TOPIC: Full production or Scrap-yard ?

Where to get info on limited releases. Certain hilts selling, others not and why. Tough to make a decision on a product that might not be around to long. Should I get it in case it goes the way of the dodo! I think it's cool, but do I have bad taste? Oh wait, some people are buying. Did they get a lemon, is there a problem with design aspect? Don' t want to regret a purchase based on a lack of info on limited releases. UGH ! ! !
"WHAT HAVE I DONE"

I don't think any of the SF designs are lemons, but some just aren't popular as others.

SF has been pretty good about mentioning what is where on their FB page, too.

NOTE: I DO NOT WORK FOR THE FORGE, AND THIS IS NOT OFFICIAL. This is all from me looking at Etsy for a while and doing a fair bit of educated guesswork.

Of the last few recent releases I believe things look like this:

Added to main line:

Reborn (silver / DT / v2)
Fallen (standard / v2)
Silver Knight
Bane (dual tone finish)

OOP but being reworked for ASP:

Rebel
Exile
Sorcerer

OOP but likely to be restocked soon:

Bane v2
Templar

Running low on Etsy:

Black Lotus
Archon
Vengeance
Relic
Grandmaster
Mauler

The only other limited release is the Destiny, and there's more than 50 still in the store. That one seems to be selling a little slower than others.

OTOH, the SK seemed to go really slowly for a while and then it sold out fast, hence why they brought it back, I think.

If I had to guess, obviously the crossguards will keep being produced. I suspect that Archon, the Lotus, and Vengeance are pretty good locks too.

Mauler will almost certainly be added to the main line but I'm not sure about the Grandmaster. It's beautiful but I'm not sure how well it actually sold compared to what the Forge expected.

I would say a number of factors govern which sabers sell over others.

• Personal Preference (which saber do I like)
• Design (both dual ability and aesthetics)
• Canonicity (which character owned it)
• Popularity (is it being talked about)

When you consider these three factors some sabers "rate higher." For example, IMO, the Vigilant "rates" fairly low on dual ability (too many greeblies), has a medium canonicity pull (Aayla and Ki-Adi used iteration of it), and if fairly low on the popularity scale due to a combination of the previously mentioned factors. Is it a "lemon"? No, it simply doesn't hit that sweet spot for buyers. The "Black Lotus" on the other hand is immensely popular because it is a very attractive design which, I would suspect, is the cause for the majority of its sales despite it having zero canonical appeal and having questionable dueling potential (too many claws).

One thing you should consider when making decisions is whether or not the hilt is ASP compatible as though models will be available longer. The only sabers right now which aren't on ASP are the Destiny, Archon, Phoenix, Ka'Tano, Silver Knight, Templar, Relic, Grandmaster, and Bane. Of those named the Grandmaster is the only hilt which has been explicitly mentioned as being vaulted after its initial run due to the labor intensive nature of the build.

Ottomatix, what hilts in particular are you considering?

Well that would be any hilt that is being repopped! Example the Epoch! V1 and V2 looked incredible! Why change it again to V3? Possibly a design flaw, didn't like certain aspects of ergonomics?? I feel that these types of changes are misleading to the consumers. R&D , testing should be extensively carried out by SF prior to its release. Releasing a model and leaving it to the buyers to determine a designs strengths or weakness is bad in my opinion. Example the Bane cool saber. WTF the seem on the top of the hilt ugly. Section with holes could have been separate part attached over seem to help hide the gap. Things like this are what I'm referring to. Keeping a designs release unknown until bugs are worked out better than rushing production.

You're not understanding the design phase at all.

We do not rush designs out and then let the market determine strengths or flaws. The epoch was redesigned to make it usable. The older version simply wasn't duel capable, not really. The grip was too abrupt and too jagged. The redesign element also allowed us to bring it into the ASP system.

Aesthetically, not everyone is going to love exactly the same things, and that's fine. The bane in the example you mentioned? It has to have that seam. That's how the saber is constructed. They are cast halves, to get the curved hilt. Places like Apple and such so the same thing for phones and laptops, but can afford laser guided alignment systems to make these seams all but disappear. We cant. The alignment is done by hand, and any flaws and hand-touched and fixed. If you want to start talking about bolting new pieces down and onto the hilt to cover things, now we're going to have to up prices to cover additional labor and production and material and now the saber takes that many more hours to build...

