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TOPIC: DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III

DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III 9 months 1 week ago #66289

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Dual Tone Black Lotus QC12Watt+ Frost White

Once upon a time I was fascinated with an All Black Hilt Finish and after some additions to my Collection, what was hyped as ‘All That’, now notso much. The All Black does have appeal to certain Hilt designs but in general, the surface appearance leaves it too flat and hides any distinguishable elements surrounding the Hilts design.

This is an interesting Hilt as it features design elements that I haven’t completely embraced however not by the result of a direct Purchase, I find it in my hands nonetheless. A surprisingly light Hilt, it may just be the lightest Hilt I currently own. Deceptively dull where by default, the only contrasting elements featured are the Silver accent squares around the Pommel and in between the Switch section to the Choke. Granted with an illuminated Blade it would trump any misgivings the Hilt as a standalone may lack and the option of QC LED Modules, heightens this projection but the Hilt is not always on.

Why is it an interesting Hilt? well let me explain. It’s a wrapped Hilt and a multi-clawed design. Two features that I’ve generally ever been 50/50 about at best but mostly 30/70 on any given day. When duelling with, it is always recommended to remove the claws first. It has often been debated in this hobby about the convenience of thumb blade retention screws over setscrews and the ease (or difficulty/hassle) with fiddling with an Allen key. Similar to that example, when it comes to the button-head screws that secure the Claws, well.. there’s 6 of them and between the Vipers and the Venoms, accessibility is somewhat limited between the two types. The Allen key for the existing setscrew blade retention is also a different size to the claws screws. In total, think of this Emitter as having 7 (Yes 7) Blade retention screws.

The Black Reptile wrap that came standard (or preselected at the Builders discretion) is, what it is, don’t really have any to add to it. As the primary grip section it doesn’t really add to it or remove from it either. Aesthetically, it’s not the greatest marriage of texture and colour but it does its job.

If you’re familiar with the standard finish this Hilt is typically represented by, the first you may have noticed is the difference. There is more Silver where there normally wouldn’t be. When this arrived, it did become victim of mysterious events inside the box but as my enquiries were investigated further with SFCS, I am led to believe some other points of interest that reacted with a raised brow. Shipping-wise, I actually concluded that it would be safer and more secure for the claws (3Viper & 3Venom) to be detached and require ‘some’ assembly. This wasn’t the case. The Hilt is wrapped (loosely) just like any other Hilt that is Shipped, regardless of claws inclusive to the Emitter design or not. I suggested that (prior to Shipping) instead of just rolling the Hilt horizontally like you would with a piece of flat bread, to fold in the ends (Pommel and Emitter) too or tack-on some extra padding.

When it did emerge from the Box, only 3 Claws were attached. I will guess that either with content-shift, vibration or general handling, it dislodged and loosened the screws and completely unthreaded them from the Emitter. Not a big deal. Pretty easy to screw something back in, right? I’ll elaborate more on this later…

The Ring.


What has that got to do with SW and LightSabers? Absolutely nothing.
I sometimes become easily distracted…. Squirrel!

Some Specs and Measurements:
Quad Cree 12Watt+ Frost White| Champion Tier| Quick Connect LED Module| Sabercore2.0 Crimson Font| (Modified) Standard All-Black Finish| Black AV Switch, White-Lit| Black Covertech| lazerforge Kill Key

Hilt Length (Pommel to Emitter): 287mm (11.2992”)
Hilt Length (Pommel to Viper Tip): 305mm (12.0079”)
Hilt Length (Pommel to Venom Tip)*: 342mm (13.4646”)
Blade Socket Depth: 41mm (1.6142”)
Venom Claw Diameter: 71mm (2.7953”)
Viper Claw Diameter*: 103.26mm (4.0654”)
Choke Diameter: 31.74mm (1.2497”)
Switch Diameter: 38.17mm (1.5028”)
Wrapped Body Diameter: 34.18mm (1.3457)
Pommel Diameter: 48.61mm (1.9138”) tapers down to 25.56mm (1.0063”)
*denotes standard Lotus setup.

