their customer service came alive and they were more than happy to give my money back. No apologies, no explanations, just a refund. Strange behavior for any company. So I went to Ultrasaber and got a duel saber for half the price $205.00 I think, and it arrived in one week. Its also cool because I can use it as two sabers to spar as well. I just ordered another saber from Ultrasaber, a mystery box and I am excited to see what I get. I don't have issue with the owner of Saberforge or quality of work, but if they are in the business to make money, it wasn't to get MY money obviously.
People with saberforge in ultrasabers that fight with each other is like watching two donkeys try to race in the Kentucky Derby 😂😂😂. Those are like the Happy Meal prize of this Hobby. I used to think they were good to when I first started in hobby but then I wised up and woke up to stop buying junk. If ultrasabers would use a chassis like saberforge there be no flaws. If saberforge smooth out there hiltz more so there's no ridges there would be no flaws.
I heard they didn't do it because customers just non stop call them and ask them about their orders. I e-mailed them and they replied in the next day...
My main complaint about my own Ultrasaber(a Dominix LE V4) is the fact the battery pack rattles when the hilt moving. It's an easy fix with a TCSS extension and a short chassis. I feel the best bet for an Ultrasaber is an empty hilt for customization or getting a grab bag, mystery box, or stunt saber for practice. They have their place in the market, just like every other company. I personally will not buy another with preinstalled electronics from Ultrasabers, preferring to assemble my own from scratch, but I certainly would consider using one of their hilts for a build.
I really like ultrasabers. Their prices and sales are always great. About half of their hilts are too boring or just bad design. I think they just need to update their chassis and design so new sabers that aren’t so thick and maybe look better. Their (curved hilt) for example is horrendous with really bums me out because I really would love a curved hilt from them
That usually just depends on availability and where you live. I live about a couple hundred miles up from their factory, and I usually get it within a week and a half. It's taken about three weeks for some before though.
My first saber was an US Archon 3.1 w/Obsidian v4 soundboard. It was quite underwhelming once I got it as it's LED unit and their heavy grade blade made it look like a light in a tube. Had no issues with their customer service as they quickly assisted in sending me a replacement unit for the thin neck part as my threading in the neck was broken on arrival. Since then upon joining a 'The Vault' and 'ESL' FB groups and the Rebel Armory forum, I personally will no longer be getting any sabers from US in future but I do agree it's definitely an affordable starter saber if you're a beginner to the hobby.
David Nguyen - What led set up did you go with? I was thinking of ordering the Archon v3.1 with the TRI Led which is supposed to be significantly brighter with the thin neck designs, but doesn't allow flashing effects.
warlok9 I selected the saber Obsidian v4, which I believe was prior to them announcing the emerald or diamond drivers. Having 3 LEDs may increase the brightness of your blade but the output can only be so much when the light gets bottlenecked going past the thin neck section. If you accept that fact and it fits within your budget, then it's a fantastic intro into the hobby. Be aware though that the threads in my thin neck was very loose/faulty and I had to get them to send me a new neck.
In Japan, a vicious dealer is selling agency at a price more than 1.5 times the original price. Therefore, I think that there are not a few people who dislike Ultrasabers' products are not pricey.
When I was looking at my first custom saber purchase. I looked at the different ones out there. I looked at Vaders Vault and although they looked great in all honesty there really werent that many different designs to choose from. I looked at Ultrasabers and reviews. The hilts were to thick and in all honesty not very aesthetically pleasing. So I went with Saberforge. I loved their selection of hilts and ended up choosing a champion tier purple LED Exile for my first saber. Still quite happy with it and am currently waiting on an ASP that I designed with their virtual saber builder to ship.
Thank you for these videos..... I myself am an Ultrasabers guy. Now some of their hilts are bigger mainly the canon like hilts.... but there are a few hilts that are great like the Prophecy (which I own)...... there are some things that could be fixed as you had mentioned in an earlier vid..... ie the lack of a LED retention screw, the lack of an actual chassis, the lack of a copper heat-sink....... and their installs can be lacking....... I myself gut and do a re-install.
