TOPIC: My beloved Dissident

Hey,

My Dissident finished its loooong journey to my home in France yesterday.
So I think it's review time.

First, in case there is some french people around looking for infos :

— I ordered on the last day of december (litterally, the date on the order is the 31) and my postman came yesterday. So, it took a little less than one month)
— Custom taxes were 114€ (for a $450 order), so, yeah, take that into account and allow yourself an additional 100 budget.


Now, let's start the review :
I ordered a Champion tier Dissident, with the classic dual tone finish, black stingray wrapping and Viridium soundfont. For the blade, my choice was a 37" Amber blade. (It's probably my only regret, I feel the 37" a little bit too long, probably should have gone with a 32".)




Just out of the box, it felt already great.

I selected the black stingray wrapping with an idea. I wanted to try a tsukamaki (the katana style wrapping) myself. So I sat on my bed watching some videos and started to work.
It took me 3 times before having something not too bad. I took pictures during everyone of them so I'm not sure wich one is the last try.



I'm pretty sure this one is the first try. The next one is the third, since I didn't made any node before.



For the last pictures I tried with a #7 pommel I ordered with it cause I thought it would look good. But after different tries I'm not so sure about it.









So, what do you think ? Normal pommel or #07 ?


For the review itself : the hilt feels wonderful. A bit bigger than I thought but really great. It's heavy and with the blade on it's just sick, I love it ! As I said at the beggining of the review, I just should have ordered a shorter blade, but for the rest... Awesome.

It really feels solid and well crafted. The buttons are not easy to accidentally push, so that's great. I juste removed the little piece of cloth on it which did not looked reaaly great.

So, yup, I'm really glad of my choice and I really love my first saber.

That looks great with the tsukamaki! I vote for the standard pommel.

I think the 37" blades are too long for anyone under 6ft (2m) tall, and even then depending on your arm length you might prefer a shorter blade. I'm just under 6ft and the 32" blades are perfect for me.

You can always cut a few inches off the end of the tube, trim the film a bit, and re-glue it. Just remember to block the rest of the tube above your cut so you don't get dust from cutting inside the rest of the blade. It'd be best done on a miter saw to ensure an even cut.

One of these style pipe cutters can cut the blade without dust, and it also crimps the end to keep the film in place.

Nice looking saber, and well done with the wrap.

KelbornX wrote:
Wow, if that's true I must be huge Sorry, but I think 6 feet is about 1,82 cm, I myself am 6 feet 1 and I average about 1,85.
That being said, I do partially agree with your statement; as 6 feet 1 guy myself, I love the 37 inch blades, but I do at times (when swinging inside, outside I can roam free ) notice myself needing just a bit more space and a 32 inch blade would probably take care of that.

Also, I love the 07 Pommel, as it gives every lightsaber that classic medieval sword feel, where the pommel does actually balance out the rest of the blade.

Very nice saber! The amber is a perfect choice for that hilt!
Congrats & Enjoy!

I like the standard pommel

Very nice saber! The amber is a perfect choice for that hilt!
Congrats & Enjoy!

I like the standard pommel

Given the custom taxes, I think I'll try to fix that length problem without ordering a new blade from US.

Thanks Kouri for the cuter, I'll look for one of these.

Yeah, pommel 7 have this cool medieval sword feeling. And it's a good counterweight too.
On the other hand, it adds some length to an already pretty long hilt. My two hands already fit on the wraped part.

It Will probably be changed following m'y mood of the day.

Very nice. Another vote for the standard pommel.

Beautiful hilt and excellent color choice. It looks stellar.

Personally, I go for the original pommel but you gotta do what you love most. Either way, the wrap you've done is an awesome personal touch.

I totally agree with you when it comes to blade length. 32 was my choice and I've never regretted it - just feels right and it;s easy to maneuver. I'm sure with a pipe cutter like the above image would solve your problem. Added benefit is that you can have total control over the length. If 34 feels right, you could just try it in increments and see what's good.

Awesome saber! I personally like the look of the #7 pommel over the standard. Both are nice, but personally I'd give the edge to the #7.

I'm of the mindset that fighting style determines blade length as opposed to height. I'm 5' 2" and am very comfortable with a longer blade. I'm not to into the more complex spinning. On the original note of the post. I love the wrap, and the non standard pommel is a nice touch. It goes better with the wrap. Nice work

Have you used the pipe cutter to cut the blade?