Weight: 453Grams ( 15.9791Ounces)
Balance (from Pommel to POI): 158mm (6.2205”)
Balance (from Pommel to POI) 26”: 305mm (12.0079”)
Balance (from Pommel to POI) 32”: 334mm (13.1496”)
Balance (from Pommel to POI) 37”: 385mm (15.1575”)


The Emitter essentially has 7 retention screws you need to struggle with before a blade can be cleanly inserted without friction or catching on any internal protrusions. Fully tightened Claw screws, you’ve got 360Degrees open space for Venom (these are long and effortless to finger tighten first before using allen key) and about 270Degrees closed space for Viper (these bastards are the most user-unfriendliest). The thread pitches are short too. Too short for quick n easy finger tightening first as the eye needs to be threaded exact and performed using an Allen key. Too long in that they extend right into the Blade Holder and become internal protrusions. All 6 Claws need to be literally loosened to hanging on by a thread before a blade can be inserted for seating. Under tighten (and whilst is attached to the Emitter Flute) the Claws wobble like jingle bells. There is no happy medium.

For now, I completely disregard the setscrew for blade retention. 5 of the 6 Claws are fully tightened by the default buttonheads. 1 has been replaced with a sockethead and slightly longer pitch (because between the 3Vipers and 3Venom Claws the screws included are not all the same specific to the Claw type) The sockethead also enables me to use as a thumbscrew for blade retention. Due to the extra tediousness of ensuring the blade holder well is clear, a blade is left permanently inserted. This creates convenience when the desire warrants grabbing this Hilt for random swings and spins to pacify some boredom. Or when I pace during thinking -time, lately it is now done with a twirling Saber in hand.

The Claws supplied were dangerously sharp, had dings, dents and scratches too however the biggest concern was the edges to the Switch and Recharge Port. I provided this feedback to SFCS and was replied with ‘switches are left sharp on this Hilt because of the design. Any softening cannot be done because the black anodise will be stripped as a result. You can sand the edges if you wish but any damage sustained won’t void your warranty but is not covered under warranty.’ Not being quick to return items with RMA for correction, I was hoping for a more accommodating troubleshoot. I may have even considered sending the Claws back but with the returned outcome, completely abandoned that route. For Lotus I did anyway.

The interesting part to this feedback was the finishing of the Parts. IDK if it is what I am to believe for now specific to this Hilt based on the specific query I had specific to this email? It concludes Parts are received (obviously empty) and either completely anodised Black or completely anodised Silver. Further in-house treatments are then done by either drilling switch holes (after the fact), stripping/polishing etc. Steps taken in this order explain the exposed aluminium after a hole has been drilled. What conflicts to this is reports of other Hilts (shared and from personal Collection) and ASP individual Parts where the treatments i.e. drilling holes and whatnot are done to raw aluminium and the anodising is done after. I throw my hands up in the air. It’s not something I’m supposed to know I guess.

So what eventuated and resulted to what you see now is me taking to some sanding and cleaning to the affected claws. For consistency, I repeated the process to the unaffected ones as well to keep appearances uniform. Much the same with the Switch holes. Edges are definitely much more user-handling friendly now but rather having just a small section of scratched-off anodising, continued the stripping of the entire switch section. IDK, it’s almost a TIE themed Lotus now but aesthetically, I believe (or maybe I’m delusional and tooting my own horn is all it is) it is more effective than what it was in the standard All Black Finish. From a momentary distraction (Yes, another one) the view from the front of the Emitter reminded me of the Octalus creature in the Movie Deep Rising. Cool? Maybe.


I have specific Hilts I use for Duelling. When I write duelling, it’s nothing choreographed or professional, rather when my Brother comes around or when a Mate swings by and feels like having a bash. The intention is to include this solely because it is so ridiculously light. With All Claws removed (haven’t taken pictures of this as I’ve only removed all Claws once, plus I forgot being distracted by the frustrations of securing the claws, to access the LED Module during initial assessment and they’re a pain to secure because they’re really fiddly. There, I referenced it again.) it’s just a plain looking Hilt. The Claw retention Holes mimic light shine-throughs which is kind of neat and similarly resembles ASP Emitter7. I may (if I’m feeling creative) drill additional holes that would be covered by the Claw footprint to promote this shine-through effect and further replicate ASP Emitter7.


