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TOPIC: 2015 Gladiator 12W+

2015 Gladiator 12W+ 1 year 9 months ago #19828

  • MrSynergy
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He closed his eyes, and fell to his knees. The hot sand of the arena floor burned into his skin on impact. The air was hot and stifling, lapping the end of his tattered robe. The smell of seared flesh still lingered from the fallen combatants that lay around him. The roar of the crowd muffled in his ringing ears. His lightsaber rested gingerly on exhausted fingertips. Countless champions bested, only one remains. “Final round!” called the Game Master. The massive doors at the far end of the arena cracked open like thunder. His heart sank; what kind of monstrosity would they unleash now? Suddenly the giant doors stopped, only open what seemed like a crack at that distance. Though his vision was blurred by sweat and blood, he could make out a shadowy figure between them. Then he felt it, like a cold knife in his heart; the Dark side. So powerful…but calm. The figure took a few steps forward, stopped, ignited a red saber, and waited. “Come to me” the figure said. The words were but a whisper, but filled with such malice that they silenced the crowd. Even at the far end of the arena, he could feel this figure’s hate. He breathed in deep, allowing the oxygen to stimulate his tired lungs. “Last one” he said, under his breath. He gripped his saber tightly, and rose to his feet.

The Gladiator: an achievement of craftsmanship, functionality, and elegance.



Specs:
Gladiator, Champion Edition
12W+ deep blue LED, green AV switch
Viridium Sound
Brown leather wrap
V4 37” Blade
Length: 10.25in/26cm
Emitter width: 1.75in/4.5cm
Body width: 1.375in/3.5cm
Time from order placement to delivery: exactly 18 weeks



Full disclosure, this is not exactly the saber I ordered. I ordered my Gladiator back in May, explicitly to have it made in the “old” style. Unfortunately, by the time my saber got into the queue, they had run out of the old Gladiator/Gladius parts. Saber Forge kindly offered to replace it with another model of my choosing, however after spending some time with the saber, I elected to keep it. Though I don’t care for the new style as much (I’ll explain why below) I still think it’s a magnificently crafted piece of art.



This new Gladiator (and Gladius, too) has a lot of detail. A little too much in my opinion. I feel that there is elegance in simplicity, which is why I prefer the old style more. This is merely my preference, so your mileage may vary. However, the craftsmanship of all this detail is superb.



Regardless of your taste, there is one minor functional drawback concerning the detail. Specifically speaking of the switch section, all those grooves have somewhat rough edges. Now while this may provide a more secure grip, it definitely roughed up my hands after a few minutes of handling/spinning. Even with gloves, the edges “catch” just slightly and roughed up my gloves just a tiny bit. Other areas of note are the fairly sharp crystal chamber window edges and the underside edge of the emitter is just rough enough to cause some discomfort to your hand after a few minutes of spinning. It’s a natural and excellent choke point so it could definitely stand to be smoothed out a tad (something I may tackle down the road).



Now, it may sound like I have no love for this saber at all. Not so! Let me tell you why I chose to keep it.



First, it feels like a real goddamned lightsaber! This is my first saber that is anything beyond the Force FX stuff, and I tell you what…I pointed it away from myself when I first ignited it, just in case. The weight, size, workmanship, everything feels like I would imagine a “real” one to feel like. It really is incredible.



Second, the crystal chamber is absolutely fantastic. This is the feature that initially drew me to this model and it’s my favorite part of the saber. The way the crystal sits in there, the way it lights up, it’s just perfect.



Last, the fit and finish. As I’ve said multiple times already, the workmanship is top-notch. The leather wrap is perfectly applied, the finish is a perfect balance of not too shiny, not too matte, and the whole thing is fit together tight – no rattles, nothing loose, solid as a rock. The sound is also excellent; clear and crisp. As likely by happy accident, the sound is not only projected out of the pommel but also comes out of the crystal chamber as well. The effect is a somewhat more ambient sound, which adds to the experience.



Final thoughts: Though it wasn’t exactly what I was wanting, there are still enough reasons for me to keep and love this saber. The few issues I found with it are fixable and the aesthetics are growing on me. If you like the new Gladius design but want a little extra “bling”, I would absolutely recommend the Gladiator.