My words on ultrasabers; I currently own two sabers, both the same model because I like matched pairs for a saberstaff, and they are the dark disciple v2. (The baby dominix). One is their red, the other their "orange" which may as well just be yellow in every way, and here's my issues with them both. When I received them, the red didn't work at all, I rewired it and all was well, until the yellow died out. I contacted them and was told I voided the warranty on BOTH by altering one of them. So,I never contacted them again. Almost a year later, with MILD use in practice combat, the threading on Red was ripped out by the coupler (for saberstaff) in the middle of an, admittedly unimportant, photo op at a convention, and I had to chase a runaway saber in the middle of a crowd. The LEDs I've not gotten around to replacing, and Red never works even after rewiring it and replacing the batteries. In short, I'm never buying a stunt from US again, and I will stick to buying empty hilts from all companies to avoid any muckups
Phil Isherwood is a jerk. Don't get me wrong, I like Saberforge sabers and I've had no problems with them. But the stories I've heard from many others were astounding. He blatantly bashes other saber companies and makes baseless claims. Any person who says anything negative about him or Saberforge get blacklisted immediately. But from my personal experience their customer service was way better then Ultrasabers. They took the time to answer my questions and were very nice. Ultrasabers on the other hand gave me the cold shoulder anytime I had a question and gave me very automated answers. It didn't even seem like a human was sending me the answers they gave me. I asked them about customization options that I know they did for other people and they've basically told me no every time. I have an Ultrasabers prophecy and a Saberforge chosen and I love them both. I also have a dark apprentice stunt from Ultrasabers that is my favorite in terms of comfort. I love both of the companies, they just have their ups and downs.
Bruh the ultrasabers sound board is beastie you can download so many fonts and change them and when you first get an ultrasabers you get the Choice to change through 8 sound fonts, truly special. the speaker is amazing as well you can also change the how loud and the sensitivity of the saber and also the sabers are more customisable. You can also choose a flash on clash colour, what type of battery set up you want, choice of a recharge port, what type of blade: heavy grade, ultra edge Heavy grade, mid grade and ultra edge mid grade, choice of windows on emiter, the type of pommel, what type of switch e.g. guarded switch, av switch silver/black and illuminated av switch silver/black, blade size, type of sound, round or pointed blade tip, retention screw, 2 types of blad plugs, saber stand, cover tech clip/wheel. Wait do I see a mystery box that is in store 24/7 wow. Ok yes the sabers may not be completely accurate. Does ultrasbers come with defaults (rarely) unlike saberforge. Are ultrasabers affordable, yes. Is saberforge affordable, not really.
Also tired of the saberhate?! join the Lightsabers Club for a hatefree, fun and friendly lightsaber collectors community on facebook. facebook.com/groups/lightsabersclub/
You mentioned Emory started Ultrasabers. That's not accurate. Alex Buckner was the founder of Ultrasabers back around 2003-4ish. Don't know what happened to him, though. Emory came in much later, and presumably bought the company out from him. Here is a video when they were both with the company. Obviously there was some kind of drama between the two of them. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1HxHCbDy77U.html
A majority of the UltraSabers' hilts remind me of some kind of variant on the MagLite. Everything else in their premium line is aping canon or the Star Wars Universe. Not unlike SaberForge. I have no problem with the aesthetics of both companies. But there seems to be many issues in terms of their finish and their guts based on substantial reviews and feedback everywhere. For now it is a pass on both. The only thing I may consider purchasing in the future, from both companies, is their blades and blade plugs. Maybe even a empty hilt or stunt saber. But nothing to do with FX because it is all hit / miss and touch / go. My two cents FWIW.
I don't want to go in detail but after one damaged saber by Ultrasabers during the upgrade and one new saber that is wobbling...I am done with this guys.
