TOPIC: US Phantasm V4 and Reaper

Um... I can explain the existence of this thread! So first of all, I always told myself I'd never get a saber from US. I never even bothered to look at the site because what I've seen from the Etsy store at the time was just plain, run-of-the-mill saber hilts.

Buuuuut during my SF wait, I decided to peruse the site out of curiosity. I actually found 2 (and only 2) sabers that I was interested in. One was a Phantasm V4, made with 2 Aeon V4s. I liked that because it came with 2 sabers that I actually like, and I can use it for both dual wielding and staff configurations. The other was the Reaper. That caught my attention for sure! It kinda reminded me of my field, Computer Science because of the circuit-like etchings

At the time I saw them they were both on back-order and customer service estimated an in-stock date of sometime in May. That was fine with me, until last weekend when I noticed the Phantasm V4 came back in stock already! Soooo I bought it on 3/26

As I was sitting in class on Monday (3/28), I was looking through the site again and noticed that the Reaper just came back in stock as well. Soooo I bought it too

Each saber took about 4-5 days from order time to delivery, which was super fast!

When I first saw them (especially the Reaper), my first thought was, "dang, these are much bigger than they look on the site pictures". Both sabers shipped in nicely and the hilts look fantastic! I got 32" UltraEdge midgrade blades for both, and I admit I like how it looks more than I expected. The colors look full and the sabers are still very bright. The Phantasm V4 has regular Dual-Cree Guardian Blue LEDs, and the Reaper has the Tri-Cree Adegan Silver. Both colors look beautiful in both light and dark environments.

The Phantasm V4 is a stunt edition (no sound), but it is still amazing. The hilts are elegant yet simple, and pair well with blue. Yes, the hilt (Reaper too) is wide in diameter but I have no issues gripping even with my small hands. The balance point for the Phantasm is great in both configurations and it is easy to switch between separate sabers and the staff. I opted for the blade windows and I'm glad I did, they accent the hilt very well!

The Reaper.... wow. When I opened the box today for it, I was amazed at how sick it looks! It's a huge hilt, and the claws are menacing! I'll probably take the pommel claw off (as both claws are removable) when using the saber since I've seen videos of Reaper owners with scratched up arms Still, even with the pommel claw off it looks gorgeous. The etchings are precise and give the hilt so much detail, and the blade windows are a perfect addition. Oh, and I got this one with sound, but just the Obsidian Lite. It's nice and loud, but not too much so. I'm still awaiting my Champion tier saber from here so I can't wait to hear that Viridian sound

Overall, I'm surprisingly happy with both orders. I doubt I'll make another saber purchase anytime soon (I spent too much already!), but when I do it'll be from SF, mainly because I already acquired the 2 US sabers I wanted and SF has tons of beautiful sabers I want (not even including ASP)!

Phantasm V4:

Reaper:











Both:

I have personally looked at US simply because of their staff packages. How do they feel together? Is it too heavy. I like that Reaper as well. Looks like you did well for yourself Savannah

Thank you! The staff has some weight to it and feels a little heavy, but I don't find it excessive. For me personally, the two 32" blades make it just a little too long, but that's because I'm only 5'3"

The Phantasm Initiate with 24" blades is of course smaller overall, but I would assume it would be much lighter and easier to use for a smaller person. For anyone average or tall, the regular Phantasm would be a good fit. Still, coming from a small person, the regular is nice too!

Hi Savannah95,

Thanks for sharing your new acquisitions with us. I had looked at the "Dark Aeon" or Dominix as it's known while researching my purchase. Those two Aeons look fantastic with the Guardian Blue. But that Adegan Silver...Wow! that's even more impressive!

Well done and thanks again,

For Tyeth

Ooh, I really like the look of that Reaper, and grabbing a couple cheaper sabers is a good option for those who are tight on money or impatiently awaiting a SaberForge in your case, lol.

I can certainly speak for using Ultrasabers as practice sabers like your Phantasm purchase. From my personal opinion, US delivers pretty decent sabers designed for (in my case) those new to the world of sabering. However, they are definitely not to be worn in public. Perhaps your Reaper, but I'd never wear something like a Phantasm or my own Apprentice V4 in public, as some of US' simpler sabers basically look like Maglites. I'm gonna get a Saberforge saber before making that mistake again.

Excellent sabers you have there nontheless. Looking forward to seeing some saber spinning or dulon videos!

Congrats!! That's a quick turnaround! I got my Crimson Scorpion in under a week and a half.. good for you! The reaper looks great.. I can do without the bottom claw but over all, nice details.. The only other US hilt that interests me is the War Glaive ... I think is cool looking... enjoy your sabers!!!

Nice sabers Savannah95! The Reaper is cool---i was always curious how the quality of US compares to Saberforge, thanks for sharing.

Congrats on the new sabers, I'm a big US fan myself (owning 18 US hilts currently), although I actually prefer their V3 Aeon/Dominix design over the V4 design (I think the V3 has better grip options). Glad you are enjoying their Reaper as well, I have the Crimson version and find it fun to practice with (I took the shroud and claws off mine, it has options) My personal favorite hilt of theirs is the Prophecy/Dark Prophecy, it looks nice and is comfortable to hold and spin.

The important thing is that you got a couple of sabers you like. Thanks for posting your review and pics!

Congrats on your new arrivals. The staff looks like a lot of fun. At least now you can practice while you wait for your SF sabers to come in.

I too couldn't wait out the lead time for my SF purchase without a saber to play with. After testing out a few borrowed hilts at a TSL meet recently I found one I thought had good balance. An Initiate V4.

The price and turnaround time was right so I pulled the trigger. I completely agree they are larger than they appear to be in photos.

Your staff looks good, blue was a good choice. Now I'm tempted to get another Initiate and a coupler

Savannah95
Nice purchase on the Phantasm V4 and Reaper. I too love the look of the Reaper. I ordered a Azure Reaper with the Emerald driver. As for the Phantasm V4 it looks a little too long for me. I'm going to turn my ASP Saber into a staff with 26inch blades. From tip to pommel it should be about 20inches.
You should order some color discs for the Reaper.

Anyways enjoy and thanks for your pics

Thanks everyone!

Ace, I understand the length issue. It's a bit long for me as well. Still, it's nice practice until I can order my next staff which will be one of my ASP designs. That will come with some 26" shoto blades. By the time I can make that purchase and it becomes reality, I figure I'll be able to handle it with ease. Also, I did consider the color discs though I am aware of the trade-off with the brightness, but for only a couple of dollars it seems like something I could have a lot of fun playing around with! I'll likely get some!

Davin, I appreciate your input! I considered the Initiate V4 as well and almost went for it! I think another one with a coupler would make for a very nice staff you could mess around with. I feel like it would be the perfect dueling staff while waiting for a SF staff (whether ASP or otherwise). That was my reasoning for getting the Phantasm, despite its length. The blue does go nicely with the hilts, I agree. Something about silver and blue just makes it pop!