This handles well during dual wield where primary hand chokes high or grips low with single handed use. The claws become body magnets with painful results when not careful and all-in-all, not bad. Would I get another multi-clawed Emitter Hilt, probably not, well by choice anyway.
What I have with this Lotus is essentially 4 Sabers in 1.
1. All Claws removed, it’s like an ASP Build headed by Emitter7 but (because of the lesser holes for shine-through) is more known as Emitter7’s younger Brothers Cousins Friend.
2. Only Venom Claws attached. Like a Crystal-less, shine through-less, no windowed Descent.
3. Only Viper Claws attached. Like a shine through-less, no windowed, wrapped Viper.
4. As you see it. DT Lotus.
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DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III 9 months 1 week ago #66290

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Thank you for taking to the time to endure this writeup and any questions or comments that may be prompted. I remain uncertain with Frost White as a Colour. I’m a little underwhelmed. Maybe it’s specific to this Hilt, maybe not. With the benefits of a QC Module, I may (most likely) simply swap out for good a Red LED (or one of its now variations).
The images above are examples of a V4, SF Day Red & Photon.
Last Edit: 9 months 1 week ago by OvrcAHst.
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DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III 9 months 3 days ago #66645

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Hey Ovrc, thank you for this amazing review! It's very in-depth and helpful. I'm waiting for the Black Lotus to be delivered to me in the next few days and I'm super excited about it. However some parts of your review trouble me a bit.
OvrcAHst wrote:
The Emitter essentially has 7 retention screws you need to struggle with before a blade can be cleanly inserted without friction or catching on any internal protrusions. Too short for quick n easy finger tightening first as the eye needs to be threaded exact and performed using an Allen key. Too long in that they extend right into the Blade Holder and become internal protrusions. All 6 Claws need to be literally loosened to hanging on by a thread before a blade can be inserted for seating. Under tighten (and whilst is attached to the Emitter Flute) the Claws wobble like jingle bells. There is no happy medium.

Could you please elaborate this a bit more? In the end, when You're done fidgeting with all the screws, are the Venom / Viper blades and the Infinity blade all tightened good, or are there still wobbly bits after getting the blade into the Blade Holder? I'm already worried about the state I'll find it in when I open the package, as it is being shipped all the way from the US to Central Europe. I'd really hate it if the Saber itself is poorly made. :unsure:
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DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III 9 months 3 days ago #66677

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Avarice wrote:
Hey Ovrc, thank you for this amazing review! It's very in-depth and helpful. I'm waiting for the Black Lotus to be delivered to me in the next few days and I'm super excited about it. However some parts of your review trouble me a bit.
Thanks Avarice, oh an Welcome to the Forum too. I try to remain as unbiased as I can, so: Black, White and everything inbetween.
Congrats with your very own Black Lotus that's incoming.
The Emitter essentially has 7 retention screws you need to struggle with before a blade can be cleanly inserted without friction or catching on any internal protrusions. Too short for quick n easy finger tightening first as the eye needs to be threaded exact and performed using an Allen key. Too long in that they extend right into the Blade Holder and become internal protrusions. All 6 Claws need to be literally loosened to hanging on by a thread before a blade can be inserted for seating. Under tighten (and whilst is attached to the Emitter Flute) the Claws wobble like jingle bells. There is no happy medium.

Could you please elaborate this a bit more? In the end, when You're done fidgeting with all the screws, are the Venom / Viper blades and the Infinity blade all tightened good, or are there still wobbly bits after getting the blade into the Blade Holder? I'm already worried about the state I'll find it in when I open the package, as it is being shipped all the way from the US to Central Europe. I'd really hate it if the Saber itself is poorly made. :unsure:
These write-ups I do are specific to the Hilt(s) that I receive(d) and doesn't necessarily mean that all models born from SF are identical as variations have been seen/reported many times over.
Ain't going to sugar-coat it but fiddling with 7 (essentially) retentions are 6 too many for my liking. If they were all the same size this would lessen what I consider to be a burden and inconvenience but not completely eliminate it. However fast-forward past the loosening/tightening part and yes all is solid and jingle-free (mostly).

