TOPIC: JChen's Exhalted (12w+ Green)

For those who don’t want to read my Journey, the tl;dr version is: great customer service, minor cons, and LOTS of pros. Awesome hilt. Scroll down for pictures.

For those interested in my Journey, let’s see….where to start? I guess my Journey started from September 6, 2015. After many, many hours of browsing and researching, I ordered a warrior Epoch in red. This was the same weekend SF was offering a chance to win a Bane with a purchase. Didn’t win…. Anyways, back to my Journey. With the sudden influx of orders from the TFA and Christmas, I was pushed into the LONG wait. The 12-16 week wait. That’s fine, I waited. Come November 24th, I received my preshipment label! I was SO STOKED! I was close right?? Well...I waited and waited. I finally decided to inquire about my order late December early January, SF told me they’re tracking down my order. January 8th, it’s official, my order was LOST! From there, I waited for SF to confirm that my order was lost, and process my refund. January 26, I received my refund check, and I reordered on the 28th. This time, I went with the Exhalted. While waiting for my Epoch, the Exhalted just grew and grew on me. I got my shipping label the day after on the 29th. I was expecting the saber to come within a week or so, however, I was notified that a part was missing, so FINALLY February 3, 2016, my saber was picked up and on it’s way to me. And now, here it is today.

I’ll start with Cons as there isn’t really that many. The emitter of the blade seems to get loose after some contact. I’m sure I can use some Teflon tape or something and tighten it. I’m a little weary about heaving dueling with it…but then again, I only plan on using this saber for spinning and maybe light dueling. So no biggy. The blade sits at the very top of the emitter, so I’m feeling some wobble? I haven’t tried tightening the retention screw a lot yet…may try that. But I think this is normal for all the thin neck line? The kill key wasn’t really aligned with the hole, so there’s an awkward gap when plugged in, again, no biggy. Lastly, I wished they had some sort of blade plug for the thin necks. I’ll probably make one myself.

Pros. I want to start with SF’s customer service because I had to deal with them A LOT in the past half year. So in the beginning in September, they ALWAYS responded to my emails within hours. I first, changed my blade length, then decided to upgrade from Warrior to Champion. They were more than willing to accommodate and help me with my changes. Come December and January, yes…it took them 5-7 days to respond to one email, but I’d ALWAYS get a response. Finally, the whole refund and reorder process, Joshua kept me updated on when they sent out the refund check and expediting my order. Now in late January, they were back to answering my emails within the day.

SO NOW FOR THE SABER! Oh man, this thing is BRIGHT and LOUD. I was a bit skeptical about the whole 12w+ being a whole lot brighter. Let me tell you, IT IS SO MUCH BRIGHTER than their old standard 12w. Very impressed. I don’t know if they also upgraded speakers, but this saber is way louder than my Vengeance. I have to keep the volume on the lower setting because it was so much louder. The design of the hilt is excellent as well. I have no issues spinning with this hilt. No sharp edges or anything either like I read in some reviews. This hilt is also pretty long, perfect for wielding with two hands.

Well, if you made it this far, thanks for reading! Enjoy the pictures.

jc0522
Thank you for the Review Post and for revisiting the back story describing the roads travelled and the multi-directional changes that occurred along the way. More importantly for the amazing pictures of your long awaited Hilt. The combination of the two provided a setting where (as a reader) we could not help but share the misfortune but equally share the glory with final delivery.

The weathering on that Hilt looks sensational and the glow of the 12w+ Green is blindingly beautiful. With Colour Clans trending as Topics of interest recently, you make your position loud and clear and stamped with conviction.

You may need to update a current family photo now with the newest addition to rub shoulders with. Very nice! Great Colour and Weathering Combination.

Family photo you say?

Vengeance and Exhalted.

I'm eyeing the Epoch next...my original order. The Bastion is growing on me as well.

From the top. Korbanth Graflex 2.0. The newly acquired SF Exhalted. Lastly, SF Vengeance.

Wow, I didn't expect the weathered look to go so well with the Exalted! Amazing. Also, you take incredible photos.

Thank you for the update. Beautiful trio of Sabers you have there, a promising Triple Threat!
Good news with your Epoch too, well the part about reaching for another, by turning something that was once lost into something found. Will you be going the same setup as you did initially or will it go in a new direction?

Jc0522,
Thanks for the review and pics! I love the weathered look on this saber. Even though your journey was longer than expected, you have one hell of a saber now. Once you address the loose thin neck issue, please give us an update for the results. Have you contacted SF about that? I only ask because I've read/heard this in other reviews of the Exhalted. Looks great, and enjoy spinning it around! You picked the exact style and color I've been looking at and your review may have just sealed it!

Beautiful saber man! I was planning on getting the LED in my own Exhalted upgraded to 12w+, and your endorsement of the difference pretty much cemented it.

As for the emitter, the same thing happened to me after a couple of heavy dueling sessions. What had happened was that the adhesive that they use on the threads on the emitter was applied too sparingly, and came loose. I sent it in for warranty repair, and they turned it around inside a week. It happens on occasion with this type of emitter, and it can easily be fixed.

Congrats on the saber, and welcome to the thin-neck appreciation society!

@monkeyofshaolin I was pretty meh about the weathering as well. But I knew that it would be definitely different as there are many standard Exhalteds out there. I'm glad I stuck with my gut and went with the weathered. Definitely came out exceeding my expectations.

@ovrcahst I will go with the Epoch...but I may decide to get an empty and do a custom install. I, however, may have SF weather it and do the shattered weathering as well. I think it'll look awesome. Probably go with a purple LED?

@andi-jae El Thanks for the kind words. I haven't reached out to SF concerning the loose emitter. I will definitely keep you guys posted.

@Brax, YES definitely send it in for the upgrade! I'm glad to hear you also had the loose emitter issue and I'm not alone on it. I'll probably send it back to SF in a few weeks as work is busy right now. I believe the LED is not up all the way in the grenade section so there is a SLIGHT faint rattle.

That's an interesting turn. However, with the experience you developed working on your Graflex, doesn't sound too surprising actually. Weathered would be interesting to see, especially if you're considering the shattered weathering too. There aren't many weathered Epoch that I've seen as most tend to be in the standard finish.
draggerlane Reviewed his recently with an Indigo LED in a weathered finish which matched well. Not sure if its the camera used or the image upload but it looks like there's distortion with the emitter. Tuckris' Yellow works great and equally Execute66's Frost White.
With the 3 levels of shattered weathering available you're considering, I reckon the Purple would create the desired POP effect you're going for.
Have you entertained if it's to be Light, Medium or Heavy?

Damn that is a sexy ass saber. I sometimes wonder if I should have gone with green on mine instead of Deep Blue. Don't get me wrong; Deep Blue is an amazing color but your Green looks stunning in that 12w+.
Fantastic hilt you have! It looks magnificent.

jc0522 congrats on a beautiful saber! The weathering looks awesome on the exhalted, and i love the green blade! So glad everything worked out for you, enjoy!