TOPIC: Weathered Exhalted, Warrior 12W+ Cyan

So, this is a bit overdue. Had this saber for a few days and just haven't had time/a chance to sit down and upload some pictures of it here.

Let me start by saying... the Exhalted is 90 different types of pure awesome. If you like the thin-neck design in ANY way, but are a little turned off by control boxes (like I am) then this saber is PERFECT for you. It is comfortable, sleek, a decent length, not at all cumbersome, and tough. I have zero fear using this hilt in a full-power duel. The neck is solid and the emitter holds the blade tightly, so it doesn't wobble about or worse-come flying out entirely.

The weathering on this saber turned out exquisitely... I didn't take a lot of pictures of the hilt itself, because honestly there are tons of pictures of the Exhalted hilts floating about, but focused instead on the number one area of improvement here... the 12W+ in a thin-neck design. It's ridiculous the difference in the old 12W to the new 12W+ in the thin neck. The old thin-neck with a 12W suffered brightness loss from the high base flare of the LED unit that wasn't properly funneled through the thin-neck choke, and in a 37in blade, suffered some serious dull spots in the blade.

That.... is completely and utterly gone. The new focused LED module is SO much better at focusing a tight beam of light through the choke and into the blade, creating a solid, evenly lit blade, even in the 37in version, that even outshines my gladius 12W.

From left to right: 12W red Gladius w/32in V4, 12W deep blue Avenger w/32in VV blade, 12W+ Cyan w/37in V4.

Another side-by-side with the Exhalted and Avenger:

So, as you can clearly see, the color is fuller, brighter, and far more even in the Exhalted than the others... with a longer blade, and even against other types of blades. This 12W+ module... ROCKS!!!

Bonus pictures! One with BACON!

And this one showcasing my "nerd shelves".... two shelves full of Star Wars legos, my Jaina Statue, Aayla Secura figure, and even some GoT POP! figures and a batgirl.

Final rating for the Exhalted with the new LED: 10/10. Cannot recommend highly enough. THIS SABER IS BEAST.

Yep! This is absolutely the next saber that I want to order if the count doesn't drop before that. Think I'll be going 12w+ Lime Green though

I feel exactly the same way as you about the Exhalted, which is why it was the first saber I ordered from the Forge. The look of it never fails to impress, and the feel of the saber in my hands is just perfect. The grenade section can be a little grating on the hands in full power dueling, but nothing a thin glove does not solve.

As for your choice in color, I am just the opposite of you in that, I love both cyan, and arctic blue, but I like the AB a little more, so that is the color of mine. However, my next saber will very likely be cyan, so my desire for that color is genuine.

The only regret I have on my Exhalted is that, because of the thin-neck design, quick connects are not an option, so getting my 12w LED upgraded to a 12w+ will require sending it in for refit. Since it is still under warranty, I imagine I would have to send it back to SF so as not to violate the warranty, which will cost for the LED upgrade and the labor.

Congrats on an awe inspiring saber my friend!

All these cyan blades... so pretty and i really like that it doesn't have a control box.

How do the thin neck sabers feel when spinning and dueling compared to the more uniform tube style? Does it change your grip much?



Nice nerd shelf btw

It doesn't for me, because I tend to use a high grip, which means I grip around the thin neck section, which actually just means my grip is MORE solid with the thin-neck, and definitely not going to slide off. My secondary hand goes around the grenade section for guide and control, and it's just about perfect. =D

Haha, thanks!

Brax, I feel ya on the quick connects, but honestly I'm mostly of the mind that sabers are meant to be ONE color, so. I don't invest in quick connects but on a couple sabers, and have others that never change. That's all personal flavor... but, I totally get what you're saying, and it can be a pain if you want to upgrade/change the LED down the road. From what I understand tho, their pricing for doing those is really reasonable, so there is that at least lol.

Ewwww GREEN... haha. Just teasing, of course, but I'm really not that fond of green sabers. Not sure why.. I prefer blues and purples.

Ha! Yeah, my fave is Red! But certain colors speak to me for certain hilts. The Exalted is a Green Saber in my eyes (Probably a ROTJ influence). While the Redeemer is Blue or Purple.

Oh, I would not change the AB color of my saber. I LOVE that color with this saber. However, if it had quick connects, I could upgrade it to the 12w+ version of AB without the need to send it in. Of course, since the LED sits beneath the emitter, which is threaded, and would need to be locked down to keep it from rotating on its own, I would probably have to send it in anyway. Perhaps I will inquire what they would charge for it, just to satisfy my curiosity.

Wow. What a beaut!
Totally makes me even more excited for my Exalted to arrive. Mine will be a 12w+ Purple in a standard finish and black grenade. I find it funny how designs can grow on you. I wasn't huge on the Exalted or Phoenix at first. And bam. They've become 2 of my first 3 sabers.
Man. That Cyan tho! I think you've helped seal the deal in me wanting that colour. I'll let Justin know to install into my Phoenix when he does the customizations we've talked about to my hilt.

Man, wish I knew about this 12W+ stuff sooner! Looks like I'll be sending all three of the sabers I received last week (the start of my SF collection) back for a refit at some point

Beautiful saber and thanks for the comparison between 12W and 12W+. I might just have to pick one of these down the road. I want a thin neck saber, but can't come to the conclusion of which one to get lol.

That looks awesome! If I ever get another thin neck, that will be the one, the weathering looks sick!
Cyan was a really nice color choice with it too.

Bietr Krrob wrote:
Right now, there is the Redeemer, the Prodigal Son, and the Exhalted to choose from. However, once the ASP system goes live, you will be able to create your own thin-neck design using the 3d modeling tool. You could actually do that now by going to saberparts.com.

OMG what a beautiful saber!!! I want to get a similar one with a clean finish. How do you order the 12W+ LED module? I can only see the 6W or 12W option on the website. How do you get the 12W+ with your order?

Message SF. If you purchase on Etsy, put a request in the order notes for 12W+, then paypal them (they'll tell you where to paypal it) $25, include in the paypal your Etsy order number, and then send another message on Etsy with the paypal transaction number so they can confirm and note it on the order.

On the main site, much the same process, just via email instead of Etsy messages.