What I mean by this is no blade, no plug i.e. nothing in blade socket: Yes Claws are very tight. With plug, with blade: No, Claws are not tight.

Specific to mine, with just the blade plug in, there is slight movement to some of the claws and as for the jingling sound, it typically becomes deafened by the resonance coming from the speaker. It's more being conscious of claws not completely secure when randomly swinging from displayed position (*conditionally).

*I ended up subbing in an alternate Plug (sanded shorter and thinner OD) so it sits above the claw retention screws (mostly) and because of the reduced OD of the plug it can sit between the internal ID between the screw protrusions and become reliant on the single blade retention set screw only and not the claw screws that become secondary retention screws. Hope that makes sense. With inserted blade, wobble (not jingle) is relative i.e. 26"=virtually none, 32"=little bit and 37"=little bit plus a little bit more. This is without claws as it is normal for a little flexing to occur when blade on: *insert receiving surface here*.

I haven't sanded down a blade to reduce the OD to effectively simulate the Plug variation. Mainly because an inserted blade extends past the internal protrusions (both primary and secondary) and seats further down against the Modules heatsink. With Blade in, claws will jingle. I also suspect (conveniently) why the recommendation is to remove claws when duelling, so all you have is a clear blade socket, no claws, (little shine-throughs from the claw footprint) and blade. I have pondered possibly sanding down the claw screws so there are zero protrusions in the Well but there is little threading that holds them already and removing something most likely will put me up the proverbial creek.

I suspect on mine, between the Viper/Venom Claws, some of the holes became stripped likely from the transit that caused several to completely separate from the Emitter. This may quite possibly explain the extra fiddliness I encounter with securing each claw. Due to the 'extra' fiddle-time, it becomes a bit of a nuisance with having to remove all claws completely to access the QC LED Module and equally so when removing the claws for blade insertion.

Don't let your excitement for your own falter. As I referenced, these are user experiences independent to me personally and observations concluded from my Hilt specifically received. Hope it helps.
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DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III 9 months 3 days ago #66683

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Thanks for the reply mate.

This makes me worry a bit less, tho I'm still worried. A wobbly Saber isn't something anyone would want. I mean, it's wrong of me to trash talk it before it even arrives,but you get what I'm trying to say.

Mihoshi's review of his Black Lotus didn't include any complaints about the screws and protrusions, which makes me a bit relieved, as it indeed is a experience that varies from user to user.

As far as the Saber itself goes, I doubt I'd be dueling with it any time soon. First I'd have to find someone else in my town that owns a Saber. So until then, my Lotus will be a Shelf Queen. Also it's just a Stunt, so I won't have any module noise to cover the jingle bells.

Also, since the blade itself isn't so expensive, and I'm guessing the most replaced part, have you maybe considered etching some sort of grooves into the blade itself with a soldering iron for example? So the screws slide into the blade itself. Unless that has an impact on how tight the blade sits in the socket.
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DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III 9 months 3 days ago #66685

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Avarice wrote:
As far as the Saber itself goes, I doubt I'd be dueling with it any time soon. First I'd have to find someone else in my town that owns a Saber. So until then, my Lotus will be a Shelf Queen. Also it's just a Stunt, so I won't have any module noise to cover the jingle bells.
Whilst the Saber is manufactured for duelling, it too remains as a Shelf Queen for me. It's not my first goto.
Also, since the blade itself isn't so expensive, and I'm guessing the most replaced part, have you maybe considered etching some sort of grooves into the blade itself with a soldering iron for example? So the screws slide into the blade itself. Unless that has an impact on how tight the blade sits in the socket.
This is a possibility however not one that I entertained. With the very same reason I don't try to accurately (and with exact precision) place a Plug or blade in a certain way so that the retention set screw will bite at the very same point every time to prevent tiny circular impressions, just want to plug a hole (or insert a blade) without overthinking it.