Phil has always kept the ideal of "keep the cost low for the end consumer, but make it as nice as possible in doing so" running at the forefront of his mind for design and R&D.

He does not broadcast what he is currently working on for a lot of reasons. You can get details on those elsewhere.

SF's facebook has always been very upfront about changes being made, and people seem to have some fatal misconception that we don't talk to people. You have questions? You want to know why we're doing something? Then ask. Send me an email. Post. Message us on facebook. We're very open and we talk all. The. Time. We're not hiding information and misleading people or being false or... anything like that. We're extremely busy so there are times we tend to forget to post small updates, and we also live in a world where we often forget others don't know what we know, so she details are just simply overlooked. But ask us. We'll answer.

Knytiri this post is not meant to be critical of specific designs. You need not justify certain aspects that I had mentioned. I fully understand the Bane needs a seem and why, the Epoch being hard to wield . these are exactly my point. I really like the Archon want it bad, and had asked about it. Well a hasty decision on my part and info received after the fact about it has led me to cancel and Etsy order and has just left a bad taste in my mouth. I don't want to be misunderstood and perhaps I've not made my point clear. Might have just shot myself in the foot is all. Just confused why I find out about an issue with a product I desire after I purchased.
Not a deal killer but just don't want to be the guy with unfounded and uninformed issues.
Not trying to cause problems but it seem that is what has happened regretfully !

I would suggest asking the forum or reading reviews. When I'm writing reviews of hilts i'm blunt about the pros and cons. The Vigilant for example: i wrote in the review that it looks great but it may not be the best dueler. Someone posted questions about the Consular and at least five people have given their opinion on the model. This forum is you best resource to make informed decisions.

... What issue came up with the Archon? It's my favorite hilt, the only mod i had to make was adjusting the speaker and filing the edges.

Any issues with the sub hilt or inner frame in black?

I didn't take it as being critical; I simply shed some light on areas that were clearly being misunderstood, and attempted to clarify the issue so that there wasn't any misunderstanding or miscommunication.

Nope. If there was some serious problem with a hilt they'd pull it or integrate some sort of fix. In the case of the Epoch, and pretty much all of their hilts w/multiple versions, it's been an iterative process as SF's machining tools and R&D skills have improved they're going to update designs. Knytiri hit it on the nose w/the Apple comparison.

The only saber I'm aware of that had a serious design flaw was the Phoenix where the shroud came loose if you adjusted the top greeblie. They weren't aware of this problem so when I sent mine back to get repaired they fixed it, and from what I understand, integrated the fix into their production process.

Unfortunately, it doesn't really. Cause I just told you, we're not using the market to test designs or anything like that, but it sounds like you're basically saying that very thing again.

I'm not even clear on what the original problem was with the Archon; it's still in production, isn't being pulled, isn't being redesigned, so...

I like the Archon. I have decided it will be one of my next sabers to purchase.

I'm deciding between the Archon and Ka'Tano.
Execute66 wrote:

SupremusTotus wrote:
You get the Ka'Tano. I get the Archon. Problem solved.

whynotboth.gif

No but in all seriousness I'm totally torn. I know I can only pick one, but I really don't want to have to make that choice. Sophie's choice. Hm...
Execute66 wrote:

Have the Archon, looking into a Ka'Tano. (▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿)

The Archon, is w/o a doubt my fave hilt in my collection. She's a classy lady w/style and substance. (• ε •)

You're clouding my judgement, man. I was leaning towards the Ka'Tano but now I don't know.

Do you have the D-Ring or Covertech installed for the Archon? What blade colour/finish did you go with?

h2soy wrote:

The d-ring is part of the design so i have it and a covertech. Standard finish, blood orange. Check out my review for pics and indepth info.

Go with your gut Supremus if you have to choose one. Ahsoka is awesome sauce.

The journey has finally ended. Much debate over this topic has resulted in me getting the answers to my dilemma. The truth will set you free and for all who want to know here it is. With regards to the Archon, mention was made by me of a problem. The Issues with the hilt is " That I don't have one, YET ! !"