I just don't like Ultrasabers because of how big the hilts are. I don't understand why they can't have a simple Chassis when the sabers are supposed to be "Combat ready". meanwhile there is no LED retention, plus everything is heat shrinked together on the inside then shoved into the hilt. Makes no sense honestly
The Brownster I won the Liberator giveaway, and while the hilt is relatively LONG, this one does not have the stereotypical hige diameter... Going to have it modded by Jevaho :)
The Brownster Ultrasabers follows the MHS system, which is based on the diameter of the Graflex. So their hilts are about right for a OT lightsaber. Personally I'd just buy an empty and install yourself, just a thought.
I get what you mean about the odd electronics setup, but it isn't a massive job to fix all but the led. I am going to be installing a chassis in my Dominix LE, but it is also getting a top to bottom customization. It was a first saber for me, and I got it through a grab bag, so I am not out of a lot to just check the quality either.
I love Ultrasabers. As someone over 6 feet tall & with proportionally big hands, I like the larger hilts. In fact, my preferred hilt is The Mantis, which many others write off as way too big & heavy. I'm a big guy, & I'm also quite strong, so I can whip around a Mantis the way most would do with a Sentinel (which is REALLY light!) lol. If I duel somebody, I can dominate them while using the Mantis through sheer overwhelming power, as a lot of mass+a lot of speed=a lot of momentum. I can honestly knock a smaller individual's saber right from their hands, & even if they're not so small, an aggressive form 5 fighting style with that type of speed & momentum combined is very effective for me.
I think it comes down to a person's fighting style. My personal style will tends to be a very agile dual wield(even with standard swords, which are far more deadly than polycarbonate tube), so slightly shorter hilts and blades fit that extremely well. My Dominix LE, though a nice hilt, still is a little unwieldy for me. I am likely going to assemble a custom set to dual wield with, but the new Dornian does look interesting, though I would consider the Standard Issue as options as well. Everyone has their own unique fighting style, and it's really about finding the right saber for that style.
I started with Ultrasabers, but I'm liking Saberforge A LOT more recently, especially with my ASP build! The thing that bugs me about Ultrasabers, is lack of customization. They've been out for years, before I even knew of combat ready lightsabers! Yet most of their sabers can't be swapped around too well. For example: the best you'd be able to customize on something like their 'Sentinel', is the pommel. However, most of the pommels available that look fancier aren't scaled to size of the lightsaber. So you're shit out of luck there, if you can even FIND a style you like! I don't really have problems with my sabers other than minor machining issues where grooves are still sharp, but nothing some fine grit sandpaper can't fix! I don't like Ultrasabers' customer support. I always seem to get Marlena, who seems to be about as smart as a potato. I want to mail in my Mantis for repair because I think there's a problem with the charging port because none of the chargers I have FROM THEM (long AND short nozzle) worked, so I take out the batteries to charge them. I relay all this in the email. Marlena gave me tips on what kind of charger nozzle to use. Like, seriously?? I told you I used several different chargers, I GOT FROM YOUR COMPANY AND THEY DON'T WORK! So how about mentioning an RMA form? NOPE. Still waiting to hear back from Ultrasabers to see what's going to happen about that. The only plus side, is they said they could help drill a hole in a lightsaber part for 10$
I'm looking at getting a ROTJ Luke saber. VV Hero is unavailable and starts at $650. Saberforge Prodigal Son is $475 for their Hero level. Ultrasabers Archon V3 is $325 with 5 switchable fonts and TRI Led upgrade (comparable to Saberforge "Hero" level) So obviously the Ultrasaber version is A LOT less expensive. Pertaining to your point about their lack of LED retention screws and the blades compressing into the guarded switch, the Archon ver3 is a thin neck design and the blade is completely separate from the led and electronics. Do you think this hilt design helps with the lack of LED retention screw since the blade is self contained?
Some people reported that the thin neck section of the US Archon v3, tended to come loose and or ended up with stripped threads, but i think they improved that now. But even still, i would never duel with a thin neck saber ,as the thin necks are just powder coated aluminium, not actual brass or copper.people reported that the necks tend to bend a bit over time after a hard dueling as well. Mind you these are just a few cases,not many.
Jesus Christ is Lord God of all! God bless you all! Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, is too difficult for the Lord our God, with Christ, ALL things are possible!