Overall I would give the new Gladiator an 8/10.

Pros:
Beautiful crystal chamber
Well built, solid construction
Excellent fit and finish

Cons:
Too much detail (subjective)
Rough/sharp edges on key choke points

Thanks for reading!
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2015 Gladiator 12W+ 1 year 9 months ago #19899

  • Darth Titus
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Wow, that saber sure is a beuty! I really like color choice for the LED. The deep blue is gorgeous. Congrats sir!
“Oh no, my young Jedi. You will find that it is you who are mistaken…about a great many things.”
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2015 Gladiator 12W+ 1 year 9 months ago #19906

  • Lord Callous
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I do agree, I am more of a fan of the original (old) style Gladius / Gladiator, simply because of the SWTOR likeness. However this saber does look magnificent. Congrats!!
"Destiny is a lie. Fate is the falsest of hopes. I am beyond prophecy. I forge my own path by making the difficult choices..."
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2015 Gladiator 12W+ 1 year 9 months ago #19921

  • Brax
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You have what I, and many others consider the quintessential dueling saber. The classic lines, the length, the leather grip section. Perfect. My guess is that with a 32" blade, the balance point is just in front of the emitter. The addition of the crystal chamber is the perfect highlight to an already outstanding saber. The Deep Blue color accents the whole package beautifully!

I know the rough edges can be a little hard on the hands/gloves, but with a little TLC, those can be smoothed over, elevating it to at least a 9/10. Yes?
Imagine what you will know tomorrow....
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2015 Gladiator 12W+ 1 year 9 months ago #19930

  • h2soy
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I like the way you formatted the review and the depth of your analysis. I was also a bit iffy on how "busy" the new gladiator is. However, like a toe fungus, it's grown on me over time.
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2015 Gladiator 12W+ 1 year 9 months ago #19991

  • MrSynergy
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Darth Titus wrote:
Wow, that saber sure is a beuty! I really like color choice for the LED. The deep blue is gorgeous. Congrats sir!

Thank you sir! It really is a gorgeous color :)

Lord Callous wrote:
I do agree, I am more of a fan of the original (old) style Gladius / Gladiator, simply because of the SWTOR likeness. However this saber does look magnificent. Congrats!!

Thanks! While I still like the old style best, the new version is definitely not without it's merits!

Brax wrote:
You have what I, and many others consider the quintessential dueling saber. The classic lines, the length, the leather grip section. Perfect. My guess is that with a 32" blade, the balance point is just in front of the emitter. The addition of the crystal chamber is the perfect highlight to an already outstanding saber. The Deep Blue color accents the whole package beautifully!

I know the rough edges can be a little hard on the hands/gloves, but with a little TLC, those can be smoothed over, elevating it to at least a 9/10. Yes?

Oh absolutely, if the edges weren't as rough it would easily be a 9/10! While I likely won't be dueling with it, I can definitely see the appeal there. It really flows well in the hand and the balance is near perfect.

h2soy wrote:
I like the way you formatted the review and the depth of your analysis. I was also a bit iffy on how "busy" the new gladiator is. However, like a toe fungus, it's grown on me over time.

Most kind! Yeah, it's absolutely been growing on me more and more. Each time I pick it up, I soften to it just a bit more (and I find myself picking it up a lot, so...). I'm glad I decided to keep it as it really is a beautiful thing. Trouble is, now I can't stop thinking about my next purchase :unsure:
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2015 Gladiator 12W+ 1 year 9 months ago #19995

  • Brax
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Don't worry about that. It is a malady common to just about everyone who posts here, and pretty much anyone who already owns one.
Imagine what you will know tomorrow....
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2015 Gladiator 12W+ 1 year 1 month ago #55116

  • Stgthor
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I noticed that the new Gladiators come with white Crystals.
Since i got the old one The Crystal that was put inside is the same color that my lightsaber lights up.
So i Have a Green LED and even if my Saber is off the Crystal itself is Green too.
It looks more realistic since the crystal is the core of the saber and the thing that decides wich color the blade has.
Maybe they should go back to something like this atleast to Champion Editions that dont have the RGB Option.
But Still the Gladiator is one of a kind and for me one of the BEST looking Sabers out there.
Saberforge should have built Lightsabers for Lucas Arts. :)
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