TOPIC: Hero Tier Descent Review

So, I got this about a week or so ago and waited on posting a review about it to make sure I wouldn't have lots of things to add/edit on said review after a little time with it had passed.

Let me begin the review by saying... this saber is immaculate. It is beautiful, and lovely, and everything I wanted. I can barely put it down... it is simply that amazing and intricate and just overall beautiful.

I ordered the saber from Etsy, and put in the comments a request for a custom finish, knowing full well that this request had about a 2% chance of being able to being done via Etsy; they usually don't do custom anything through there, but I also didn't want to wait 14 weeks for this piece, as it's a pretty central piece of my cosplay (that is NEARLY DONE... Just need my gloves to show up!! so much happiness) and so I went through Etsy instead.

Firstly, it showed up very very quickly; three weeks from order date to date in hand, to the dot. I was very impressed with that... secondly, it showed up perfeeeect. The custom finish, the wrap perfect, the LEDs all the right color... I could not be happier with the service and the fulfillment of this order. I even took the time to send Phil a personal thank you message for the saber after I received it. I feel like they did just that little extra something for me, and I really appreciated it.

So, enough gushing, and on to the saber itself!!

I ordered it in a full, pure black finish, with a black stingray grip. And this is what I received.





It. Is. Gorgeous. So smooth, and comfortable to hold, and sleek, and just... powerful looking.

The crystal chamber blade plug is also beautiful and finally crafted. It's a little hard to see on camera through the vents, but it looks very sharp in person.





Also, the Descent no longer comes with the traditional venom claws, but the new machined and intricate sorcerer claws, which is terrific. It adds another level of detail and beauty to the saber. It is truly something to behold in person.

I got it Red/Amber, for a 12W Blood Orange mix.











As you can see, all the colors show up sharp, and nice. For anyone curious about the 6W vs 12W lighting difference, I did a side-by-side with my Champion Gladius, which is also in Blood Orange.





Here is the 6W red against the 12W Blood Orange... there is a little difference, but yet the BO blade is only a 32in vs the 37 on the Red, and the Red really holds its own. I was definitely impressed by the overall brightness of even the 6W.





And here's both Blood Oranges, side by side... glowing and humming happily. This saber is just... zomgs. It is beautiful, sexy, sleek, firm, well designed, amazing crafted, sturdy, and very well balanced. I've begun practicing dual wielding spins with it and the gladius, and it is so effortless to spin and handle, it's just... it's flawless. I can't say enough positive about this saber. Can you tell I love it?? lol





One last glory shot for you.

Overall, this saber is a 10,000 / 10 rating. It. Is. Fantastic.

my jaw just hit the floor.
congrats man, that is one hell of a saber, and a beautiful piece of artwork.
enjoy it!
also thanks for the excellent review!

very nice... I so love BO

The Blood Orange is definitely a sharp color! I love it. It's probably my second favorite... I'm not sure why I waited so long to get one in this color now... haha. I was always very unsure of it from just the pictures, but man. In person it is soooo lovely.

Thanks for the kind words. I do indeed plan on enjoying this saber!

Absolutely stunning man! That is a thing of sublimely evil beauty, and you have my envy!

Hello Kynitiri,

This time I spelled it right.

Well, I need your advice.

I Just bought an old model Descent second hand, and I would certainly like to upgrade it. It has single button, so I guess it is Champion Tier, a 6W LED, Nova Soundboard 3.0 and 2W speaker. It´s a really old version, I understand.

Now, both light and sound are a bit to low for my liking, and sending it to SF may be both lenghty and expensive since I live in Germany.

Can you come up with some do-it-at-home recipe that I could use? I mean, soundboard, speaker LED and how to install them?

I would certainly appreciate it.

Luis

Well once the ASP line officially launches, you might be able to order the electronics package and 12w+ LED module w/quick connects. You will have to utilize the existing switch, but this could be an option for you. Not exactly sure when ASP goes active, within a month or so. Also they are releasing a new champion sound board that has some programmable options.

Not Kyntiri, but hopefully I can help you out until he gets here (he's a pretty busy dude).

First things first: does your saber have a crystal chamber? If not that would make it a Venom. Not trying to nitpick--if it doesn't have the chamber, it'll be a bit easier to work with (a Decent is just a Venom with the crystal chamber).

Next, if you want to do the upgrade yourself, The Custom Saber Shop (TCSS) forums are the place to look. Schematics, wiring diagrams, chassis builds--they have it all. You are also going to have to have and know how to use a decent soldering iron. If you don't (and don't plan on needing one for more projects), buying one just for this upgrade might be more than you want to spend (don't fall into the trap of buying a >$10 soldering iron--you'll regret it!). I have a $40 Weller WLC100 station from Amazon I really like.

As for the LED (if you don't want to buy a SF 12w), soundboard, and other things you'll need, TCSS has them, but are based in the US so you may want to look for a European retailer to avoid a hefty shipping and customs charge.

Now what you could also do is order a new plug-and-play Champion electronics kit from SaberForge when the ASP system launches to the public--though I'd recommend that you take some internal measurements of your saber first to make sure they'd fit.

EDIT: =Ottomatix= beat me to it while I was typing