No hate here. I got into this hobby because of Ultrasabers. I like them and I think they have their place. I like all the saber companies. We are all unique and so are the saber companies. I just want to make sound fonts for them all. 😊 Money can be the root of evil. Thanks for subscribing to my channel by the way.👍
A lot of us in TSL have Ultrasabers. Usually as a first. They're affordable but have their issues. Plain looking and pretty basic in design. Among the group I've been with Saberforge is universally panned for having garbage installs but pretty hilts. Everyone has their preference.
Richard Scott yeah they've proved to be pretty popular already. Hopefully they can keep up with the rising demand. I think they may be waiting for some more pico crumble sound boards.
i liked your revieuw honest straight all the pros all the cons yeah im loving it i gonna order the rey hasbro force fx lightsaber not for dueling but more for practicing my moves and for freeform i find them strong have the vader also just love it nice sound nice light pretty detailed yeah not to expensive if you look around on ebay or so i heard ultrasabers no led screw bummer if you buy 450 usd saber the hasbro vader and rey does have them if you know to dissamble them im starter in lightsabers so for dueling one i gonna wait a bit and look around wich whas the fb page the lightsaber club i want to join them :) grtz from belgium
It is no fun to be stolen your property but one thing is for sure, grabbing sounds from a movie is not creating anything. if i understand this, they (US) stole from someone who stole from the movie. He didn't 'invent' those sounds... so for me it is quite difficult to see this as a 'steal'. Also, a lot of things i heard about US are not true for most customers. I got a Crimson Scorpion and 2years after, my saber is in perfect shape. They say electronic is faulty, led is moving, all that crap don't apply to my saber and i did NO custom mod on it. I spin it, i clash it, i fight with it for fun, never damage it. Some hilt are simple but mine have a claw, a obi wan type of pummel and it is a beast. Yes it is a little wider than i would have like but as i see it, many saber are just like that. TCSS for exemple have those extension and mod you can buy but they are wide as well. So i really don't see the bad ads being done to US.
He made a deal to get a certain percentage for every time somebody bought an ultrasaber with his soundfonts on them that was the deal. Ultrasabers didn't go by that deal as you can see in the video what they actually did and he missed out and did not get a percentage so technically it was stealing. The Sounds came from the movie yeah he created them for a soundboard so it is stealing. If you want to get technical about it ultrasabers didn't create lightsabers on their own they got the inspiration and idea from the Star Wars film so then therefore they would be stealing an idea from somebody else to wouldn't they
I don't like Emory because he was just a very defensive and triggered person. At Fx-sabers, when he was a member, noone could ever give him constructive criticism without him flying off the handle. He targeted me once because of my opinion about the bland and too similiar designs he kept producing. I wanted him to make more unique sabers because I liked them. He didn't react professional at all. Shortly after he was band from fx-sabers because of his attitude and theft of Novastars sound fonts. Saberforge has better designs and their hilts aren't as beefy. I was able to visit ultrasabers at Dragoncon one year and all his hilts were on the beefy side. Saberforge had a history of poorly made hilts and loose metal shards inside the hilts upon arrival. Wasn't really a big deal to me, I don't nit pick over things that don't really matter. I do recall Saberforge having a bad rep for his (Phil I think) attitude towards other companies. He was also a pretty triggered person, but a little less aggressive than Emory. Both companies have a negative past. But in my opinion, comparing the quality of the products and soundboards, saberforge is better. I still don't like how the ultrasound boards work. Switch on/off etc. I'm just partial to a more quick ignite and quick kill style of board. The saber hilts themselves are also more accurate in size with Saberforge. I'm just a customer and a saber enthusiast for ten years.
so I’ve bought 7 mystery boxes from US and still no sound ! Should I just customize a SF sentinel like I want or should I get like a emperor hand fro US???! I don’t want a SF to break like I’ve seen but I also take real good care of my stuff ..
+Mike Holtackers ahahahahaha I probably worded it poorly and now look like a racist, to clarify I am not a racist, I was more talking about a country of which it has a copy cat stigma associated with it :D but if any of my friends watching this and feel offended please message me and I address it with you in person