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DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III 9 months 3 days ago #66686

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I missed this thread till now. :lol:

Not bad, congratulations on another addition to your armament.

White is a fine color but on the "right" hilt (I have it on my Epoch, a hilt that is largely brushed silver). It's good that you are using the QC feature to swap LEDs out.

I used to get confused between the Black Lotus and the Viper, but not either with the Venom. I'm trying out ASP pieces with the ASP Viper emitter for "my own version" of the Viper, but keeping it separate from the Venom and the Sorcerer. The Black Lotus seem to sit in between.
"I am the Senate"
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DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III 9 months 3 days ago #66687

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OvrcAHst wrote:









I really hope mine doesn't turn out that way, it would really be a bummer. I fell in love with the Black Lotus the moment I saw it. I had my mind set on getting the Venom, and then I saw this beauty.
The only thing left for me now is to wait and pray. Hope it goes well.
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DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III 9 months 3 days ago #66689

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OvrcAHst wrote:
Avarice wrote:
As far as the Saber itself goes, I doubt I'd be dueling with it any time soon. First I'd have to find someone else in my town that owns a Saber. So until then, my Lotus will be a Shelf Queen. Also it's just a Stunt, so I won't have any module noise to cover the jingle bells.
Whilst the Saber is manufactured for duelling, it too remains as a Shelf Queen for me. It's not my first goto.
Also, since the blade itself isn't so expensive, and I'm guessing the most replaced part, have you maybe considered etching some sort of grooves into the blade itself with a soldering iron for example? So the screws slide into the blade itself. Unless that has an impact on how tight the blade sits in the socket.
This is a possibility however not one that I entertained. With the very same reason I don't try to accurately (and with exact precision) place a Plug or blade in a certain way so that the retention set screw will bite at the very same point every time to prevent tiny circular impressions, just want to plug a hole (or insert a blade) without overthinking it.








I have same problem with my greenstriders viper emitter. Fortunately for me it is just two of claws screws bite in and actually only one of them bite deep enough to need to be unscrewed a little. I plan to sand the said screw sometime soon but so far it didn't provide that much of a problem. I will see what i will do with my black lotus when it arrives (if it gets into shipped ever :P)
Last Edit: 9 months 3 days ago by ukyavuz.
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DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III 8 months 1 week ago #67813

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Bit of an update.

Feeling a little customisingsy, yeah it’s a word, just go with it..
swapped out the Frost White LED and parked an Arctic Blue in there
to become its new resident.

Wannabe ASP Emitter 7.. integrated with the existing claw retention screws.


ASP Emitter7 Venom…


ASP Emitter7 Viper..


A tweaked Black Lotus..


Sometimes when you open a window you’ll either see a Butcher or some grass that is a little greener.


With the Viper/Venom Claw retention screws jingles I commented further uptop, without claws is the only way to accommodate an inserted blade. Perfect as a dueller, light and easy to control.


All windows closed, Clawed on display. None the wiser?
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DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III 8 months 1 week ago #67832

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I totally missed this thread. Love the Black Lotus and really digging your customization project you have going on here. Stay in that "customisingsy" mode. It works.
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
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DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III 8 months 1 week ago #67874

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Greysider wrote:
I totally missed this thread. Love the Black Lotus and really digging your customization project you have going on here. Stay in that "customisingsy" mode. It works.
Thanks Greysider. Customisingsy. It'll become a thing. :lol:
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DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III 8 months 1 week ago #67894

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Ya know, I like the wider brushed silver sections on this better than I do on the actual ASP 7 emitter. Plus where the top goes to all black...I think you're really on to something here!


- RGBA+ Monarch, FW Epoch, Juggernaut, Exhalted
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DT Black Lotus SF|Story so far. Pt III 8 months 1 week ago #67910

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HotRod wrote:
Ya know, I like the wider brushed silver sections on this better than I do on the actual ASP 7 emitter. Plus where the top goes to all black...I think you're really on to something here!
:lol: Thanks HotRod. Customisingsy. :P
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