TOPIC: Will have to send back my Exhalted for repairs :(

It is with great sadness that I have to report that my brand new Exhalted Hero tier, will have to be send back to SF for repairs already. I was showing it to my friends for the first time and two things suddenly went south. while showing them the FoC effect by hitting the blade on the palm of my hand ( like I have seen in dozens of review videos) I noticed that the emitter was loose and moving and that a rattling sound began. I went to tighten a little by hand but it never tighten up.. as you can see in the video below, you can screw it all the way down until the thin brass neck piece is no longer visible and you can also unscrew it until it comes completely out.. and it keeps moving when you try to rotate the hilt to switch colors... the rattling sounds comes when you shake the hilt back and forth.. it feels like it might be the LED that got loose but I don't know really.. You can hear the rattling sound on the video as well... I have already downloaded the SF RMA form and filled it out with my description in detail of my issues like I am sharing with you today. Still have some questions.. I emailed SF first about the problem already, but I believe I have to wait for their reply before I send it right? or can I send the hilt back with the form now? also, when I send it back, do I have to send everything that came with it? or just the hilt?
Also, this hilt hasn't been dropped, not even once. they can inspect it for any dings, dents, scratches etc
Any help would be appreciated.. I am a little disappointed because I just got it 3 days ago after waiting since 12/24/15.. and now I have to send it back and wait a little longer,, but I guess this happens.. thanks guys


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Just send the hilt.

The emitter coming loose, while a little disheartening, is not unheard of. There is a substance applied to the threads of the emitter to lock it in place, and if it is applied too sparingly, it can break loose. I had the same thing happen on my Exhalted, and while I hated to part with it so soon after receiving it, it sent it in, and they turned it around within a week. It has been rock solid ever since.

Like you, I would have preferred to have it right the first time, but they made it right in the end.

Brax wrote:
Thanks Brax!
Should I send it before I get SF email reply? I read something that it needed to be pre-approved? or something like that... what about the rattling sound?

They should be able to fix both problems. Just make sure to mention both on the RMA form.

As for waiting, I don't believe that is required, but if you want to be absolutely sure, it wouldn't hurt. The RMA form enclosed with the saber should have all the information about the problem, and the return address so it finds its way back to you. I would also keep a copy of the RMA form.

Brax wrote:
Thanks again brother, you are very helpful
I will get the hilt ready and pack it good and keep a copy of the form

If you haven't sent it back yet, blue locktite in the threads will fix that. Just make sure to get the blue not the red.

schmots wrote:

Thanks for the advice... that's something that I would do if that was the only issue, but I still have the rattling noise inside the hilt, so I have to send it in anyways..

Sorry to hear that you had an issues with your hilt. I had about the same problem with my prodigal son the first day I got it. LED was loose and one of the thin neck part can't be tightened. Had to send it in for repair. Like schmots explain thread lock will fix the emitter part. As for the LED it is lock on by C ring if you are brave enough you can take off the hilt where the LED sit and put back the C ring. However, most likely they only had used one that's why it came off so easily. After the repair they installed two C-ring lock on mine and never had any issues.

To unscrew the hilt if they used thread lock you'll need a heat gun set to around 550 degree F to loosen the thread lock or you will damage the threads.

Here a picture of what it looks like with the C-ring and led in place on a prodigal son. Your Exhalted should be at the same place near the top of the grenade section so unscrew from the bottom of the grenade section. Your going to need a Snap ring pliers to work with the C-ring.

As for sending it in for repair. Do not send it in without them acknowledging that you can send it in for repair. It is a requirement. The turn around time will be 1 week with no status update or tracking fyi.

harvey415 wrote:
Thank you so much for your information and inside knowledge.. I have now a much better idea of what I am dealing with. However, I will not try to fix/open that hilt area because I don't want to risk loosing the warranty. I will wait for their email reply before I send it and make sure I get the green light to send it in for repairs... thanks again !

I had the same problems with my Redeemer. I used loctite on the threads of the thin neck sections, and none of that moves anymore. I was also able to unscrew the hilt just below the grenade section, and use snap ring pliers to get the C-rings to hold the LED in place better and stop that from rattling around. You can also tighten this up from the other end right where the thin neck section screws in to the grenade section. The LED just needs to be sandwiched between the snap ring and the start of the thin neck section. Seems like whomever did the final assembly on my Redeemer hilt forgot a couple crucial steps in the process.

I'm not sure if the Exhalted can unscrew there in the middle of the hilt or not... mine kinda looks like it was machined from one solid piece between the grenade section and the switch section, but with the weathering it's difficult to tell if there's a seam there or not. I must say the final assembly of my Exhalted was FAR better than on my Redeemer. Everything nice and tight, nothing loose, no rattling, no sharp edges from machinging that tear up your hands... pretty much the exact opposite of the way my Redeemer showed up. Not a big deal to fix any of these issues, but it would very much seem to me that there's wild inconsistencies in the QC of the final stages of production.

Just got my Exhalted Hero and like you guys it has to go back for repair. My thin neck is loose and sounds like the led is too. literally just got her today after waiting since 12-27-15.

I'm kind of scared of ordering a Prodigal Son with all the problems that thin necks seem to be having recently. Good thing Eddlyss doesn't use a thin neck...

Boyer4 wrote:
So sorry to hear that Boyer4. Now I'm a bit scared for when my Prodigal Son arrives. Hopefully I don't have any issues. I ordered mine 3 days after you so hopefully it ships out soon. Can't wait nonetheless!

I am sorry to hear that. Make sure to contact them, get approval for the RMA, and send it in. I know how rough it will be to be without your saber for a bit longer, but you will accomplishing two things by sending it in for repair.

1. You will get your saber back in perfect dueling condition, with nary a rattle.

2. You will be helping them to identify a trend in their QC process that needs some attention.

I know that is small consolation, but others down the line will benefit from your contribution.

Brax wrote:
Hope so. I already emailed them and am filling out an RMA while I await a reply. I also noticed several chips in small places where the machining wasn't smooth etc but those are minor issues to the loose parts. The chips were on the pommel bottom in two spots and on the edge of the second button which is very rough. A few scratches in the finish too.

No way to check the led or blade yet as the battery died as soon as I pulled out the kill key and hit power on for the first time. But shinning a led light down the blade I can see some blemishes in the blade that appear discolored to the rest of the blade when lit and a seem running crooked down the length of the blade but I am unsure how this will look with the saber on. Hopefully a full charge while waiting on RMA approval will yield better results.

Boyer4,
So sorry to hear about your Exhalted. SF seems to have a fast turn around time for repairs so hopefully you're only saberless for a short time. Like Brax said, hopefully they address the quality control issue with thin-necks.

Boyer4 wrote:
Very sorry to hear that you had a very similar problem... I sent mine out after getting approval for the RMA... They received it on 3/29 so let's see how long the repairs will take.. Good luck

Darth Crain wrote:
It normally takes them around 1-2 weeks depending on what kind of repairs they have to perform. Normally I was getting my saber back the following week, and I live in Canada so... Don't worry my friend, your saber will be back as good as new !

I'm glad they have a quick turn around time for repairs, though I have to admit this makes me very nervous since I was considering ordering a Chosen, Champion Edition in the near future but these problems with thin neck sabers are making me give the Acolyte a second look.

The Chosen is a bit of a different animal. The emitter is not threaded and screwed into the body of the saber. It is a one-piece design, so it can't come loose as some have recently, and due to that more resiliant design, will stand up to stresses that would tax a regular two-piece thin-neck.